- Photo:
- NBC
The TV Dad: Bill Cosby played the loveable Cliff Huxtable who was known for his heartwarming advice and cozy sweaters. The Cosby Show aired for eight years. Cosby later went on to film Kids Say The Darndest Things, which was equally as wholesome programming.
The Guy Behind The Dad: In June of 2017, Cosby was tried on numerous charges of aggravated indecent assault after being accused of drugging and assaulting numerous women. The first woman to come forward was Andrea Constand. Out of the 50 women who accused Cosby, her account was the only one that became a real criminal case. Constand claimed that Cosby, who was a somewhat of a mentor to her, gave her three pills after she said she was stressed out. About 30 minutes after taking the pills, she could not move and the comedian allegedly fondled her breasts and genitals while putting her hand on his penis. Hers is just one story of many, and though the trial ended in a mistrial after jurors were deadlocked, Cosby was retried.
In April 2018, following a retrial of the Constand assault, Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. The comedian faced up to 10 years in prison, but only served three. In 2021, Cosby's conviction was overturned due to an alleged mishandling of his due process rights, and he was released.
Is this traumatizing?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Subway
The Wholesome TV Dad: Jared Fogle was better known as "the Subway Guy." For 15 years, the spokesman appeared in numerous Subway ads to flaunt his massive weight loss, which he attributed to eating purely Subway sandwiches. Fogle rose to such fame that he was featured in numerous episodes of South Park, and always played himself: an average American dad with two children who managed to lose a boat-load of weight. He even created the Jared Foundation, a nonprofit that raised awareness for childhood obesity. A charitable, all-American success story? How could things go wrong?
The Guy Behind The Dad: Jared Fogle shocked the world when he was busted for processing and distributing child porn and traveling across state lines to have sex with underage girls. The worst part is that Jared Foundation executive director Russell C. Taylor was in on the whole thing. Fogle admitted to receiving multiple pedophilic images from Taylor, and the pair would chat about child porn. These pictures and videos sent to Fogle were actually filmed by Taylor in his home, and in one instance, the child was just six years old. In addition, Fogle repeatedly hired teenaged prostitutes. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison.
Is this traumatizing?- Photo:
- Photo:
The TV Dad: Stephen Collins was best known as Reverend Eric Camden, the family patriarch and doting, well-intentioned dad on 7th Heaven. The family drama covered hard-hitting issues like sex and self-harm, but Camden's wise, nurturing advice always smoothed out the edges.
The Guy Behind The Dad: Stephen Collins is a legit pedophile, and though he wasn't charged, he admitted to it in a lengthy statement to People. This came after TMZ leaked audio of the troubled actor describing how he had inappropriate sexual contact with three underage girls.
Is this traumatizing?The TV Dad: You may recognize Jeffery Jones as the iconic school principal who was determined to hunt down Ferris Bueller on his day off. What you don't know is that Jeffery Jones also depicted Walter Kellogg in the short-lived, Wes Craven-produced sitcom The People Next Door. Kellogg was a wholesome dad to two children and had a magically wild imagination, though the show lasted all of five episodes.
The Guy Behind The Dad: In 2003, Jeffery Jones was convicted of child pornography and using a minor for sex acts. He admitted to hiring a 14-year-old boy to pose for sexually explicit photos. Jones was required to update his data on the national sex offenders registry every year, which he failed to do. He received 250 hours of community service and three years probation for this oversight.
Is this traumatizing?- 5
Josh Duggar
- Photo:
- TLC
The Wholesome TV Dad: Josh Duggar. TLC's 19 Kids and Counting follows the Duggars, a family of devout independent Baptists. For folks like the Duggars, your very first kiss happens on the day you get married. There's no funny business. Josh Dugger was the logical, wholesome eldest son. After marrying Anna Renee Dugger, he fathered two daughters and three sons of his own. He was frequently shown on the series spending time with his family and mentoring his sisters.
The Guy Behind The Dad: With the Duggar's strict religious background, it's surprising that anything deeply perverted would actually go on behind the scenes, but rest assured, it did. The Ashley Madison leak exposed Josh Duggar's extramarital affairs, and unfortunately, it went much deeper than simply cheating on his wife. Duggar molested his four sisters when he was younger. His sisters later sued Springdale, AR, Police Department and In Touch Weekly over leaked documents that exposed them as victims of his abuse because it happened while they were minors.
Is this traumatizing? - Photo:
- Photo:
The Wholesome TV Dad: Michael Jace played police officer Julien Lowe on the The Shield. Lowe married Vanessa after undergoing sexual reorientation therapy at the suggestion of his pastor (he's a super religious guy). Once he married Vanessa, he became Randall Lowe's dad, a boy who was caught spraying gang graffiti. Jace's character was a loveable underdog who started as a rookie cop with a strong moral compass.
The Guy Behind The Dad: Michael Jace is actually a convicted murderer. In 2016, Jace was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for murdering his wife in their Los Angeles home. He confessed to killing April Jace with a handgun when he called 911 shortly after her murder on May 19, 2014.
Is this traumatizing?- 7
Louie C.K.
- Photo:
- FX
The TV Dad: Louie C.K. plays himself in the hysterically sarcastic TV comedy Louie. He's painted as a down-on-his-luck divorced father trying to navigate raising two young girls in New York City.
The Guy Behind The Dad: Though C.K. is often regarded for insightful approach to comedy, he's been accused of sexual harassment by women in the comedy community. Roseanne Barr once called out the comic for forcing "women he works with to watch him masturbate." C.K. admitted to exposing himself to his colleagues, saying that at the time he thought it was okay because he asked permission. However, in a public apology, he reconsidered this stance:
[W]hat I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d*ck isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.
C.K. was “cancelled” and lost deals with Netflix, HBO, and FX. In 2023, a documentary was released on the C.K. scandal, though the comedian still performs to this day.
Is this traumatizing? - Photo:
The TV Dad: Alan Thicke played one of the most notable TV sitcom dads of all time. The actor played the role of Jason Seaver in the '80s and '90s ABC sitcom Growing Pains. Seaver was a stay-at-home psychiatrist and never afraid to give his kids a dose of fatherly wisdom even when the subjects involved (drugs, suicide, etc) were difficult. He even took in a homeless teenager during the final season.
The Guy Behind The Dad: This wholesome TV dad absolutely loved having threesomes, at least according to The National Inquirer. Allegedly, his ex-wife Gloria Loring said "Alan Thicke is a pervert, a sexual fiend with insatiable desires!" But, it's The National Inquirer, so…
Thicke did actually admit to one kind of unsettling kink on TV. He owned up to the fact that he enjoyed making love to son Robin Thicke's music. It's so creepy that Robin Thicke tweeted at his dad and asked him to return his CDs.
Is this traumatizing?The TV Dad: Rob Lowe played more than one wholesome TV dad. He landed a major role in Parks and Recreation as Chris Traeger, a state auditor and eventual father. He also starred in hard-hitting drama Brothers and Sisters as Robert McCallister, a Republican senator from California.
The Guy Behind The Dad: Rob Lowe has spent his life battling drug and sex addiction. In 1988, a video tape was leaked depicting him having sex with a 16-year-old girl.
Is this traumatizing?- Photo:
- ABC
The TV Dad: Was there any time like Tool Time? Tim Allen played the loveable, ultra-handy dad Tim Taylor in the ABC sitcom Home Improvement.
The Guy Behind The Dad: Tim Allen may have not been a pervert, but he was anything but wholesome. After the actor graduated from college, he became a drug dealer. He was arrested in 1978 for having almost a pound-and-a-half of cocaine. He only served two years in jail for his crime after testifying against his drug-dealing partner.
Is this traumatizing?- Photo:
COLLECTION19 LISTS
Celebrities Behaving BadlyLists about famous people caught acting like entitled jerks or even committing real offenses—probably expecting to get away with it.
Filed under:
Fact-checked by:Molly Gander
18 MORE LISTS
Celebrities Behaving Badly
Lists about famous people caught acting like entitled jerks or even committing real offenses—probably expecting to get away with it.
TRENDING TODAY
