From Kim Kardashian to Leonardo DiCaprio, celebrities are the apple of our eyes, beloved by many and envied by some. Their status as cultural icons are unparalleled, leaving us in awe and admiration.
On the other hand, while the masses adore many celebrities, some give us an eerie feeling. Their personal lives are often shrouded in darkness, and some of their actions can be unsettling upon closer inspection. Here are 12 celebrities who, despite being allegedly creepy, people still love.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
The Titanic heartthrob is easily one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. But, while many people may swoon over him, the fact that most of his relationships are with younger women is odd. Even worse, women tend to get the boot when they hit 25.
From Blake Lively to Nina Agdal, Leo has never kept it going with a woman over 25, and for the man who died for love, that says a lot.
2. Mark Wahlberg
Marky Mark has had a 30-year success in showbiz, but his past is darker than his Funky Bunch days. At age 15, he was accused of assaulting African-American students, and he’s also faced charges of attempted murder and a felony. Besides his criminal record, Mark has some grandiose delusions — he once claimed that he and his buddies would have taken down the 9/11 terrorists if they were on the plane. Unfortunately, it looks like he has some funky dreams to chase.
3. Steven Tyler
Lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, has done it all. TV Personality, songwriting, acting, and the Demon of Screamin led his band to popularity from the mid-seventies to 2018. However, the Grammy Award winner has a pretty messed up past which involved grooming and sexually exploiting sixteen-year-old Julia Holcomb.
After convincing her mother to let him take guardianship of Julia, as she had a troubled home, Steven assaulted her and provided her with drugs. By the time she was 17, he had gotten her pregnant, threatening to abort the child. At the time, he was 26. Later in his memoir, Tyler writes about how he was wrong in his activities with a ‘Julia Halcomb.’
4. Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi, the father of Indian independence, is known for his peaceful ways and inspiring quotes. But there’s a dark side to this loincloth-wearing legend. He sent love letters to Hitler and called Mussolini a “Superman.” He also habitually called his female assistants “walking sticks” and got risky massages from them. Was Gandhi not quite the saint we thought he was?
5. Tom Cruise
When you’ve got an impossible mission to pull off, Tom Cruise is the agent to call, should you accept it. However, the daredevil actor has some antics which cause everyone to take a second look at the man.
In 2005, in probably one of the most bizarre things on television, Cruise jumped all over Oprah Winfrey’s couch during an interview, expressing his love for Katie Holmes, his wife at the time, who later left him as he preached Scientology to their young daughter.
6. Jared Leto
Method acting is an excellent way of getting into a role and perfectly portraying a character. However, there’s a point where prepping for a role goes too far, and Jared often pushes that line. For example, in a recent outing, Morbius, Jared would slowly walk on his crutches to the bathroom, taking time between takes. To ensure they saved time, the crew had to take him to the toilet by wheelchair.
To make things even grosser, he often sends dead animals to his co-stars and crew and has a cult-like following that looks up to him as some messianic figure. Is this really true?
7. Kris Jenner
The Kardashians made a name for themselves by making their lives entertainment, which is strange in its own way. But Kris Jenner has often put the capital W in weird, and it still ended up as a win for her. For example, in 2007, Ray J made a risky tape with Kris’ daughter, Kim Kardashian.
Ray later claimed that Kris had not only orchestrated the shooting of the tape but had also made the couple do multiple takes before picking the best one, which would be ‘leaked’ to the public. Mother of the year?
8. Lady Gaga
I know it’s her entire gig, but hear me out. Her perfume sold incredible figures, as it was stated to have traces of blood and semen.
She once wore a live cockroach hat because “cockroaches respond to her music.” If that doesn’t give you the shivers, the time she covered herself in blood on stage or wore a meat dress to the MTV music awards will. Either way, her monsters adore her.
9. Drake
Topping the charts comes as second nature to the Canadian rapper and performer. Still, in recent years, Drizzy has been spotlighted for his relationship with girls 17 and younger. Musician Billie Eilish told Vanity Fair how cool her time talking to Drake was, texting him over the phone.
Obviously, being texted by one of the biggest names in music would cause just about anyone to swoon. But Drake was 33 at the time, and she was 17. But Billie isn’t the only underaged celebrity the rap star texts occasionally. Millie Bobby Brown had frequent back-and-forth texts with Drake when she was 14 and he was 31. There are also videos of the musician flirting with and kissing underaged girls.
Stranger things have happened, alright.
10. Tilda Swinton
Everyone says she looks a little off, and if you stare at her long enough, I’ll let you judge that. Tilda is a stellar actress doing great work in Hollywood, but something from her childhood puts her on this list.
Tilda openly admitted that when she was four years old, she had considered taking her newborn brother’s life just because he was a boy, and she already had two others. She didn’t go ahead with it, though. That’s some raw truth right there.
11. Woody Allen
Woody Allen is touted as a genius filmmaker who does exceptional work. Occasionally, that’s true. But art imitates life to a staggering degree, and his work largely comprises adults getting into strange relationships with younger folks.
His own stepdaughter, Dylan Farrow, claimed Woody assaulted her when she was just seven years old. As though the blowback from that wasn’t enough, Woody married another of his adoptive daughters, Soon-Yi Previn.
12. James Franco
Let’s just say Franco’s reputation isn’t exactly squeaky clean. Some might even call him the creepiest celebrity since the guy who invented the “Hey, little girl, want some candy?” line.
Apparently, he had a habit of texting 17-year-old girls and asking them to meet him in hotel rooms. And if that weren’t bad enough, he’d even send them screenshots of himself in various clothless states. Talk about oversharing! Plus, he had a thing for requesting risky scenes in movies he starred in, and if the actress didn’t play along, he got upset at them.
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This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Boloere Seibidor, fondly called B.S. is a Nigerian-based writer and poet. Her favorite topics to cover include music, especially Hip-Hop, film, lifestyle, and fashion. She’s been published by Feral Journal, Fantasy Magazine, The Temz Review, and most notably, Wealth of Geeks. She enjoys romantic dinners, movie nights, and touring new sites. When she’s not writing, she’s delving back in time to the underground world of Hip-Hop, watching TikTok, or visiting the cinema.
