Biggest Scandals, Feuds and Apologies of 2019
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Variety looks back on some of the biggest scandals, feuds and apologies of 2019:
College Admissions Scandal
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Wealthy parents including Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were charged with bribing school officials to get their unqualified kids into prestigious universities.
Shane Gillis
Executives at “SNL” hired, then fired, Gillis in September, before the new season started, after the emergence of videos in which he made politically incorrect jokes about Chinese Americans, women and those in the LGBTQ community.
Chosen to host the Oscars, Hart stepped down after homophobic tweets that he made between 2009-11 surfaced. Ellen DeGeneres tried to defuse the situation, but after releasing a formal apology, Hart ultimately declined the job.
Gina Rodriguez
In October, Rodriguez streamed a live video of herself rapping to the Fugees’ “Ready or Not,” including a verse with the N-word. Her initial apology: “I’m sorry if I offended anyone,” angered some. In a later plea for forgiveness, she said, “I have some serious learning and growing to do.”
Gayle King Interview With R. Kelly
Charged on multiple counts of sexual abuse, the singer-songwriter blew up at King during a March interview on “CBS This Morning,” crying and screaming, “Thirty years of my career and you’re all trying to kill me!”
In January, the “Empire” actor reported he was the victim of a violent hate crime, but his alleged attackers accused him of paying them to stage it. Smollett was eventually charged with filing a false police report, charges that were later dropped — as was Smollett from the final season of “Empire.”
NXIVM Sex Trafficking Scandal
In April, “Smallville” star Allison Mack pleaded guilty to two charges of racketeering for her involvement in “self-help group” NXIVM, described by female accusers as a cult that recruited sex slaves.
Friends Get A$AP Rocky Out of Swedish Jail
Support from Kim Kardashian West, Rod Stewart and Donald Trump helped spring rapper A$AP Rocky from jail in Sweden after he served two months for a July assault.
Warner Bros. Ousts Kevin Tsujihara
The Warner Bros. chairman and chief executive was forced to step down in March after an extramarital affair with actor Charlotte Kirk became public.
Taylor Swift/Scooter Braun Feud
When Braun bought Swift’s former label, Big Machine Records, in June for $300 million, he acquired her catalog. Swift’s outrage set the stage for an ongoing battle waged on social media that has seen her threaten to record new versions of her Big Machine-era songs to devalue Braun’s investment.
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