Albert Einstein is remembered as one of the greatest minds in human history. The wild hair, the tongue-out photograph, the theory of relativity and the image of a harmless, eccentric genius have made him practically untouchable in popular culture. But being able to explain the universe doesn’t automatically make you a decent human being. Einstein’s private life included infidelity, an …
Alfred Hitchcock was a cinematic genius who understood exactly how to make audiences uncomfortable. He gave the world Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window and The Birds, becoming one of the most influential directors in film history. But behind the famous profile, dark humour and carefully cultivated public persona was a man with a reputation for cruelty, manipulation and a disturbing obsession …
Coco Chanel turned herself into one of the most recognisable names in fashion history. She liberated women from corsets, made simplicity fashionable and built an empire around a bottle of perfume. But behind the elegant suits, expensive pearls and carefully cultivated rags-to-riches story was a far less glamorous woman. During the Nazi occupation of France, Chanel enjoyed the company of …
Lauren Boebert has spent years presenting herself as a defender of Christian values, traditional families, gun rights and moral standards. Unfortunately, her own public record sometimes looks like it was written by the producers of a particularly desperate reality television show. There’s the infamous night at the Beetlejuice musical, where security cameras caught her getting rather intimate with her date …
If American politics were a circus, Marjorie Taylor Greene would be the person setting fire to the big top while insisting the flames were caused by a secret Jewish satellite. A former CrossFit gym owner who somehow found her way into Congress, Greene built a political career out of conspiracy theories, inflammatory outbursts and an almost supernatural ability to make …
Ilhan Omar has built a national profile as one of America’s most outspoken progressive politicians, but her career has been accompanied by a remarkable collection of controversies involving antisemitism accusations, questionable financial dealings, disputed tax filings, contradictory explanations and allegations about her immigration history. Some have resulted in official findings, others remain unproven, and a few have developed into major …
Whoopi Goldberg has spent decades enjoying the status of a Hollywood icon and outspoken advocate for women, yet some of her most infamous moments have involved defending powerful men accused of horrific behaviour or making astonishingly ignorant statements herself. From downplaying Roman Polanski’s sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl to insisting that the Holocaust was not about race, Goldberg has …
Sean “Diddy” Combs spent decades building an empire on music, money, celebrity and the carefully cultivated image of an untouchable hip-hop king. Behind the champagne and designer suits, however, lay a history of violence, lawsuits, disturbing allegations and criminal convictions. From a deadly crowd crush at an event he promoted to footage of him assaulting his girlfriend, Combs’s controversies stretch …
Martin Shkreli became infamous for hiking the price of a potentially lifesaving drug by more than 4,000%, then behaving like an insufferable little king who couldn’t understand why anyone objected. He smirked through public outrage, revelled in his reputation as a corporate villain and seemed to treat human suffering as an amusing inconvenience. But behind the obnoxious online persona was …
Hugh Hefner spent decades masquerading as a champion of sexual freedom while building an empire around his access to young women. He wore silk pyjamas, smoked a pipe and cultivated the image of a sophisticated gentleman, but behind the carefully manufactured Playboy fantasy was a far uglier arrangement. Former girlfriends described strict curfews, sexual expectations, restrictions on their independence and …
Jordan Belfort made millions through financial fraud, pleaded guilty to securities fraud and money laundering, and somehow became a celebrity for the very behaviour that landed him in prison. Then Hollywood turned his story into a blockbuster. The Wolf of Wall Street gave audiences yachts, drugs, prostitutes and obscene wealth, helping transform a convicted fraudster into a pop-culture icon. The …
Dan Snyder spent 24 years owning Washington’s NFL team, and his legacy is a spectacular combination of sporting failure, alleged sexual misconduct, financial wrongdoing and a workplace culture that became the subject of congressional investigations. He presided over allegations of women being sexually harassed, cheerleaders being exploited, employees being intimidated and team revenue being improperly withheld. Then, when people started …
