Between social media, interviews, and staged performances, we have plenty of chances to see our favorite (and not-so-favorite) stars when they’re purposely putting on a show for the world. But — as we often have to remind ourselves — there’s a lot going on behind the scenes of these celebrity worlds that we don’t know about, and that the stars themselves may not be so eager to reveal. Enter: the celebrity tell-all book, an explosive new publication of information long-rumored and finally confirmed, or bombshell revelations you hadn’t even thought to expect. With highly-awaited new tell-alls like Mary Trump’s Too Much and Never Enough and Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, the celebrity biography is coming back in a big way.
While celebrity memoirs offer an opportunity to stars to reveal a more personal side they’d kept out of the public eye, celebrity tell-alls often target those who deliberately keep their private lives private — and thus, aren’t always given warm welcomes. When famously private Prince’s former wife Mayte Garcia published The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince, which she called a love story, many considered it a betrayal of the musician’s own wishes.
At the same time, we have to admit that some stories worth telling will ruffle some feathers along the way. Christina Crawford’s staggering recounting of her abusive childhood with mother Joan Crawford, Mommie Dearest, was met with backlash from many of the late actress’s friends. Others, however, corroborated Christina’s accounts, and laud the bravery of her publishing the work.
What ties these celebrity tell-alls together? Shock, intrigue, and the secret lives behind the world’s most looked-at people. Take a look at the most shocking tell-alls of all time, right here.
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A version of this article was previously published in February 2020.
‘Going There’ by Katie Couric
Katie Couric‘s Going There is already a No. 1 Best Seller on Amazon…and it’s not even out yet. But what many have gleaned from the journalist’s tell-all book says a lot about her time in media. From her interview with Prince Harry, to severing her relationship with fellow journalist Matt Lauer, there’s a lot to process in Couric’s book.
‘I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw At The Trump White House’ by Stephanie Grisham
Over the course of the past few weeks, Stephanie Grisham shared her account of what she saw while working in the East Wing of the White House during Donald Trump’s one-term administration. From anecdotes about former First Lady Melania Trump, to allegations of how Ivanka Trump wanted to use the communications office, and more, I’ll Take Your Questions Now is full of shocking allegations.
‘Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret’ by Craig Brown
Princess Margaret, the late younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was a figure of glamour and tragedy during her life. In Craig Brown’s decisive tell-all, the author combines accounts from interviews, essays, and even dreams to try and decipher who this enigmatic royal really was in Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret.
‘Disloyal’ by Michael Cohen
Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen exposes never-before-heard secrets of his relationship with Trump in his tell-all Disloyal, said to be “The most devastating business and political horror story of the century.”
‘Melania and Me’ by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
The shocking new tell-all, Melania and Me, written by former advisor and friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff is full of explosive secrets — from conversations inside The White House to Melania’s dating life before meeting Donald Trump.
‘Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family’ by Omid Scobie & Carolyn Durand
Royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand are pulling back the curtain on Harry and Meghan’s time in the royal family with this explosive new tell-all detailing what really led to the Sussexes stepping back from their positions. The book digs deep on Harry’s lifelong relationship to being a royal, and looks at what was going on behind the scenes of the media frenzy surrounding Meghan’s every move.
‘Too Much and Never Enough’ by Mary Trump
President Donald Trump’s niece Mary Trump’s tell-all airs much of the Trump family’s dirty laundry — so much so that a lawyer for the Trump family tried to stop the book from being published.
Mary Trump calls her uncle President Trump “the world’s most dangerous man” and in her book details the President’s childhood, his relationship with women, and insight into the family that no one had ever wanted to be made public.
‘Ladies Who Punch’ by Ramin Setoodeh
This tell-all of what goes on inside The View was a shocking hit among all fans of the groundbreaking talk show, proving that behind-the-scenes drama is always juicier than even the most shocking on-air segment. Setoodeh got an inside look from years of employees and stars on the show, and their accounts are seriously off-the-wall celebrity gossip, power plays, and more.
‘A Life on the Edge’ by Carrie Fisher
Sheila Weller’s 2019 biography of Carrie Fisher details the late actress’s lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and addiction, and how it affected her iconic career. Three years after Fisher’s tragic passing, this biography is the fullest portrait of the star’s life we’ve seen yet.
‘Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World’ by Lynne Spears
Britney Spears’s mother Lynne Spears walks us through Britney’s eventual breakdown, the makings of a child star, and how it affected their family at a young age. It’s an up-close look at one of pop culture’s most fascinating phenomenons.
‘Mommie Dearest’ by Christina Crawford
The ultimate and original Hollywood tell-all, Mommie Dearest left the world reeling with Christina’s remembrances of her highly abusive childhood at the hands of her volatile mother, iconic actress Joan Crawford.
In it, she claims her mother tried to strangle her, withheld food for days and refused to allow her contact with the outside world for minor infractions. And, of course, there’s the infamous wire hanger incident.
‘Elvis and Me’ by Priscilla Presley
The former wife of The King spilled some serious tea in her tell-all about their relationship, including how, when he wooed her as a teen, they may not have had intercourse but he taught her how to please him sexually in every other way.
Priscilla Presley also detailed Elvis’ ever-increasing prescription drug use, his fiery jealousy, his multiple affairs with other women (including actors Ann-Margret and Nancy Sinatra), his preoccupation with the occult, her own affairs and, eventually, the demise of their marriage and his untimely death.
‘Diana: Her True Story’ by Andrew Morton
While this book wasn’t technically written by Princess Diana herself, Andrew Morton revealed after her death that pretty much all the scandalous info it contained came directly from the horse’s mouth, and he had the receipts to prove it.
Diana spun a tale that was extremely unflattering to the royals, including a sordid affair between Charles and Camilla, her struggle with bulimia, her self-injury and reported suicide attempt and her own affairs. The release of the book culminated in the queen insisting that Diana and Charles, who were already separated, finalize their divorce.
‘The Most Beautiful: My Life With Prince’ by Mayte Garcia
The revelations in Prince’s first wife’s book weren’t necessarily scandalous (although many were quite emotional). The controversy came from the fact that the book was published in the first place.
Prince was notoriously private, and rumor has it that he blocked the book’s release the year before he died. However, Garcia says it’s a love story, not a tell-all, and that she has the full support of Prince’s family.
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