Celebrities are people too (so I’ve heard). They make mistakes just like us, the exception however, is that their mistakes are splashed all over media and news outlets. Some of these so called mistakes include murder. You’d be surprised at how many of your favorite celebs have been involved in “accidental” deaths, and even more surprised at how they seem to be able to walk away from such tragedies and continue on in the lap of luxury. Money, fantastic PR teams, and spin doctors are able to quiet the cases and get them quickly out of the spotlight. This leaves little room for the voices of the victims and their families to be heard.
This doesn’t mean we are looking for these famous people to pay for their mistakes forever, but in some of these instances, a slap on the wrist doesn’t suffice as punishment. Just as I stated before, celebrities are people too. People that are not above jail time or the law. Sure some of them express remorse and that’s ultimately what we as a society want to see; regret for horrible actions, some break from their norm where we can see they are indeed affected by the course of the events. Not all these celebs have shown any such remorse for their brutality. We all know about the accusations against people like Bill Cosby, Jared Fogle, and even Chris Brown, but you may not have heard about these other stars and their offenses. All said, just be aware of who you are a fan of and ultimately what you are supporting
13 Steve Jobs
We’ll ease into this list with Steve Jobs. This man has an enormous list of accomplishments but his list of faults isn’t so short either. Jobs denied being the father to his daughter (even though he had named a computer after her) and didn’t admit the truth until years later. In his early years while working on a video game, he cheated one of his best friends out of money, lying to him about what the flat rate was and then pocketing the cash for himself (the friend found out years later from a book that was published, not from Jobs himself). Or how about the time he fired multiple Pixar employees with no notice or severance pay. When an employee begged for two weeks notice, his classy response? “Okay, but the notice is retroactive from two weeks ago.” Such a lovely man.
12 Sean Connery
Did you know that this James Bond condones the hitting of women? Only when they deserve it, of course. Honestly, I was more than shocked at Sean Connery’s interview with Barbara Walters and the casual way he discusses how it’s okay to hit a woman, but only as a last resort. Even more shocking, this isn’t the first time he has stated this. It first came to light in a previous interview and Walters brings up that interaction to which he replies that he hasn’t changed his opinion on the matter. Connery basically lays the blame with women, saying a woman always has to have the last word and essentially provokes an attack.
11 Aaron Eckhart
There’s method acting, then there’s just being a horrible person. While preparing for his role in Rabbit Hole (2010) Eckhart went in search of ways to research his character, a character who had lost a child. He found the perfect place to provide some insight; a support group for parents who had recently lost their child. Eckhart went to these group meetings and pretended to have lost his own child. This isn’t acting, this isn’t a role. This is lying to families who have suffered an unimaginable tragedy and pretending you know what they are experiencing. Eckhart hasn’t made any attempts to hide this "research" and stated in an interview, “I don't want to be rude to people who have lost a child, but yeah, you feel right there, you feel like your character." You feel like your character? How about you feel like a real person, feel like the asshole you are.
10 Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is no stranger to success. By all accounts a dedicated, hard working actor, his life seems to have an intensely dark side. We all know the old story of how tormented most actors are, the love hate relationship with drugs and alcohol. But how forgiving can we be when this is the 4th offense? That’s right, Sutherland apparently is a slow learner, having being arrested now four times for DUI charges. With any resource he wants, available right at this fingertips 24 hours a day, he chooses not to get help for himself, so it’s hard to feel sorry for him. At last his fame and lawyers can’t get him out of this one, and he will serve 48 days in jail, a little taste of what it’s like to be sober. You’ve got a good thing going Sutherland, get it together already!
9 Brandy
This R&B singer was involved in an accident back in 2006 that resulted in one fatality. The singer/actress slammed into the car in front of her, after failing to stop as she approached a traffic jam. Brandy was never charged with vehicular manslaughter but lawsuits were filed against her, all of which were settled out of court. Brandy doesn’t speak often of the incident, but does seem to show remorse for her part, and genuinely seems negatively affected by her involvement. Honestly, this is something that can happen to anyone, an excellent reminder to pay attention while driving, for one second of recklessness can lead to a lifetime of guilt.
8 Sean Penn
Remember in the 80’s when Sean Penn was married to Madonna? Although the marriage only lasted a few years, it was rife with tumult, including Penn being arrested for domestic violence. Recently Madonna came to the defense of her ex husband, saying he never hit her. However, it’s hard to say what’s true and what isn’t. After all, Madonna did run into a sheriff’s station all those years ago, bruised and bleeding, recounting her run in with her husband yet asking the DA not to press charges. With other violent outbursts and charges such as vandalism, battery, and even attempted murder under his belt, I have a hard time believing Penn had no part to play in this Madonna incident.
7 Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick and then girlfriend Jennifer Grey were in search of a vacation back in the late 80’s. They headed to Ireland where they rented a car and planned to drive the countryside. What started out as a peaceful drive ended with the death of a mother and daughter, when Broderick crashed head on into their car. The crash occurred on a part of the road that contained no obstructions or curves. Many have speculated that he was not used to driving on the opposite side of the road, and drifted over unintentionally. Even if that was the case, he should have had more responsibility placed on him other than the 175 dollar fine he received. While he did sustain some serious injuries, he was able to provide no details for the family of the victims, only stating that he doesn’t remember the crash, or why it happened.
6 Rebecca Gayheart
Rebecca Gayheart took her car accident very seriously, and has only recently started to rebuild her life. Rightfully so, as she was responsible for the death of a 9 year old boy, after she hit him with her car. Forever in the Los Angeles rush from one place to another, Gayheart pulled around stopped vehicles and attempted to go to the left, around them. It was only then she realized the cars were stopped to let the child cross the street. He died the day following the accident and while Gayheart paid for the funeral, she says contact with the family stopped at that. She disappeared from the spotlight and started therapy. It was only four years after the event she began acting again, and still only drives when she has to. While this is a tragedy in every sense of the word, hopefully the family can find some solace in the fact she is truly remorseful.
5 Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg has quite a rap sheet and in recent days is attempting to get his past criminal history stricken from his record. While Wahlberg does seem to be a loving father, dedicated husband, and seemingly all around upstanding guy, does that behavior really erase his past? Can it be that easy? Wahlberg’s racist past even includes attempted murder charges. He once attacked a man, causing him to become blind in one eye. In another attack on a neighbor he fractured the man’s jaw, which had to be wired shut. While he did serve jail time for some of these crimes, is 45 days in prison enough to completely change a person? We hope so.
4 Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre assaulted a woman because he didn’t like an interview she had done. Assault doesn’t begin to describe what he did. After spotting the interviewer at a record release party, he repeatedly smashed her head and body against a wall located near a stairway, while his bodyguard held the crowd at bay. After attempting and failing to throw her down the stairs he began kicking her in the ribs. She managed to escape for a brief moment and fled into a woman’s restroom, where he followed and proceeded to punch her in the back of the head before fleeing. The lawsuit against him was settled out of court and he claims he feels remorse for this actions, yet the only behavior that suggest that, has been court mandated.
3 Jay Z
Did you know that if you are a celebrity you can stab people you don’t like, and just deal with a little probation as a consequence? This rapper has a dark past, including selling drugs at a very young age, and even shooting his 16-year-old cousin when he was just 12 years old. With such a history of violence, how is it his 1999 stabbing attack of a record producer can go without much punishment? It seems we as a society wait until there is a major offense, and even then, we don’t throw the full force of the law at famous people. What kind of example are we setting?
2 Stephen Collins
The beloved father from 7th Heaven is now facing molestation charges. It seems Collins has some dark urges and his voice (supposedly) has been recorded in which he discusses multiple times he abused underage girls. To top things off, Collins has admitted in recent interviews to inappropriate sexual conduct with three separate girls and claims he has been in treatment and religious counseling for twenty years. Seeking help however, doesn’t mean you don’t have to take legal responsibility for abusing a child. While investigations are still ongoing, it doesn’t seem likely he will get a clean get away from these allegations.
1 Arnold Schwarzenegger
Most people know of Schwarzenegger as The Terminator, not as the spineless little man who snuck in at the last moment to help out a friend’s son and the manslaughter charges he faced. Being a California governor allowed him the right to commute a prison sentence for any reason he so chooses, even no reason at all. The law does however, require that the prosecutor and the family of the victim be notified before any proceeding takes place that can affect the release of the perpetrator. Schwarzenegger failed to do so, and bypassing law and common curtesy, announced on his last day as California Governor that he was taking nine years off of a manslaughter sentence, because the sentenced was his friend’s son. Never mind the fact that this man took part in the fatal stabbing of college student Luis Santos. When will the law finally prevail? When will politics stop outranking justice?
sources: businessinsider.com, express.co.uk
