Pretty much everyone in the world loves a good gossip, especially when scandals and secrets crop up that involve the rich and famous. Celebrities constantly have to endure random rumors surfacing about them. Who are they dating at the moment? What career move will they take next? Are they secretly a member of a cult? Did they get into a feud with another famous face? Thousands and thousands of articles are published each day that only fuel this never-ending rumor mill.
While your standard rumors – like love life gossip or high-profile arguments – are fairly easy to brush off, every now and then a story comes up that’s just too weird to ignore. Even if the gossip turns out to be totally false (and in some cases, HOW could it be true?!), we can’t help but be interested when celebs are accused of acting even stranger than usual. Which famous actor allegedly got a gerbil stuck up his butt? Which singer is apparently a Satanist? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!
The ‘J’ in Michael J. Fox stands for ‘Jello’
Okay, this is one of those rumors that would be totally hilarious if it were true. Since the 1990s, various people have claimed that the ‘J’ in Michael J. Fox‘s name stands for ‘Jello.’ It would be a fairly original choice, to say the least. Apparently, when Fox was six years old his parents decided that he could choose his own middle name. ‘Jello’ was the genius choice that young Michael concocted. I mean, if you’re going to leave such things to a kid, what do you expect to happen? Unfortunately, the actual story behind the ‘J’ is far more boring than this rumor. Because there was already a Michael Fox in the acting industry when J. Fox started his career, he decided to differentiate by throwing the ‘J’ in there. His middle name is actually Andrew!
Beyoncé wasn’t really pregnant with Blue Ivy
From pretty much the exact moment that Beyoncé announced she was pregnant back in 2011, rumors began to fly that she wasn’t actually carrying a baby. A lot of people still believe that Bey and Jay-Z‘s eldest child Blue Ivy was actually carried by a surrogate. Even more outlandish theories suggest that Blue was actually the illegitimate child of Beyoncé’s father, Matthew Knowles. While it’s likely that Blue is Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s child – she strongly resembles both of them – the surrogate theory actually has a lot of strong evidence behind it. On one occasion, Bey’s bump appeared to fold in on itself and ‘deflate’ as she sat down. Real bumps definitely don’t do that. The amount of secrecy surrounding the birth also suggests that something strange was going on. Still, the Carters have maintained that Bey definitely did carry Blue Ivy. I guess we’ll never know the truth.
Cameron Diaz will only wash in Evian water
Plenty of celebs have faced rumors regarding alleged diva-ish behavior. However, Cameron Diaz hasn’t typically been one of them! It was pretty surprising when a magazine accused her of only bathing in bottled Evian water. Straight out of the tap apparently wasn’t good enough for Diaz! It’s been claimed that this is her secret to maintaining healthy, glowing skin. While Cam did once state that she washes her face with Evian on occasion, it’s a bit far to deduce that she’ll only bathe in the stuff. Plus, she made that comment almost twenty years ago. Basically, this ridiculous rumor is almost certainly false. Thank goodness – think of how much wasted cash and plastic that would be!
Margot Robbie is older than she says she is
While celebrity age scandals are rare, they almost always involve women. For example, comedienne and actress Rebel Wilson landed herself in hot water a few years back when it emerged she’d been lying about her age for years. It’s almost like we ladies feel pressured to look and act ‘young’ so that we don’t get cast aside as old crones!!
The most recent female celeb to face “she’s older than she claims” rumors is model and actress Margot Robbie. While a number of sources point to her being born in 1990, making her 27, some corners of the internet are convinced that she’s much older. A lot of this stems from an article published in 2008 that claimed Robbie was 23 at that time. While this is most likely a misprint, many trolls have taken this as hard evidence that Robbie is lying to us all. Question: why is her age any of their business? Just saying…
Barbra Streisand used to be a porn star
Yeah… This is a really weird one. For decades now, rumors have persisted that Barbra Streisand moonlighted as a porn star at the beginning of her acting and singing career. Specifically, ‘evidence’ has emerged that casts Streisand in a BDSM biker-themed movie called Cycle Sluts. While this salacious piece of gossip was taken as truth for a long time, it’s actually far from accurate. The truth? Streisand starred in a non-porn film as the lead character’s love interest. Her CHARACTER was involved in porn – not the actress herself. Streisand took on this job in the movie The Owl And The Pussycat in the 1970s when her career had not yet skyrocketed. Out of context, stills from the film do suggest that Streisand was into some freaky stuff back then. However, it was actually all a part of a movie plot.
Anna Wintour had an affair with Bob Marley
Of all the unlikely hookups in the world, this rumored fling has to be one of the most unexpected. Ever since the 1970s, there have been whisperings about Vogue editor Anna Wintour having a brief fling with reggae superstar Bob Marley. The two apparently met when Wintour was a junior fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar. They were introduced by Wintour’s then-boyfriend’s best friend – awkward – and then disappeared together for a week, presumably into a love nest somewhere. Wintour has subsequently denied these claims, stating that she never even met Bob Marley. However, she’s suggested that she definitely would have slept with him if she had. You’ve got to commend her honesty.
Courtney Love killed Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain‘s death was one of the rock scene’s greatest tragedies. He committed suicide in Apil 1994 shortly after checking out of a drug rehab clinic. His wife, Courtney Love, was devastated, especially since she’d reported his suicidal intentions shortly before Cobain acted on them. At least, that’s how the traditional narrative goes. Many rumors regarding Cobain’s death place Love at the scene, and some even suggest that she murdered her husband. Cobain’s attorney, Rosemary Carroll, apparently felt this way – she found it suspicious that Cobain had died shortly after confiding his intention to divorce Love and cut her out of his will. However, there’s no real evidence to support a verdict of murder by anyone, let alone by Love. Cobain’s death is still classed as a suicide to this day.
Cher had some ribs removed to lose weight
To be honest, Cher is such a unique and eccentric individual that a story like this could possibly be true. There have been rumors for a while now that the veteran diva decided to lose weight and improve her figure in a pretty unconventional way: by having her ribs removed. Yep, really. This apparently gave the singer more of an ‘hourglass’ figure and a slimmer body in general. While Cher is no stranger to cosmetic surgery – she’s had her boobs, teeth, and nose worked on, alongside many a facelift – this story is just a step too far. The singer herself has denied the rumors, which means they’re almost certainly untrue. Cher is pretty open about her various surgeries – why would she lie about this one? It doesn’t add up.
Louis Tomlinson’s baby is fake – it’s a coverup for his affair with Harry Styles
Larry Stylinson shippers out there, rejoice – we’re about to talk about one of your many slightly crazy theories! For years now, a certain sector of the One Direction fandom has steadfastly maintained that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are in a relationship. Any other reported flings are just cover-ups. Styles even allegedly used Taylor Swift as a beard to try to dispell all of the Larry rumors. While the two have constantly denied that they’re together, claiming that their friendship has suffered because of the theory, Larry shippers just won’t quit. A recent rumor of theirs is that Louis Tomlinson didn’t actually become a father back in 2016 – it was all an elaborate ruse to take the heat off Louis and Harry. Guys. YOU’RE GOING TOO FAR. Leave poor Louis alone! He quite clearly has a son!
“In The Air Tonight” is about a real-life drowning
The meaning of hit song “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins has been subject to scrutiny ever since it was released back in 1981. Rumors have always ~floated~ around that the song is based on a true story – specifically an incident in which Collins saw someone drown. According to this urban legend, Collins was too far away to help and looked on in horror as another stranger simply abandoned the victim and let them die. While this rumor has always been a popular theory, Collins himself has insisted that it’s not true. He’s stated on multiple occasions that the song is actually about the anger and hurt he felt during his divorce. Despite this, the drowning rumor lives on, and probably always will.
Selena Gomez broke up Brangelina
When Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie split up in late 2016, fans everywhere were shocked. They scrambled to try to find the potential reason behind the couple’s divorce and came up with some pretty interesting stories in the process. One theory states that pop star Selena Gomez was behind the split! The singer posted a picture on Instagram shortly before news of the breakup broke of her and Pitt in conversation at the Golden Globes. In the eyes of many Angelina fans, this is hard evidence that Gomez tore Jolie’s husband away from her. Of course, it’s almost certainly untrue. Most people believe that an ‘incident’ on board a private jet involving Pitt and his children was the final straw for Ange. However, the rumor mill keeps on whirring, and Selena unfortunately got herself trapped in it.
Drake spent thousands of dollars on gifts for Taylor Swift’s cats
Taylor Swift’s adorable cats are almost as famous as she is. Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson (yep, their real names) are pretty darn cute as cats go and are most definitely spoiled by their cat mother, Ms. Swift. However, she’s apparently not the only one who likes to show her felines the high life. There are rumors that Drake once went a bit crazy at PetCo and sent Taylor a huge collection of gifts for her cats. Not for Tayor herself; just her cats. This was apparently his way of trying to get on the singer’s good side. If it’s true, we imagine it probably worked. However, there’s sadly no actual evidence that Drake has ever set foot in a PetCo, let alone been on a spending spree for Meredith and Olivia.
Scott Disick slept with every Kardashian-Jenner sister (except Kim)
Kourtney Kardashian’s ex-husband Scott Disick is notorious for his hard-partying ways and pretty loose morals. However, this rumor is pretty scandalous even for him. Scott himself has apparently been spreading the story that he’s had sex with every single female member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, bar one. Kim is allegedly the only member of the family who could resist his seduction techniques. He’s even boasted that he could have slept with Kris Jenner if he’d wanted to because she was constantly coming on to him.
To be honest, this just sounds like Scott trying to make himself look like some kind of impressive ‘player.’ As if Kylie, Kendall, or Khloe would ever sleep with him! The closest he’s got is an April Fools prank where he pretended to be in bed with the supermodel sis. That doesn’t actually count, Scott.
Taylor Swift keeps a framed pic of Kanye in her house
Taylor Swift and Kanye West have a famously tumultuous relationship. It all started with that incident at the 2009 VMAs (“Beyoncé had one of the best videos of ALL TIME”) and got even worse when the controversy over Kanye’s song “Famous” kicked off. However, Swift has apparently dealt with her and Kanye’s past in a pretty unique way. Rumors started to spread that she kept a framed picture of the rapper in her house, and a 2016 Vogue interview confirmed it! She specifically has framed a shot of Kanye interrupting her at the VMAs all those years ago. The reasoning behind this particular artistic choice is unclear. Maybe it’s to remind herself that she can overcome adversity? Or maybe she just thought her hair looked really good in that pic? Who knows.
Jennifer Lawrence faked her Oscars fall
Who can forget that awkward moment at the 2013 Oscars when Jennifer Lawrence fell over on her way to collect the Best Actress Award? Poor, clumsy Jen tripped over her huge dress and ended up face-first on the steps up to the stage. It only proved just how goofy and relatable she is! OR DID IT? Maybe that’s just what Jen WANTS you to think? A certain group on the internet think that Lawrence actually staged that fall to gain public sympathy and appreciation. They even think she went to a so-called “fall coach” to get tips on the most graceful way to do it. I mean, it seems like a slightly extreme choice, even for Hollywood. However, I guess we can’t prove that she DIDN’T stage it… Have we been living a lie for the past five years?!
Shia LaBeouf knew about the NSA scandal in 2008
Since Shia LaBeouf transitioned from being a child star to a proper grown-up actor, he’s been involved in some pretty weird and wonderful headlines. Remember when he turned up to the Berlin Film Festival with a paper bag on his head? Who can forget his various arrests and other brushes with the law? The poor guy seems to have gone a bit off the rails in recent years, and it’s led to all sorts of rumors cropping up.
One of the weirdest has to be the claim that he had insider knowledge of the NSA public spying scandal five years before it broke in 2013. In a 2008 interview, LaBeouf discussed meeting an actual FBI agent who was consulting on the film Eagle Eye. The agent told Shia – who told Jay Leno – that the NSA monitored a large proportion of America’s phone calls. We all laughed it off at the time, but then Edward Snowden spilled the beans. Should we have paid more attention to LaBeouf? Maybe…
Richard Gere stuffed a gerbil up his butt
Yes, you did read that correctly. This has to be one of the strangest celebrity rumors of all time. For decades now, there have been whispers of Richard Gere being caught in a compromising position with a gerbil. Specifically, it was rumored that the actor had to go to the emergency room after getting one of these poor furry animals stuck in his rectum. People claim to have x-rays that “prove” this unfortunate event took place; however, none of these have ever seen the light of day. Gere has always denied the claims and there’s no real evidence to suggest he’s lying. So where did the story come from? Some say a fellow actor – maybe Sylvester Stallone – invented it as a prank. Some say that a Gere look-a-like really did go to the ER with this particular complaint. I guess we’ll never know.
Taylor Swift is a secret Satanist
It seems like rumors about Taylor Swift‘s life have hit the headlines every day for the past five years. Most of them are fairly harmless: who’s she dating now? Is she going to write a song about them? Have Swift and Kanye West made up yet? However, every now and again the rumors get weird. Like, really weird. A particularly memorable piece of ‘gossip’ was Swift allegedly being a member of a Satanist cult. It would certainly be a shocking turnaround for an artist who basically got famous off her “good-girl” image! However, the evidence to support this claim is tenuous, to say the least. Swift has a passing resemblance to Zeena Schreck, a woman who led a Satanic cult before the singer was born. Thus, TayTay must be a Satanist too! Yeah… Doesn’t really hold up, does it?