Any time a person lies, he/she runs the risk of causing permanent damage to his/her reputation. Although some lies are more forgivable than others, once a lie is told, it is not easily forgotten. For celebrities, this risk is automatically heightened due to the fact that millions of people are often hanging on to their every word. Over the years, some of the biggest names around the world have betrayed public trust by telling big, and sometimes, unnecessary lies. While some celebrities have been able to recover, others have tarnished what could have otherwise been a spotless legacy. Here are 10 of the biggest lies ever told y celebrities.
(Photo by Niall Carson – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
10. Angelina Jolie
For years, Angelina Jolie claimed to be part Iroquois. In fact, her mother, Marcheline Bertand, co-founded the All Tribes foundation to “raise public awareness of women’s cancers.” However, it was since revealed that Jolie and her mother only had one Native American ancestor, a Huron woman born in present day Canada. According to sources, Jolie’s father claims that the lie was made up in an attempt to make Jolie and her mother seem more exotic.
(Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
9. Diana Ross
When Diana Ross’ daughter, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, was born in 1971, Ross listed her then husband, Robert Ellis Silberstein as the child’s father. When Kendrick was 13, it was reveled that her biological father was, in fact, the legendary Motown Records founder, Barry Gordy. Although Kendrick has since developed a relationship with Gordy, she still considers Silberstein to be her father.
(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy)
8. Tonya Harding
Former olympic figure skater, Tonya Harding, made headlines in January of 1994 when her competitor Nancy Kerigan was attacked and subsequently injured. Although Harding insisted that she had nothing to do with the attacks, it was later revealed that she lied. After pleading guilty to conspiring to hinder prosecution of the attackers, Harding was disqualified from the 1994 Figure Skating Championships. As a result, Harding’s reputation was tarnished, and she was never able to fully rejuvenate her career.
(Photo by Greg Wahl-Stephens/Getty Images)
7. The White Stripes
When rock duo, The White Stripes, gained mainstream success in 2002, members Jack and Meg White insisted that they were brother and sister. According to the story they originally told, the band was formed when “Meg went to the attic of their parents’ home and began to play on Jack’s drum kit.” However, after years of speculation, news broke that Jack and Meg White were husband and wife, not brother and sister. In 2007, Jack White discussed the couple’s decision stating: “When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, ‘Oh, I see…’ When they’re brother and sister, you go, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ You care more about the music, not the relationship—whether they’re trying to save their relationship by being in a band.”
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
6. Pete Rose
Former professional baseball player, Pete Rose, has a history of gambling on sporting events. For years; however, Rose maintained that he had never placed bets on baseball games. Although Rose continued to deny the allegations, Major League baseball made the decision to permanently ban Rose in 1989. In his 2004 memoir, My Prison Without Bars, Rose finally revealed that he had bet on baseball games while playing and managing the Cincinnati Reds.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
5. Mister Cee
Legendary DJ and radio personality, Mister Cee, shocked the hip-hop community in 2013 when he was arrested in New York City for soliciting a prostitute who turned out to be an undercover police officer. As the story continued to unfold, reports revealed that Mister Cee had been in the habit of soliciting sexual favors from transgender women.
(Photo courtesy of Twitter)
4. Tiger Woods
Pro golfer, Tiger Woods, made headlines around the world in November 2009 when news broke accusing him of cheating on his wife. Woods initially denied the allegations; however, in December 2009, after a voicemail to his mistress leaked, it quickly became obvious that he had been unfaithful. As a result of his infidelity, Woods’ character was called to question, and his marriage to wife Elin Nordegren ended in divorce.
(Photo by Lori Moffett-Pool/Getty Images)
3. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong told one of the biggest lies in professional sports history when he denied using performing enhancing drugs throughout his career. After years of refusing to speak on the allegations, Armstrong opened up in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. In 2012, Armstrong admitted to using performance enhancers; however, he insisted that he did not use them during the 2009-10 season in which he competed in the Tour De France.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
2. Martha Stewart
In 2001, Martha Stewart lied about having insider knowledge regarding a stock which she had previously purchased. As a result, Stewart was charged with nine criminal counts in 2003, and sentenced to jail the following year. Since being released, Stewart has been able to continue her career in the public eye.
(Photo by Don MacKinnon/Getty Images)
1. Bill Clinton
In 1998, former United States president, Bill Clinton, told the lie heard ’round the world when he stated “I did not have sexual relations with that woman…” in response to his alleged affair with former White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Less than a year after that statement, Clinton, admitted to the affair during a nationally televised press conference.
(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for International Rescue Committee)
ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77IrbCtp5%2BXe6S7zGhoaWWSnrSosdKtZKWhlah6psLEq2Stp5yZeqSxy56Zq6GknrK0ew%3D%3D