12 Bizarre Tabloid Rumors That Turned Out to Be True
It’s like they say in Men in Black, the tabloids are sometimes the best investigative reporting on the planet.
Could Ellen Be Gay?!?!
While her star was still rising in the ‘90s, Ellen DeGeneres had never publicly come out, and much of America just assumed she, like everyone else on their TVs, was straight as an arrow. A rumored upcoming episode in the fourth season of Ellen was said to have the character come out as gay — causing tabloids to wonder whether the actor herself was as well. She demurred for a while, but after the episode came out, so did she, very publicly, to Time.
Lorde’s Finsta
A viral onion ring review account, OnionRingsWorldwide, was long suspected to belong to Lorde. Proving that he’s never been afraid to speak truth to power, Jimmy Fallon confronted her about it on his show. She came clean, and then never updated it again.
Hip Hop’s ‘Gay Mafia’
In 2011, Fat Joe made the conspiratorial assertion that “the hip hop industry is most likely owned by gays. I happen to think there’s a gay mafia in hip hop. Not rappers — the editorial presidents of magazines, the PDs at radio stations, the people who give you awards at award shows.” Was he referring to all the stuff that came out in the Diddy trial? Who can say!
America’s Little Brother Had Awful Parents
When he turned 16 in 1997, Macaulay Culkin emancipated from his parents. For a long time, he would only publicly confirm that his parents had mismanaged his money, leaving rumors to swirl about just how bad those two idiots were. In a 2018 episode of Marc Maron’s WTF, Culkin detailed his father’s emotional and physical abuse.
Charles Manson: Aspiring Surf Rocker
After he did a stint in prison in the ‘60s, but before he went full, well, Charles Manson, he got hooked up with drummer Dennis Wilson. Manson was really hoping to get signed to a recording contract, but the furthest he got was writing a song called “Cease to Exist,” which the Beach Boys retooled into “Never Learn Not to Love.”
Sarah Jessica Parker v. Kim Cattrall
Rumors about a feud between the two Sex and the City costars had been brewing since the ‘90s, but they kept it civil throughout the series and subsequent movies. It was proven true a few times over the years, most notably in 2018, when Parker reached out after Cattrall’s brother passed away. Cattrall unleashed on social media, clarifying that Parker was “not my family” and “not my friend.”
The Curse of 32
Singer/songwriter Cass Elliot’s legacy has been tarnished by a completely false rumor — that she choked to death on a sandwich — due to a lie published in an obituary. The crazy coincidence that turned out to be true is that Keith Moon died in the exact same London apartment, four years later, also at the age of 32. It belonged to a mutual friend who would rent it out to touring musicians. This friend was hesitant to let Moon have it, after the Elliot tragedy, but Pete Townshend assured him “lightning wouldn’t strike the same place twice.”
Drew Barrymore Finally Tells Her Own Story
It had long been Hollywood and tabloid legend that Barrymore got the classic Old Hollywood treatment: getting exploited by adults and hooked on drugs at a very young age. She confirmed much of it in her 2016 memoir: She’d been clubbing since she was nine years old (with 30-year-olds), she was addicted to drugs by 12 and had to do several stints in rehab.
R. Kelly’s Whole Thing
Back before R. Kelly’s true nature came to light, there was a bizarre rumor swirling around the industry: that he’d forged documents and “married” R&B singer Aaliyah when she was 15 and he was 27. That turned out to be just one of many misdeeds that was unearthed over the course of his downfall. Aaliyah was never ready to comment on the situation before she tragically died at 22.
KISS Gave Their Blood to Marvel
In 1977, Marvel produced a series of comic books featuring this group of weirdos who looked like they were peeled off the pages of one. It sounded too dumb to be true, but it was later confirmed by Paul Stanley and Stan Lee: The band collected some of their blood, and mixed it with the ink used to print the books.
Courtney Love on Harvey Weinstein
She dropped an ominous warning in 2005, making her among the first to say Hollywood’s best-kept secret out loud: “Should I say it? If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party at the Four Seasons, don’t go.”
Ozzy’s Extreme Habits
He’s done a lot of his weirdest stuff publicly, but one story was finally confirmed in a 2019 Netflix documentary: He had indeed snorted a line of ants.