Top 10 Biggest MTV Scandals

One of the biggest criticisms that reality shows have faced over the years is that they’re actually not very real. Many such series have been plagued by claims that a lot of the tension and conflict is manufactured just for the cameras. As one of the major channels for reality shows, MTV has certainly not been exempt from such criticism. In fact, some of the individuals who first attained fame on the platform have expressed the same sentiment publicly. Former “Laguna Beach” stars Kristin Cavallari and Lauren Conrad revealed in an interview that their rivalry on the show was significantly exaggerated. And if you thought the shows weren’t scripted, according to “Teen Mom 2” alum Jenelle Evans, you’re dead wrong.

Today, the 2004 Super Bowl is remembered mostly for the infamous incident that occurred during the halftime show. While performing together, Justin Timberlake accidentally exposed Janet Jackson’s breast, in what is now known as the “wardrobe malfunction”. As they had produced the halftime show, MTV found itself at the center of the controversy. The channel was banned by the National Football League from ever taking on that role again in the future. MTV’s parent company Viacom was also fined $550,000 by the FCC, although that was ultimately overturned on appeal. Seemingly in retaliation for these penalties, Viacom effectively blacklisted Jackson, refusing to air her music on MTV or any of their other subsidiaries.

After hitting it big with “Jersey Shore,” MTV decided to try their hand at a more remote version of the lucrative concept. Enter “Buckwild”. Set in the heart of West Virginia, the show chronicled the antics of a group of young adults living in the rural part of town. Just like “Jersey Shore,” which was criticized for its negative portrayal of Italian-Americans, “Buckwild” also faced backlash for perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Longtime West Virginia politician Joe Manchin even penned a letter to the president of MTV, calling for the cancellation of the show. Although MTV initially renewed it for a second season, the series eventually got the axe in light of the death of one of the cast members.

One of the major draws for reality TV is the heated conflict between cast members that can sometimes turn physical. Although MTV has reiterated that such behavior would result in the offending individual being kicked off the program, it turns out they haven’t always adhered to their word. A prominent example of this came in the “The Real World: Portland” with castmates Nia Moore and Johnny Reilly. Moore reportedly got violent with Reilly, even using a blow dryer as some sort of weapon, and seemed to face no consequences for it. However, it seems MTV has since intensified its efforts to hold offenders responsible as Moore was promptly sent home after harassing another castmate on the spinoff show “The Challenge”.

Production on the seventh season of the hit MTV show “Catfish” was halted in 2018 after host Nev Schulman was accused of inappropriate behavior. A former guest on the show, Ayissha Morgan, uploaded two YouTube videos in which she claimed that Schulman had repeatedly harassed her. MTV briefly suspended Schulman while the investigation was underway. After questioning multiple witnesses and reviewing footage from the show, they concluded that there was no evidence to support the allegations and resumed filming. In response, Morgan labeled the investigation a sham, claiming that she wasn’t contacted by the third-party investigator during the inquiry.

On September 6th 1993, an episode of MTV’s adult animated series “Beavis and Butt-Head” aired in which the titular teenage slackers burn down a comedy club. Exactly one month later, a boy named Austin Messner accidentally razed his family’s home while playing with a cigarette lighter. While Messner, his mother and her boyfriend were able to escape unhurt, his younger sister wasn’t so lucky, as she lost her life in the process. Messner’s mom, Darcy Burk, eventually blamed the show for the incident, arguing that the cartoon characters encouraged her young son to play with fire. The claims were however disputed, as Messner later attested that he never watched “Beavis and Butt-Head” prior to the unfortunate accident.

The British teen comedy series “Skins” became a cult classic, partly for its controversial depiction of adolescence. In 2011, MTV hoped to replicate the same success across the pond when they adapted the show for an American audience. Despite being called a “tamer” show than its source material, the U.S. version of “Skins” caused a huge uproar for its racy storylines which featured a young cast. The conservative Parents Television Council also voiced their disapproval, urging the Department of Justice to file criminal charges against the series. As a result of the backlash, multiple advertisers pulled their support. Although MTV initially defended its “frank” depiction of teenage life, “Skins” was canceled after just one season.

Beginning in the late 2000s, MTV saw ratings success with its reality shows “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom”. Both series documented the lives of multiple young mothers during and after their pregnancies. Although the channel claims that it had intended to put on a realistic portrayal of pregnancy in order to educate young adults, it soon came under fire. Many detractors argued that the shows glamorized teen pregnancy and depicted it as an easy route to fame and fortune. Despite the criticism, both series continued to grow in popularity, and studies have shown that they have, at least partially, played a part in the declining teen birth rate in the U.S.

Although MTV is now mostly known for its reality and scripted programming, it originally launched in 1981 to air music videos. However, in its early years, critics pointed out that MTV’s roster featured almost exclusively white artists and failed to reflect the diversity in the music industry at the time. These claims received more attention after they were echoed by music stars Rick James and David Bowie. This “blackout,” according to MTV executives, was not due to racism. Instead, they stated that rock music, which was the genre they intended to focus on, was not widely represented by Black musicians. MTV apparently had no choice but to broaden its scope as a result of the rise of Michael Jackson, and later, the hip-hop genre.

Tonya Cooley first rose to prominence as a cast member on the eleventh season of MTV’s “The Real World” back in 2002. She returned to compete on multiple seasons of the spinoff show “The Challenge” from 2003 until 2009. Two years after her final season, Cooley filed a lawsuit against MTV, the show’s production company and two of her former “The Challenge” castmates. Cooley claimed that she had been assaulted during the production and that she was disqualified from the series in retaliation. MTV and the producers refuted the allegations, arguing that Cooley’s claims were “completely baseless”. The case was eventually settled out of court. Since then, neither Cooley nor either of the two castmates in question have returned to the channel.