There were a lot of stars who had filthy -- and
sometimes criminal -- secrets exposed in 2017. After years of Hollywood brushing certain
types of behaviors under the rug, the Me Too movement put a lot of former favorites on
blast. Meanwhile, other celebs who'd somehow survived
whispers about their unsavory behaviors were no longer tolerated either. "Survivors are finding their voice, and people
are -- and I include myself in this -- really discovering the terrible extent of this problem." Here are the stars whose secrets were exposed
this year. Charlie Heaton Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton should've
had the month of his life in October, as the sequel to his hit show was met with intense
fanfare and his off-screen relationship with co-star Natalia Dyer was slowly becoming public. But the actor was busted and detained at LAX
for allegedly having trace amounts of substance in his possession on a flight en route to
the premiere, and he had to miss the opening of the smash sequel. Heaton maintained his innocence, but then
it was also revealed that Heaton shares a secret love child with ex-girlfriend Akiko
Matsuura. Johnny Depp Though Johnny Depp was initially revealed
to have some personal problems in 2016, amidst his brutal divorce from Amber Heard, even
more messy matters came to light this year. In January, Depp sued his business management
company for mismanaging his money for nearly two decades. But while the actor alleged he was defrauded
out of millions of dollars, the management company fired back and accused him of squandering
millions on his lavish lifestyle. As a result of the conflict, the public got
a play-by-play on exactly what Depp spent his fortune on, from a massive monthly wine
budget to his many elaborate vacations, and more. Suffice it to say, after this year, Johnny
Depp's infamous air of mystery is no more. Mel B When former Spice Girl Mel B filed for divorce
from Stephen Belafonte, her husband of nearly a decade, their split was very ugly and publicized
a lot of very private details about the inner workings of their marriage, including the
fact that Belafonte allegedly got their nanny pregnant. Mel was also accused of abusing substances
and alcohol during the marriage, while Belafonte was said to have physically and emotionally
abused her throughout their relationship. Whether any or all of this was true, these
certainly weren't the kind of details she wanted fans to hear about. Kevin Hart In September, Kevin Hart was subjected to
an extortion attempt that revealed he'd been cheating on his then-pregnant wife, Eniko
Parrish, with a dancer. He fessed up to putting himself in an untoward
situation but refused to cave to the cash grab attempt. Since then, Hart has been candid about his
role in the scandal. In December, he told The Breakfast Club of
his "massive mistake," saying: "That's Kevin Hart in his dumbest moment. That's not the finest hour of my life." "I'm gonna go home, I'm gonna address it,
I'm gonna make my wife fully aware of what's going on in the situation." Harvey Weinstein In October, a New York Times exposé accused
Harvey Weinstein of decades of harassment in the movie business, with his alleged victims
including Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd. "I remember the lurch when I went to the desk
and asked Mr. Weinstein is he in the patio, and they were like no he was in his room and
I was like..." When confronted with the allegations, Weinstein
said in a statement: "I came of age in the 60's and 70's, when
all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then." "I have since learned it's not an excuse,
in the office — or out of it." "I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues
in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it." Just days later, Ronan Farrow penned a piece
in The New Yorker accusing Weinstein of similarly groping or pressuring at least three women,
including actress Asia Argento, who later made a film about her encounter. Weinstein denied all accusations of non-consensual
activity, but then the allegations began flooding in, with stars including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth
Paltrow, Salma Hayek, Heather Graham, Cara Delevingne, Kate Beckinsale, and many more
accusing him of various forms of misconduct through the years. The man who was once the face of Hollywood
power has now become synonymous with systematic abuse in the industry. Ben & Casey Affleck In 2010, two women who'd worked on Casey Affleck's
film I'm Still Here sued him for harassment, with allegations ranging from touching one
of the women inappropriately while she slept to ordering crew members to expose themselves. The women reached settlements with Affleck
for undisclosed sums and were prohibited from speaking about the allegations. The subject of Affleck's alleged wrongs became
a centerpiece of his entire 2017 awards season run, with many focusing squarely on the way
survivor Brie Larson handled her duties of doling out trophies to him throughout his
sweep. Brother Ben also had his past come back to
haunt him in 2017. In October, the actor had to apologize to
One Tree Hill star Hilarie Burton for having felt her on the set of MTV's Total Request
Live back in 2003. "I don't remember it, but I absolutely apologize
for it." Days later, more women came forward accusing
Affleck of touching them inappropriately. Affleck didn't comment on the newest accusations,
but his Justice League press tour certainly put him in the hot to seat to answer for his
bad behaviors. Kevin Spacey Also joining the bevy of accused men in Hollywood
was Kevin Spacey, who was alleged to have made inappropriate advances on Star Trek:
Discovery 's Anthony Rapp when the actor was just 14. Spacey's statement on the matter was immediately
condemned, as he used that opportunity to come out of the closet, which LGBT advocates
did not find appropriate. But Spacey's troubles were far from over. A similar accusation was soon revealed by
Richard Dreyfuss' son, who was also a teenager at the time of the alleged incident, before
more than a dozen others came forward with their own stories. He was immediately fired from House Of Cards
and his scenes from Ridley Scott's All The Money In The World were re-shot with another
actor in the role. Spacey has since gone into hiding, although
he continues to deny the allegations. Louis C.K. In November, five women accused comedian Louis
C.K. of lewd behavior, alleging that he asked or forced them to watch him pleasure himself. Most of the women were comedians or otherwise
under C.K.'s employ. "And he approached me and got really close
to my face..." "And he said can I mastur--- in front of you?" Though he'd dismissed rumors of misconduct
for years, this time he copped to the tales, saying in a statement: "These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I
did was okay…" "But what I learned later in life... is that
when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d**k isn't a question. It's a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they
admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly." Like others of his unfortunate ilk, he, too,
has seen projects pulled from production as a result of these revelations. Dustin Hoffman Also in November, a production intern on the
1985 TV movie Death Of A Salesman accused Dustin Hoffman of harassing her throughout
the shooting of the film, with offenses allegedly ranging from inappropriate comments to unwanted
touching. Hoffman didn't deny the claims, telling The
Hollywood Reporter in a statement: "I have the utmost respect for women and feel
terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am." But even more accusations of various forms
of Hoffman's alleged misconduct have surfaced since the initial report, and Hoffman has
faced criticism from all walks of the industry as a result. Matt Lauer In late November, Matt Lauer was abruptly
fired from Today amid multiple allegations of misconduct spanning almost two decades. Variety reported that Lauer would invite young
female staffers to his hotel room late at night during Olympics coverage through the
years, as well as carrying on affairs in his office and elsewhere. Lauer didn't deny the accusations, saying
in a statement: "Some of what is being said about me is untrue
or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed
and ashamed." Mario Batali In December 2017, an Eater report revealed
that celebrity chef Mario Batali was accused of nearly 20 years of misconduct, with accusations
ranging from making inappropriate comments to restaurant workers to feeling and touching
women. Batali didn't deny the allegations and was
candid and apologetic, saying in a statement: "I apologize to the people I have mistreated
and hurt. Although the identities of most of the individuals
mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does,
in fact, match up with ways I have acted." Batali stepped away from his various eateries
and was fired from The Chew, while a reboot of Molto Mario on the Foot Network was canned. Morgan Spurlock Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock admitted
to various instances of past misconduct in a social media post in December, even claiming
that a woman accused him of forced activity. Following his confession, Spurlock stepped
down from Warrior Poets Productions, and his upcoming release, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken
was pulled from the Sundance Film Festival. He's but the latest in a string of high-powered
men whose past conduct has finally received a reckoning in 2017. Thanks for watching! Click the Nicki Swift icon to subscribe to
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