There were a lot of stars who had filthy -- and sometimes criminal -- secrets exposed in 2017.
After years of Hollywood brushing certain types of behaviors under the rug, the Me Too
movement put a lot of former favorites on blast.
Meanwhile, other celebs who'd somehow survived whispers about their unsavory behaviors were
no longer tolerated either.
"Survivors are finding their voice, and people are -- and I include myself in this -- really
discovering the terrible extent of this problem."
Here are the stars whose secrets were exposed this year.
Charlie Heaton
Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton should've had the month of his life in October, as the
sequel to his hit show was met with intense fanfare and his off-screen relationship with
co-star Natalia Dyer was slowly becoming public.
But the actor was busted and detained at LAX for allegedly having trace amounts of substance
in his possession on a flight en route to the premiere, and he had to miss the opening
of the smash sequel.
Heaton maintained his innocence, but then it was also revealed that Heaton shares a
secret love child with ex-girlfriend Akiko Matsuura.
Johnny Depp
Though Johnny Depp was initially revealed to have some personal problems in 2016, amidst
his brutal divorce from Amber Heard, even more messy matters came to light this year.
In January, Depp sued his business management company for mismanaging his money for nearly
two decades.
But while the actor alleged he was defrauded out of millions of dollars, the management
company fired back and accused him of squandering millions on his lavish lifestyle.
As a result of the conflict, the public got a play-by-play on exactly what Depp spent
his fortune on, from a massive monthly wine budget to his many elaborate vacations, and
more.
Suffice it to say, after this year, Johnny Depp's infamous air of mystery is no more.
Mel B
When former Spice Girl Mel B filed for divorce from Stephen Belafonte, her husband of nearly
a decade, their split was very ugly and publicized a lot of very private details about the inner
workings of their marriage, including the fact that Belafonte allegedly got their nanny
pregnant.
Mel was also accused of abusing substances and alcohol during the marriage, while Belafonte
was said to have physically and emotionally abused her throughout their relationship.
Whether any or all of this was true, these certainly weren't the kind of details she
wanted fans to hear about.
Kevin Hart
In September, Kevin Hart was subjected to an extortion attempt that revealed he'd been
cheating on his then-pregnant wife, Eniko Parrish, with a dancer.
He fessed up to putting himself in an untoward situation but refused to cave to the cash
grab attempt.
Since then, Hart has been candid about his role in the scandal.
In December, he told The Breakfast Club of his "massive mistake," saying:
"That's Kevin Hart in his dumbest moment.
That's not the finest hour of my life."
"I'm gonna go home, I'm gonna address it, I'm gonna make my wife fully aware of what's
going on in the situation."
Harvey Weinstein
In October, a New York Times exposé accused Harvey Weinstein of decades of harassment
in the movie business, with his alleged victims including Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd.
"I remember the lurch when I went to the desk and asked Mr. Weinstein is he in the patio,
and they were like no he was in his room and I was like..."
When confronted with the allegations, Weinstein said in a statement:
"I came of age in the 60's and 70's, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces
were different.
That was the culture then."
"I have since learned it's not an excuse, in the office — or out of it."
"I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and
I sincerely apologize for it."
Just days later, Ronan Farrow penned a piece in The New Yorker accusing Weinstein of similarly
groping or pressuring at least three women, including actress Asia Argento, who later
made a film about her encounter.
Weinstein denied all accusations of non-consensual activity, but then the allegations began flooding
in, with stars including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, Heather Graham, Cara
Delevingne, Kate Beckinsale, and many more accusing him of various forms of misconduct
through the years.
The man who was once the face of Hollywood power has now become synonymous with systematic
abuse in the industry.
Ben & Casey Affleck
In 2010, two women who'd worked on Casey Affleck's film I'm Still Here sued him for harassment,
with allegations ranging from touching one of the women inappropriately while she slept
to ordering crew members to expose themselves.
The women reached settlements with Affleck for undisclosed sums and were prohibited from
speaking about the allegations.
The subject of Affleck's alleged wrongs became a centerpiece of his entire 2017 awards season
run, with many focusing squarely on the way survivor Brie Larson handled her duties of
doling out trophies to him throughout his sweep.
Brother Ben also had his past come back to haunt him in 2017.
In October, the actor had to apologize to One Tree Hill star Hilarie Burton for having
felt her on the set of MTV's Total Request Live back in 2003.
"I don't remember it, but I absolutely apologize for it."
Days later, more women came forward accusing Affleck of touching them inappropriately.
Affleck didn't comment on the newest accusations, but his Justice League press tour certainly
put him in the hot to seat to answer for his bad behaviors.
Kevin Spacey
Also joining the bevy of accused men in Hollywood was Kevin Spacey, who was alleged to have
made inappropriate advances on Star Trek: Discovery 's Anthony Rapp when the actor was
just 14.
Spacey's statement on the matter was immediately condemned, as he used that opportunity to
come out of the closet, which LGBT advocates did not find appropriate.
But Spacey's troubles were far from over.
A similar accusation was soon revealed by Richard Dreyfuss' son, who was also a teenager
at the time of the alleged incident, before more than a dozen others came forward with
their own stories.
He was immediately fired from House Of Cards and his scenes from Ridley Scott's All The
Money In The World were re-shot with another actor in the role.
Spacey has since gone into hiding, although he continues to deny the allegations.
Louis C.K.
In November, five women accused comedian Louis C.K. of lewd behavior, alleging that he asked
or forced them to watch him pleasure himself.
Most of the women were comedians or otherwise under C.K.'s employ.
"And he approached me and got really close to my face..."
"And he said can I mastur--- in front of you?"
Though he'd dismissed rumors of misconduct for years, this time he copped to the tales,
saying in a statement:
"These stories are true.
At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay…"
"But what I learned later in life... is that when you have power over another person, asking
them to look at your d**k isn't a question.
It's a predicament for them.
The power I had over these women is that they admired me.
And I wielded that power irresponsibly."
Like others of his unfortunate ilk, he, too, has seen projects pulled from production as
a result of these revelations.
Dustin Hoffman
Also in November, a production intern on the 1985 TV movie Death Of A Salesman accused
Dustin Hoffman of harassing her throughout the shooting of the film, with offenses allegedly
ranging from inappropriate comments to unwanted touching.
Hoffman didn't deny the claims, telling The Hollywood Reporter in a statement:
"I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could
have put her in an uncomfortable situation.
I am sorry.
It is not reflective of who I am."
But even more accusations of various forms of Hoffman's alleged misconduct have surfaced
since the initial report, and Hoffman has faced criticism from all walks of the industry
as a result.
Matt Lauer
In late November, Matt Lauer was abruptly fired from Today amid multiple allegations
of misconduct spanning almost two decades.
Variety reported that Lauer would invite young female staffers to his hotel room late at
night during Olympics coverage through the years, as well as carrying on affairs in his
office and elsewhere.
Lauer didn't deny the accusations, saying in a statement:
"Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth
in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed."
Mario Batali
In December 2017, an Eater report revealed that celebrity chef Mario Batali was accused
of nearly 20 years of misconduct, with accusations ranging from making inappropriate comments
to restaurant workers to feeling and touching women.
Batali didn't deny the allegations and was candid and apologetic, saying in a statement:
"I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt.
Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed
to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted."
Batali stepped away from his various eateries and was fired from The Chew, while a reboot
of Molto Mario on the Foot Network was canned.
Morgan Spurlock
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock admitted to various instances of past misconduct in
a social media post in December, even claiming that a woman accused him of forced activity.
Following his confession, Spurlock stepped down from Warrior Poets Productions, and his
upcoming release, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken was pulled from the Sundance Film Festival.
He's but the latest in a string of high-powered men whose past conduct has finally received
a reckoning in 2017.
Thanks for watching!
Click the Nicki Swift icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!