9 Women Who Were Victims of the Hollywood Smear Machine
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VOICE OVER: Samantha Clinch
WRITTEN BY: Ishani Sarkar
Hollywood has a dark history of targeting and destroying the reputations of talented women. From Britney Spears to Marilyn Monroe, these actresses faced brutal media scrutiny, sexual exploitation, and systematic attempts to silence and discredit them in the entertainment industry. Our countdown explores the heartbreaking stories of Rose McGowan, Katherine Heigl, Angelina Jolie, Mira Sorvino, Amber Heard, Meghan Markle, Pamela Anderson, and other women who were victims of Hollywood's toxic media machine.
10 Women Who Were Victims of the Hollywood Smear Machine
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the most heartbreaking instances of Tinseltown turning on its brightest women.
Rose McGowan
The “Charmed” actress was one of the first women in Hollywood to kickstart the #MeToo movement. She spoke out against now-disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, accusing him of sexual misconduct, and was one of Time’s Silence Breakers in 2017. In 2019, Rose claimed Weinstein had gone to “diabolical” lengths to smear her name and even hired private investigators from an organization called Black Cube to silence her. Not only did his reps try to buy out journalists, she alleged, but also did all they could to depict her as a “publicity seeker looking for money.” Some media outlets even portrayed her as a woman out to destroy her male peers’ careers when she accused Alexander Payne of sexually assaulting her as a minor.
Katherine Heigl
From almost America’s sweetheart to the most hated woman in Hollywood, this actress’ career has been anything but easy. Hollywood despised how she was openly critical of the industry she was in. She called “Knocked Up” “sexist” and spoke out against the “cruel and mean” working hours on the set of “Grey’s Anatomy.” She was also publicly shamed for quitting contract negotiations with ABC over her pay for the show in 2007. Then, she got hate for not submitting her work to the 2008 Emmys because she wasn’t proud of it. Eventually, as her ‘difficult’ reputation worsened, her films started to tank at the box office. For a hot minute, the system succeeded in dimming her shine. Thankfully, that’s not the case anymore.
Angelina Jolie
Although highly praised for her acting skills, the “Maleficent” actress has long been the subject of public scrutiny concerning her love life. First, it was her short-lived marriage to Jonny Lee Miller, whom she almost ditched for actress Jenny Shimizu. Then, she tied the knot with Billy Bob Thornton while he was engaged to Laura Dern. The biggest homewrecker accusation came when she got together with Brad Pitt. He apparently divorced Jennifer Aniston after falling in love with Jolie on the set of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” That marriage ended in an acrimonious divorce involving accusations of child mistreatment against Brad, which he was cleared of. Regardless of what went on behind the scenes, Angelina was ripped to shreds and dubbed manipulative by the media.
Mira Sorvino
This Oscar-winning actress is another one of Harvey Weinstein’s victims who spoke out against him in 2017. She recalled being sexually harassed by him. Sorvino lived in fear for years afterwards, lest she be blacklisted for being a whistleblower. Months later, filmmaker Peter Jackson came forward to reveal that Weinstein’s company Miramax directly influenced his casting for the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy under New Line Cinema. While he had initially considered Sorvino for a role, Miramax had destroyed her reputation and convinced them to steer clear of her. When Sorvino discovered this truth, she said it only confirmed her suspicions, leaving her “heartsick.” Jackson called this the “Miramax smear campaign in full swing.”
Amber Heard
In 2016, Heard filed for divorce from husband Johnny Depp, alleging physical and verbal abuse. Two years later, in an article for The Washington Post, she detailed her experience with domestic violence. In 2019, Depp sued her for defamation. She counter-sued, claiming he had engineered an online smear campaign against her to ruin her life and career. Heard’s court filing also blamed him for instigating petitions to have her fired from “Aquaman” and losing her ambassadorship with L'Oréal. During the highly publicized trial, the actress took the stand to reveal she had been facing immense internet hate and threats to her life since coming forward about her alleged abuse. Although she lost the case, the fact that she was trolled to no end was undeniable.
Meghan Markle
Before she married Prince Harry, the “Suits” actress was fairly popular. Today, however, she is one of the most polarizing public figures you’ll find. Ever since she stepped into the British royal family, she’s been chewed out by tabloids. From being accused of driving a wedge between her husband and Prince William to allegations that she’s overly controlling of her staff, rumors followed her everywhere. When the Sussexes gave up their status as senior royals, it was again her who was criticized. For long, fans have believed that the negative stories about Meghan were maliciously planted. Her “Cuts” co-star Simon Rex even claimed he had been offered money by British tabloids to lie about romancing her. Unfortunately, her situation hasn’t changed much since.
Pamela Anderson
These days, she is seen on red carpets, completely makeup-free. Back in the nineties, she was a sex symbol on the cover of Playboy magazine and the male gaze couldn’t be happier. Yet, it was her sexuality that subjected her to exploitation at the hands of Hollywood. When an explicit tape of her and Tommy Lee, who she was married to at the time, was stolen and leaked, the “Baywatch” actress was instantly denounced. All the shaming by the media gaslit her into thinking less of herself. She fell into a spiraling vortex of substance use and toxic relationships. Meanwhile, unsurprisingly, Lee came out of the ordeal relatively scot-free and even celebrated.
Marilyn Monroe
For an actress who represents the epitome of Hollywood’s Golden Age, the industry sure treated her with the most appalling cruelty. Marilyn Monroe was not only sexualized for her entire career but was also underpaid. She was a victim of the casting couch and the media rarely saw her as anything more than a sexual object. They called her a “dumb blonde” who was allowed sexual expression only when she pandered to their fantasies. Otherwise, she was humiliated for the same, which showed in how her love life was publicized. Even her tragic death was marred by allegations of affairs with former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy. Years later, Hollywood has made her into an IP.
Britney Spears
Stardom always spelled objectification for the “Toxic” singer. The media made her virginity a headline. When she was revealed to have been intimate with Justin Timberlake despite claiming she would wait for marriage, she was relentlessly shamed. Then, JT had a Britney lookalike portrayed as an adulteress in his music video for “Cry Me a River,” prompting even more hate. Next came a failed marriage with Kevin Federline, with whom she had two kids she was losing custody of amid postpartum depression. The last straw was the passing of her aunt, Sandra, from cancer. Britney shaved her head and attacked a photographer’s car with an umbrella. Soon after, her father assumed her conservatorship, marking the start of a battle that only recently ended.
Do you think the Hollywood smear machine is still as powerful today as it once was? Sound off in the comments!
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the most heartbreaking instances of Tinseltown turning on its brightest women.
Rose McGowan
The “Charmed” actress was one of the first women in Hollywood to kickstart the #MeToo movement. She spoke out against now-disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, accusing him of sexual misconduct, and was one of Time’s Silence Breakers in 2017. In 2019, Rose claimed Weinstein had gone to “diabolical” lengths to smear her name and even hired private investigators from an organization called Black Cube to silence her. Not only did his reps try to buy out journalists, she alleged, but also did all they could to depict her as a “publicity seeker looking for money.” Some media outlets even portrayed her as a woman out to destroy her male peers’ careers when she accused Alexander Payne of sexually assaulting her as a minor.
Katherine Heigl
From almost America’s sweetheart to the most hated woman in Hollywood, this actress’ career has been anything but easy. Hollywood despised how she was openly critical of the industry she was in. She called “Knocked Up” “sexist” and spoke out against the “cruel and mean” working hours on the set of “Grey’s Anatomy.” She was also publicly shamed for quitting contract negotiations with ABC over her pay for the show in 2007. Then, she got hate for not submitting her work to the 2008 Emmys because she wasn’t proud of it. Eventually, as her ‘difficult’ reputation worsened, her films started to tank at the box office. For a hot minute, the system succeeded in dimming her shine. Thankfully, that’s not the case anymore.
Angelina Jolie
Although highly praised for her acting skills, the “Maleficent” actress has long been the subject of public scrutiny concerning her love life. First, it was her short-lived marriage to Jonny Lee Miller, whom she almost ditched for actress Jenny Shimizu. Then, she tied the knot with Billy Bob Thornton while he was engaged to Laura Dern. The biggest homewrecker accusation came when she got together with Brad Pitt. He apparently divorced Jennifer Aniston after falling in love with Jolie on the set of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” That marriage ended in an acrimonious divorce involving accusations of child mistreatment against Brad, which he was cleared of. Regardless of what went on behind the scenes, Angelina was ripped to shreds and dubbed manipulative by the media.
Mira Sorvino
This Oscar-winning actress is another one of Harvey Weinstein’s victims who spoke out against him in 2017. She recalled being sexually harassed by him. Sorvino lived in fear for years afterwards, lest she be blacklisted for being a whistleblower. Months later, filmmaker Peter Jackson came forward to reveal that Weinstein’s company Miramax directly influenced his casting for the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy under New Line Cinema. While he had initially considered Sorvino for a role, Miramax had destroyed her reputation and convinced them to steer clear of her. When Sorvino discovered this truth, she said it only confirmed her suspicions, leaving her “heartsick.” Jackson called this the “Miramax smear campaign in full swing.”
Amber Heard
In 2016, Heard filed for divorce from husband Johnny Depp, alleging physical and verbal abuse. Two years later, in an article for The Washington Post, she detailed her experience with domestic violence. In 2019, Depp sued her for defamation. She counter-sued, claiming he had engineered an online smear campaign against her to ruin her life and career. Heard’s court filing also blamed him for instigating petitions to have her fired from “Aquaman” and losing her ambassadorship with L'Oréal. During the highly publicized trial, the actress took the stand to reveal she had been facing immense internet hate and threats to her life since coming forward about her alleged abuse. Although she lost the case, the fact that she was trolled to no end was undeniable.
Meghan Markle
Before she married Prince Harry, the “Suits” actress was fairly popular. Today, however, she is one of the most polarizing public figures you’ll find. Ever since she stepped into the British royal family, she’s been chewed out by tabloids. From being accused of driving a wedge between her husband and Prince William to allegations that she’s overly controlling of her staff, rumors followed her everywhere. When the Sussexes gave up their status as senior royals, it was again her who was criticized. For long, fans have believed that the negative stories about Meghan were maliciously planted. Her “Cuts” co-star Simon Rex even claimed he had been offered money by British tabloids to lie about romancing her. Unfortunately, her situation hasn’t changed much since.
Pamela Anderson
These days, she is seen on red carpets, completely makeup-free. Back in the nineties, she was a sex symbol on the cover of Playboy magazine and the male gaze couldn’t be happier. Yet, it was her sexuality that subjected her to exploitation at the hands of Hollywood. When an explicit tape of her and Tommy Lee, who she was married to at the time, was stolen and leaked, the “Baywatch” actress was instantly denounced. All the shaming by the media gaslit her into thinking less of herself. She fell into a spiraling vortex of substance use and toxic relationships. Meanwhile, unsurprisingly, Lee came out of the ordeal relatively scot-free and even celebrated.
Marilyn Monroe
For an actress who represents the epitome of Hollywood’s Golden Age, the industry sure treated her with the most appalling cruelty. Marilyn Monroe was not only sexualized for her entire career but was also underpaid. She was a victim of the casting couch and the media rarely saw her as anything more than a sexual object. They called her a “dumb blonde” who was allowed sexual expression only when she pandered to their fantasies. Otherwise, she was humiliated for the same, which showed in how her love life was publicized. Even her tragic death was marred by allegations of affairs with former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy. Years later, Hollywood has made her into an IP.
Britney Spears
Stardom always spelled objectification for the “Toxic” singer. The media made her virginity a headline. When she was revealed to have been intimate with Justin Timberlake despite claiming she would wait for marriage, she was relentlessly shamed. Then, JT had a Britney lookalike portrayed as an adulteress in his music video for “Cry Me a River,” prompting even more hate. Next came a failed marriage with Kevin Federline, with whom she had two kids she was losing custody of amid postpartum depression. The last straw was the passing of her aunt, Sandra, from cancer. Britney shaved her head and attacked a photographer’s car with an umbrella. Soon after, her father assumed her conservatorship, marking the start of a battle that only recently ended.
Do you think the Hollywood smear machine is still as powerful today as it once was? Sound off in the comments!
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