While many may want to forget the year 2021, there are just some moments we can’t help but remember.
From a celebrity's dogs being stolen to an on-set-shooting,
some stars were in the spotlight for less-than-flattering reasons.
On November 5, 2021, the two-day Astroworld music festival kicked off in what should have
been a fun and memorable event. Unfortunately, that's not how things turned out after 50,000
people crammed into NRG Park in Houston to watch their favorite artists perform.
While the venue's capacity was 200,000, attendance was limited by city officials.
Despite the smaller-than-possible crowd, the area in front of the stage offered no room for
movement, which resulted in deadly consequences. While Travis Scott was performing on stage,
a large number of fans surged forwards, resulting in even less space for movement.
The mob of people pushed until movement was so restricted, some people couldn't breathe.
As people were being crushed, Scott continued to perform. Even after an ambulance showed up,
he remained on stage for 30 minutes before ending his set. According to USA Today,
10 people were crushed and killed by the mob, and a lot of the blame for what happened was
centered directly on Scott. The rapper has a history of encouraging crowds to rush the stage,
and many found him culpable in the deaths that occurred during his Houston performance.
Scott has since refused to take responsibility for what happened
at Astroworld, angering many — including his fans.
“I mean, honestly, I’m just devastated and I just couldn't imagine this just happening.”
According to Deadline, a subsequent petition calling for Scott's removal
from 2022 Coachella was successful. While he won't appear, he will receive a, quote,
"kill fee" for his removal, as indicated by his contract.
Alec Baldwin was rehearsing on the set of "Rust" in October when the gun he was using discharged.
Unfortunately, it wasn't loaded with blanks as he was told. The bullet it fired injured the
director and killed the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. The investigation is ongoing,
but it seems that a series of bad decisions and reckless behavior resulted in the shooting.
Speaking to ABC News, Baldwin insisted he didn't pull the trigger, leaving many to
wonder how the firearm discharged. The news of the shooting immediately drew
comparisons to Brandon Lee's death while filming "The Crow" in 1993.
In a similar incident, Lee was shot and killed by a firearm that should have been safe.
The New York Times reported that Baldwin was told he was using a, quote, "cold gun."
That's a term used in the film industry to identify a firearm as safe and unloaded.
That clearly wasn't the case, but it raises the question, why was there a live round
anywhere near a movie set in the first place? That question needs to be answered, and while
the tragic loss of Hutchins will be felt for a long time, her death may serve to produce change.
Because of the deaths of Hutchins and Lee, an ongoing movement picked up steam to remove
firearms from movie and TV sets. CGI can be used in post-production to make guns appear real,
and doing so would mitigate the risk of this happening again.
In May, Chrissy Teigen posted a detailed open apology on Medium,
which she shared on her social media accounts. In the apology, Teigen discussed how her, quote,
"old awful” tweets had resurfaced. Like many celebrities who did or said something
in the past that got them into trouble, Teigen's reveal led to widespread criticism of the model,
and for a good reason. Her past tweets were indefensible.
In her old tweets, she attacked then-teenager Courtney Stodden,
who at 16 married 50-year-old actor Doug Hutchison. In the tweets and direct messages,
Teigen expressed an interest in seeing Stodden die. Stodden told The Daily Beast,
"She wouldn't just publicly tweet about wanting me to take 'a dirt nap' but would
privately DM me and tell me to kill myself. Things like, 'I can't wait for you to die.'"
Similarly, Farrah Abraham described Teigen's messages to her as a, quote, "'Mean Girls' movie
spin-off." In Teigen's apology, she admitted to these comments and referred to herself as a troll.
“The hardest part for me was realizing that, my goodness, this really had an affect on people.”
One of the worst aspects of the revelation that Teigen was a cyberbully revolves around
how prolific she was. Since the apology came to light, more people have come out and shared
their stories of Teigen's online habits. The extent of these revelations shows just how
nasty Teigen was with people online, and it's not something many will forgive. Despite this,
Stodden revealed that they previously forgave Teigen following a different
apology. However, they said they hadn't been privately contacted by Teigen.
Ben Affleck is an alcoholic, and it's something he's been dealing with for years. The Academy
Award-winning actor/writer/director has been the subject of numerous headlines regarding
his alcoholism, though he previously didn't comment on his addiction with much detail.
That changed when he appeared on "The Howard Stern Show" in December 2021.
Affleck discussed his alcoholism and recovery, but he pointed the finger at his ex-wife,
Jennifer Garner, as the reason he drank. Affleck said that he'd probably still
be drinking if he was still married to Garner. He doubled down on this by saying,
"It's part of why I started drinking … because I was trapped."
Affleck elaborated by saying he felt like he had to stay married to Garner
for their kids' sake, but he wasn't happy. He confessed,
"What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch."
By blaming his ex-wife for his alcoholism, Affleck enraged his fans and many others.
The whole thing blew up online, where he was called out for his comments.
Comments on Twitter pointed out how Garner supported him through multiple stints at rehab.
She even drove him there in 2018, three years after their separation.
Affleck's candid comments about his alcoholism and divorce will follow him for a long time,
and he's put a stain on his reputation. Still, he's sober now, and he and Garner remain close
as they care for their children and move on from one another.
Chris Harrison has been attached to "The Bachelor" franchise since 2002,
and it looked as if he would continue hosting the series' various shows for years to come.
That became an impossibility in February when Harrison sat down for an interview
with Rachel Lindsay on "Extra." During the interview, Harrison was asked about
"Bachelor" contestant Rachael Kirkconnell and some of the comments and pictures related to her.
At the time, Kirkconnell was in hot water for allegedly liking racially charged posts on
Instagram. She was also getting a lot of flak for attending an antebellum-themed fraternity
party in 2018. Kirkconnell hadn't apologized for her actions, and Harrison defended her.
Most of his comments during the interview were evasive. Still, he took a stand in
supporting Kirckconnell, mentioning that she hadn't spoken about the controversy yet.
His comments about the picture of Kirkconnell at the party didn't go over well with some fans,
and with that, Harrison's career was in jeopardy.
Sometimes, saying or doing something racist gets a celebrity canceled, and sometimes,
supporting another star for those actions brings down a lot of heat. According to Us Weekly,
the latter happened to Harrison, who posted an apology on Instagram soon after the interview.
It was too little, too late for many fans, and before long,
Harrison was kicked off the franchise he helped build for two decades. Deadline reported that
Harrison was set to receive an eight-figure payoff as he left Bachelor Nation forever.
Cannibalism is probably the worst taboo anyone can get involved in, and allegations made against
actor Armie Hammer in January 2021 suggested he crossed — or wants to cross — that particular
line. Variety reported that an unnamed woman claimed that she'd exchanged several DMs with
Hammer, including one saying that he was, quote, "100% a cannibal." In another message,
he allegedly told her that he wanted to drink her blood. When news of the messages broke, Hammer
stepped down from his role in the movie "Shotgun Wedding," though none of the allegations have been
proven. In a statement, he called the cannibalism claims, quote, "spurious online attacks."
That same month, one of the actor's ex-girlfriends, Courtney Vucekovich,
spoke to Page Six. She accused Hammer of saying that he wanted to break her rib,
barbecue it, and eat it. She made other tragic claims about their relationship,
saying that she felt like she was drowning in this dark hole when she was with Hammer.
Vucekovich claimed that she even went to therapy for PTSD after they broke up. She added,
"Therapy is really helpful after healing from any kind of abuse.
You don't want to take that trauma with you."
Hammer didn't respond to Vucekovich's claims, but by March, he was vehemently
denying allegations by another ex who had accused him of sexual assault. This sparked
an LAPD investigation In December — the same month he checked out of rehab for
various issues – sources told TMZ it was unlikely Hammer would be charged.
"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" runs on drama — all of the "Real Housewives" shows do,
but that doesn't mean there isn't a limit. When a star is alleged to have done something illegal,
odds are, the production isn't going to be happy. For Jen Shah, her reputation was destroyed when
she was accused of actions with the potential to have tragic effects on her purported victims.
In March 2021, Shah was indicted for taking part in a long-running telemarketing scheme.
The reality star was arrested alongside Stuart Smith, one of her assistants on
"Real Housewives." Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss reported,
"The so-called business opportunities pushed on the victims by Shah, Smith, and their
co-conspirators were just fraudulent schemes, motivated by greed, to steal victims' money."
The allegations made against Shah essentially paint her as a fraudster, swindling vulnerable,
often elderly, working-class people of their money. According to reporting from the New
York Post, Shah and Smith are two of six suspects implicated in the scheme designated
by prosecutors to be at the highest tier of responsibility. Smith had pleaded guilty, leaving
Shah to defend herself in court. Criminal defense attorney Ronald Richards told ABC News Studios,
"Stuart knows where the bodies are buried,
and I think that if he testifies, that's gonna be a devastating witness for her."
The trial has yet to commence, so Shah's fate as a cast member and as a free woman remains uncertain.
Jen Shah isn't the only cast member from a "Real Housewives" series to experience problems in 2021.
Over on the set of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Erika Jayne found herself
wrapped up in a legal nightmare and so much more. Jayne's challenging year was due in part to her
divorce proceedings with her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, whom she left in November 2020.
Before the dust settled on the divorce, which still hasn't been finalized, Girardi was accused
of embezzling funds designated for plane-crash victims. The allegations detailed how Girardi
and Jayne used those funds to live a lavish life. The stink of those allegations against
Jayne's ex-husband stuck to the reality star, and it caused all sorts of drama on the show.
During the penultimate episode of the 11th season,
Jayne fought off calls to have her fired. In a discussion with host Andy Cohen, Jayne asked,
"Why are you presuming that I've done something? Why aren't we letting the legal process play out?"
She went on to explain that people had only heard one side of the argument.
Jayne revealed that the show was her primary source of income, which The New York Times
reported as being more than $600,000 for 2021. On an episode of RHOBH, Jayne claimed she was
broke and would walk away with nothing from her divorce. However, her co-star Kim Richards
argued that the real tragic figures in the situation were Girardi's alleged victims.
As any dog owner will tell you, their little furry pets are like children. So these animal lovers
likely felt the loss Lady Gaga had to deal with when two of her three beloved French bulldogs were
stolen on February 24. Gaga was left reeling after the dogs were taken in an orchestrated robbery
involving a gunman who shot Gaga's dog walker before making off with the pups.
The whole thing sounds like a messed-up caper in an old noir serial, but according to Tara Bruno,
the founder of SNORT Rescue, it's not uncommon. In an interview with People, Bruno explained,
“[French Bulldogs] are among the most stolen dog breeds because they're very popular,
are small and portable, and are expensive."
They can cost as much as $10,000 for a single dog. According to ABC News, the authorities believe
Gaga wasn't targeted. It’s more likely that the dogs were just stolen for their high value.
According to TMZ, Gaga offered a $500,000 reward for anyone who brought back her
babies. Fortunately, the dogs were eventually returned, and the dog walker has since recovered.
Los Angeles police arrested and charged five people in connection with the robbery.
There are actually two tragedies related to this story. The dognapping was tragic for Gaga,
but on top of that, the reduced media coverage of her dog walker,
Ryan Fischer, and his shooting is tragic in and of itself. Yes, dogs were stolen,
but a person was shot, which should have been the headline.
In May 2021, Ellen DeGeneres announced that her self-titled talk show would come to an end in
2022 after 19 seasons. While DeGeneres often shows a great deal of loving fun and charisma on "The
Ellen DeGeneres Show," she was accused of making the set a hostile workplace, per BuzzFeed News.
Those allegations surfaced in 2020, but they didn't just die out,
allowing DeGeneres to bow out gracefully. WarnerMedia launched an official investigation
into complaints of toxic management and racist behavior on the set of the show.
The allegations were utterly antithetical to the series' "Be Kind" mantra,
with most of the blame being leveled against executive producers and senior management.
The negative attention eventually necessitated a response from DeGeneres herself, who sent a
memo to her staff. According to Today, the memo outlined how she began the series as a
place of happiness where her employees would be treated with respect. She acknowledged
that something changed, and for that, she apologized.
DeGeneres began working to turn the situation around, but ultimately, that didn't happen.
There was seemingly no recovery for the series after the toxic workplace allegations hit,
but DeGeneres insisted that they weren't the reason the show was ending.
“I mean, I really didn’t understand it. I still don’t understand it.”
Instead, she told The Hollywood Reporter that her TV gig simply wasn't, quote,
"a challenge anymore" after nearly two decades.
Josh Duggar was once a big deal on "19 Kids and Counting," a reality show that revolved around
the Duggar family. Josh was the oldest child of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar,
so he played a significant role on the series. That role came to an end in 2015
when reports surfaced that Josh had molested several minors, including his own sisters,
when he was a teenager. The news also resulted in the cancellation of "19 Kids and Counting."
On April 29, 2021, Duggar was arrested on federal charges stating he received and possessed child
sexual abuse material. When a celebrity is arrested, it's always big news,
but in most cases, the charges aren't this ... horrific. Ultimately, Duggar was found guilty.
As of the making of this video, he has yet to be sentenced. According to AP, the father of seven
faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and potential fines of as much as $250,000 per count.
Josh's trial was a tragic reminder of the trauma his past victims experienced.
According to People, one witness, a family friend,
took the stand to tell the court that Josh had confessed his actions to her
and shared details about how he allegedly molested his victims. For the survivors of Duggar's abuse,
his arrest will hopefully be a component in their healing. And for them and the minors victimized in
child sexual abuse material, the focus should remain on them, their safety, and healing.
2021 was a pretty crappy year for celebrities, and it wasn't great for the rest of the world either.
The ongoing pandemic and political strife across the planet were exacerbated by deadly
changes in the global climate, but the awful year almost came to a quiet close,
offering hope for many. Then, on the last day of the year, 2021 gave humanity the middle finger by
taking Betty White from the world. White's agent told People she died peacefully in her sleep,
offering the millions of mourners who loved her some modicum of comfort.
For many, White was a beloved actor and comedian who entertained them all their lives.
She had been working since 1939, and in 2018, she was recognized for her enduring career
with the Guinness World Record for working in television longer than anyone else.
She was known for her unwavering kindness and fantastic sense of humor.
Because White was around for so long, memes about her longevity popped up for years.
Her age and much more brought her to everyone's attention. The fact that she
was set to celebrate her 100th birthday only a few weeks into 2022 made her death all the
more heartbreaking. For whatever reason, 2021 had to end with the death of a beloved icon.
It was the icing on the cake of a pretty lousy year, and for that, 2021 cannot be forgiven.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help
is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website
or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).