Our cultural obsession with celebrities has been going on for a while now. There was a time when we had to wait for the tabloids to get printed or wait for the next celebrity gossip show to come on before we got our celebrity scandal fix. These days, a quick scroll through your Facebook page will bring you the latest and best in celebrity gossip. We do, however, remember the 90s very well–everything that went right and everything else that went wrong about it. We saw a lot of iconic films and show start during the 90s and some of the most historic events happened back then as well. We saw a lot of the biggest stars and celebrities today get their burgeoning start during that decade as well. It surely was a promising time in the recent history of sports, music, Hollywood, and more.
It’s one thing to not like someone, but when everyone–at least most people–collectively hates a celebrity, that’s saying something else entirely. As great as the 90s were, we saw some of the worst celebrities then that were hated for various reasons. Some of them were able to redeem themselves over time but many were never really able to fully recover even to this day. Out of the many celebrities that were most hated in the 90s, we’ve listed 20 of them just for your reading pleasure. Take a trip with us down to memory lane and remember how much you hated these 20 celebrities from the 90s.
Britney Spears
Don’t get us wrong. Britney has somehow managed to salvage herself from the wreck she made out of her life and her career back then. But the truth is none of us will ever forget the image of her shaving her head and attacking the paparazzi with an umbrella. Many people hated Britney for wasting all the opportunities she had in front of her back then. But many people hated her as well because they believed she lacked the vocal talents to really back up what seemed like an instant success. There was also a time when she was married with Kevin Federline. No one liked him at all. Her life back then was just such a roller coaster that people didn’t want to take a ride on.
Geri Halliwell
Some people might ask who Geri Halliwell was. If you don’t know who she was, you’ll at least know where she was from. Halliwell was 1/5 of the super singing girl quintet, the Spice Girls. She was known as Ginger Spice, and she was very cool then. The Spice Girls were actually awesome, but then someone had to leave the group and ruin everything for everyone. That person, of course, was Geri Halliwell. No one really remembers anymore why she left. It could’ve been discord among the girls. It could’ve been a desire to start a solo career. It didn’t even matter really. All we know is that she left the group and two years later, the Spice Girls were kaput. Ginger Spice was never even the best Spice Girl anyway. And where is she now?
Courtney Love
You can’t say Courtney Love’s name without thinking about Kurt Cobain. Cobain was the voice of that generation’s angst and dreams. He was the epitome was rock talent that many people admired and cherished. Cobain’s rocky relationship with Love was ridden with drugs and overshadowed a lot of Cobain’s music. It’s an understatement to say that their relationship was complicated, and after Cobain’s death by suicide, the world hated Love even more. Some even say that Love was the reason for Cobain’s death, blaming her completely for it. And others more claim that Love might have even done it herself. It’s all unclear, and people will never fully move on. But one thing is for sure, the world’s hate for Courtney Love will just never go away.
Madonna
She’s definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of characters. Madonna made music; she made movies; she made headlines; she made a mess. Basically, Madonna did anything to get the shock value from people. Many believe that she’s an attention-monger, who doesn’t have the talents like the people he’s usually compared to (that being the king of pop, Michael Jackson, since she’s the queen of pop). She relies a lot in vulgarity to get people talking about her. Some say that she’s just too old for her antics, and they started saying that at least 2 decades ago. We get that she’s done quite a bit in the industry, and that should’ve been enough for her. However, she keeps on tainting herself by making enemies out of people who couldn’t care any less to be associated with her to begin with. Remember when she acted in films and then said she hated all actresses?
Mike Tyson
There was a time when Mike Tyson was just the coolest boxer of our time. And he might seem okay now. His few roles in films may be slowly lightening up his public persona a little bit. But there was a time when Tyson just went way too far. We lauded him for his skills in the ring at one point, but when he started breaking into those skills outside of the ring, especially against women, he stopped being admirable altogether and transitioned ever so easily into the jerk category. His relationship with his ex-wife Robin Givens was more than tumultuous. And he was also convicted of raping a beauty queen in 1992. He went to jail for 3 years for that. Then after that, he forayed back into the boxing ring only to bite Holyfield’s ear off five years later.
Shannen Doherty
It’s difficult to talk about Doherty’s past now considering what she’s been through in the last few years. However, it’s also difficult to forget how she treated a lot of people back then–mostly her co-workers and her employers. The diva antics just went way out of hand with this starlet and everyone she worked with hated her so much. It wasn’t any secret either, and this is why everyone else came to hate her even though the characters she played on screen were fairly likeable. In fact, Doherty was hated by her employers so much that they wrote her character off of two shows in just a span of a few years: 90210 and Charmed. She hasn’t done anything substantial after Charmed either.
Hugh Grant
There was a time when Hugh Grant was the hottest celebrity in Hollywood, especially when it came to romantic comedies. He was the ultimate leading man. He had the hair, the smile, the English accent–he was a star. In the 90s, he also happened to have been dating one of the hottest actresses around, Elizabeth Hurley. That’s why it was such a surprise when Grant got arrested in 1995 after soliciting a prostitute. He probably could have gotten any girl he liked, so many people really scratched their heads as to why Grant would do something like that. Since then, he really lost that leading man quality to him, and many people really hated him for what he did. It’s safe to say that he’s managed to come back from that somehow, bu the truth is no one will ever forget.
Tonya Harding
She was one of the biggest names in U.S. figure skating back in the 90s. In 1991, Harding was actually the very first American to land a triple axel at the U.S. championships. She was a promising star that had such a bright future ahead of her. The problem was she wasn’t the only one. There was also Nancy Kerrigan. She was just as talented as Harding except she was the softer, more approachable skater. Everything about Harding was hardened and tough. These two ladies were often pitted against each other, and Harding’s jealousy eventually resulted to an event that became one of the biggest scandals in sports history. In 1994, Kerrigan was clubbed in the knee during practice by an attacker that was eventually linked to Harding. Harding was stripped of her title and banned from skating for life. Yes, everyone hated her.
O.J. Simpson
It was certainly the trial of the century and what many still consider to this day as one of the biggest cover-ups or failures of the justice system. O.J. Simpson was found not guilty in the murder of his then wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Everyone thought that O.J. was guilty, and everyone hated the fact that he got away. However, he put himself right back in it after spending the rest of the 90s and 00s living a life of crime that he ended up in prison anyway, locked up for 33 years. People say that he got what he deserved, but still thinks he deserve way worse than just 33 years.
Rosie O’Donnell
Some people have long thought that Rosie O’Donnell should’ve just stuck with comedy. However, from what history has shown us, there’s a lot of darkness and negativity that surrounds comedians when they’re in the backstage. We’ve always known that O’Donnell was just one of those TV personalities that really don’t know where to draw the line. She’s had feuds with many other celebrities before, Donald Trump being one of them. When she left The View, rumors about how she was backstage surfaced. Apparently, she was constantly fighting, clashing, and conflicting with the staff, especially Whoopi Goldberg. Who would ever fight with Whoopi? Apparently, O’Donnell did.
Winona Ryder
We’d have to say that Winona has absolutely gained our trust again after Stranger Things. She’s certainly a lot more mature now, and we get that she’s really tried to change her life ever since she ruined it back in the 90s. She had such a brilliant career then when she was coming out with movie after movie. Ryder really had a lot going for her, but then she just couldn’t get a handle on it all, all the fame. She eventually lost it and got severely depressed. We remember vividly that day when she made it on the news for stealing some panties. It wasn’t even that she was broke and couldn’t afford them. She was just out to ruin herself, and nobody felt bad for her especially since she expressed her hate for Hollywood with such gusto. It took her 15 years to heal and come back into the spotlight. It seemed like it was just the right amount of time for us as well.
Leann Rimes
Our first impressions of Leann Rimes were nothing but innocence. She was the all-around good girl, the southern charmer, and the wholesome country singer. Her talent was also unbelievable; it seems as if she came out of nowhere and wowed everyone with her vocals. Everyone loved Rimes until everyone hated her just as suddenly. Her image changed swiftly in the 90s as soon as she tried to cross over to pop and worsened in the early 00s. In 2009, Rimes was rumored to have been having an affair with her co-star Eddie Cibrian. It turns out that she was, but the worst part about it was Cibrian was married with two children. Cibrian divorced his wife. Rimes, who had been married for 7 years already at that point, also divorced her husband to be with Cibrian. The two married in 2011, and no one was happy about their union
Angelina Jolie
Jolie have slowly gained our affection over the years. She had really rough beginnings in Hollywood. She was the type of girl that was just odd in the worst way. She kissed her brother in public. She married Billy Bob and carried around a vial of his blood around her neck. It was just such a weird time for her, but then she aged, and it seemed as if she matured as well. That was until she stole Brad Pitt from Jennifer Aniston and broke apart America’s favorite couple then. But then everyone moved on from that as well. They moved on and so did we. We actually even enjoyed watching the Pitt-Jolie clan grow. Jolie became one of the biggest humanitarians in Hollywood, and she started really making something out of her career. She certainly got better over time, but we couldn’t help but say karma when the two divorced after 12 years of being together.
Roseanne Barr
She was once a much beloved TV actress, and Roseanne Barr spent the best of the past couple of decades slowly breaking apart the career that she’s built up. One day, Roseanne was invited to sing the national anthem at a San Diego Padres baseball game, and she completely botched the job. Even more, as the audience booed her and her abysmal performance, she grabbed her crotch in response. This was the beginning of the hate that Roseanne’s fans will develop for the comedienne. It will continue for many years, and for some, it continues to today. There might be redemption coming with the reboot of the Roseanne show. We all shall see.
Russell Crowe
It’s difficult to hate actors whose movies you actually like. This is the case with our love-hate relationship with Russell Crowe. Crowe is such a brilliant actor, and he’s given us so many brilliant movies. It’s really difficult to reconcile the actor on screen with the person off screen. We’ve all known, since the 80s actually, that Crowe was trouble. He liked to fight, and we believe he still does. He’s quite into confrontations, and he’s known for getting physical with everyone–his co-workers, paparazzi, and possibly just random people. He definitely has anger issues, and one of his most recent displays is when he allegedly assaulted Azealia Banks at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
President Bill Clinton
What once was a reputable and respected politician went down the drain fairly quickly after sexual allegations surfaced regarding one Monica Lewinsky. All of us who were alive and attentive during that time knew what went down during that time. President Clinton was impeached for admitting that he had extra-marital affairs with then 22-year old White House intern Lewinsky. It was an outrage, to say the least. Many families who loved the Clintons ended up despising them after that, stating that they were all untrustworthy, and that Bill misused his power as president. We’re sure Lewinsky wasn’t innocent in any of it, but of course, she wasn’t the president then. After all that happened during that time, none of us will ever forget the words, “I did not sleep with that woman.”
Paul Reubens
He was always the odd one, but still, we trusted our children to watch Pee Wee Herman aka Paul Reubens. Reubens was so tied with his character that many people know him as Pee Wee and refer to him as such. However, how do you explain getting caught masturbating in an adult film theater? You really can’t, and it’s absolutely disgusting and horrendous. Reubens probably should have gotten a job doing something else because it made us all cringe after Reubens got arrested for indecent exposure. However, that wasn’t even his first offense; he had been arrested before that time. After his arrest in 1991, he disappeared for public view for a while, but he’s tried to get it all back since then. That’s just impossible.
Woody Allen
He is one of the most celebrated filmmakers of our time, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that he was probably also one of the biggest creeps. By the time the 90s started, Allen had already been in a long-term domestic partnership with Mia Farrow. Allen was making movies as usual. All seemed fine. But in 1992, Farrow discovered nude photos of her then 21-year old adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn at Allen’s place. Farrow split with Allen right away, but then Allen married Previn just five years later in 1997. Everyone was disgusted by what Allen did that time, but there were more. He also allegedly sexually abused Farrow’s youngest daughter, Dylan Farrow. It was clear that the filmmaker was deeply troubled then. He avoids the public eye mostly now.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Even before people hated her for making unsolicited comments that are all too tactless and way before people hated her for telling everyone else how to live their lives, Gwyneth Paltrow was hated probably just for being herself. Some have said that she was just as annoying to work with then as she is now. She belittles people for having less than she has, and it seems she does so without her even realizing it. Could it be that she’s that naïve about the world? Maybe so, but back in the 90s before she even got big, she was already wealthier than the rest of us. Nowadays, she’s been subject to ridicule from people who think she’s absolutely clueless about how the rest of the world works outside of her neat little Hollywood box.
Julia Roberts
She has the most dazzling smile Hollywood has ever seen. She’s even starred in one of the most iconic movies of all time, Pretty Woman. That was her breakthrough role and we all fell in love with her after that movie. She came out with another film just a year later, Hook, but she did not hook everyone with her personality. In fact, she failed to hook Stephen Spielberg with her smile and apparently her poor work habits. Spielberg said that Roberts made their set a really difficult environment to work in. Spielberg was the very one that gave Roberts the nickname, “Tinkerhell.” That nickname has followed Roberts around throughout her career and even to this day. Who would’ve ever thought that a smile like that could induce feelings of hell? No outsider could ever truly know what goes on in Hollywood.
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