Over the past year, we’ve seen the celebrity gossip mill go into overdrive several times. While some scandals went unnoticed, others did permanent damage to the unbreakable reputation of Hollywood as a whole as well as that of the famous people involved. These are the biggest scandals of 2024, along with the public downfall of the celebrities involved, ranging from the troubling accusations that led to the P Diddy affair to the deluge of criticism aimed at Blake Lively.

Carrying the title of “international star” comes with a lot of baggage. It doesn’t matter how many box office hits you have under your belt or your rankings. Forbes‘ list of billionaires. Once the Internet catches wind of a potential scandal, you can rest assured that eagle-eyed onlookers will go to great lengths to dig up clues and clues from old digital archives to back up the allegations and rumors of today. Take for example the P Diddy controversy. Interviews which date back to 1999 are now circulating on the Internet, each time highlighting the The music mogul alluded to his alleged “freak off” parties which led to his arrest in September 2024.

In light of these controversies, we take a look at some of the biggest celebrity controversies of 2024 – a list that goes beyond backyard controversies to include the scandals that brought down the world’s biggest names. Hollywood. In other words, the adage “any press is good press” does not apply here. And if these controversies are anything to go by, one thing is clear: the shining light of celebrity culture has never been dimmer than it is today.

Before continuing, please note that this story addresses issues of sexual abuse and domestic violence that may be triggering for some readers.

Biggest Celebrity Controversies: Stars Who Faced Public Fallout in 2024

The Bronx Controversy – Jennifer Lopez

Earlier this year, Jennifer Lopez released her Amazon Prime Documentary, The greatest love story ever told – a decision that landed her in hot water on social media. Videos of users mercilessly mocking J-Lo quickly saturated TikTok’s “For You” page after she uttered the words “This reminds me, like, when I was 16 in the Bronx, I was running in the neighborhood. Crazy little girl who was wild and limitless, every dream.

The clip from the documentary did not elicit the response the singer hoped for. Instead, she was trolled on various platforms such as Instagram, TikTokand X for being performative and inauthentic. Many called her a self-centered starlet who had no real connection to the neighborhood she seemed to desperately represent. In the midst of all this, social media did what it does best: digging through past interviews to extract more drama-worthy content.

To say that you can’t think of a single movie that Gwyneth Paltrow has starred in when she’s primarily known for illustrious roles like “Gigli” and “Maid in Manhattan” is wild. https://t.co/7j6o5QWHNo

– Circe (@vocalcry) March 27, 2024

Therefore, ticket sales for J-Lo It’s me… now The tour became a success, leading the star to rename the entire tour before canceling it altogether.

THE It ends with us film controversy – Blake Lively

While It ends with us was meant to inspire necessary conversations around serious themes of domestic violence and generational trauma, the buzz around the film instead revolved around Blake Lively interviews and low-key casting conflicts. THE Gossip Girl The star received bad press for promoting her hair care line and talking about her “on-theme” floral outfits during press tours.

Although Lively later changed her tune, audiences continued to voice their opinions that the film’s snappy and light-hearted marketing was insensitive and tone-deaf. Lively quickly fell out of favor with the public as her interviews became fodder for memes for the Internet; today, the It ends with us The controversy continues to be an example of one of the biggest celebrity controversies of the year.

The Katy Perry controversy

Katy Perry’s The comeback didn’t exactly generate the headlines she was hoping for. For one, the music video for her song “Woman’s World,” which contained the lyrics “It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to live in it,” had Lukasz Gottwald as producer. In 2014, Dr. Luke was accused by pop singer Kesha of “sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally” assaulting her. As a result, Perry’s message of “female empowerment” was criticized due to her decision to work with someone who was involved in a public lawsuit filed by a woman. Additionally, a considerable portion of the Internet also thought that Perry’s idea of ​​fantasy and escapism “Teenage Dream,” which propelled her to fame during the 2010s, seemed reductive in 2024.

As if that wasn’t enough, Perry encountered other complications while filming his movie “Lifetime.” music video. The filming, which took place recently in the ecologically sensitive dunes of the Balearic Islands, prompted Spanish authorities to open an investigation against the singer. The result? Underachieving singles and cutting off social media comments from “Not wise. Not attentive”, to “Normalize retirement”.

The P Diddy controversy

In September 2024, Sean “P. Diddy Combs’ billionaire empire suffered a major blow following allegations of sexual abuse, sex trafficking and physical violence after a complaint was filed against him in New York. The star was also accused of coercing women into sexual acts, adding further fuel to a previous federal lawsuit filed by Cassandra Ventura or Cassie in November 2023. According to the lawsuit, Diddy forced Cassie to attend rough parties known as “freak offs”. .

After police raided his Los Angeles mansion in March, they seized supplies including 1,000 bottles of baby oil and narcotics, all of which contributed to the charges against him. Since then, the allegations against P Diddy have piled up, as have conspiracy theories and viral reactions from Internet users, giving weight to the raging controversy. If convicted of racketeering, Diddy could face life in prison. He could also face an additional 15 years for his sex trafficking charges.

One of the biggest celebrity controversies of all time, Diddy’s downfall also caught the attention of many people. A-list celebrities who has been part of his entourage for a long time.

The fall from grace of Kanye West

Now officially known as Ye, Kanye West is no stranger to the world of controversy. Anti-Semitic remarks which cost him several brand contracts fatphobic comments about the American singer-rapper Lizzo, the list goes on. Add to that Ye’s remarks on the history of slavery in the United States in a 2018 article. interview with TMZ, in which he asserted that “slavery for 400 years seems like a choice” and that you have a recipe for disaster.

Most recently, Ye found himself caught in the crossfire of the viral P Diddy controversy, which sparked its own legal troubles. The new allegations against him include a 88-page trial filed by his former personal assistant Lauren Pisciotta who accused him of sexual harassment and drug abuse. Pisciotta claimed she and a former client were invited to the rapper’s studio session, co-hosted by Diddy.

With Kanye’s career on the line, will this allegation prove to be the final nail in the coffin? Only time will tell.

(Main and featured images: Cindy Ord/Getty Images, Paras Griffin/Getty Images, Katy Perry/Instagram)

This article was first published in Prestige Hong Kong