Celebrities come in various looks, attitudes, and reputations, and some are more relatable and loved than others. Googling “unproblematic celebrities,” for instance, will render search results like Keanu Reeves, Dolly Parton, Chris Evans, Julie Andrews, and Paul Rudd. Those names aren’t surprising, given the plethora of public testimonies gushing over their impeccable manners and kind actions toward fans, the media, and fellow cast and crew members.
Then there are those on the opposite side of the spectrum, who often find themselves involved in various types of scandals, including using illicit substances, insulting minorities, groping minors, and assaulting photographers and handsy fans. In order to polish their tarnished image, they're forced by their PR staff to publicly express remorse, whether effectively or not.
Because a lousy celebrity apology can generate as much buzz as the initial controversy, here's a selection of the worst of them. Did these stars redeem themselves, or did they actually make matters worse?
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The Apology: In May 2024, CNN released a hotel security video from 2016 in which rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs is seen shoving, dragging, kicking, and throwing an object at his ex-girlfriend, model and singer Cassie Ventura. Two days later, Combs apologized via an Instagram video, saying:
It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that. I was f*cked up. I… hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I am disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.
I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.
Why It's The Worst: Combs had previously denied this incident ever took place. In November 2023, Combs and Ventura settled a federal lawsuit in which she accused him of incidents of rape and abuse. At the time, one of his lawyers, Ben Brafman, said that “[a] decision to settle a lawsuit… is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
Meredith Firetog, one of Ventura's attorneys, said after he released the apology: “Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt."
In his Instagram apology, he does not even mention Ventura's name.
Unforgivable?The Apology: In the shocking 2024 docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, accusations of a toxic work environment and inappropriate behavior emerged against Dan Schneider, who created and produced several kids’ shows on Nickelodeon from 1994 to 2019. The allegations included sexual innuendos, unfair wages, and general dismissal of young Black cast members.
Schneider then orchestrated a YouTube video response in the form of a Q&A conducted by the actor BooG!e, who portrayed T-Bo on iCarly. In the “interview,” Schneider admitted he owed “some people a pretty strong apology” and that “some of the on-air dares went too far." He also apologized for the on-set massages and for harassing female writers, but argued that he may have “made practical jokes that went too far” because he was “inexperienced” and “immature,” and that the actors never expressed their discomfort anyway.
Why It’s The Worst: Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, two Black cast members of Schneider's past sketch comedy, All That, expressed their incredulity in a follow-up interview. According to Hearne:
…Dan was an actor before all of this. And so I think that he brushed off some chops and gave us a nice performance… I just feel that what's an apology without accountability?
Unforgivable?The Apology: On September 21, 2020, comedian, actor and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres started season 18 of her titular show with a monologue that was supposed to make up for all the accusations of on-set bullying, racism, and sexual harassment.
Although she acknowledged her actions and promised to treat her staff better in the future, she couldn’t help but use sarcasm, saying “If you’re watching because you don’t love me, welcome,” “My name is there. My name is on underwear,” and “If anyone is thinking of changing their title, or giving yourself a nickname, do not go with the Be Kind Lady.”
Why It’s the Worst: That intro didn’t sit well with her fans, and the show lost 1 million viewers. Her former staff members said she “missed the mark” and complained, “Not only did Ellen turn my trauma, turn our traumas, into a joke, she somehow managed to make this about her.”
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The Apology: Social media influencer and actor Logan Paul didn’t think twice about posting a vlog detailing one of the highlights of his trip to Japan: the infamous Aokigahara forest, a common suicide site visited by locals and tourists alike. The 15-minute video featured a man who had hanged himself, as well as Paul and a friend making jokes about it, which sparked the outrage of netizens.
On January 2, 2018, the star posted an apology on YouTube and X (Twitter at the time), claiming he “intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention.”
Why It’s the Worst: Not only was his plea self-praising, but he also stated, “Everyone copes with sh*t differently... I cope with things with humor.” Naturally, the comment section on YouTube didn’t disappoint, with users chiming in with snarks like: "I memorized this and recited it to my principal during my disciplinary hearing. She forgave me, and only suspended me for a day. Thank you, Logan,” “How teachers think bullies will be after watching an anti-bullying video:” and, in a clear reference to Colleen Ballinger, “My man didn’t even pull out his ukulele.”
Unforgivable?The Apology: On June 28, 2023, Colleen Ballinger, a famous YouTuber and comedian, released a video on her channel following allegations of toxic and inappropriate conduct with some of her younger fans. She played a song on her ukulele, “Toxic Gossip Train,” in which she tells her accusers, “Hey, at least you’re having fun,” “I was just trying to be besties with everybody,” “The locomotives fueled with hateful accusation,” and the infamous “I’m not a groomer, I’m just a loser.”
Why It’s the Worst: An apology with a small musical instrument might be considered endearing and cute in rom-coms or children’s shows, but not in this case. One of Ballinger's accusers, another YouTuber called Adam McIntyre, responded in a tweet, “As much as Colleen discredited and made fun of me, I’m glad her video did ONE thing, show you all EXACTLY the type of evil woman she is…”
Ballinger then disappeared from social media before making a comeback with another video on November 18, looking remorseful. She called her former stunt “really embarrassing, to say the least,” and admitted that she “should have handled that situation with maturity and empathy.”
Unforgivable?The Apology: In a 2017 interview with Buzzfeed News, Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of molesting him when he was 14 while they worked together on Broadway in 1986. In response, Spacey tweeted he admired Rapp as an actor and that he was sorry for “what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.” He then proceeded to announce, “I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I now choose to live as a gay man.”
Why It’s The Worst: Combining a coming-out statement with an apology was in poor taste and undermined the seriousness of the matter, not to mention that Spacey declared he didn’t really remember the encounter.
Following this, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences changed its decision to honor him with the Emmy Founders Award.
Writer Dan Savage tweeted, “Nope. There’s no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away assaulting a 14-year-old child,” while Star Trek star Zachary Quinto condemned Spacey’s “calculated manipulation to deflect attention from a very serious accusation.”
Unforgivable?The Apology: In 2017, celebrity chef Mario Batali was accused of harassing and groping several women, three of whom had previously worked for him. He then sent a newsletter to his fans, which included the following:
I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility.
Why It’s the Worst: Had he left it there, the apology might have been appropriate. However, he added a postscript with a recipe for pizza dough cinnamon rolls, which drove people to tweet responses like “Mix together: 8 oz. of misogyny, 4 tbsp of disrespect, 1 cup of finely honed predatory behavior” and “He misplaced the humble pie recipe.”
Author and blogger Geraldine DeRuiter even made the recipe, after which she pondered, “Was his PR team drunk? Is life suddenly a really long, depressing SNL sketch? Do these cinnamon rolls somehow destroy the patriarchy?” She later concluded the following:
We try to follow a half-written recipe and think it’s our fault when it doesn’t work. We need to undo an entire humanity’s history worth of hate against women. Apologies are a good start. Just skip the godd*mn recipe.
Unforgivable?- Photo:
- Mass Comm Specialist 1st Class Toiete Jackson
- Wikimedia Commons
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The Apology: In 2013, Food Network and Smithfield Foods severed ties with celebrity chef Paula Deen after court documents revealed her as racially insensitive; a former employee had accused her of both racial and sexual discrimination at the workplace. A video deposition from 2007 in particular revealed her shocking speech toward a group of Black waiters while she was planning her brother’s wedding, calling them racial slurs and saying she'd like them “to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts, and black bow-ties. Now that would be a true Southern wedding.”
As soon as the incident made headlines - and caused an uproar - Paula Deen Enterprises released a statement that included the following: "Ms. Deen recounted having used a racial epithet in the past, speaking largely about a time in American history which was quite different than today,” and “Ms. Deen does not find acceptable the use of this term under any circumstance by anyone.”
Deen herself also released two short, awkward apology videos begging for people’s forgiveness. She was also interviewed by Matt Lauer on Today, where she insisted she wasn’t a racist and that “every one of God’s creatures was created equal.”
Why It’s the Worst: Following Deen’s press statement and two video pleas, author and crisis management strategist Melissa Agnes commented:
Deen and her PR firm attempted to blame the discrimination on her southern upbringing and her age - basically the fact that she is “old” and was raised in a time and place where races were socially separated… It’s clear that Deen believes herself to be a victim in all of this.
Agnes's advice was for Deen to “Own up. Apologize. Take responsibility and move forward… And do it once, not 3 half-*ssed times.”
When Lauer asked the celebrity chef if she was only on Today “to stop the financial bleeding,” she replied, “I want people to know what I am,” then blamed the audience and press for putting her under fire, adding, “I’m so distressed that people I’ve never heard of are, all of a sudden, experts on who I am,” and “Would I have fired me? Knowing me, no.”
She also argued that she used the N-word on one occasion only because she was still mad at the armed Black man who robbed the bank where she worked as a teller in 1987.
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The Apology: Shia LaBeouf is no stranger to scandal and has a long history of copying the work of others. So, when his directorial debut, a short titled HowardCantour.com, went live online in December 2013, viewers noticed striking similarities to Justin M. Damiano, a 2007 graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, who responded:
I was shocked, to say the least, when I saw that he took the script and even many of the visuals from a very personal story I did six or seven years ago and passed it off as his own work.
Regarding the flap, LaBeouf tweeted this seemingly philosophical excuse:
Copying isn’t particularly creative work. Being inspired by someone else’s idea to produce something new and different IS creative work.
Why It’s the Worst: The apology itself was also an act of plagiarism, as the actor copied a 4-year-old entry on Yahoo! Answers that said, “Merely copying isn’t particularly creative work, though it’s useful as training and practice. Being inspired by someone else’s idea to produce something new and different IS creative work, and it may even revolutionize the ‘stolen’ concept.”
After several bloggers called him out on his further faux pas, LaBeouf tweeted, “I f*cked up,” and Vimeo took the movie down.
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- PUBG n8bit
- Wikimedia Commons
- CC-BY-SA 4.0
10Dr DisRespect Cursed Out The Haters After Being Banned From Twitch For Messaging A Minor
The Apology: In 2020, Twitch streamer Guy Beahm, better known as Dr DisRespect, was banned from the platform, but the reason wasn’t revealed until 2024. After a former Twitch employee tweeted allegations against Beahm, Beahm posted a lengthy explanation and apology, stating that although “nothing illegal happened,” he did exchange messages with a minor in 2017.
Beahm said he’s “not perfect” and will “f*cking own my sh*t,” but wanted to make it clear that he is “no f*cking predator,” telling anyone who wanted to label him as such to “[g]et the f*ck outta here with that sh*t.”
After telling his haters that he doesn’t “give a f*ck about” them, he said:
I'm not f*cking going anywhere. I’m not the same guy that made this mistake all those years ago… They want me to disappear... yeah f*cking right.
Why It’s the Worst: Although at first, he does seem apologetic for messaging a minor, taking responsibility “as an adult, a husband and a father,” he immediately dismisses the seriousness of the allegation and its implications with a profanity-laced rant against anyone who questions what those messages meant and just how inappropriate they were. He ends the statement by saying he's taking a break with his family and then will be back “with a heavy weight off my shoulders." It probably would have been better if he'd come back quietly.
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The Apology: In November 2006, Michael Richards - best known as eccentric neighbor Cosmo Kramer on the sitcom Seinfeld - repeatedly made racial slurs at The Laugh Factory, a famous comedy club in West Hollywood. He later appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman via satellite, where the host asked if Richards would have addressed his Black hecklers at the club differently had they been from another race. Richards responded that he wasn’t a racist, but the following part made little sense:
I’m a performer. I push the envelope. I work in a very uncontrolled manner on stage. I do a lot of free association - it’s spontaneous, I go into character. I don’t know. In view of the situation and the act going the way it was going, I don’t know.
Why It’s the Worst: Richards confused the public further with his clumsy live apology, who laughed at lines that weren't intended to be funny. Netizens took to YouTube with no-nonsense comments such as:
This has to be the most awkward damage control in television history.
He got more laughs trying to apologize than he did on stage during his act.
He was just so good at being Kramer that it’s nearly impossible to see him as anything else.
Unforgivable?- Photo:
- That '90s Show
- Netflix
12Ashton Kutcher And Mila Kunis Claimed They 'Support Victims' After Defending A Rapist
The Apology: In September 2023, Danny Masterson, best known as Steven Hyde on That '70s Show and Rooster on The Ranch, was sentenced to 30 years to life for raping two people in the early 2000s. Married couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who had appeared with him on That '70s Show, wrote letters in his defense, stating he was a loyal husband, loving father, and “outstanding older brother figure.” When news broke of this, they immediately rushed to post an apology video on Instagram, stating they were “aware of the pain” they had caused:
The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling… We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.
Why It’s the Worst: That Kutcher and Kunis would privately stand by their former co-star and lifelong friend before his conviction is somewhat understandable. Perhaps they should have simply apologized in that video for defending the man they thought they knew instead of mentioning the letters were only “intended for the judge to read,” thus implying they never thought they’d be made public.
As for the victims’ reactions, one sent a text message to Huffington Post journalist Yashar Ali, stating:
This video was incredibly insulting and hurtful. My hope is that they learn radical accountability and the importance of self-education to learn when to keep their privilege in check.
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