Yes, celebrities "like," post and retweet things they shouldn't, just like the rest of us. Except
that millions of fans witness their explicit trolling or secret illegal fetishes. Don't
believe us? These stars prove that when you're famous, sometimes social media silence is golden.
Vanessa Hudgens won fans around the world with her breakout role in "High School Musical." But when
the COVID pandemic spread across the world, things got a little less Disney. After Americans were
advised to avoid bars, clubs, gyms and crowds, Hudgens instead suggested on Instagram Live,
"Even if everybody gets it, like yeah, people are going to die, which is terrible… but inevitable?"
"I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this right now."
Well, you know you've made it when Piers Morgan writes a whole Mail Online column
slamming you as a, quote, "selfish" millennial. One Twitter user predicted her career would be
over afterward, but Hudgens quickly apologized to her more than 43 million followers. Still,
she's gotten the social media side-eye ever since.
In the late '90s and early 2000s, Amanda Bynes was that girl. She was only 12 years old when
she landed her very own skit series, "The Amanda Show" and her career only skyrocketed from there.
But by 2012, the girl once named one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" seemed to
be walking on thin ice. The star announced she was retiring from acting and was involved in a series
of DUIs and fender benders. As many started to voice their concerns for her well-being,
Bynes remained adamant she didn't have a problem.
She even went so far as to tweet President Obama to fire the cop who arrested her.
Bynes' every thought and inclination were being shared by her, via Twitter. Who could forget her
infamous tweet about rapper Drake and her private parts? And the bizarre time she claimed Chris
Brown attacked Rihanna because she was, quote, "ugly." Bynes was soon dropped by her management,
and her once-blossoming career lay in tatters. It was later revealed that, at the time,
Bynes was suffering from bipolar affective disorder. She publicly apologized for her tweets.
When Caitlyn Jenner came out to the world, one person we never expected to have a problem with
it was Nickelodeon's Drake Bell. The former child star rose to fame with hit shows like
"Drake & Josh" and starred alongside Amanda Bynes on "The Amanda Show."
The wholesome teen idol was funny and cute, and he even had his own band. But after Jenner
posed for Vanity Fair with the headline, "Call Me Caitlyn," Bell defiantly tweeted:
"Sorry…still calling you Bruce."
After being called out by the LGBTQ community, Bell doubled down on his statement, tweeting,
"I'm not dissing him! I just don't want to forget
his legacy! He is the greatest athlete of all time! Chill out!"
But the fact that Bell referred to Caitlyn as "he"
and "him" only incensed social media even more. It wasn't long before Bell
deleted his tweets and apologized for his, quote, "thoughtless insensitive remarks."
Skai Jackson won our hearts as the adorable Zuri Ross on Disney's "Jessie." But her sweet,
girl-next-door image came under attack after a number of social media scandals.
A "finsta" is a fake Instagram account where you fail to disclose your real name. The
account basically gives the user free rein to say anything, without their good name being drawn into
controversy. And according to rapper Bhad Bhabie, Jackson revealed on her finsta account that she
had a crush on rapper NBA Young Boy — who just happens to be Bhabie's ex. This ticked off Bhabie,
since Jackson had apparently slammed her for getting a tattoo of his name on her face. Bhabie
then took to Instagram stories to blast Jackson as a, quote, "Disney Thot." Jackson was forced to get
a restraining order after Bhabie threatened to beat her up, but later dropped the case.
A few months after that, former Kardashian insider Jordyn Woods
shared a cryptic message online — blasting someone for coming for her little sister,
Jodie. Many assumed it was Jackson, as rumors had circulated that Jodie was dating Jackson's ex,
Julez Smith. Jackson denied the allegations, but many started giving her the side eye,
especially after a TikTok user accused her of bullying her at dance school.
Who didn't have a soft spot for Jason Biggs after he suffered for his art and became
intimate with a warm pie? But in a case of art imitating life,
the actor has been very open about his own explicit misadventures. His wife,
Jenny Mollen, revealed in her memoir, "I Like You Just the Way I Am," that she once hired a
sex worker for Biggs for his birthday. He says it didn't go as planned, explaining on The View,
"[It] took three ladies over the course of different days…
let's just say that I didn't complete the mission."
"I might have a problem."
But it's what Biggs said on Twitter that caused
him to land in hot water — with Nickelodeon, no less.
In 2012, Biggs was getting his politics on by watching the Republican National Convention.
And the actor made some highly inappropriate and sexualized comments about Janna Ryan and
Ann Romney in a series of deleted tweets. At the time, Biggs had just signed on to voice Leonardo
in Nickelodeon's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series. The network responded in a statement:
"Nickelodeon does not support or condone
the use of graphic or vulgar language on any of our platforms."
If you enjoyed Disney's "Aladdin," you heard the voice of Gilbert Gottfried as Iago the parrot.
Gottfried's comedic talents landed him a role on Season 6 of "Saturday Night Live." But comedy is,
of course, subjective. And most would agree that Gottfried missed the mark when he made
fun of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, killing almost 20,000 people.
Not long after the incident, Gottfried sent out a host of inappropriate tweets. He later apologized
for his outrageous comments but was fired from his role as the voice of the Aflac duck.
"Thus bringing closure to a horrible tragedy."
In 2017, Gottfried caused even more social media outrage when Wendy Williams accused an
unnamed comedian of groping her live on set. It didn't take internet detectives
long to put 2 and 2 together and point the finger at Gottfried.
James Franco was once the darling of Hollywood. But despite scoring rave reviews in "Pineapple
Express" and "127 Hours," rumors of Franco's off-set behavior began circulating online.
Busy Philipps, Franco's co-star on "Freaks and Geeks," alleged in her memoir,
"This Will Only Hurt a Little," that he physically assaulted her on set.
But the tide began to turn against Franco in 2014,
when he was caught messaging 17-year-old Scottish student Lucy Clode.
Franco slid into her DMs after she tagged him in a selfie after watching him perform
"Of Mice and Men" on Broadway. Although the age of consent is 17 in New York,
the actor drew criticism for asking Clode if he should, quote,
"rent a room" for them. He later issued an apology on "Live with Kelly and Michael," admitting,
"I'm embarrassed… I'm just a model of how social media is tricky."
In 2018, Franco was also accused by five women of misconduct, which he has denied.
"There were people that were upset with me and I needed to listen."
"That '70s Show" star Ashton Kutcher learned the hard way that a little bit of context before you
tweet your rage to millions goes a long way. In 2011, Joe Paterno's once-glittering career
as head coach of Penn State's Nittany Lions ended in disgrace. News broke that Paterno,
alongside several aides, covered up child abuse by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
Their aim was to protect the school's celebrated football program and avoid
legal trouble. But for an apparently clueless Kutcher — who happened to catch
a headline noting that Paterno was rightly fired — he reacted with fury. He tweeted:
"How do you fire Jo Pa? […] As a [University of Iowa football] fan I find it in poor taste."
Of course, Kutcher was dragged all over Twitter and back again,
leading the star to quickly delete the tweet, then post,
"Heard Joe was fired, fully recant previous tweet! Didn't have full story."
He further apologized for his tweet on his personal blog,
but the damage was already done. Unable to take the bombardment of Twitter trolls coming for him,
Kutcher handed over his account to his team.
Actor Armie Hammer won rave reviews for David Fincher's "The Social Network."
And he secured an Oscar nom for "Call Me by Your Name." But rumors of the "real"
Armie Hammer had begun to emerge. On Twitter, Hammer was seen "liking" various BDSM posts.
And Buzzfeed even questioned whether his, quote, "white male" privilege
awarded him numerous chances in Hollywood after a series of box office bombs.
"I wanna give you what you want, but I don't know what you're talking about."
But in early 2021, an Instagram account leaked shocking messages Hammer had sent
various women — while he was still married to the mother of his children, Elizabeth Chambers.
The star spoke candidly about his love for BDSM, cannibalism, and assault. Fans also
noticed he was following certain BDSM hashtags. A woman Hammer dated for four months also came
forward and claimed he branded her by carving his initial "A" into her skin. In March 2021,
another woman accused the actor of assault, which Hammer denied. The actor was dropped by
his management team and forced to bow out of the film "Shotgun Wedding," alongside Jennifer Lopez.
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).