TV Celeb Scandals – Where there is Fame and Power there is Scandal

Nothing’s better than a down and dirty celebrity scandal – and those paragons of TV and movies are kind enough to keep ’em coming. Living in the spotlight might be an irritating burden to those stars who can’t help but behave badly, but that’s just the price of fame, right? Check out some of the most salacious and shocking TV celeb scandals of all time.

Charlie Sheen Melts Down

Good ol’ Charlie’s been giving us heavy doses of scandal-icious fodder since 1995, when he was a star witness in Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss’ trial. From there, it was the random accusation of assault and/or domestic battery, with a little rehab thrown in around 1998, after he nearly OD’d. For a while it seemed like Sheen had a handle on his addictions, but it all started unraveling after the announcement of his split from second wife, Denise Richards, in 2006. Fast forward to 2010 and you’ve got the celebrity meltdown to end all celebrity meltdowns – honestly, I don’t know how anyone will ever be able to top the tiger blood, “winning,” goddess-filled heights of crazy that Charlie took us to.

Nick vs. Disney – Who’s Queen of the Teenage Diva Trainwrecks?

Disney is good at a lot of things, not the least of them being the ability to create incredibly messed up, dysfunctional, self-destructive teen starlets (LiLo, we mean you). The network’s rivalry with Nickelodeon to dominate the kiddie, tween and teen markets has gone on for years, but it seems that Nick is finally taking out the big guns by throwing out their own teen queen nightmare (Amanda Bynes, that one’s for you). And these boozing, drunk driving, police-insulting, deceitful, thieving spoiled starlets even used their respective fame starting networks against each other – calling out the others’ affiliation with either Disney or Nickelodeon in statements and tweets earlier this year. It looks like each network has found  a way to keep people at least semi-interested in them once they’ve grown up – nothing like a cat fight between two former starlets to keep the masses panting for more.

Pee Wee Herman Shares His PeePee

This beloved, if mildly disturbing, children’s TV personality was caught diddling himself in an adult movie theatre in 1991. It was the arrest heard ‘round the playhouse. When detectives charged Paul Reubens, who invented the delightfully quirky character, with indecent exposure the fallout was huge. Toys R Us immediately pulled all Pee Wee Herman merchandise, CBS yanked “Pee Wee’s Playhouse” and Reubens’ cameo in a Disney-MGM Studios tour video was removed. While many of the star’s friends came to his defense, including Cyndi Lauper and Bill Cosby, the former children’s icon was plagued for years by his lewd, solo afternoon delight.

Shannen Doherty Doesn’t Charm Anyone

Shannen Doherty started out as a “90210” darling on the original series, but soon gained a reputation for being hard to work with, violent and sometimes downright crazy. After leaving “90201” in a huff, she found regular work in made-for-TV movies and eventually on the show “Charmed.” After three seasons on the series, “Charmed” producers encouraged Doherty “pursue other interests.” She ceremoniously marked the occasion with a prompt DWI arrest not long after the show ‘set her free.’

Pat O’Brien Gives New Meaning to the Word Creepy

Today it’s leaked camera-phone pics, but just a couple decades ago, leaked voice mail message were the scandal du jour. Almost no voice mail scandal was as spurious – or disgusting – as that of TV personality Pat O’Brien. A string of messages were released where the mustachioed, balding, big-toothed creeper waxed on about his desires for hookers, cocaine and dirty, dirty sex. The scandal instantly gained O’Brien worldwide infamy and shot him to the top of the list of America’s least wanted.

Which celebrity scandal is at the top of your list?

Andy has lived in several different areas of the United States, but always calls Utah home. He wrote articles for a local paper about outdoor recreation with pets before joining the USDish team in 2010. When he is not watching outdoor adventure programs on Animal Planet, The History Channel, or The National Geographic Channel, Andy can be found hiking in the red rock deserts of the Southwest.