15 Audacious Celebrity Stunts That Just Flopped Horribly
![15 Audacious Celebrity Stunts That Just Flopped Horribly](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/0/879790_320x180.jpg)
There's clearly something wildly intoxicating about celebrity. Some people spend entirely lifetimes toiling in obscurity to achieve it, even though it's abundantly clear that there's no relief, no lasting high if and when it's achieved. People who are already celebrities are the ones who will go to the greatest, most asinine lengths to get just one more hit of that sweet, sweet notoriety. We've got bands and 90's sitcom stars dropping fake dirty tapes. We've got media personalities making up half-assed stories about seeing real combat in war-torn countries. In the 80's, we had a talk show host ripping up his clothes and drawing on himself with permanent marker in an airport bathroom, in an attempt to somehow make people… like him more?
Of course, in the modern era, we're going to have celebs trying unsuccessfully to harness the power of social media to get one last huff of fame. For example: Woody Harrelson doing a Reddit AMA, and Bill Cosby requesting that the internet make him a meme.
Lots more yikes below:
Yacht
![CRACKED L.A. band Yacht created a fake sex tape to promote their new album. The whole story was fiction and a scheme weeks in the making to advertise a new music video. Activists say the stunt may make it harder for revenge porn victims to be believed.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/4/879804.jpg)
Brian Williams
![CRACKED Brian Williams was exiled from MSNBC for seven months in 2015. This came after a series of events that led to him being suspended without pay, including allegations that he exaggerated details about his experiences during the Iraq War.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/6/879806.jpg)
Charlize Theron
![CRACKED Charlize Theron landed in hot water for wearing another brand's watch. Swiss company Raymond Weil sued Theron for breach of contract after she was photographed wearing a Christian Dior watch. Theron claimed it was an oversight, but the judge ruled that she breached her agreement multiple times.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/1/879801.jpg)
Oprah Winfrey (and KFC)
![GRACKED You can't get away with not delivering the chicken, even if Oprah is involved. A district court ruled that KFC did not live up to their word on coupons for free Kentucky Grilled Chicken meals promoted by Oprah Winfrey. The plaintiffs alleged common law fraud against the fast food chain, and the judge agreed, stating that they have a plausible claim.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/7/879797.jpg)
Morton Downey Jr.
![CRACKED Talk show host Morton Downey Jr. faked an attack for publicity. In 1989, Downey said three skinheads attacked him in an airport restroom, but authorities thought he made up the story. Downey was reportedly found with a pair of scissors and a felt-tip marker pen in a toilet bowl, but there was no other evidence of the attack.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/8/879798.jpg)
Madonna
![CRACKED Madonna wouldn't remove a projection of a swastika. Even though she was sued, Madonna has refused to remove the projection on French right-winger Marine Le Pen's head in a display used on her MDNA tour. She argued that the song in question, Nobody Knows Me, addresses intolerance and how much we judge people before knowing them.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/0/879800.jpg)
Alicia Keys
![CRACKED Alicia Keys was caught using the wrong phone brand. UT Black Keys left her job as BlackBerry's creative director after only one year. She was hired as a celebrity spokesperson but got caught tweeting from an iPhone, leading many to question her commitment to the brand.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/6/879796.jpg)
Woody Harrelson
![THREE GIL BOARDS CRACKED Chung Woody Harrelson's AMA went downhill fast. Harrelson's AMA on Reddit went downhill when he started treating it like a regular interview and ignoring users' questions. For a while after that, redditors were roasting him mercilessly.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/2/879802.jpg)
Kathy Griffin
![Kathy Griffin is fiercely unapologetic for her Trump stunt. Griffin is no longer sorry for holding up a fake decapitated head of Donald Trump. She says the whole outrage was blown out of proportion and she lost so much because of it, including her job on CNN's New Year's Eve special. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/5/879805.jpg)
Guns N' Roses (and Dr Pepper)
![CRACKED Guns N' Roses and Dr Pepper have a complicated relationship. When GNR released their long-awaited album Chinese Democracy, Dr Pepper promised every American a free can of soda, but the website to claim it was inaccessible. Axl Rose threatened legal action against Dr Pepper, because not everyone in America got a free drink. Pepr Est. -](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/9/879799.jpg)
Dustin Diamond
![CRACKED Dustin Diamond released a (fake) sex tape in 2006. Diamond tried to make some quick cash by releasing a sex tape called Screeched, but it turned out that it wasn't actually him in the video. Не later admitted that a stunt person was hired, and said it was all about making money.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/3/879793.jpg)
NBC
Bill Cosby
![CRACKED BIT Dosby Pelme - Go ahead Meme mel BillCosby.com/CosbyMeme #CosbyMeme HAPPY MONDAY! WORLD - TES SEC - After asking the internet to meme him, Bill Cosby's plan backfired. Fans used the web tool provided to highlight past accusations against the comedian instead of memeing him. The original tweet was quickly deleted, and the link redirected to Cosby's homepage.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/3/879803.jpg)
Randy Miramontez/Shutterstock, Bill Cosby/Twitter
Boris Johnson
![CRACKED Boris Johnson dangled from a zipline during the 2012 Olympic games. While he was Mayor of London, Johnson got stuck on a zipline during the Olympics. An internet meme surfaced, called Dangleboris.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/5/879795.jpg)
Ashanti
![CRACKED Ashanti promoted her album with death threats. To promote The Declaration, the singer's website allowed visitors to send gotcha-grams - personalized reports about the receiver being gruesomely murdered out of jealousy. Universal Music quickly shut that down after the backlash.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/2/879792.jpg)
Criss Angel and Ginuwine
![CRACKED Criss Angel and Ginuwine were rehearsing a magic stunt when Ginuwine passed out. The stunt involved being submerged in water, and things took a turn for the worse when Ginuwine lost consciousness. According to Angel, it was unclear as to whether or not Ginuwine was suffering from a stroke or heart attack, but thankfully he made a full recovery.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/4/879794.jpg)
Jaguar PS/Shutterstock, Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock