Top 20 Craziest Things Celebs Did for Attention

Top 20 Craziest Things Celebs Did for Attention

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Craziest Things Celebs Did for Attention.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the wildest and most infamous publicity stunts orchestrated by public figures to raise their profiles.

Which of these bizarre antics shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments.

#20: Brooks Ayers Fabricates Medical Documents

Brooks Ayers gained prominence as the controversial ex-boyfriend of cast member Vicki Gunvalson on “The Real Housewives of Orange County”. During his time on the show, Ayers claimed to be battling cancer - a diagnosis which was disputed by some of the housewives. In a bid to back up his claims, Ayers produced multiple documents that seemingly showed he was undergoing chemotherapy at the City of Hope National Medical Center. However, an investigation by E! News revealed several inconsistencies in the documents. Also, an official from City of Hope revealed that he had never been a patient there. In November of 2015, Ayers admitted to faking the documents, although he maintained that his cancer diagnosis was real.

#19: Bow Wow’s Fake Private Jet Photo

If you ever needed a reminder to not believe everything you see on the internet, this would be it. In 2017, Bow Wow posted a picture of a private jet on his Instagram, suggesting that he was about to embark on a trip to New York with the aircraft. But just a few hours later, the rapper and actor was photographed sitting inside a New York-bound commercial flight. Once fans did a little digging, they found out that the image was actually a stock photo obtained from the website of a private limousine service. The controversy subsequently inspired the #BowWowChallenge, in which social media users would post side-by-side pictures, poking fun at the deception behind the supposed luxury.

#18: Kathy Griffin’s Donald Trump Mask

Kathy Griffin is no stranger to controversy. In the past, her comedy routines about religion and celebrity culture have attracted intense backlash. However, that all paled in comparison to this horrifying stunt. In May of 2017, Griffin found herself in hot water after a photoshoot featuring her holding a bloody mask that closely resembled then-President Donald Trump went viral. The pictures drew immediate criticism, with many on both sides of the political divide arguing that she had crossed the line. As a result, Griffin lost multiple endorsement deals and jobs, and was reportedly investigated by the Justice Department. She initially apologized for the pictures, acknowledging that she had gone too far, but a few months later, she retracted her apology.

#17: Jake Paul’s “Bird Box” Challenge

Inspired by Netflix’s “Bird Box,” this challenge had participants mimicking the film’s characters by performing everyday tasks while blindfolded. While most people attempted the challenge in enclosed spaces, Jake Paul, the popular YouTuber with a penchant for attention-seeking stunts, took to the streets. Paul chose to remain blindfolded for 24 hours, during which he drove his car, walked through a busy Los Angeles street and fell into a pond. He was heavily criticized for jumping in on the trend, with many noting the negative influence it could have on his young audience. Paul’s video came nearly a week after Netflix put out a statement advising participants of the challenge against putting themselves in harm’s way.

#16: Dennis Rodman Marries Himself

One of the most widely celebrated NBA players, Dennis Rodman is also known for his controversial antics. The basketballer infamously traveled to North Korea, where he became pals with Kim Jong-un. He also had a wrestling stint opposite Hulk Hogan. But perhaps his craziest stunt was when he decided to take himself to the altar. Back in 1996, Rodman published his first autobiography “Bad as I Wanna Be,” which included multiple salacious claims. While promoting the book, he dressed up in a custom-made wedding gown and rode up to a New York bookstore in a horse-drawn carriage, claiming to have married himself. The stunt seemed to work in his favor as the book became a bestseller for several months.

#15: Kevin Spacey’s Bizarre Christmas Video

In the wake of the MeToo movement in 2017, multiple people came forward alleging that they had been assaulted by actor Kevin Spacey. As a result, Spacey was fired from multiple projects and he disappeared from the public eye. About one year later, just as criminal charges were formally filed against him, the actor put out a bizarre YouTube video titled “Let Me Be Frank”. In the clip, Spacey resurrected his “House of Cards” character Frank Underwood, adopting his signature Southern drawl and persona. He then delivered a chilling monologue filled with double entendres that seemingly addressed the accusations leveled against him. The video was criticized for being insensitive, but that hasn’t stopped Spacey from putting out even more similar clips.

#14: Lochtegate

During the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, American swimmer Ryan Lochte generated a huge media frenzy after claiming to be the victim of an armed robbery. According to Lochte, he and three of his teammates were pulled over by fake policemen and robbed at gunpoint. However, surveillance footage and witness testimonies later revealed that the group of swimmers had vandalized a gas station bathroom and were made to pay compensation by the security guard. The incident caused significant outrage in Brazil, where Lochte was initially charged with falsely reporting a crime. Although those charges were eventually dismissed, the Olympic gold medalist lost multiple endorsements and was suspended from competitive swimming for 10 months.

#13: Tonya Harding's Boxing Career

In what is arguably the biggest scandal in professional figure skating, Nancy Kerrigan was wounded in an attack orchestrated by the ex-husband of her rival, Tonya Harding. Although Harding denied any involvement in the plot, she accepted a felony plea deal and received a life ban from the U.S. Figure Skating Association. Despite this fall from grace, Harding was still a household name. She capitalized on that notoriety and transitioned into a different, unexpected sport: Boxing. Between 2003 and 2004, the former figure skater participated in multiple professional boxing matches, winning half of them. This stint, however, didn’t last long. Due to her struggle with asthma, Harding dropped her gloves and never returned to the ring.

#12: Joaquin Phoenix Lies to David Letterman…Twice

In 2008, Joaquin Phoenix shocked Hollywood when he announced he was giving up acting to become a rapper. A few months later, the actor made an appearance on Letterman’s show for an interview. Phoenix's wild beard and unusual behavior had people genuinely concerned that he’d lost his mind. However, it turned out that the appearance was an act to promote his upcoming mockumentary “I’m Still Here”. After Phoenix apologized, he lied to Letterman again in 2014 by making up a story about getting engaged to his yoga teacher. Although both pranks received some backlash, Phoenix's thriving acting career proves that he got the last laugh.

#11: Shia LaBeouf’s Paper Bag

Shia LaBeouf’s bizarre behavior has produced many attention-grabbing headlines. He’s volunteered to become a meme, watched all his movies with fans in a non-stop marathon and applauded a song that painted him as a vicious cannibal. But LaBeouf’s most infamous stunt occurred on the red carpet. During the Berlin premiere of “Nymphomaniac,” he wore a paper bag with eye holes over his head that said, “I’m not famous anymore”. The strange fashion choice may have been LaBeouf’s way of distracting people from his plagiarism scandal. Or it could’ve been another one of his performance art pieces. Regardless of LaBeouf’s intent, his bizarre fashion choice turned many heads.

#10: Kim Kardashian’s Marriage to Kris Humphries

Most people get married expecting it to be a life-long commitment. But for Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, it took less than three months for things to come to a screeching halt. The couple first began dating in October 2010 and their whirlwind romance culminated in a wedding ceremony less than a year later. The lavish event aired as a two-part special on the E! Channel and reportedly cost millions of dollars. However, just 72 days after tying the knot, Kardashian said “I don’t” and filed for divorce. Due to the short-lived union and a claim by one of her supposed former publicists, many believed that the entire affair was orchestrated as a publicity stunt. Kardashian has since denied such claims.

#9: DJ Khaled Proposes to Nicki Minaj

There's nothing like a celebrity marriage to get people talking. DJ Khaled knew this when he proposed to Nicki Minaj on MTV in 2013. His heartfelt confession of love and stunning ten carat ring made his proposal seem legit. However, it didn't take long for the truth to come out. Minaj and Khaled both admitted the proposal was a publicity stunt for an upcoming album. While Minaj said she didn’t know about the stunt beforehand, she's also been accused of stretching the truth about her personal life. After fans were led to believe Minaj was bisexual, she revealed in an interview that she has no physical or romantic desires towards women.

#8: Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift at the VMAs

The 2009 VMAs went largely without any hitches, right until Taylor Swift won the award for Best Female Video. While the singer gave her acceptance speech, Kanye West infamously grabbed the mic from her and declared that Beyoncé should’ve won instead. It wouldn’t be the first time West showcased his inclination to air his opinions regardless of the consequences. But it was probably the most shocking. When Beyoncé later received Video of the Year, she gracefully called Swift back onstage to have her moment. The incident lit a firestorm on social media, with many including President Obama criticizing West for it. While the rapper later apologized to Swift, his actions that night have had a lasting impact on their relationship since.

#7: Farrah Abraham Lies About Her Sex Tape

When reality TV star Farrah Abraham was first asked about her rumored sex tape, she said it didn’t exist. But after adult film performer James Deen confirmed he shot a scene with her, the story drastically changed. Abraham claimed the tape was only for her “personal use”. She then sold it to adult film company Vivid Entertainment for around one million dollars. In less than a day, the racy video racked up millions of views. Despite its popularity, Abraham was criticized for apparently misleading people about the tape’s release. While the racy video’s origins are confusing, it clearly got people looking in Abraham’s direction.

#6: Meg & Jack White Pretend to be Siblings

For over a decade, siblings Meg and Jack White garnered praise as the Grammy award-winning rock duo “The White Stripes”. Although the music was real, their familial connection was a lie. Jack originally said he formed the band after hearing his sister Meg play drums. But the two weren’t related. In fact, they got married and divorced while playing in the band. Even after their marriage license was made public, the duo continued the lie until the band was dissolved. In 2005, Jack said that the sibling angle made them more interesting. It’s up to fans to decide if the truth makes legendary singles like “Seven Nation Army” sound any less awesome.

#5: Garth Brooks Creates an Alter Ego

Music fans are generally okay with musicians creating alter egos. Beyoncé had Sasha Fierce, Eminem had Slim Shady and country star Garth Brooks had the soul patch-wearing Chris Gaines. In 1999, Brooks slimmed down and changed his hair to transform into his alter ego. While assuming the persona, he released an album, performed as “Chris Gaines” on SNL and played the character in a “Behind the Music “special. Unfortunately, Gaines’ music didn’t generate huge album sales or interest. As a result, a movie centered around Gaines was canceled and Brooks had to go back to being a hugely successful country star.

#4: Ashanti’s Label Sends Threatening Emails

If your PR stunt inspires talk of protests, you may be doing it wrong. In 2008, Ashanti released a murder-themed music video for her new single “The Way That I Love You.” To promote the video, the label created the Gotcha-gram website. When users submitted their personal information, an email would be sent that said the user’s life was in imminent danger. An email link would then take them to a news report where their name was written in blood at a crime scene. The stunt received immediate backlash for its grim content. After people protested Ashanti, the label ended the bloody campaign.

#3: Brian Williams Exaggerates His Iraq Story

Shortly after the Iraq War began, Brian Williams traveled abroad to cover the conflict for NBC news. During a difficult day in the field, a friendly helicopter was hit with an RPG. Although Williams originally told people this version of events, he later exaggerated the story to say he was in the helicopter struck by the RPG. Williams’ reputation came under fire when his lie was exposed. Furthermore, NBC suspended him from his lucrative NBC Nightly News position. After apologizing and taking a step back from the spotlight, he continued his reporting career on MSNBC. Whether he’ll ever regain the level of trust he once inspired remains to be seen.

#2: Steve Rannazzisi Lies About 9/11

The September 11th attacks irrevocably changed many lives. For 14 years, comedian Steve Rannazzisi claimed he was at the center of the tragedy. He claimed he was working for Merrill Lynch on the south tower’s 54th floor on that tragic day. After narrowly escaping, he was inspired to chase his comedy dreams in Los Angeles. However, a 2015 NY Times article revealed he never worked for Merrill Lynch and wasn’t even in the towers during the attack. Rannazzisi apologized for the lie in a series of tweets. Although he kept his job on the League, Buffalo’s Wild Wings’ choice to pull commercials featuring Rannazzisi showed that some people weren’t ready to forgive him.

#1: Jussie Smollett Accused of Staging an Attack

In early 2019, “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett said that he was attacked by two men who screamed racial and homophobic slurs at him, threw liquid on him and placed a noose around his neck.. After he talked to police and received tons of support, rumors later circulated that his January 29th attack had actually been staged. Following police investigation a few weeks later, the alleged attackers were revealed to be former “Empire” extras and evidence had been reportedly uncovered showing that Smollett had actually hired these men. Smollett was soon charged for filing a false police report. Following his arrest, Fox announced his character wouldn’t appear in the last two episodes of “Empire” season 5. Smollett’s ongoing story echoes the saga of Morton Downey Jr. The talk show host alleged he was attacked by “skinheads” in 1989, but never filed a police report. In 2021, Smollett was found guilty and sentenced to 150 days in jail. As of June 2023, he is currently out on bond, appealing his conviction.