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One click and it all fell apart! Join us as we count down famous personalities whose careers were destroyed by a single photograph. From political scandals to ill-advised social media posts, these public figures learned the hard way that an image can truly be worth a thousand words—or in their case, millions in lost opportunities!
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00:00I don't remember that photograph ever being taken.
00:04I don't remember going upstairs in the house because that photograph is taken upstairs.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for public figures whose status was devastated by association with one published photo.
00:17It didn't break the law. I didn't do anything wrong. That photo is very much covered by the First Amendment.
00:24Number 20, Perez Hilton.
00:26It would take a lot to get the harsh tabloid blogger Perez Hilton in trouble, but he went too far in 2010 just by posting on Twitter a censored upskirt photo of Miley Cyrus.
00:36She was still a minor and working for Disney at the time.
00:39Threats of criminal charges prompted Hilton to confirm that Miley Cyrus was wearing underwear and that the photo was meant to entice readers.
00:46Still, he made no apology for the deception or to the young pop star.
00:50The scandal quietly unraveled the loudmouth prevalence in the mainstream.
00:53Although Perez remains very active, this display of his unscrupulousness turned him from someone you love to hate into a pop culture villain.
01:01Because Miley Cyrus just gave me a present!
01:04Number 19, Sarah Edan.
01:07The Miss Universe pageant should represent the beauty in bringing cultures together.
01:11Of course, it's hard enough to do so tastefully without Sarah Edan's snafu.
01:15The Iraqi-American singer was representing her homeland in 2017 when she posted a photo of herself with Miss Israel, Adar Gandalsman.
01:23The caption read,
01:24Peace and love for Miss Iraq and Miss Israel.
01:27This noble yet controversial comment, compounded by Miss Universe's swimsuit competition, sparked an uproar in Iraq.
01:33Edan and her family were eventually forced to settle in the U.S., where her music career faded into obscurity.
01:38Thankfully, Edan has since found new work in entertainment and politics and remains a staunch advocate for peace in the Middle East.
01:45Right then and there, we became like sisters.
01:49And I think more than anything, we were eager to show each other the love and support and to let the whole world know we stand for love and peace.
01:58Number 18, Danny Mathers.
02:01Playboy Playmate of 2015, Danny Mathers, already represented an unfair pressure on culture.
02:06There's certainly no excusing her cruel insults in 2016.
02:09Mathers photographed a 71-year-old woman using a shower in an LA fitness, then shared the image with a friend.
02:15It wound up on social media with a derogatory caption.
02:18That was intended for a private conversation that never should have happened.
02:23Besides the backlash over body shaming, the model was charged with unlawful invasion of privacy.
02:29She was ultimately sentenced to community service, hit with a restraining order, banned from LA fitness,
02:33and forbidden to post photos without the subject's consent.
02:36She was also fired from her radio show and lost work.
02:40Years after doing her time, Mathers remains professionally ostracized for her truly ugly behavior.
02:45I'm sorry.
02:47Number 17, Matt Hancock.
02:49Personal scandal is bad enough for politicians without it directly contradicting the office's responsibilities.
02:55Matt Hancock was burdened with the role of the UK's Secretary of State for Health and Social Care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
03:01In 2021, his work was overshadowed by a CCTV still of him kissing Gina Coladangelo, one of his advisors, in his office.
03:10The revelation of their extramarital affair, never mind their violation of social distancing guidelines, forced both public health officials to resign.
03:18Many of Hancock's colleagues then came forward about his inefficiency and hypocrisy in his highly important position.
03:24Those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them, and that's why I've got to resign.
03:31He and Coladangelo have since left their respective spouses to make their relationship official.
03:36Still, it's haunted by an image that especially derailed Hancock's political career.
03:40Number 16, Millard Tidings.
03:43In his four terms as a U.S. senator from Maryland, Millard Tidings gained a reputation for his outspokenness.
03:49His stand against McCarthyism would ultimately be his downfall.
03:52When Tidings brought this into his re-election campaign in 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy's staff released an old photo of the Democrat being friendly with Communist Party leader and Soviet spy Earl Browder.
04:04Testimonies and an investigation eventually revealed that the photo was a composite and that Tidings had never met Browder.
04:10Nonetheless, the scandal is credited with costing him the election against strident anti-communist John Marshall Butler.
04:17Tidings died a pariah 11 years later, representing one of the earliest and cruelest injustices of the Second Red Scare.
04:25Number 15, Paul Rubens.
04:27Comedian Paul Rubens won hearts of all ages as the zany Pee-wee Herman.
04:31For the rest of the day, whenever anybody says a secret word, scream me aloud!
04:35All that stopped in 1991, when he was arrested for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater.
04:40The scandal alone was enough to destroy the beloved family entertainer, but there was no unseeing his mugshot for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Department after the press got a hold of it.
04:49The long, unkept hair and disgraced expression couldn't have been further from Pee-wee's clean and happy-go-lucky image.
04:56Rubens was exiled for years and revived his career with more mature projects until his passing in 2023.
05:02Still, he's forever associated with one of the 90s' most shocking entertainment scandals, immortalized by that career and childhood-ruining mugshot.
05:11A lot of people say, oh, isn't that too bad what happened to him? Or, um, you know, we really love him and we feel sorry for him and free Pee-wee.
05:18Number 14, Peter Norman.
05:20People often overlook the subtler gesture in one of the most important images in sports history, as well as its consequences.
05:27At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Peter Norman of Australia came in second in the 200-meter running event behind Tommy Smith.
05:35He and fellow American, John Carlos, then became global icons of the civil rights movement by striking the Black Power stance during the medal ceremony.
05:43Beside them, the white Norman dons a badge representing the Olympic Project for Human Rights and Solidarity.
05:48It's understood that this political act stifled his career back home.
05:52Even with his qualifications, he wasn't selected for the 72 Olympics.
05:56Australia now recognizes Norman as a national hero for unopposingly standing up for what's right, whatever the professional cost.
06:03It's a wrong that will be put right in tonight's parliamentary apology.
06:07Number 13, Michael Phelps.
06:09The most decorated Olympian of all time has long struggled with alcohol use disorder, but it was a different substance that nearly ruined Michael Phelps' swimming career.
06:17In 2009, the tabloid News of the World published a photo of him smoking marijuana at a party at the University of South Carolina.
06:25When you knew that picture was coming out, how did you feel?
06:28Uh, not too good.
06:30This resulted in a three-month suspension and cost him a coveted sponsorship deal with Kellogg's.
06:35The professional penalties were really not that severe, but Phelps' reputation really took a hit.
06:40Calling his behavior regrettable, he said,
06:43I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way.
06:46The scandal became ubiquitous in pop culture, hanging over the public figure's status, as his personal life garnered further controversy.
06:53It's hard to believe that such a celebrated athlete may never completely outpace this scandal.
06:57You know, I can, I think the best thing is, is, you know, learn from your mistakes, and, uh, you know, it's already what I've done.
07:04Number 12. Chris Brown
07:06R&B fans once considered Chris Brown and Rihanna the dream celebrity couple.
07:11Then, they saw the extent of the former's volatile behavior.
07:15In 2009, TMZ acquired a police photo of Rihanna's face after a vicious assault by Brown.
07:20The circulation of this image of the beauty icon sparked a debate about the media's right to share such graphic details,
07:27but there was no debate about her ex-boyfriend's reputation.
07:29That's all I kept thinking the whole time.
07:31When is it gonna stop? When is it gonna stop?
07:33Brown's career and music were permanently associated with this visual of his abusive tendencies.
07:39He pleaded guilty to the assault and underwent domestic violence counseling, but has since faced many more ghastly scandals.
07:45It's unlikely that said R&B fans would forgive him after seeing that photo of Rihanna anyway.
07:50I was wrong for what I did.
07:53And I would definitely say that it's not something that I look past or look over.
07:58Number 11. Prince Andrew
08:00A distinguished naval career and philanthropic businesses made Prince Andrew a star in the British royal family.
08:06Then, in 2011, Mail on Sunday published a 2001 photo of the Duke of York with his arm around a teenaged Virginia Giuffre.
08:14This marks the beginning of the human trafficking survivors' fight against the woman in the background,
08:19Ghislaine Maxwell, and the photographer Jeffrey Epstein.
08:23It's been since given to the FBI, and he needs to stop with all of these lame excuses.
08:28Andrew spent the next 11 years dealing with scandal, legal battles, and fallout from a misguided interview with Newsnight in 2019.
08:35Your response?
08:36I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady.
08:39Finally, he was stripped of all royal duties and exiled from the public eye.
08:44If the Le Chou phrase accusations and the implications of that photograph are true, that is nowhere close to true justice.
08:51You've seen the photo?
08:52I've seen the photograph.
08:53How do you explain that?
08:54I can't.
08:55Number 10. Kate Moss
08:57British supermodel Kate Moss built her career appearing in prestigious fashion campaigns and iconic magazine covers.
09:03People really look up to what she's wearing and look to her, you know, as an icon.
09:07Kate Moss, I think, always looks good.
09:09Everyone wants to look like Kate Moss.
09:10However, in 2005, Moss made news for all the wrong reasons when the Daily Mirror ran front-page pictures of her engaging in substance use alongside a damning headline.
09:20This publication ignited a major controversy, resulting in Moss being dropped by major fashion brands including Chanel, Burberry, and H&M, with whom she held an estimated £4 million annual contract.
09:32Nervous advertisers cancelled Kate's contracts, and it looked like her career in fashion was over.
09:37She was even investigated by the London Met Police, although all charges were eventually dismissed.
09:41The damage to her career may have been extensive, but Moss managed to weather the storm, bouncing back to the forefront of the industry in a matter of months.
09:48Even if she did things in her life that weren't necessarily accepted, people are always willing to give you a second chance.
09:56The bottom line is she's a fantastic model, and she sells clothes. Women respond to Kate.
10:00Number 9. Chris Lee
10:02While the damning picture in this case may pale in comparison to the others on the list, it nonetheless marks the end of this politician's career.
10:08Before yesterday afternoon, Christopher Lee was known as an up-and-coming Republican congressman from New York.
10:15By yesterday evening, the two-term congressman was resigning amidst a cheating scandal on the internet.
10:22In February 2011, a few months after winning re-election in a landslide, New York Congressman Chris Lee got ensnared in a scandal when it was revealed that he had solicited a woman on Craigslist.
10:31Despite being married, Lee had sent the woman a shirtless photograph of himself flexing his muscles and falsely portrayed himself as a divorced lobbyist.
10:39He told the woman in emails he was a 39-year-old divorced lobbyist. Lee is actually 46 and married with one child.
10:48This picture, as well as the messages the two exchanged, eventually got leaked to the website Gawker.
10:53Within hours of their release, Lee issued a public apology and resigned his congressional seat.
10:58And just hours after this photo went viral, the congressman from the 26th District resigned.
11:03Number 8. Bow Wow
11:05If you ever needed a reminder not to trust everything on social media, this would be it.
11:10In May 2017, Bow Wow shared a picture that appeared to capture a typical day in the life of a celebrity.
11:15So basically, I was traveling to New York, right? And I was on a commercial flight.
11:19So I saw a picture that I liked. It was a Mahmood picture, so I posted it. I put travel day.
11:22The post showed a luxury car parked beside a private jet on an airport tarmac, suggesting he was about to embark on a lavish trip.
11:29Initially, no one thought much of it, until hours later, when another picture emerged showing the rapper seated in economy class on a commercial flight.
11:37Oh, you just posted a picture you liked?
11:38Yeah.
11:39What the hell? What the hell's the problem?
11:41Because the way it looked, it looked as if I was taking the big boy jet going to New York and really I was on Delta.
11:46Eagle-eyed fans quickly traced the original picture to the website of a VIP transport company.
11:51The gaff sparked widespread ridicule on social media and portrayed Bow Wow as a very dishonest individual.
11:57But you know a private jet means it's just for you, not for other people who can buy tickets.
12:01No. Well, they got this thing called JetSmart. Are you up on that?
12:04Number 7. Ed Miliband
12:05Throughout history, several politicians have ruined their careers for a variety of shocking reasons.
12:11Corruption scandals, sex scandals, bigotry.
12:13However, for British politician Ed Miliband, his downfall came from a simple act many of us engage in daily, eating a sandwich.
12:21If she's looking for a new challenge, she should try wrestling a bacon sandwich live on national television.
12:28Back in 2014, while campaigning for local elections, Miliband, then Labour Party leader, was photographed eating a bacon sandwich.
12:35Granted, almost anyone would look awkward if caught mid-bite, but Miliband's depiction was particularly cringeworthy and quickly invited widespread ridicule.
12:42They said the, uh, his advisors stepped in. I just imagine they stepped in and, like, they're...
12:48Open wide, Ed!
12:53As the 2015 general election approached, the imagery surfaced on the front page of the tabloid, The Sun, effectively overshadowing any substantive policies with mockery.
13:03Needless to say, Miliband lost the election and resigned as the Labour Party leader shortly after.
13:07I don't think I lost was the bacon sandwich. Do you know what I mean?
13:11Do you know how absurd that phrase sounds in itself?
13:14Well, indeed.
13:15I'm sorry, I brought it up, but it does sound ridiculous.
13:17The very fact I've got to say that, you know, I lost for deeper reasons than that.
13:20Number six, Gary Hart.
13:23Rarely ever has a promising presidential bid crashed and burned as quickly as Gary Hart's.
13:27I intend to seek the presidency of the United States in 1988.
13:35Hart was the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, but his campaign was plagued by rumors of extramarital affairs.
13:42He vehemently denied these allegations, even challenging the media to follow him around and prove them.
13:47Well, they did, in fact, accept his challenge.
13:50What we were doing there, Michael, was verifying the tip that he, in fact, was going to spend the weekend with Donna Rice, which we verified.
13:58And you can only do that by actually being there.
14:01The press linked Hart to Donna Rice, a young woman seen spending the night at his house.
14:05Even worse, they unearthed a damning picture of Rice sitting on Hart's lap, with him wearing a shirt referencing a yacht they had partied on, aptly named Monkey Business.
14:13It didn't take long for Hart to suspend his campaign and drop out of the race.
14:25Number five, Michael Dukakis.
14:27Following Gary Hart's withdrawal from the 1988 primaries, Democrats ultimately chose Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis as their nominee.
14:34When the convention was over, and I saw the big lead that Dukakis had, obviously I thought it was going to be pretty tough for the vice president.
14:43However, Dukakis is untested in a national campaign.
14:47This other guy is tested.
14:48Despite running an impressive primary campaign, Dukakis' abysmal bid for the White House was met with a resounding defeat.
14:54This was due to various shortcomings, notably the now infamous tank photo.
14:58Having been portrayed by Republicans as weak on crime and defense issues, Dukakis sought to bolster his tough image by posing in a military tank.
15:06And so someone came up with the idea that Mike Dukakis should be shown in a military posture.
15:13However, this backfired spectacularly, as the photograph, depicting Dukakis in an oversized helmet with his name splashed across, was exploited by his opponent and widely ridiculed.
15:23It became a symbol of the ineptitude of the campaign.
15:26It became a laughingstock.
15:28Today, even Dukakis himself concedes that the tank photo was a huge misstep.
15:32Number 4. Vanessa Williams
15:34In September 1983, Vanessa Williams made history as the first African American to win the Miss America title.
15:41And our new Miss America is Vanessa Williams, Miss New York!
15:49She fulfilled her duties gracefully until just before the end of her reign.
15:52It was revealed that explicit images of her would be published in Penthouse Magazine.
15:57The pictures were taken in 1982, when she worked as an assistant for a photographer, who led her to believe they had been destroyed.
16:03Racy nude photos she had posed for years earlier were sold without her permission to Penthouse Magazine.
16:10She turned to her parents.
16:12I said, I don't know what's going on, but I'm sorry.
16:14We have no idea what's going to happen.
16:16Even before their publication, the Miss America organization pressured Williams to resign, subsequently awarding the title to the first runner-up.
16:23Williams faced severe ridicule in the media, and for a while, it seemed her career was over.
16:27The heightened spectacle and circus of it all was kind of crazy.
16:31I had people that were saying, fight for the crown, fight for the crown, and people chanting, don't give it up, don't secede.
16:38Nevertheless, she managed to rebound, establishing a successful career as a versatile entertainer.
16:43Number 3. Al Franken
16:45He first gained recognition as a comedy writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live, but it appears sometimes, Al Franken's jokes might cross certain boundaries.
16:54That was ugly.
16:57It was ugly. It's an ugly year.
16:59While serving the U.S. Senate in 2017, Franken faced accusations of sexual misconduct from radio broadcaster Leanne Tweeden.
17:06These allegations gained further traction when a compromising photograph emerged, showing Franken with his hands positioned above Tweeden's breasts.
17:14We rehearsed the line, and I'm coming towards him, and he comes up, and he grabs me, and he puts his hand behind my head, and he aggressively comes in, and he mashes his mouth up against mine, and he sticks his tongue in my mouth.
17:24According to the senator, this was intended as a joke.
17:27I turned my head away every time.
17:29I never was alone with him again for the rest of the tour.
17:32I made sure that I was never alone in a room or anything with him again.
17:35While the accusations were still being investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee, several Democratic senators called for Franken's resignation.
17:42He ultimately succumbed to pressure and stepped down from the Senate, a decision he now regrets.
17:47Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks, I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate.
17:56Number 2. Anthony Weiner
17:58Some people just never learn from their mistakes.
18:01Everyone, it seems, is piling on.
18:03Let me finish my thought.
18:05Even at his own campaign events.
18:08This confrontation came at his most recent stop.
18:11Had I conducted myself in the manner in which you conducted yours, my job would have been gone.
18:15Anthony Weiner represented New York's 9th Congressional District and was viewed by some as a rising political star.
18:21However, in 2011, Weiner dug himself into a hole and never found his way out.
18:25The congressman used his public Twitter account to share a link to a suggestive picture of himself, but initially denied responsibility.
18:31This whole thing would just go away if you just answer a couple really basic questions, right?
18:36Did you send the tweet?
18:37Is that a photograph of you?
18:40And why not call for an investigation?
18:43The answer is I did not send that tweet.
18:45My system was hacked.
18:46I was pranked.
18:47It was...
18:47Faced with insurmountable evidence, he confessed and resigned from office.
18:51Yet, this wasn't the end of Weiner's troubles.
18:53He resurfaced to run for New York City mayor in 2013, but encountered another setback due to yet another sexting scandal.
18:59In 2017, he was implicated in a third scandal, ultimately receiving a 21-month prison sentence for engaging in explicit communication with a minor.
19:06Anthony Weiner had nothing to say as he left the courtroom, his plea for probation, no jail time, having fallen on deaf ears.
19:14He cried when Judge Denise Coates sentenced him to 21 months, seeking into his chair, seemingly inconsolable.
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19:33Number 1. Kathy Griffin
19:37Donald Trump has divided public opinion ever since he first announced his presidential candidacy in June 2015.
19:44But nearly everyone came together in condemnation of this horrifying stunt.
19:48But when you do something like that, I really did just try to make a statement.
19:51And I truly didn't think people would think it was an actual severed head.
19:55In May 2017, months after Trump's inauguration, comedian Kathy Griffin posted a graphic image online
20:00in which she held a bloody mask that closely resembled the then-president.
20:04The backlash was immediate.
20:06Criticism filtered in from both sides of the political divide.
20:08Within hours of the picture going public, a torrent of backlash.
20:12Left, right, and center turned on me. Everyone turned on me.
20:16As a result, Griffin took the picture down and apologized.
20:19But the damage was already done.
20:20She lost multiple business deals, was fired by CNN, and had to cancel her upcoming tour dates.
20:25Griffin eventually retracted her apology and reposted the controversial photo on the day after the 2020 presidential election.
20:31Griffin would retract the apology, calling the fallout faux outrage.
20:36I realized the outrage and the pearl-clutching really wasn't...
20:42What are some other photos that incriminated celebrities in the court of public opinion?
20:46Break the story in the comments.
20:48My biggest, probably fear, was to tell my parents.
20:54All about this.
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