The 35 Biggest Music Scandals of All Time

Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake

What Happened: The 2019 release of Finding Neverland forced Michael Jackson fans to accept what they had long feared: the King of Pop was a serial sexual predator who preyed on young children for decades.

The Fallout: Michael Jackson’s legacy is endlessly complex. He was unquestionably one of the most talented, influential, and charismatic performers the world has ever known. He was an electric dancer, an otherworldly vocalist, and a divinely talented musician. His success also emerged from a traumatic, abusive childhood.

None of that forgives that he groomed and sexually assaulted an unknown number of children over many years. The fallout from Michael Jackson’s child abuse scandal remains to be seen; the wounds are still too fresh.

What Happened: Janet Jackson performed a medley of hits during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. She was joined on stage by Justin Timberlake, and the pair performed a duet of Timberlake’s hit “Rock Your Body.” During the final seconds of the performance, Timberlake yanked off part of Jackson’s costume, briefly exposing her breast.

The Fallout: You know a moment’s iconic when it births new language. We’d never heard of ‘social distancing’ before COVID-19, and we didn’t know about ‘wardrobe malfunctions’ until Super Bowl XXXVIII. Conservative Americans were apoplectic that their wholesome tradition had been usurped by seedy show business elites. The Parents Television Council promised to file an indecency complaint, and the FCC received more than half a million negative comments from the public.

What Happened: R. Kelly is one of the most prolific and talented R&B vocalists of the past 30 years. He is also one of the music industry’s most irredeemable figures. In the mid-90s, then 27-year-old Kelly illegally married then 15-year-old Aaliyah. In the late-90s and early-2000s, evidence emerged that Kelly was a serial sexual predator and pedophile. In 2017, Kelly was accused by multiple women of running an abusive sex cult involving minors.

The Fallout: For years, R. Kelly escaped persecution from the law and from his fans. A leaked video that showed him committing indecent acts with an underage girl caused a brief stir, but his career continued. It is only in the last few years, particularly following the 2019 release of the documentary Surviving R. Kelly, that the Chicago native has faced any consequences for his actions. He is currently on trial for federal child pornography charges.

What Happened: For a time, Chris Brown and Rihanna were the king and queen of pop. They were both jaw-droppingly gorgeous, both talented performers entering their primes, and both happy to flaunt the relationship on camera. But in 2009, Brown assaulted Rihanna, leaving her with facial injuries that required hospitalization.

The Fallout: Rihanna’s success has continued unabated. Shockingly, so too has Chris Brown’s. After being briefly ostracized, Brown has continued to release successful albums, perform before sold-out crowds, and collaborate with some of the music industry’s biggest names.

What Happened: Kanye at his mercurial finest happened, that’s what. As Taylor Swift accepted the MVA for best female video in 2009, Kanye stormed the stage, grabbed the mic, and let the world know that Beyoncé had been robbed. He was right, but much of the world (even President Obama!) saw him as the villain.

The Fallout: Kanye was widely condemned for his actions, and not just by Swift’s furious hordes of internet warriors. His actions were seen as unseemly and unprofessional. He was panned in the mainstream media, and Obama called him a “jackass” on a hot mic. The event also sparked a years-long, on-and-off feud between him and Swift.

What Happened: God, what an all time flex: In 1966, in an interview with The Evening Standard, the Beatles’ John Lennon suggested that his band had become “more popular than Jesus.”

The Fallout: Pretty much what you’d expect: Christians around the world freaked out, which of course made the Liverpool foursome even more popular. The furor was particularly acute in the United States’ Bible Belt: radio stations boycotted the band; records were burned in public ceremonies; and the Ku Klux Klan protested a concert. You know you’re on the right side of history when the Klan hates you.

What Happened: Milli Vanilli, the duo comprised of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, skyrocketed to fame in the late ‘80s, powered by infectious production and unforgettable style. Their debut album, Girl You Know It’s True, yielded five top five singles in the United States, and the pair won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990. Later that year it was revealed that Milli Vanilli didn’t sing their own songs, and the duo’s success evaporated.

The Fallout: The public was furious. Pilatus and Morvan blamed producer Frank Farian. Their Grammy was revoked, and the duo faced a string of lawsuits. After several failed comeback attempts, they agreed to reunite with Farian to produce a new album in the late ‘90s. Tragically, Pilatus passed away in April 1998, and the album was never released.

What Happened: After almost a decade as the Princess of Pop, Britney Spears suffered a public breakdown over several months in 2006 and 2007. Her marriage to Kevin Federline ended, her aunt passed away, she shaved her head, she bounced in and out of rehab facilities, and she lost custody of her children.

The Fallout: Spears’ public collapse forced America to look – briefly – inward. It was seen as evidence that America’s celebrity culture is deeply toxic, and that the music industry’s sexualization and exploitation of young performers can leave permanent psychological scars. And then, nothing changed. Britney continues to charm the world as a cooky entertainment icon, and the music industry continues to relentlessly eat up and churn out young, often female performers.

What Happened: In one of the most grotesque awards show performances of all time, Miley Cyrus permanently shed her cutesy Hannah Montana persona by stripping down to a latex bathing suit and rubbing herself all over Robin Thicke who, incidentally, was dressed like Beetlejuice.

The Fallout: America mourned the fall of a Disney Channel icon, and Miley embarked on a highly questionable period of her career. For a few years, Cyrus became one of the music industry’s most provocative acts. She’s walked back the overt sexuality and cultural appropriation since then, but we’ll always have the 2013 VMAs to cringe at.

What Happened: Kanye at his righteous best happened. In September 2005, New Orleans struggled to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. NBC aired “A Concert for Hurricane Relief,” which featured Kanye as a speaker. Hilariously, he was scheduled alongside Mr. Austin Powers himself, Mike Myers. Kanye didn’t stick to the script: instead of issuing a politics-free call for help, he eviscerated the federal administration’s response, famously stating: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

The Fallout: The mainstream response was divided on political lines: Republicans thought Kanye’s accusation was outrageous; most Democrats found it inappropriate, but commended his passion. Young people and progressives loved it. Kanye bolstered his star power and earned a reputation for fearless political advocacy.

What Happened: Kanye at his absolute worst, unfortunately. In the early days of the Trump administration, Kanye became a rare celebrity supporter, joining the ranks of James Woods and Jon Voight. He appeared alongside the president-elect at Trump Tower in New York and visited him later in the Oval Office.

The Fallout: The old “George Bush hates black people” Kanye is gone. He has been replaced by a wild-eyed, MAGA hat-wearing religious zealot. His most hardcore fans stuck by him; others jumped ship.

What Happened: In 1984, at the height of his soaring career, Motown icon Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father at their home in Los Angeles.

The Fallout: News spread quickly, and the world united in mourning. VH1 later called the death one of the most shocking moments in rock and roll history. In subsequent years, numerous prominent musicians shared their feelings of shock and profound loss, including Jermaine Jackson, members of The Temptations, Duran Duran, and Chuck D. Diana Ross released a tribute song and Rolling Stone featured the singer on its cover. The tributes haven’t stopped; in 2018, the United States Postal Service announced it would feature Gaye on a first class stamp.

What Happened: Solange physically attacked her brother-in-law in an elevator after the 2014 Met Gala. TMZ got its hands on the footage and, of course, released it to the world.

The Fallout: The tape was greeted with a flurry of speculation. Is Jay-Z cheating? Is Solange nuts? Is it all for publicity? Why didn’t Beyoncé – who was standing right there – step in to break up the assault? Today, the prevailing wisdom is that Solange learned about Jay-Z’s infidelity. None of the three has suffered from the scandal: Jay and Bey continue to reign over the music industry, and Solange continues her solid solo career.

What Happened: Even before Michael Jackson’s legacy was permanently tarnished by irrefutable accusations of systemic child abuse, he was seen as an odd, creepy figure in the entertainment industry. In 2002, during a stay in Berlin, he shocked the world by dangling his youngest child, Prince Michael II, over a fifth-floor hotel balcony.

The Fallout: This scandal seems almost mundane compared to the seismic allegations made in Leaving Neverland, but at the time it was international front page news. Jackson remained one of pop culture’s most influential and enduring stars, an icon to millions of fans in every corner of the world. But for some, the baby-dangling incident was too outrageous to stomach. It may have been a turning point in his ongoing fight for public sympathy.

What Happened: In October 1992, Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor performed an a capella version of Bob Marley’s “War” on Saturday Night Live. At the end of the performance, she presented a picture of Pope John Paul II, tore the picture to pieces and threw it on the ground, proclaiming: “Fight the real enemy.” The performance was a protest against sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

The Fallout: NBC received thousands of complaints. On the next week’s episode, host Joe Pesci told the audience that he had taped the picture back together; the audience applauded. He also said he would have smacked O’Connor if he’d been on the show. Even Madonna attacked the performance.

Today, sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is common knowledge. In 1992, it was a shocking accusation. It would be another nine years before the Pope finally admitted “sexual abuse by some clergy.”

What Happened: In the early- to mid-90s, tensions between hip-hop's East Coast and West Coast factions reached a boiling point. Diss records rocketed across the country, Snoop Dogg was shot at in New York, and in 1996, Tupac was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Months later, Biggie was shot to death in L.A.

The Fallout: The East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop rivalry attracted significant negative media attention. Rap’s reputation as a violent, disruptive form of music seemed to be legitimized. For years, the genre would continue to be vilified by the mainstream media. Most importantly, hip-hop lost two of its greatest artists.

What Happened: In 2015, Meek Mill shocked the rap world when he accused Drake of using a ghostwriter, an unforgivable violation of the hip-hop code.

The Fallout: The accusation sparked a multi-year beef between the artists. Drake won the diss battle with “Back to Back,” but Meek held the respect of rap purists and Drizzy’s army of haters. In the midst of the sniping, Drake’s long-time collaborator, Noah ‘40’ Shebib, framed the 6ix God as an artist rather than a rapper, a figure who shouldn’t be tied down by hip-hop’s timeless strictures. The beef was squashed last year.

What Happened: Drake emerged from his beef with Meek Mill relatively unscathed. The same can’t be said for his feud with Pusha T, which culminated in the release of “The Story of Adidon,” a devastating diss track that revealed, among other things, Drake’s hidden family.

The Fallout: Drake has never issued a response to “Adidon,” and didn’t confirm the existence of his son, Adonis, until his 2018 album, Scorpion. The episode was embarrassing for the Toronto native, who had developed a reputation for powerful rebuttals. But time heals all wounds, and Drake continues to be one of the most popular and successful musicians of his generation.

What Happened: In 1999, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and Jennifer Lopez were a celebrity power couple. Diddy was one of the music industry’s most powerful record executives, and J-Lo was riding high on the success of her first album, On the 6. That December, a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub put everything in jeopardy. Three people were injured and both stars were arrested.

The Fallout: Luckily (for Combs and Lopez), Shyne, a young rapper with Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records, was also arrested. He was convicted of several charges while Diddy and J-Lo walked. Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and then deported to his native Belize upon release. Diddy and J-Lo broke up, but continued wildly successful careers. The rich get richer.

What Happened: In 1994, TLC star Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes burned her boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons star Andre Rison’s, house to the ground. She admitted to setting the fire in the bathroom, but claimed she had no intention of incinerating the home.

The Fallout: Lopes had long been vocal about her difficult past and had developed a negative reputation in the entertainment industry. The felony arson charges confirmed the public’s worst assumptions. She and Rison became tabloid regulars until her untimely death in a car accident in 2002.

What Happened: “Like a Prayer” was the title track of Madonna’s fourth studio album. It tells the story of a young woman with a borderline romantic relationship with God. The lyrics are heavy with sexual undertones. The music video, filmed in 1989, tackles themes of racism, faith, and sexuality. It features the unlawful arrest of a black man for a crime committed by a white mob, an extended scene of Madonna dancing in front of a field of burning crosses, and a love scene between the singer and a black saint in a Catholic church.

The Fallout: The song and the music video were embraced by critics and reviled by the conservative religious and political establishment. The Vatican called for Catholics to boycott Pepsi after the company used the song in a commercial. Naturally, it was a major hit, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It also established Madonna as a provocative counterculture icon, a role she has embraced ever since.

What Happened: Whitney Houston was a shining star with a squeaky-clean image through much of 1980s and early ‘90s. But by the turn of the century her reputation had deteriorated and her marriage to singer Bobby Brown was tabloid fodder. Brown was abusive, and allegations of drug use stocked Houston until her death in 2012.

The Fallout: Houston is seen by many as a tragic figure. She was an enormous talent whose career was railroaded by addiction, betrayal and abuse. Her downward spiral continued after her divorce from Brown until her death in Beverly Hills; the autopsy revealed illegal drugs in her system. Just three years later her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, suffered a similar fate.

What Happened: After more than a decade at the top of the music industry, Rick James’ decline in the early-90s culminated in a pair of cocaine-fueled kidnappings. During the first, James and girlfriend Tanya Hijazi kidnaped and tortured a 24-year-old hostage over six days. During the second, committed while he was out on bail for the first, James held a music executive captive for 20 hours. Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

The Fallout: James’ drug use was already public knowledge by the time he and Hijazi were arrested in 1991, but few understood the depths of his addiction. The “Super Freak” singer spent two years in prison and is now better known for his hedonist lifestyle than his cavalcade of ‘80s hits.

What Happened: In 2019, Harlem-bred rapper ASAP Rocky was arrested on assault charges after a fight in Stockholm, Sweden. Because he posed a flight risk, authorities detained him until trial. The event became an international fiasco – musicians proposed a boycott of the country, and even President Trump lumbered into the mix on Rocky’s behalf.

The Fallout: Rocky spent several months in prison which, even in Sweden, is not fun. The court case became a focal point for international media, and significant tensions arose between Sweden and America, perhaps for the first time ever. In the end, Rocky was handed a suspended sentence and is now safely back on home soil.

What Happened: Despite her soaring voice, song-writing prowess, and unique stage presence, much of the attention paid to Amy Winehouse by the British media focused on her drug and alcohol use. In late 2007, a video emerged that appeared to show Winehouse smoking crack.

The Fallout: The video attracted international attention and further obscured her unparalleled musicianship. The paparazzi's obsession with Winehouse grew so severe that a restraining order was issued against them in 2009. Tragically, Winehouse lost her battle with substance abuse; in 2011, she died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27.

What Happened: In October 2004, Jessica Simpson’s little sister, Ashlee, appeared on Saturday Night Live to promote her debut album, Autobiography. The first song, “Pieces of Me,” went off without a hitch. Then, as the second song began, a vocal recording of “Pieces of Me” swelled over the band. Simpson was caught in a lip-syncing lie. She performed an awkward “hoedown” and apologized in the show’s closing segment.

The Fallout: The media eviscerated Ashlee. The incident was covered by news outlets around the world and she was widely mocked in late night monologues. It remains the defining moment of her middling music career.  

What Happened: Phil Spector was a genius record producer who worked with acts like the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers, and the Ronettes. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential music industry figures of all-time. Unfortunately, his personal life was volatile, and in 2003 actress Lana Clarkson was found dead in his home. In 2009, he was convicted of second-degree murder.

The Fallout: The world greeted Phil Spector’s murder conviction with shock, as it always does when a rich and successful person is accused of a heinous crime late in life. The media was doubly entranced by Spector’s close ties to the Beatles, Ike and Tina Turner, and other big-name acts. But those who knew him reacted with resignation; Spector’s volatile, mercurial behavior was common knowledge in the music industry, and the crime was seen by some as a tragic inevitability.

What Happened: Lou Pearlman was one of America’s most successful record producers, the mastermind who created NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys, O-Town, and many more. In 2007, he was arrested in Bali and charged with bank fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. He is believed to have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Fallout: Many of the investors Pearlman defrauded were not compensated for their losses. Members of the boy bands he created also felt betrayed; some saw him as a father figure, others accused him of sexual misconduct. Pearlman died in 2016. 

What Happened: Woodstock ’99 was a music festival held in upstate New York. Largely organized by MTV, the idea was to recreate the bucolic atmosphere of the previous Woodstock festival, which had taken place 30 years earlier. Instead, 100° heat, overflowing toilets, tens of thousands of drug addled attendees, and lineup of aggressive acts coalesced into blur of depravity, filth, and sexual violence.

The Fallout: The festival is remembered as an unmitigated disaster. Numerous sexual assaults were reported, the bathrooms were unusable, and at least one attendee died. Check out the footage on YouTube; I’m pretty sure the Limp Bizkit set is what hell looks like.

What Happened: In December 1969, a massive outdoor concert headlined by the Rolling Stones took place at the Altamont Speedway in Northern California. The event was marked by violence and disorder: four people died, including 18-year-old Meredith Hunter, who was murdered by a Hells Angels member hired for security.

The Fallout: The violence at Altamont shocked rock and roll fans, particularly because it occurred just months after the peace and love-filled Woodstock festival. It was also a low moment for the Rolling Stones, whose druggy antics had already earned them a reputation as rock’s preeminent bad boys.

What Happened: Step aside, Kanye; the Dixie Chicks might have the most iconic Bush-bashing moment of W’s tenure. During a 2003 concert in London, England, the band told the crowd that they were “ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.” They also spoke up against the invasion of Iraq.

The Fallout: It’s tough being anti-American in the country music world, and the Chicks faced a massive backlash at home. Their single, “Landslide,” plummeted down the Hot 100. Their songs were blacklisted from country radio stations across the country. Former fans destroyed their CDs. 

What Happened: In 1998, George Michael was a mega pop star. The former lead singer of Wham! had a legion of devoted, predominantly female fans. And then he was caught “engaging in a lewd act” with another man by an undercover cop in Beverley Hills. The music world was scandalized.

The Fallout: Ultimately, Michael’s arrest forced him to go public about his sexuality. In 1998, the revelation turned the pop culture world on its head. The tabloids were obsessed, and even cable news extensively covered the scandal. More recently, Michael suggested that being caught was a subconscious decision. By the time of his death in 2016, he was one of the world’s most recognizable gay performers.

What Happened: After masquerading for years as an introspective, guitar-strumming singer-songwriter, Ryan Adams was outed as an abusive monster by two – yes, two – ex-wives and several other women. He is alleged to have used his prominence in the music industry to coerce women into sexual activity and to have engaged in sexual communication with an underage fan.

The Fallout: Adams was planning to release three albums in 2019; they were canceled. His tour of Britain and Ireland was also canceled. The New York Times reported that he was being investigated by the FBI. He is no longer married. In short, he got what was coming to him.

What Happened: Korean pop music (K-Pop) is a massive industry with a large international following. In 2019, two of its brightest stars, Suengri and Jung Joon-young, were implicated in a sprawling scandal involving sex crimes at the Burning Sun, a popular night club in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam neighborhood.

The Fallout: Both performers’ careers were upended by the scandal. More importantly, the affair ignited a nationwide conversation about gender inequality in Korean culture, about rampant sexual abuse, and about political parties’ inability to effect meaningful change.

What Happened: During their performance of “Like a Virgin” and “Hollywood” at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna and Britney Spears shared a steamy kiss on stage. Christina Aguilera was also there.

The Fallout: Conservative pundits revolted; teen boys’ heads exploded; Britney pushed back against her girl-next-door image; Christina felt left out of the frenzy; Madonna cemented her position as the entertainment industry’s Provocateur in Chief; America was forced to acknowledge the existence of queer sexuality; and the VMAs peaked.