Hollywood Mysteries: Were These Famous Starlets’ Life Events Planned for Publicity?
It’s no secret that Hollywood loves to make up stories- you can’t have one without the other! La la land profits just as much from lies as it does truth. Who do you think you’re fooling, famous people?
In today’s post-truth society, pulling the wool over people’s eyes has never been easier, depending on who you ask. Gossiping about celebrities keeps audiences interested, creates social media buzz, and brings in free publicity for the starlets. It’s Kris Jenner’s world; we’re just living in it.
While we’ll never know for sure, some events in the lives of the rich and famous seem too convenient to be naturally occurring. We’ve outlined a few here, but we’ll allow you to decide for yourself.
1. Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley’s Marriage
Back when Michael Jackson was starting to lose his street cred following his much-publicized abuse accusations, his people must have thought they had a genius idea. “I know, why don’t we unite the King of Pop with the King of Rock and Roll?”
Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, married Jackson in 1994. The marriage lasted two years, and they divorced over “irreconcilable differences.” This union has the potential to be the fakest musical matrimony ever.
2. Kim Kardashian’s Illicit Tape
In turn-of-the-century America, the thought that someone other than an adult entertainer might leak an intimate love recording was unfamiliar. Pam and Tommy’s stolen tape in the ’90s almost destroyed their reputations.
While Kim wasn’t the first major celeb to “accidentally” lose a recording, we know it probably wasn’t leaked. Her co-star, Ray J, revealed that Kardashian’s mom, Kris Jenner, was behind the entire episode. Kardashian has built a massive empire off of the fame from her tape, and her family has become a household name.
3. Hilaria Baldwin’s Phony Accent
Hilaria Baldwin kept it up for over a decade, speaking in her — admittedly good — Spanish accent in red-carpet interviews, chat shows, and social media posts. However, Daily Mail reported that Baldwin’s claim she was born in Spain returned to sting her after several fellow stars, including Amy Schumer, called her out.
It turns out that Baldwin was born Hillary Lynn Hayward-Thomas, which is about as Anglo a name one can have. In the aftermath, Baldwin doubled down by stating she had a mixed childhood, spending much of it in Spain.
4. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl Blunder
In 2002, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson got into hot water after their infamous Super Bowl halftime show “wardrobe malfunction.” Toward the end of Timberlake’s single “Rock Your Body,” a planned wardrobe reveal went awry, ending with part of Jackson’s cleavage exposed.
Jackson’s career never recovered, while Timberlake’s went from strength to strength. At the time, publicity stunts were common to illicit shock in the audience and to get more attention directed at celebrities. However, it’s unfortunate how this wardrobe stunt only hurt Jackson’s career, while Timberlake’s thrived.
5. Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson’s Relationship
One theme in Hollywood that is not talked about enough is that some celebrity relationships seem completely fabricated. Whenever a star wants to change their image, their “people” set them up with another famous person to help with the alteration.
A prime example of this theory is the romance between Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. Did Davidson even really know that this was going on? The relationship announcement coincided with Kylie Jenner’s breakup with rapper Travis Scott following his Astroworld Festival concert tragedy and could have been used as a distraction from the scandal’s aftermath.
6. Every Tom Cruise Marriage
From the early days with Nicole Kidman to his five-year union with a fleeing Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise has never made his relationships stick. Cruise spent many days in the headlines for his love life, making fans question each romance’s validity. There’s even a popular meme featuring photos of Kidman jumping for joy after signing her divorce papers.
However, Cruise’s strategy of strategically selecting his partners makes sense, whether to help promote his latest film or to distract from the fact that he’s a huge player in a disgraced religion.
7. Most of What Jada Pinkett Smith Says
Somehow, Jada Pinkett Smith has become famous for everything except her screen presence. While the actress rose to stardom for her acting skills, she did not sustain that popularity. Instead, Pinkett Smith is most known for her tumultuous marriage to actor Will Smith.
However, Pinkett Smith has run with this claim to fame and started her show, Red Table Talk, which delves into deep issues within the guests’ lives. The actress has pretty much launched a career off of her suffering.
8. Slapgate
The slap heard around the world! Perhaps the most famous slap in Hollywood history — beating the likes of Chinatown (Jack Nicholson), Airplane (Leslie Nielsen), and Moonstruck (Cher) — is Will Smith’s strike on 2022’s Oscars host, Chris Rock.
Cynics are adamant that Smith made his move to help a failing Academy Awards ceremony, which had lost millions of viewers by then, find more importance. We aren’t too sure about this hypothesis; neither Smith nor the Oscars have gained much since.
9. Tom Holland’s Spoilers
Tom Holland is famous for using his Spidey senses as the world’s favorite Spider-Man actor, though any observer might think Holland needs more common sense. CultureSlate highlights when Holland let slip future plot points; his most notorious was when he said that he performed his stunts in Spider-Man: Homecoming, spoiling the lake scene for fans.
While Holland could benefit from some media training, he remains famous for his love life. The actor is famously dating his co-star Zendaya, who carries him in almost every interview they do together.
10. Kristen Stewart Cheating on Robert Pattinson
When Twilight hit screens, the world’s teenagers became embroiled in the newest hot young couple, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. However, Stewart triggered rumors of an affair with her producer after photos emerged of the pair in a seemingly romantic embrace. Many Twilight followers thought they were dishonest — nobody admitted to any affair, and Pattinson used the publicity to promote a run of indie flicks.
The alleged affair validates the couple’s theory, except it turns it on its head. Instead of a celebrity couple getting together, they are falling apart at the height of their film’s popularity. Whatever the case may be, it works.
11. Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball Persona
A pattern among former Disney Channel stars is to break away from their childlike image and begin to form their adult personalities. This applies to stars like Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and, of course, Miley Cyrus.
The former Disney Channel alumnus was never far from children’s TV screens in the early part of the millennium. When she hit her young adult years, Cyrus’s transformation from a squeaky-clean southern girl next door to a racy adult took everybody by surprise. However, she just wanted to rid herself of the Disney association, and a naked video seemed the best way to achieve it.
12. Steven Seagal’s Entire Career
Steven Seagal was allegedly given his break by Hollywood super agent Michael Orvitz. The agent wanted to show friends he had such influence that he could turn his monosyllabic Aikido teacher into a box-office star.
Far Out Magazine reports that there isn’t firm proof of this happening, but the skeptics have a point. Seagal’s iconic career involved a huge personality transformation and could be accredited to Orvitz.
13. The Interview Premiere Hijinks
In 2014, “Guardians of Peace” claimed to have hacked Sony Pictures and released susceptible emails, information about staff members, and the company’s operational plans. U.S. officials sourced the group to North Korea, who demanded Sony Pictures’ upcoming release, The Interview, not be released.
Cinemas boycotted showing the film until President Obama insisted they let the public see it. It was released on Christmas Day 2014 in just 300 theaters. Some say it was the greatest publicity stunt ever, though realists think they are idiots. In any case, the film benefited from the controversy.