2014 was pretty good to us. We were fortunate enough to see a lot of things this year, like the series premiere of Shonda Rhimes’ new drama, How to Get Away with Murder, Emma Watson’s awesome speech about gender equality and the Oscars selfie that broke the Internet. But everyone knows that celebrities are unpredictable and can be a little outrageous, which is why we weren’t all that surprised when we got to witness a few of these unfortunate events unfold right before our eyes (or at least before our computer screens) and take Hollywood by storm.
1. Solange Knowles attacks Jay-Z
Every family has its problems, but we were a little taken aback when TMZ released footage of Solange Knowles attacking her brother-in-law, Jay-Z in an elevator after this year’s Met Gala. According to Queen Bey, things tend to get real “when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator” but that didn’t take away from the shock value of the incident. We may never know what really happened in the elevator that night, but what we do know is that the family has since worked things out and they have Solange’s fabulous wedding pics to show for it.
2. Celebrity nudes leak
In August, numerous celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Jill Scott and Kate Upton were victims of a vicious hack that resulted in their nude selfies being anonymously posted to the Internet. Once the nudes were posted to 4chan, some of the celebrities targeted sarcastically confirmed the authenticity of the photos, like Glee’s Becca Tobin who tweeted, “Merry XXXmas!” after a photo of her decorating a Christmas tree in the nude was posted. Others weren’t so happy. Jennifer Lawrence slammed the hackers in an interview with Vogue, saying “Just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory. It’s my body, and it should be my choice.”
3. Bill Cosby rape allegations
One of our favorite TV dads and The Cosby Show alum shocked fans everywhere when multiple women, including supermodels Janice Dickinson and Beverly Johnson, came forward and accused him of sexual assault. Since these women have come forward with accusations that Cosby drugged and raped them, the comedian has had The Cosby Show snatched from the airwaves and has also been stripped of an honorary title given to him by the Navy. Cosby has yet to respond to the allegations.
4. Stephen Collins’ child molestation allegations
We all grew up knowing Stephen Collins as Reverend Eric Camden, the patriarch of the wholesome TV family that we all grew to love on 7th Heaven. Collins made headlines in October when TMZ released audio tapes of the actor allegedly confessing to child molestation during a therapy session with his estranged wife Faye Grant. After confessing to sexual misconduct with three young girls, Collins has since denied allegations that he is a pedophile.
5. Sony hack
We may as well just call 2014 the year of the hack, as Sony Pictures is the most recent victim of a massive data hack that released to the public the salary information of employees as well as thousands of emails exchanged between actors and powerful movie executives. One email in particular, that was sent from Hollywood producer Scott Rudin to Sony Pictures chair Amy Pascal, referred to Angelina Jolie as a “minimally talented spoiled brat.” Ouch.
6. Ray Rice domestic abuse
Ray Rice, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, made headlines in September after TMZ released footage of him punching his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, in the elevator of the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. The footage was captured in February and it shows Rice knocking Palmer out cold before dragging her out of the elevator by her hair. Both parties were arrested and charged with assault that night and were married a month later. When the video was released, the NFL first denied knowledge of its existence and then released Rice from the Baltimore Ravens after receiving an incredible amount of negative backlash for slapping the football player on the wrist with a two game suspension.
7. Joe and Teresa Giudice face fraud charges
Times have been pretty rough for Teresa Giudice since her table-flipping days. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star and her husband, Joe Giudice, were sentenced to 15 and 41 months in prison, respectively, for bank fraud. Since the couple has four daughters together, the courts have ruled that they won’t have to serve their sentences at the same time. After Teresa serves her sentence, which begins on January 5, Joe will then serve his time and may even face deportation.
8. Mama June dates a child molester
Nine-year-old former beauty pageant contestant Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and her family originally rose to fame on TLC’s reality series Toddlers and Tiaras before landing their own reality spin-off, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. However, Honey Boo Boo and family’s four-year reign on television came to an end when the matriarch of the family, Shannon (better known a Mama June), was accused of knowingly dating a convicted sex offender. The boyfriend in question is Mark McDaniel, who just recently completed a ten-year sentence for aggrivated child molestation. Mama June denies being romantically involved with McDaniel, who served time for molesting June’s oldest daughter, Anna Cardwell.
9. Lena Dunham faces backlash after releasing her memoir
Lena Dunham has been involved in a bit of controversy lately following the release of her memoir, Not That Kind of Girl. In November, the actress and director was accused of molesting her younger sister, Grace Dunham, as a result of one passage in the book in which she explains her sexual curiousity as a child. Now, one month later, the Girls star’s book is at the center of controversy again because of a passage in which she recalls being sexually abused during her time at Oberlin College by a man who she referred to as “Barry.” Not only is Dunham being challenged by an Oberlin grad named Barry and the lawyer he hired, but she is also being criticized because of the way she told her story. Random House, the book’s publisher, has stated that plans to tweak the chapter in question are being put into effect.
10. Sarah Hyland experiences domestic abuse
Sarah Hyland recently opened up about her experience in an abusive relationship after it was revealed that she had been granted a three-year restraining order from her former boyfriend of five years, Matt Prokop. The Modern Family star claims that Prokop verbally abused her and once choked her and threatened her life.
11. The Interview gets pulled from theaters
Following the massive Sony hack that leaked the information of numerous Sony employees, Sony was recently the target of many threats from North Korea as a result of the promotion of their upcoming movie, The Interview, which was scheduled to be released on Christmas day. Several theaters backed out of showing the movie, which features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two TV journalists who are asked to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, after threats of a 9/11 style attack on any theater supporting its release. Sony has since decided not to move forward with the release of the film—but we recently learned that a few theaters are choosing to show the movie this week regardless.
It was a wild, controversial year for Hollywood—which scandal shocked you the most?