THE BIGGEST SCANDALS OF 2015
Deflategate, Nannygate, Rachel Dolezal, Jared Fogle and More. With an abundance of pregnancies, several legal run-ins and a summer full of broken love, 2015 has been a year to remember. However, it's safe to say that one major theme was reigned all: scandal. From nanny affairs to Deflategate, Ashley Madison accounts and cancer lies, this year has been one of the most shocking yet. Marriages ended and feuds sparked, relationships were ruined and reputations shattered, and we all sat back and watched with eyes wide open and mouths agape. With that being said, prepare to reignite all your astonishment as we recall the top 13 scandals that ruled 2015:
Nannygate
After Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announced their separation in June, the rumor mill spun wild with speculation over his involvement with their nanny, Christine Ouzounian. Pictures of the pair at a Super Bowl party surfaced on social media, and Ouzounian oddly appeared to be soaking up her 15 minutes of fame. Fast forward to November, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale have split and reports circulated that he, too, sparked a relationship with their nanny, Mindy Mann. Though Mann went the opposite route and decided to go into hiding, it didn't stop the onslaught of tabloids surrounding their alleged year-long affair.
Deflategate
Colts fans will never be the same after this one. Rumor had it the New England Patriots deflated their footballs before the AFC Championship game against the Colts to make them easier to catch. They ended up winning the game in a whopping 45-7 lead, but the repercussions that followed will likely haunt the Pats forever. Tom Brady was originally penalized with a four-game suspension for his alleged involvement in the deflating of balls, but it was eventually turned down by a federal judge due to missing "requisites of fairness and due process."
Jared Fogle
The former Subway spokesperson was arrested in April after federal agents raided his Indiana home and found that he had received and viewed child pornography. Jared Fogle later pled guilty to charges of possession and distribution of child pornography and traveling across state lines to engage in commercial sex acts with minors. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervision. In total, there were 14 victims, eight of which are still minors.
Rachel Dolezal
The parents of the former NAACP Spokane, WA, president -- who identified as black, white and American Indian -- came forward to say that their daughter spent years lying about her race.Though Rachel Dolezal decided to resign from her position, she still claims she identifies as black and has done so since she was 5 years old. "I was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon," she explained in breaking her silence over the controversy. "It was a little more complex than me identifying as black." Despite everything, when asked if she would "make the same choices" today, given what she knows now, Rachel said, "I would."
Lamar Odom Found Unconscious in Brothel
Lamar Odom was found unconscious in a Las Vegas brothel in October, which resulted in him going into a coma for several days and is keeping him hospitalized to this day. The former Lakers star reportedly fell unconscious after overdosing on a cocktail of "virtually every drug imaginable" during a days-long bender at the brothel. He eventually suffered an "ischemic stroke," which is caused by a blood clot preventing blood flow to the brain and is often associated with a cocaine overdose, among other drugs.
Josh Duggar
Not only did we find out that Josh Duggar had molested five underage girls as a teenager -- including his two younger sisters Jill Duggar and Jessa Duggar -- but he also admitted to cheating on his wife, Anna Duggar, and having a pornography addiction. The scandals eventually led to TLC cancelling the Arkansas' family's hit reality show, 19 Kids and Counting. Since then, Josh has checked himself into a long-term faith-based rehabilitation center to find "wholeness and recovery."
Brooks Ayers' Cancer Lie
After telling multiple stories about how he had received cancer treatments at the City of Hope hospital in Los Angeles, a source from the medical center exclusively revealed to E! News that they had never treated a patient by Brooks Ayers' name before. He was not only caught in a lie, but he was also caught forging documents about his treatments. "Words cannot express the deep regret that I have in fabricating documents to 'prove' to the world that I, in fact, have cancer. What I did was wrong and inexcusable. I acted alone, without Vicki [Gunvalson]'s knowledge, to produce documents for a reality TV show in hopes of putting doubts about my cancer to rest," Ayers told E! News after the bombshell was revealed. "I never intended to disclose my actual medical records or details about my private and personal medical history, thus the rationalization of presenting documents that weren't true simply for a 'storyline' for the show."
Ashley Madison
The website used to help men find extramarital affairs, Ashley Madison, became a household name in 2015 when hackers released a list of famous men using its services. The people involved included: Josh Duggar from 19 Kids and Counting, Christian vlogger Sam Rader, Real Housewives of New York City star Kristen Taekmann's husband, Josh, and Joe Biden's son, Hunter. The whole scandal resulted in Ashley Madison CEO Noel Biderman stepping down.
Doughtnutgate
Ariana Grande pissed off Americans and disgusted the world when she was caught on camera in a doughnut shop, licking one of the pastries on display that she did not end up buying. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the same video also caught her saying, "What the f--k is that? I hate Americans. I hate America." Amid backlash, the diva eventually apologized. "I am EXTREMELY proud to be an American and I've always made it clear that I love my county," Grande told E! News in a statement. "What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the donuts, was taken out of context and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words."
Patrick Schwarzenegger Gets Caught With a Girl on Spring Break.
Miley Cyrus' relationship with Patrick Schwarzenegger started its downward spiral when the University of Southern California student was photographed getting handsy with another girl while on Spring Break in Cabo San Lucas. Though he swore he did not cheat on Cyrus, there were photos and videos of him doing body shots off his fellow Trojan, a Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority member. Cyrus and Schwarzenegger called it quits less than a month later.
The View vs. Nurses
In September, The View discussed the talent portion of the Miss America competition, during which Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson performed a monologue about her profession as a nurse while wearing her scrubs and a stethoscope around her neck. The ladies of The View found the whole thing quite "hilarious" that she "basically just read her emails out loud," as Michelle Collins described it. Meanwhile, Joy Behar made the mistake of questioning, "Why does she have a doctor's stethoscope around her neck?" The commentary resulted in outrage, sparking the hashtag #NursesUnite and an entire Facebook page dedicated to "Show Me Your Stethoscope" on which nurses across the nation are sharing their touching stories about the way they've impacted so many lives and all the ways they've used their stethoscope.
Kim Richards' Back-to-Back Arrest
After seeking treatment in 2011 for substance abuse, Kim Richards' struggle with alcoholism came full circle when she was arrested at the Beverly Hills Hotel in April and charged with public intoxication, trespassing, resisting an officer and battery on a police officer. A few months later, in August, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star found herself on the wrong side of the law yet again after she was caught shoplifting at a Target in Van Nuys, Calif. E! News learned she stole upward of $600 in merchandise, and she was later charged with one count of petty theft. All in all the reality star was sentenced to 36 months of probation, 300 hours of community service and 52 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Twitter Feuds
As has been the case since celebrities began using the social media platform, this year did not disappoint when it came to Twitter feuds. Drake and Meek Mill blew up our feeds for a solid week after Nicki Minaj's boyfriend claimed the "Energy" rapper didn't write his own music. Drake rebutted with two back-to-back songs (pun intended) that shut the whole thing down, especially after Meek's failed attempt at a diss track. Speaking of Nicki, the female emcee threw some shade at Taylor Swift after the nominees were announced for the MTV Video Music Awards, saying they only nominated videos that include "women with slim bodies." Swift responded, "@NICKIMINAJ I've done nothing but love & support you," Swift wrote. "It's unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot." Nicki said Swift misunderstood what she was saying, and the two eventually put the whole thing behind them by performing together at the awards show.
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