2016 was definitely one of the most dramatic years ever for Hollywood.
All year: Bill Cosby’s sexual assault saga
Despite the fact that the Bill Cosby sexual assault scandal began prior to 2016, it has continued throughout the year, especially as news of the trial begins to heat up. Cosby is accused of assaulting more than 50 women over the course of four decades.
January: Mark Salling child porn charges
Glee‘s Mark Salling was arrested on child pornography charges that shocked the world in December 2015 and was charged in June 2016. After a tip led the Los Angeles Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force to search Salling’s home, thousands of child porn images were reportedly found on his computer, a hard drive and a USB flash drive. If convicted, he could face up to 40 years in prison.
January: #OscarsSoWhite
The 2016 Oscars came under intense fire when, for the second year in a row, all 20 nominees announced in the four main categories were all white. Jada Pinkett Smith was so upset that her husband Will Smith was snubbed that the high-powered couple skipped the ceremony altogether.
February: Rob Kardashian & Blac Chyna
No one could have foreseen Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna’s whirlwind 2016 relationship, which resulted in Chyna having a baby. Of course, there was tons of drama in between, including the Kardashians’ fragile acceptance of Chyna in their lives because she had previously dated Tyga, Kylie Jenner’s boyfriend.
April: Nick Young cheats on Iggy Azalea
After getting engaged, Nick Young was caught in a leaked video bragging to his Lakers teammates about cheating on Iggy Azalea and having multiple escapades. Though the two initially tried to work through the scandal, their relationship crumbled.
May: Becky with the good hair
In Beyoncé’s Lemonade, Queen Bey introduced a song about infidelity and talked about “Becky with the good hair.” Fans went nuts speculating that Jay Z had cheated on Beyoncé, and people were determined to discover this mysterious Becky’s true identity. Even Kim Kardashian West got in on the guessing game.
May: Johnny Depp domestic abuse allegations
Amber Heard filed for divorce in May 2015, after 15 months of marriage to Johnny Depp. Then the accusations of abuse and cheating started to fly. Heard claimed that Depp had physically and psychologically abused her, but Depp denied all allegations of abuse.
May: Ozzy Osbourne cheating scandal
After three decades of marriage to Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne had a long affair with his hairstylist, Michelle Pugh. Kelly Osbourne was so furious when the news broke that she made Pugh’s phone number public on Twitter. Luckily, the family was able to heal, and Sharon eventually forgave Ozzy.
May: Kelly Ripa & Michael Strahan drama
Kelly Ripa was blindsided by Michael Strahan’s May announcement that he was leaving the show. Ripa ended up taking two days off from the show in order to deal with feelings of betrayal before she returned. ABC later apologized for the way the situation was handled.
July: Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris breakup
Following Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris’ breakup over the summer, it was revealed that Swift actually co-wrote Harris and Rihanna’s song “This Is What You Came For,” and received credit under the pseudonym Nils Sjoberg. Harris was convinced Swift’s camp released the news just to spite him and took to Twitter to vent: “I know you’re off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy [Perry] ETC but I’m not that guy, sorry. I won’t allow it.”
July: Kim exposes Taylor
In July, Kim Kardashian West released a video that she said proved Taylor Swift knew and approved of the lyrics in Kanye West’s song “Famous,” in which he takes credit for Swift’s rise, calls her a “bitch” and says he and Swift may have sex. Swift’s camp fired back and said that while she did know about the sex line, she never approved of the other mentions of her in the lyrics.
July: Aaron Rodgers called out
Aaron Rodgers’ brother Jordan Rodgers appeared on The Bachelorette and made it clear that he doesn’t have a good relationship with his brother. Jordan said the two don’t talk and that Aaron doesn’t really want to be involved in his family’s life. Aaron did his best to avoid all the tabloid gossip, but that didn’t stop the media frenzy.
July: Chloë Grace Moretz vs. the Kardashians
Chloë Grace Moretz first got on the Kardashian clan’s bad side when she criticized Kim Kardashian West’s naked selfie. She then found herself in hot water with Khloé Kardashian a few months later, after encouraging everyone to move on in the wake of the Swift vs. West beef. “Everyone in this industry needs to get their heads out of a hole and look around to realize what’s ACTUALLY happening in the REAL world,” Moretz said. Khloé bit back with a photo of Moretz next to a bikini-clad girl and captioned it, “Is this the hole you’re referring to?”
July: Leslie Jones Twitter hate
So-called “alt-right” troll Milo Yiannopoulos incited thousands of his followers to spam Leslie Jones after NBC sent her to the Olympics to live-tweet on their behalf. Jones was subjected to hundreds of thousands of cruel and abusive tweets — so much so that Yiannopoulos was banned from Twitter. Jones also responded to the incident, tweeting, “…been through a lot in my life and I ALWAYS GET BACK UP!”
August: Jelena Instagram feud
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber made it clear that they are never, ever getting back together after their feuding found its way to Instagram. It started when Bieber accused his Beliebers of attacking his relationship with Sofia Richie. Gomez surprisingly shot back with the comment, “If you can’t handle the hate, then stop posting pictures of your [new] girlfriend lol — it should be special between you two only. Don’t be mad at your fans. They love you.” Bieber wasn’t happy about her response and deleted his Instagram altogether.
August: Ryan Lochte Olympic scandal
During the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ryan Lochte and some other U.S. swimmers said they were robbed at gunpoint while in Rio. It quickly came out that Lochte had lied just to try and hide the fact that he was acting like a drunken idiot while representing the United States.
September: The end of Brangelina
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie announced their split in September, but that was only the start of drama coming to the surface. Pitt was then accused of child abuse. He has since been cleared on all changes, but the Jolie-Pitt dynasty has been left in pieces.
September: The fall of Hiddleswift
Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston split after just three months of dating because Swift was reportedly uncomfortable with how public Hiddleston wanted their relationship to be. Following the breakup, it was reported that Swift plans to keep her relationships more low-key from here on out.
October: Kim Kardashian robbery
Kim Kardashian West was robbed at gunpoint at the beginning of October while at Paris Fashion Week after posting photos of her fine jewelry and clothes on social media. The event traumatized Kardashian West, who has since avoided the spotlight.
November: Kanye West ‘exhaustion’
At the end of November, after a string of strange rants and erratic behavior, Kanye West canceled the rest of his tour and sought medical help. Initially, he was said to be suffering from exhaustion, but it turns out that his meltdown was a mixture of taking the incorrect dosage of some medicine and family trauma, including Kim Kardashian West’s Paris robbery.
November: Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford
After years of fan speculation, Fisher finally dished the dirt on her three-month affair with Harrison Ford while the two filmed Star Wars: A New Hope.
“It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend,” Fisher told People.
December: Sofía Vergara embryo controversy
Sofía Vergara is being sued by her two embryos. Yup, you heard that right. This case is as complicated as it is scandalous and weird, but to put it simply: Vergara’s ex wants custody of the unused embryos, and the case will determine whether those embryos are entitled to an inheritance from Vergara.
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