With the new year fast approaching, it’s time to reflect and re-examine the biggest celebrity scandals of 2025.
From jeans to royal evictions and a trip to space, here are the most scandalous moments in the calendar year.
One of the most talked about moments in 2025 was the controversial jeans ad starring Sydney Sweeney, which was released on July 23.
Sweeney, who became a household name on the hit show “Euphoria,” was at the center of backlash for her American Eagle campaign, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
SYDNEY SWEENEY TURNS CONTROVERSY INTO CASH AS AMERICAN EAGLE SALES JUMP
The commercial featured the actress talking about genes “being passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color.”
“My jeans are blue,” Sweeney said as the camera focused on her eyes.
The slogan, critics argued that the “jeans” and “genes” wordplay carried racially charged implications, noting that it had shades of “eugenics” and “White supremacy.”
Others simply said it was reminiscent of Brooke Shields’ 1980 Calvin Klein denim ads, with the sultry nature.
On August 1, American Eagle released a statement about the ad, writing: “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
In November, Sweeney addressed the backlash during her GQ “Men of the Year” cover story, to which she said: “I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.”
Weeks later, the actress told People magazine that she was “surprised” by the reaction.
“I was honestly surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true.”
She added, “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness. In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.”
King Charles III stripped his younger brother Prince Andrew of his title and ordered him to vacate his home, Royal Lodge.
The monarch initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honors of his brother Prince Andrew, who is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, per Buckingham Palace’s statement released in late October.
The move came after King Charles III was heckled during a visit to a cathedral. The heckler asked the king about Andrew’s ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The announcement came weeks after Andrew announced he was relinquishing his Duke of York title after British author Andrew Lownie published an unauthorized biography called “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York.”
Subsequently, in early December, Charles stripped Andrew of his final royal titles, including the membership in the Order of the Garter and as a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order.
The announcements were confirmed in the Gazette, the United Kingdom’s official public record.
“THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, dated 23 April 2006, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order,” the first announcement read, referring to Andrew’s elevation to the Order of the Garter in 2006.
Andrew was made a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order in 2011.
“THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, dated 19 February 2011, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order,” the second announcement said.
Katy Perry received backlash in April for her high-profile seat on the Blue Origin New Shepard mission to space.
She was part of an all-female crew, alongside Lauren Sánchez Bezos, TV host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen.
After returning to Earth, Perry said, “I feel super connected to love. So connected to love. I think this experience has shown me, you never know how much love is inside of you, how much love you have to give, and how loved you are until the day you launch.”
The trip to space was only 11 minutes and was criticized over the duration and estimated cost.
KATY PERRY BREAKS DOWN AFTER BLUE ORIGIN LANDING, KISSES THE GROUND POST ‘INCREDIBLE’ TRIP TO SPACE
While Blue Origin did not disclose how much each passenger had to pay for a ticket to space, the deposit per person was $150,000.
Perry appeared to hit back at the criticism at a concert weeks after the mission, per People.
She asked the crowd at her concert in Mexico City: “Has anyone ever called your dreams crazy?”
In July, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was caught on the jumbotron with the company’s HR chief, Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert.
During their performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Martin serenaded the crowd with an improv version of “The Jumbotron Song” — talking about couples featured on the big screen live.
The camera turned to Bryon and Cabot, who were seemingly cuddled together in an embrace — until they saw the camera and then scrambled to hide.
Their shocking reaction led the Coldplay frontman to say, “Whoa, look at these two.”
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“Either having an affair or just very shy,” Martin joked to the audience.
Online sleuths found the couple, claiming they were the Astronomer CEO Byron and his Chief People Officer Cabot. Astronomer is a New York-based tech firm.
A fake apology also circulated on social media from Byron, with Astronomer shutting it down, saying it was “not a real statement.”
Cabot had already been separated from her husband Andrew Cabot prior to the concert. She had filed for divorce on Aug. 13, weeks before the now-viral night.
Bryon was married to Megan Kerrigan at the time and the couple still appear be together, according to Page Six.
After sparking a firestorm of speculation across social media, Astronomer’s PR representative said that Byron was under “formal investigation”, and was placed on leave.
Soon after, Byron resigned from the company, and Cabot left her role days later.
On December 18, Cabot broke her silence on the scandal, telling The New York Times that she “made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss.”
“And it’s not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That’s the price I chose to pay. I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up. But you don’t have to be threatened to be killed for them,” she added.
Cabot said that her and Byron connected over their marital woes, and she went to the concert knowing she had a crush on him but that she thought she could manage her feelings.
After the drinks, she recalled that they shared their first kiss and had their arms wrapped around each other while in the suite.
After the viral moment, Cabot said it was “like someone flipped a switch. I’ll never be able to explain it in any articulate or intelligent way.”
Cabot said she was “embarrassed and horrified” and that “panic attacks were starting.”
During the fallout, she said she escaped to the mountains with her dog, but things took a turn when she saw that she was being scrutinized on social media and a topic of interest across the world — even being doxxed.
She recalled that for weeks, she received 500 to 600 calls a day as well as death threats.
“My kids were afraid that I was going to die, and they were going to die,” Cabot recalled.
In June, Hugh Jackman’s ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness fanned rumors of cheating in a statement she shared with the Daily Mail, speaking out for the first time since their split.
The couple announced their divorce in September 2023 after 27 years of marriage.
Four months after their separation, Jackman was seen holding hands with his former “Music Man” co-star Sutton Foster while going out to dinner in Los Angeles.
Jackman played conman Harold Hill while Foster played his love interest Marian Paroo in the Broadway revival of the musical, which ran from February 2022 to January 2023.
“My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,” Furness said in her statement, calling the separation “a profound wound that cuts deep.”
“However, I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working FOR us. This belief has helped me navigate the breakdown of an almost three-decade marriage,” Furness said.
Furness said she found “knowledge and wisdom” through the painful process.
“Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose. It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom,” she said.
Furness said she learned through divorce that “none of this is personal.”
“We are all on our individual journeys and I believe that the relationships in our lives are not random. We are drawn to people, we invite them in, in order to learn our lessons and to recognize and heal the broken parts of ourselves… I remain grateful,” Furness concluded.
Sutton split from her husband Ted Griffin in October 2024 after a decade of marriage.
The Beckham family drama began in 2022 and carried on well into 2025.
In November, Brooklyn Beckham did not attend dad David Beckham’s knighthood celebration, given by King Charles.
“I’ve held it together up until now,” David said, according to The Associated Press after the knighthood ceremony. “Being an East London boy, growing up in Leytonstone, moving to Manchester and now stood here with His Majesty the King giving me a knighthood is something I could never have imagined happening to me.”
Brooklyn was also noticeably quiet when his dad was announced as receiving a knighthood, which was David’s lifelong dream.
He also didn’t attend David’s 50th birthday, which took place in March 2025.
The origin of the family drama began over Brooklyn’s now-wife Nicola Peltz Beckham’s wedding dress.
DAVID BECKHAM KNIGHTED BY KING CHARLES FOR SERVICES TO SPORT AND CHARITY
Stories that Nicola allegedly chose a Valentino dress instead of one designed by his mom, Victoria Beckham, surfaced, as well as claims that Victoria declined to be the dress designer, according to The Sun.
Nicola denied the rumors of a feud, telling Variety after the wedding, “I was going to [wear Victoria Beckham] and I really wanted to, and then a few months down the line, she realized that her atelier couldn’t do it, so then I had to pick another dress. She didn’t say you can’t wear it; I didn’t say I didn’t want to wear it. That’s where it started, and then they ran with that,” referring to the media.
While Nicola and Brooklyn were seen with his family over the years, it became apparent there was drama, as his family were notably absent at the couple’s vow renewal ceremony in August 2025.
On Dec. 20th, Brookyln’s younger brother Cruz cleared up rumors that David and Victoria unfollowed Brookyln.
Cruz took to Instagram claiming that Brooklyn blocked their parents on Instagram, after seeing a story on the Daily Mail that claimed they had “unfollowed” Brooklyn.
“NOT TRUE. My mum and dad would never unfollow their son.. Let’s get the facts right. They woke up blocked… as did I,” Crus wrote on his Instagram stories, adding a screenshot of the article.
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, is alleged to be the biological mother of John Travolta’s youngest son, Benjamin,15, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
The lawsuit was filed by Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, the former business associates of Priscilla Presley. The allegation about Keough, 36, is in an amended complaint.
Kruse is currently suing Presley’s son, Navarone Garcia, for breach of contract.
Travolta and his late wife Kelly Preston, who died in 2020, shared three kids: Jett, Ella and Benjamin.
Kruse claimed in the legal filing that Lisa Marie Presley, the mother of Riley Keough, allegedly told ex-husband Michael Lockwood that Preston couldn’t bear her own children.
They allegedly sought to use Lisa Marie’s eggs but didn’t want “eggs with heroin on them,” the plaintiffs claimed in the filing.
They alleged that Keough offered her eggs, so Preston could carry the baby while they were in Hawaii in 2010, with Keough given $10,000-$20,000 and an old Jaguar.
The filing also claimed that Lockwood told Kruse that Travolta “needed to help salvage his career amid claims of sexual assault against other men.”
Lockwood allegedly claimed he was so financially strained he was eating “dog food” and urged Kruse to use the information to force a settlement for himself and his daughters he shared with the late Lisa Marie.
The plaintiffs alleged that Garcia wanted a multi-million settlement and insisted the biological connection of Keough and Benjamin stay out of the press.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jordan Matthews of Holtz Matthews LLP defended Kruse and Fialko, and said the lawsuit was filed after they were falsely accused and cut out after years of work for the Presley family.
“Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko are heartbroken that they have been forced to file their most recent amended complaint. They have been accused of horrific acts that are not supported by any evidence whatsoever,” the statement read.
“These accusations are especially painful given the enormous amount of work they performed to keep the Presley family together during an extremely difficult and divisive period of time. Their efforts resolved all Presley family disputes in the wake of Lisa Marie’s untimely passing. Every matter was settled, all parties were paid, and closure was achieved. It was only after this work was completed that Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko were cast aside, not paid for their work and falsely accused of wrongdoing without any proof whatsoever.”
“Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko remain confident that the truth will prevail and trust that the courts will not favor one person over another simply because of one party’s celebrity status. To that end, we will vigorously pursue justice for our clients and will not tolerate any attempt to bully or defame them,” Matthew wrote.
Priscilla Presley denied the accusation about Keough via a statement from her attorneys, Marty Singer and Wayne Harman via TMZ.
“After losing motion after motion in the case, and unsuccessfully seeking to have Presley’s counsel of record, Marty Singer, disqualified from representing her in the matter, Brigitte Kruse, Kevin Fialko, and their co-conspirators have demonstrated that there is no bar too low, no ethical line that they are unwilling to cross in an effort to cause further pain to Priscilla Presley and her family,” they told TMZ.
“In a completely improper effort to exert undue pressure on Presley to retract her legitimate, truthful claims, Kruse and her co-conspirators have also sued Presley’s son, cousin, and assistant. These recent outrageous allegations have absolutely nothing to do with the claims in this case. The conduct of Kruse, Fialko, and their new lawyers (they are on their fourth set of attorneys) is shameful, and it absolutely will be addressed in court,” they told the outlet.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Tracy Wright, Stephanie Nolasco and Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
