Rumors about celebrities are nothing new. Whether it's those claims that Kourtney Kardashian hooked up with Justin Bieber or the possible reunion of exes Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, speculation is a constant in Hollywood. But there's a very distinct difference between letting rumors live on and not telling the truth. Sometimes, in an effort to boost their reputations, celebrities will spin the truth. Although the intention may be positive, it doesn't always work out in their favor. Especially when the truth comes out, they're considered a liar, and the whole game plan basically backfires.
Over the years, there have been a variety of celebrity lies. From the little white lies that get brushed under the rug to the big whoppers that lead to serious criminal charges (ahem, Martha Stewart). Honestly, it's kind of confusing as to why celebrities try to get away with these sorts of things in the first place, since they're in the spotlight and people can easily do background checks to dig up the facts. Seriously, the truth always comes out eventually. Have they never seen an episode of Pretty Little Liars?
Here's a round-up of the most memorable lies from celebrities over the years, ranging from the more innocent offenses (like lying about your age) to the more puzzling (like saying your wife is your sister).
1. Britney Spears
Back in the early 2000s, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were the ultimate celebrity couple. While they were together, Spears claimed that she was waiting until they were married to have sex. In a 2000 interview with Britain's Daily Star, she said, "The virginity issue. It's a personal decision and it reflects how I feel right now about myself. There are so many emotions involved that I would like to be able to wait until I know I'm with the right person and I'm married."
After they already broke up, the truth came out in 2002 during a 20/20 interview with Timberlake, in which he admitted they had sex. Addressing the whole situation in a 2003 interview with V, Spears came clean and said:
It was two years into my relationship with Justin. And I thought he was the one. But I was wrong. I didn't think he was gonna go on Barbara Walters and sell me out.
It's disappointing that Timberlake chose to spill the beans about something so personal. I imagine that was incredibly hurtful for the "Oops! I Did It Again" singer. At the same time, it's also a bummer that Spears felt like she had to lie in the first place. There shouldn't be such shame associated with having a sex life.
2. Jack & Meg White
When The White Stripes first made it onto the music scene in the late '90s, Jack and Meg White claimed they were siblings. It wasn't until 2005 that they admitted the truth: They're married. They said they lied so that people would take them seriously as musicians. Jack told Rolling Stone:
It's funny that people think me and Meg sit up late at night, in front of a gas lamp, and come up with these intricate lies to trick people. ... If we had presented ourselves in another fashion... how would we have been perceived, right off the bat? When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, "Oh, I see..." When they're brother and sister, you go, "Oh, that's interesting." You care more about the music, not the relationship.
Honestly, this one is a bit bizarre, but I guess it's not as bad as if the reverse was true — a pair of siblings pretending to be married.
3. Robin Thicke
When Robin Thicke released "Blurred Lines" in 2012, it caused quite a bit of controversy. And no, I'm not talking about that memorable VMAs performance with Miley Cyrus. Instead, there was a mix-up over who actually wrote the song. Initially, Thicke took credit for co-writing the track. In 2013, he told GQ, "We literally wrote the song in about a half hour and recorded it."
Later in 2014, he admitted during a plagiarism lawsuit that it was all Pharrell. The lawsuit was about whether the song was a rip-off of Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up." When that happened, he was quick to deny his involvement. The Hollywood Reporter obtained a copy of Thicke's deposition, in which he said:
I was high on Vicodin and alcohol when I showed up at the studio. So my recollection is when we made the song, I thought I wanted to be more involved than I actually was by the time, nine months later, it became a huge hit and I wanted credit. ... But the reality is, Pharrell had the beat and he wrote almost every single part of the song.
Considering the song doesn't spread the most positive message about the importance of consent, I'm not sure why he even wanted to take credit for it to begin with. But at least the truth is out in the open now.
4. Nicki Minaj
Like many other celebrities, Nicki Minaj got caught in a little white lie about her age. In a July 2011 police report obtained by TMZ, Minaj stated she was born Dec. 8, 1982. That wouldn't be a problem, except she had previously told everyone she was younger. Several sources — including cover stories in Billboard's November 2010 issue and Complex's October/November 2010 issue — cited the star as 26-years-old. The math is a little confusing here, but it just doesn't add up. Considering she was born in 1982, that means her age was inaccurate in all of those articles. At the time, she would've actually been 27.
The "Anaconda" singer isn't the only one in this boat. Jennifer Lopez and Rebel Wilson have also been caught in age-related hot water. As for Beyoncé's real age, that's forever a source of speculation.
5. Steve Rannazzisi
This may be the most disappointing moment on the list. The League actor Steve Rannazzisi lied about being in the World Trade Center on 9/11. He originally had an elaborate story about that tragic day prompting him to pick up and move to Los Angeles to pursue his comedy dreams. But in September 2015, Rannazzisi said:
I was not at the Trade Center on that day. I don't know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry.
As he says himself, this is a pretty "inexcusable" lie. I will say, though, at least he came clean about it. When it comes to honesty, better late than never.
6. Tyga
No, Tyga isn't on this list for that whole period of time that he and Kylie Jenner claimed they were "just friends." Although admittedly, I'm still suspicious. Instead, Tyga got caught in a lie about where he's from. The rapper claimed he came from Compton, until TMZ found a video stating otherwise. In a 2008 game show clip, Tyga says he's from the Valley. He later said he lied on that game show and really is from Compton.
Honestly, this whole situation is confusing. Tyga should be proud of where he's from and not have lied about it at any point.
7. Zayn Malik
When Zayn Malik quit One Direction, he claimed it was so that he could shy away from the spotlight and lead a normal life. I don't know about you, but most 22-year-olds aren't releasing solo albums. Considering Malik debuted his first solo track only a week after leaving the band, it appears as though he lied about the reason for leaving. Especially since he's now in the process of making his own music.
In a recent interview with Billboard, he came clean about One Direction not being what he expected. So, I guess he just got fed up with the boy band life, huh? He could've just been honest from the beginning, though. Why break fans' hearts in the process?
8. Kim Kardashian
Sometimes Kim Kardashian's lies are accidental — like when she accidentally promised Kanye West music before it was ready. She tweeted an apology and it quickly became old news:
The same can't be said for her lie back in 2007. In an interview with Complex, the reality star was asked about a sex tape with Ray J. She denied it and told the magazine:
There is no sex tape! Ray J's not the kind of guy who would do something for revenge. There is no amount of money that could ever convince me to release any tape, even if I had one. I don't need the money!
A few months later, the magazine asked her about it again, since at that point, the truth came out and the video dropped. Kardashian responded:
I apologize for not publicly being honest, but no one wants to hope that that's the truth and you hope that will never come out so I felt like at the time that's all that I could have said.
In this case, I think the lie makes sense. That's such a personal thing that, of course, she didn't want to tell the whole world about it.
9. Kylie Jenner
For such a long time, Kylie Jenner claimed that her lips just looked bigger because of the way she did her makeup. It wasn't until May 2015 that she finally came clean and admitted she had temporary lip fillers. On an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the youngest Jenner said:
I have temporary lip fillers, it's just an insecurity of mine and it's what I wanted to do ... I want to admit to the lips, but people are so quick to judge me on everything, so I might have tiptoed around the truth, but I didn't lie.
She says she didn't lie, but she wasn't entirely honest either. Getting lip fillers is different than just drawing larger lips with lip-liner, right? There's nothing wrong with changing how you look if it makes you feel better, but there's also no need to lie about it.
10. Martha Stewart
Remember back in 2004 when Martha Stewart went to jail? That's because she lied to federal investigators regarding the sale of stocks in late 2001. She sold ImClone stocks right before the stock price dropped. Because of insider trading, Stewart saved herself money by knowing the product hadn't gotten FDA approval and would soon plummet in stocks. In this case, it's an example where if you do the crime, you have to pay the time.
11. Beyoncé
There's no denying that "Irreplaceable" is a catchy song. And while Beyoncé sings the memorable ballad, there's some confusion over who really wrote the lyrics. When it first came out, Queen Bey seemed to take full credit in a 2008 interview with Marie Claire UK. She said, "I'm sure people think I wrote it about [Jay Z] or something, but... the obvious person is not the person at all."
The problem here? She's not the one who came up with most of the lyrics. A few years later, it was revealed that Ne-Yo actually wrote the song and Beyoncé only contributed to the background harmonies. Ne-Yo told a radio station:
One song that I gave away and didn't want to is Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable." I honestly wrote that song for myself ... However, a man singing it comes across a little bit misogynistic, a little bit mean.
His comments caused more controversy, since people viewed it as a dis. Basically, it was a whole big commotion over a little lie. In 2014, singer-songwriter Linda Perry even called out Beyoncé for often getting full credit for others' work. Perhaps that means this isn't the only time something like this has happened.
The main lesson here? Celebrities aren't the best at lying. Unless you're PLL's Alison DiLaurentis, you're probably better off sticking to the truth.
