The biggest celeb scandals of the year
Jed Wyatt, Lori Laughlin and Jussie Smollett made headlines in 2019 for all the wrong reasons.
As the year winds down, we’re looking back on 2019 highlights in the world of entertainment: the good, the bad and the scandalous. ❚ Some celebrities in particular got wrapped up in major scandals over the course of the year. Some were accused of sexual assault, like R. Kelly and Matt Lauer, or wrapped up in legal battles, like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Others were criticized for insensitive comments, like Liam Neeson, or for shady cheating rumors, like Jed Wyatt of “The Bachelorette” and Tristan Thompson, Khloe Kardashian’s now-ex. ❚ These are some of the biggest celebrity scandals of 2019.
R. Kelly allegations
“Surviving R. Kelly,” the documentary series that began airing Jan. 3, detailing troubling accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against the singer. Kelly has spent most of this year wrapped up in multiple legal battles related to sex crimes.
After nearly two decades of allegations against him, Kelly was indicted in February and gave an intense interview a month later with Gayle King, during which he screamed and cried while emphatically maintaining his innocence.
Jussie Smollett reports attack
Jussie Smollett garnered sympathy around the country after coming forward on Jan. 29, claiming he was the victim of a brutal racist, homophobic attack in Chicago.
Details later emerged that told a much different story: the “Empire” actor was accused of orchestrating the entire attack to gain recognition and boost his career.
Liam Neeson’s controversial comments
In a shocking interview with The Independent on Feb. 4, actor Liam Neeson recalled he once sought revenge for a loved one’s rape by searching for a black person to kill.
“My immediate reaction was... I asked, did she know who it was? No. ‘What color were they?’ She said it was a black person,” Neeson told the outlet. “I went up and down areas with a (nightstick), hoping I’d be approached by somebody – I’m ashamed to say that – and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could –