Top 10 Celebrity Scandals and Feuds of 2017

At the 2017 Golden Globes, Meryl Streep received a lifetime achievement award and used the platform to discuss diversity AND Donald Trump. The President-elect wasn’t too thrilled, of course, and he contrasted Streep’s eloquent tone with a mean-spirited tweet the following morning. When the Oscar-winning actress referenced the insult at a public event soon after, she didn’t reference Trump by name, but did cite the President’s “catastrophic instinct to retaliate.” On Twitter, people had fun with the feud by using the hashtag #ThingsTrumpsThinksAreOverrated.

At ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” Mariah Carey looked the part but didn’t perform quite up to her usual standards. Naturally, the Internet was abuzz about her, frankly, bizarre appearance. Mariah’s team later accused Dick Clark Productions of sabotaging the performance, and the production company called the claims both “outrageous” and “absurd.” Given Mariah’s history of diva behavior, many people sided with the production company. That said, the scandalous performance won’t ruin her well-established career, although she likely won’t appear on “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve” this, or any other, year.

This feud began in 2007 when up-and-comer Minaj challenged one of hip-hop’s most respected female MCs. "Both were relatively little-known at the time, and it would then stay that way for Remy Ma as she went to jail for six years. Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj changed her image and evolved into a pop culture superstar. By 2014, Remy was back in the studio, ready to reclaim her spot within hip-hop. When she busted pointed rhymes over Minaj’s “Truffle Butter” beat, Nicki fired back with controversial verses on “Swalla.” This feud used to be smoldering but it went full throttle when Remy dropped the diss track “ShETHER" in 2017.

Since the ‘80s, Louis C.K. has plied his brand of provocative comedy. In the 2010s, he was been praised for his performance on FX’s “Louie” – a series he wrote, directed, executive produced and even edited. But rumors persisted about Louis C.K., most notably alleged shocking behavior with female collaborators and peers. In 2017, the hammer dropped, as The New York Times published an article reporting on several women who accused Louis of sexual misconduct. Public events were quickly canceled, including a premiere for his controversial film “I Love You, Daddy,” and its release was subsequently dropped by distributors. Louis CK would eventually acknowledge that the accusations were, in fact, true.

In 2017, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick had a difficult time finding work after he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers the year before. The opting out came after a well-publicized controversy concerning his kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before games, in order to protest racial injustice in the US. At 30 years old, Kaepernick seemed to be in line for a back-up position SOMEWHERE, yet he went unsigned during the 2017 off-season, and then during the regular season, though numerous starters went down with injuries. So on October 15, Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance against the National Football League/.

During the 4th of July weekend, Rob Kardashian received a video from his former fiancée, and he wasn’t amused. It featured Blac Chyna kissing another man; and Rob then used to Instagram to vent, or rather to shame, his high-profile ex. He posted explicit pictures and made allegations. He also called out the other man in the love triangle. Chyna responded on Snapchat, and meanwhile, the Internet watched the meltdown from their phones. Unsurprisingly, many of the original posts from all involved were deleted, but we all know that screenshots live on. Talk about not-so-social media.

In the world of stand-up comedy, it’s crucial to stay on top of timely issues. And Kathy Griffin managed to find a niche in pop culture with her progressive thinking and direct manner of speech. Yet, she took a step backwards in 2017 by falling victim to “Trump Fatigue.” Bigly. In fact, Griffin became so irritated by America’s president that she went to a disturbing extreme. In a photo-shoot, Griffin posed with a fake, severed, bloody model head of Donald Trump, a too-far protest that earned her widespread criticism. On the other hand, she announced her “Laugh Your Head Off World Tour 2017—2018” shortly thereafter. Yes, really.

In April, Pepsi tried hard to connect with international consumers. They cast mega-popular Kendall Jenner in a commercial about “unity, peace and understanding,” but received instant backlash for trivializing the Black Lives Matter Movement. The commercial was pulled, and Pepsi apologized – even to Kendall Jenner – but the production itself led many to question why executives and marketers ever thought it was a good idea to begin with. Seriously: Kendall Jenner taking off her wig, wiping off her makeup, joining a protest and delivering a can of Pepsi to a police officer solves race relations in America? Who knew it could be so easy?

Kevin Spacey is known for his iconic movie roles, “House of Cards” and impeccable celebrity impressions. But a supremely ugly side of his was unveiled in October 2017, as he was accused of making sexual advances in the 1980s, towards then 14-year-old actor Anthony Rapp. In response, Spacey apologized and then came out as a gay man, which many found to be deeply inappropriate timing, as it overshadowed the larger issue and was seemingly an attempt to change the conversation. Soon after, numerous others accused Spacey of misconduct, and the actor was fired from “House of Cards,” as well as removed entirely from Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World” – just weeks before the film’s release date.

Kevin Spacey certainly wasn’t the only one: both Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole were exposed in 2017. The first domino fell when “The New York Times” published a shocking article about Weinstein’s long history of sexual harassment. From there, multiple victims of the movie mogul came forward with allegations, unafraid to finally speak out. “The New Yorker” also published another damning article, at which point the Hollywood industry was forever changed. Day after day after day, a new story broke, as industry secrets were revealed and celebrities like Brett Ratner, Charlie Rose, Jeremy Piven and many others were called to account. 2017 was just the beginning.