- 5 months ago
From staged events to fake memoirs, these infamous celebrity lies landed their perpetrators in legal hot water! Join us as we explore the biggest falsehoods that resulted in massive lawsuits. When these stars and influencers chose deception over honesty, the courts made them pay - literally!
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00:00You know what perjury is, right?
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the most infamous times celebrities were caught lying,
00:07only to have to face a hefty lawsuit from those they were dishonest about, or two.
00:11It's just not okay.
00:14Fire Festival Promotion
00:16Promoted by social media stars, taking place on an island in the Bahamas with quality music and meals by celebrity chefs,
00:23the luxury fire festival sounded too good to be true, and it was.
00:27It felt like they were basically doing a music festival to draw attention to this bigger brand that would end up being the Uber of booking talent.
00:35When attendees arrived at the 2017 event, none of the promises matched what was advertised.
00:40This caused massive outrage among those who splashed out their cash.
00:43Look at the beds!
00:45Oh, Jesus!
00:47So the organizers, Billy McFarlane and Jerule, were issued with several lawsuits for their deception.
00:52While the latter was removed from some suits, McFarlane lost a case in 2018 as two attendees won $5 million.
00:59The social media stars were also sued for not stating they were paid to advertise the event.
01:04In 2020, Kendall Jenner paid a $90,000 settlement for her involvement.
01:09The settlement that Kendall entered into will probably set a precedent
01:13and will cause other celebrities to seek similar settlement deals where they would get to pay less than half
01:19of what's paid to them to actually promote the concert.
01:23Kathleen Turner.
01:25Sometimes, when it comes to celebrity memoirs, there might be lies in them to boost intrigue and sales.
01:30However, when their dishonesty goes too far, it can cause a lot of problems.
01:34I'm a grown woman with a lifetime of experiences you can't understand.
01:40Yeah, girls mature faster than guys.
01:43In 2008, Turner's memoir was published.
01:45Within, she detailed a story that when working on the 1986 film Peggy Sue Got Married,
01:50co-star Nicolas Cage had too much to drink, resulting in him getting arrested for stealing a dog
01:56and twice for DUIs.
01:58You're going to blow it, Peggy Sue.
02:00No one treats Charlie Bodell like this.
02:03The passage was also printed in the UK newspaper, The Daily Mail.
02:08Cage issued a suit against Turner for defamation.
02:10After the case was ruled in his favor, Turner apologized for her lies
02:14and gave a donation to the National Adult Protective Services Foundation.
02:19Charlie.
02:21I'd like to invite you over to your house for dinner on Sunday with your kids.
02:33I'll make us drool.
02:40Clifford Irving.
02:41In 1970, writers Irving and Richard Seusskind came up with a plan.
02:46With millionaire Howard Hughes having been a recluse for years,
02:49they were going to write his autobiography,
02:51even getting friends to forge letters from the former film producer.
02:54Did Clifford Irving meet with Hughes and take 30 hours of conversation with him?
02:59Or did he come upon the material, the transcripts of Hughes' memoirs from some other source?
03:05I just don't know.
03:07The duo believed Hughes wouldn't realize what happened.
03:10Irving then went to his publisher, McGraw-Hill,
03:12to trick them into believing Hughes had requested Irving to ghostwrite it.
03:16However, when news broke of the upcoming release of the autobiography,
03:19Hughes didn't stay silent.
03:21Instead, he publicly stated he hadn't met Irving or agreed to the book.
03:25A suit was filed by Hughes against McGraw-Hill as Irving was investigated.
03:30After admitting their guilt, Irving, Seusskind,
03:32and others involved all spent time in jail for fraud.
03:35Wagatha Christie.
03:36In the UK, the tabloids love gossip about footballers and their WAGs,
03:42meaning wives and girlfriends.
03:44However, for a while, Colleen Rooney, wife of Wayne,
03:47noticed stories and private posts were ending up in the media.
03:50Stories about her desire for a baby girl,
03:53a possible return to television, and her house flooding.
03:56There was a leak in the WAGs.
03:58Playing investigator, she allowed one person to view her posts,
04:02which still ended up in the papers.
04:03That account belonged to Rebecca Vardy.
04:06Wife of Jamie.
04:07It's really sad because I, for one, can't believe Becky Vardy would do this,
04:11why she would jeopardize her friendships, her character.
04:16After Rooney announced this in 2019, Vardy was livid,
04:19resulting in her suing her former friend in 2020 for defamation.
04:23In 2022, the court ruled against Vardy,
04:26issuing Rooney's statement to be true.
04:27The defendant succeeded in establishing
04:29that the essence of the libel was substantially true.
04:33Paying Rooney a fine and the legal fees
04:34cost Vardy 3 million pounds.
04:37She attempted to appeal the costs, but it was dismissed.
04:40Tasha Kay.
04:41Specializing in celebrity news and gossip,
04:43Latasha Keeb, also known as Tasha Kay,
04:46took aim at Cardi B in 2018.
04:48She released one video after another on her YouTube channel,
04:51criticizing the rapper for all sorts.
04:53This included claims that Cardi had used illegal substances,
04:57had contracted multiple STDs,
04:59had cheated on her then-husband,
05:01and that her child would be born with special needs.
05:03After enduring these allegations,
05:05in 2019, Cardi issued a lawsuit against Keeb for defamation.
05:09In 2022, the court ruled Keeb was liable.
05:12This resulted in Cardi receiving around $4 million in damages
05:15and legal fees from the blogger.
05:17You know, they're looking at it from their perspective,
05:20and so, you know, perception is everything.
05:22So, yeah, that's all I got to say on that, you know?
05:25Keeb attempted to file for bankruptcy, which was rejected.
05:28In 2025, a payment plan was agreed upon between the two
05:32for $1.2 million.
05:36James Frey.
05:37In 2005, after being recommended by Oprah's book club
05:40on The Oprah Winfrey Show,
05:42Frey was at the pinnacle of his career.
05:43The work promoted was his 2003 memoir,
05:46A Million Little Pieces,
05:48which detailed his history with substance abuse.
05:51Many of my staff were moved to tears.
05:53I thought of my brother, and I thought of his death.
05:56However, as more people checked it out,
05:59questions began to arise about its accuracy.
06:01I've struggled with the idea of it, and...
06:05Well, the lie of it.
06:06As it turned out, it wasn't factual.
06:09Further interviews and an appearance back on Winfrey's show
06:11saw Frey admit to several fabrications and exaggerations,
06:15which he apologized for.
06:17The author and publisher Random House
06:19then worked out a legal agreement,
06:21setting aside $2.35 million for lawsuits,
06:24which only a little over 1,700 readers claimed.
06:27You know, I made a mistake,
06:29and when it kind of...
06:30And at a certain point, it came time to pay for it.
06:33Jussie Smollett.
06:34In 2019, the world was in shock
06:37over the senseless hate crime attack
06:38against Empire actor Smollett,
06:41all of which was caught on surveillance cameras.
06:43However, when the police investigated,
06:45the truth soon emerged.
06:47Empire actor Jesse Smollett is in police custody
06:50after turning himself in overnight.
06:52He is accused of faking a hate crime
06:54after his story of being attacked by racists
06:57fell to pieces.
06:59The cops claimed Smollett had paid two brothers,
07:02a bimbola and olabinho usandaro, for publicity.
07:05In 2022, after being found guilty on several counts,
07:09the actor was sentenced to 150 days in jail.
07:12Let me tell you, Mr. Smollett,
07:13I know that there is nothing that I will do here today
07:16that can come close to the damage
07:18you've already done to your own life.
07:20On top of this, the city of Chicago, Illinois,
07:23where the hoax happened,
07:24sued Smollett for over $130,000
07:26for the investigation costs.
07:29In 2025, the suit was settled
07:30after he agreed to pay $50,000 to a local charity.
07:33The Usandaro brothers also attempted to sue Smollett
07:36and his legal team for defamation,
07:38which was later dismissed.
07:40I still want to believe,
07:42with everything that has happened,
07:44that there's something called justice.
07:46Lance Armstrong.
07:47For years, allegations about Armstrong's doping
07:50had tainted his cycling legend,
07:51despite his disputing them.
07:53I don't think any sports team or any athlete
07:55has ever come under this kind of scrutiny.
07:57Yet nothing concrete happened.
07:59That changed in 2012,
08:00when the United States Anti-Doping Agency
08:03charged him with running a doping ring,
08:05stripping Armstrong of records and wins,
08:07as well as banning him from professional sport.
08:10After he admitted to the crime
08:11in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2013,
08:13this opened him up to a whistleblower lawsuit
08:16from former teammate Floyd Landis,
08:18who previously had been found to have doped
08:20and had pointed the finger at Armstrong's ring.
08:22You're saying Lance Armstrong is a liar?
08:26Yes, I suppose if that's the question, yes.
08:29The U.S. government joined in,
08:31looking for $100 million.
08:32In 2018, the case was settled,
08:34with Armstrong agreeing to pay $5 million.
08:37And then the ultimate crime is,
08:39is the betrayal of these people
08:42that supported me and believed in me,
08:45and they got lied to.
08:47Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard.
08:49After tying the knot in 2015,
08:51a year later,
08:52this Hollywood couple were divorced,
08:54as Heard accused Depp of abuse,
08:56which he denied.
08:57When it comes to domestic violence
08:58or violence of any sort,
08:59I think your reputation is going to take a hit.
09:01After alluding to this again in an op-ed
09:03with the Washington Post in 2018,
09:05Depp issued a lawsuit for defamation.
09:08In 2022, when the trial got underway,
09:10it dominated social media
09:12as accusations of abuse from both sides rained down.
09:15It's insane to hear
09:19other heinous accusations of violence.
09:30In the end, the jury concluded that Heard lied about Depp,
09:34awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages
09:36and $5 million in punitive damages.
09:39Do you find that Mr. Depp has proven
09:42all the elements of defamation?
09:44Answer, yes.
09:46However, they also awarded Heard $2 million
09:48in compensatory damages from Depp.
09:50Both parties appealed the damages,
09:52which resulted in a settlement
09:53with Heard paying $1 million.
09:55You still couldn't look me in the eye
09:57and tell me that you think on social media
09:59there's been a fair representation.
10:01You cannot tell me
10:03that you think that this has been fair.
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10:19Alex Jones
10:22In 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School
10:25in Newton, Connecticut
10:26experienced a horrible tragedy
10:28when Adam Lanza took over 20 lives.
10:30I know there's not a parent in America
10:32who doesn't feel the same
10:35overwhelming grief that I do.
10:37While most of the country was in shock
10:39and offered condolences,
10:41Jones had a more sinister approach.
10:43He leaned into conspiracy theories
10:44claiming it didn't happen
10:46and it was staged by actors.
10:47This town, in churches
10:49like the United Methodist Church behind us,
10:52well, the lights are on
10:53and they are still open for prayer tonight.
10:55In 2018, the victim's families
10:57issued lawsuits against him for defamation.
11:00Despite Jones going back on his false theory
11:02and admitting the tragedy happened,
11:04he lost a series of suits,
11:05resulting in him having to pay damages
11:07totaling over $1 billion.
11:09Especially since I've met the parents
11:11and it's 100% real.
11:15While they went into bankruptcy proceedings,
11:16the families offered to settle the case
11:18for $85 million
11:19or the sale of his assets.
11:22However, a judge blocked this in 2025.
11:24Did the celebrities we mentioned in this video
11:26deserve to be sued or not?
11:28Let us know below.
11:29So you don't blame the jury?
11:30I don't blame them.
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