12 Nostalgic Tabloid Figures Who Didn’t Deserve The Hate They Got

While working as a security guard at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA, Richard Jewell discovered a suspicious backpack under a bench. He alerted officials, who found three pipe bombs inside. Jewell helped clear the vicinity, saving crowds of people from the incendiary devices before they detonated. He was hailed as a hero – until he wasn’t.

The FBI began investigating Jewell as the potential culprit, and an inside source leaked this information to the press. The media was quick to make damaging assessments about his guilt and vicious comments about his weight. The New York Post called him the “Village Rambo” and “a fat, failed, former sheriff’s deputy.” Jay Leno asked, “What is it about the Olympic Games that brings out big, fat, stupid guys?”

Jewell was even compared to the suspected serial killer of the Atlanta child murders of 1979-1981, Wayne Williams, with an Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist writing, “Like this one, that suspect was drawn to the blue lights and sirens of police work. Like this one, he became famous in the aftermath of murder.” Meanwhile, the FBI hadn’t even named Jewell a suspect.

Jewell, who lived with his mother, remembered the constant hounding from both the press and public at the time. When someone got a hold of his mother’s home phone number, they received about 1,000 calls a day. Anytime Jewell’s mother left the house, he said, “They would holler obscenities at her. They would yell, ‘Did he do it? Did he blow those people up?’ They would yell, ‘You should both die.'”

Three months after the incident, Jewell was cleared by investigators. The real culprit was eventually caught in 2003. Until Jewell’s passing in 2007 from heart disease, every year on the bombing’s anniversary, he secretly placed a rose and card on the spot where spectator Alice Hawthorne lost her life.

In 1980, Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton took her 9-week-old baby, Azaria, on a family camping trip to Uluru, Australia. She was enjoying a barbecue with other campers that August night when she heard a cry and went to check on her daughter. The baby was gone, with only blood remaining in the tent and paw prints leaving the entrance. Chamberlain-Creighton’s subsequent shouts of “the dingo’s got my baby!” (further popularized by a film starring Meryl Streep) would make her one of the most ridiculed and reviled figures in Australian history.

During the investigation and subsequent homicide trial, public and press alike weighed in on Chamberlain-Creighton’s case. Her behavior was under intense scrutiny, attracting criticism for everything from her openness with reporters to what she wore – her sleeveless dresses and her “sultry good looks,” as one reporter described it, apparently related to her guilt.

The fact that Chamberlain-Creighton and her husband at the time were Seventh-day Adventists also raised suspicion, and stirred lurid rumors of cult slayings and sacrifices. Some claimed the name “Azaria” was Hebrew for “sacrifice in the wilderness,” but it actually means “God helped.”

Despite no body, no motive, and witness testimony of dingoes in the area, Chamberlain-Creighton was convicted of slaying her daughter. The dingo story just sounded unbelievable, or as prosecutors put it, like “a calculated, fanciful lie.” When Chamberlain-Creighton was convicted, people around the country applauded. She spent three years in prison for Azaria’s slaying and received frequent hate mail.

New evidence emerged in the case in 1986, after a hiker accidentally fell off rocks in the area and perished. His body was found near a dingo den, along with an article of Azaria’s clothing that Chamberlain-Creighton had always insisted was missing. Much of the “forensic” evidence used to convict Chamberlain-Creighton was also determined to be erroneous. Still, it wasn’t until 2012 when an Australian medical examiner finally ruled a dingo as the culprit.

In 1994, Stella Liebeck accidentally spilled her cup of hot McDonald’s coffee on herself and decided to take the company to court. The case came to exemplify frivolous lawsuits in the US, where anyone would sue for anything if they thought they could make a quick buck.

However, McDonald’s coffee at the time was kept at an undrinkably hot level – between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit (about 82 to 88 degrees Celsius). Food carries a burn hazard if it’s more than 140 F (60 C). According to a McDonald’s quality assurance manager, the company kept its coffee at a level that would burn your throat if you were to drink it.

For Liebeck, who was 79 at the time, spilling her coffee resulted in third-degree burns on her legs and groin area that required hospitalization, extensive surgery, and skin grafts. Prior to the Liebeck case, the company had received 700 complaints from people who’d burned themselves with the coffee.

While Liebeck became a symbol of litigious American culture, she initially didn’t want to sue McDonald’s; she merely requested the company pay for her $20,000 medical bills. The company refused, which caused Liebeck to sue.

She ultimately settled for a combination of compensatory and punitive damages worth around $640,000. The jury that originally heard her case thought the payout should be $2.9 million. The amount was appealed by both parties, who later settled for a confidential sum. A judge presiding over the case described the corporation’s actions as “reckless, callous, and willful.”

After she went into cardiac arrest and collapsed in 1990, Terri Schiavo became the center of a legal battle that would last up until 2005, as her husband, Michael Schiavo, fought to remove her feeding tube, and her family (the Schindlers) fought to keep her alive by any means necessary. Both sides argued they were following what Terri’s wishes would have been, but the fight turned bitter, with each leveling grave accusations against the other.

But that wasn’t always the case. Schiavo and the Schindlers remained close for years after Terri’s collapse. While Schiavo would later receive backlash and death threats for his decision to date another woman, it was three years after Terri’s collapse before he decided to date again. According to Terri’s former guardian, Jay Wolfson:

It took Michael a long time to consider the prospect of getting on with his life… something he was actively encouraged to do by the Schindlers, long before enmity tore them apart.

The enmity seemed to stem from a $1 million malpractice suit Schiavo was awarded. Both parties accused the other of being after the money, $300,000 of which Schiavo kept and $750,000 of which he put in a trust for his wife’s care. The Schindlers began to accuse Schiavo of wanting to eliminate Terri to marry his girlfriend and keep the money. While a feud began, it wasn’t until 1998 when Schiavo petitioned (for the first time) to remove his wife’s feeding tube, citing a promise he made to his wife to let her pass with dignity.

The public and various media outlets soon took sides as well. Schiavo was called an adulterer, while his girlfriend was called a whore. He was also accused of homicide, but not only for his decision to remove his wife’s feeding tube. Many of the Schindler family’s supporters claimed Schiavo was an abusive husband and had caused Terri’s collapse, despite no forensic evidence to back up the claim. A state court rejected further investigation into the claim of mistreatment, as previous allegations had been found to be groundless.

As to why he didn’t divorce Terri, Schiavo responded in an interview, “Terri wasn’t like a football… an inanimate object you pass back and forth. She was my wife. You mean because your wife gets sick, do you give her back?” He also said he continued to endure the harassment and the drawn-out legal fight for Terri’s sake: “I was doing something that Terri wanted. And I couldn’t give it up on her. I came this far. And I wasn’t gonna let anybody stand in my way.”

An independent report to former Governor Jeb Bush and the judicial system stated “the evidence is incontrovertible that [Schiavo] gave his heart and soul to her treatment and care.”

In September 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America. But by September of the following year, Williams had abdicated her throne and Penthouse magazine had published unauthorized nude photos of her in its September ’84 issue, with the headline: “Miss America: Oh, God, She’s Nude!”

Before she became Miss America, Williams was a photographer’s assistant, and during that time, she posed for some pictures she was told she’d be “unidentifiable” in. When pageant organizers learned of the upcoming publication of the photos, they publicly asked for Williams’s resignation. In her public statement, she said, “I wish I could retain my title,” but cited the “potential harm to the pageant and the deep, deep division that a bitter fight may cause” as reasons why she couldn’t keep her position.

Williams also stated in the press conference it was “the worst thing that ever happened” to her, and said she felt violated, both by Penthouse for its publication of the images and by the pageant for going to the press with its desire for her resignation.

Penthouse called the decision to publish her photos a “business decision” rather than “a moral decision.” While Williams did file a lawsuit against the magazine, she eventually dropped it, telling People:

I just wanted to get on with my life… So many people have gotten burned by those people that I think they’ll eventually get it in the end and die a slow, painful death.

As for Miss America, the pageant apologized to Williams in 2015, 32 years after she was forced to give up the crown. CEO Sam Haskell told Williams:

I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less than the Miss America you are and the Miss America you always will be.

The audience gave Williams a standing ovation, who called the apology “unexpected” and “beautiful.”

From their shared Mickey Mouse Club days to their matching denim outfits, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake dominated pop culture at the turn of the millennium, particularly after announcing their relationship in 1999. But things didn’t last for the young stars, who broke up in 2002 amidst much tabloid fodder.

The story put forward by the media was the breakup occurred after Spears, often painted as a promiscuous party girl, had cheated on Timberlake, who was left brokenhearted. A 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters after the split referenced the pop star crying himself to sleep every night. It also pointedly addressed the infidelity rumor, though Timberlake said he promised Spears he wouldn’t publicly reveal the reason for their breakup.

Walters then asked Timberlake if they lived up to the “morals” Spears had previously discussed in interviews (i.e., no sleeping together before marriage), to which he responded with a laugh: “Sure.” In a radio interview later that year, when asked if he’d “f*cked” Spears, Timberlake replied, “Okay, I did it.”

The “Britney betrayal” narrative only worsened after Timberlake released his hit single “Cry Me a River,” alongside a music video that featured a Spears lookalike. In the video, Timberlake gets revenge on the Spears-like figure who cheats on him by hooking up with another girl in her home and videotaping it. Speaking to Rolling Stone about her prior knowledge of the video, Spears said:

He called me up and… behind it was, “And by the way, you’re in a video that’s coming out… Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal.”

So the record label called and said, “If you want to change this, you can.” I had the power to say no to the video. But I didn’t, because I thought, “Hey, it’s your video…”

I hadn’t seen it. Then it came out, and I said, “I should’ve freakin’ said no to this sh*t!” I was so like, “Woah. What is going on right now?”

The breakup headlines continued into 2003, with Diane Sawyer’s now-infamous interview with Spears. Sawyer chided the then 21-year-old Spears, saying, “You did something that caused him so much pain… so much suffering.”

Spears kept her responses to the cheating allegations vague, saying, “I think everyone has a side of their story, to make them feel a certain way… I’m not technically saying he’s wrong. But I’m not technically saying he’s right either.” She eventually broke down in tears and asked Sawyer to stop.

The 2004 Super Bowl was memorable not for the football game, but for the halftime performance (oft called “Nipplegate”) that was so rewatched it inspired YouTube. After being bumped for the past two years, Janet Jackson headlined with a number of guest stars, including a surprise appearance from Justin Timberlake, performing “Rock Your Body.” At the end of the number, Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson’s costume to reveal her right breast on live television.

Though it only lasted a moment, the outrage was swift, as was the debate. Was the incident planned? If not, whose fault was it? Jackson and Timberlake both eventually released apologies and seemed to align on the story that while some removal of the costume had been planned at the last minute, Timberlake was only meant to reveal a red bralette underneath. Removing the whole thing had been a “wardrobe malfunction.”

After receiving an unprecedented number of complaints about the incident, FCC Chairman Michael Powell issued a statement:

I am outraged at what I saw during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. Like millions of Americans, my family and I gathered around the television for a celebration. Instead, that celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt. Our nation’s children, parents, and citizens deserve better.

While Jackson had been scheduled to appear at the Grammys the following week, then was asked not to, Timberlake did appear and won two awards, while issuing another apology for the incident. Jackson’s album, Damita Jo, which came out that March, was her lowest-selling since 1984, despite favorable reviews from critics. This was reportedly caused in part by CBS CEO Les Moonves, who refused to let Viacom television or radio stations play songs from her album.

Jackson was also repeatedly pressed about the events in interviews for years to follow, like on Letterman, where she eventually responded, “There are more important things to focus on in this world than my breast.”

As times changed, many involved have acknowledged the heavy blame placed specifically on Jackson, including Timberlake, who headlined the Super Bowl halftime in 2018 and performed the same song sans Jackson. Even Powell later walked back his previous statement, saying:

I personally thought that was really unfair… It all turned into being about her. In reality, if you slow the thing down, it’s Justin ripping off her breastplate… I think we’ve been removed from this long enough for me to tell you that I had to put my best version of outrage on that I could put on…

When Laci Peterson went missing while eight-months pregnant on Christmas Eve 2002, attention immediately zeroed in on her husband, Scott Peterson. Her body, along with that of her unborn son, was found in April 2003, and Scott went on trial for her slaying. During the highly publicized investigation and trial, the media also honed in on a woman named Amber Frey, whom Scott had had a brief affair with, dubbing Frey his “mistress” and “the other woman.”

Frey first met Scott, who told her he was single, on November 20, 2002, after being introduced to him by a mutual acquaintance. They ended up meeting five more times over the course of the relationship, the last being on December 14, 2002. Scott first claimed he’d never been married or had children, but later said he’d “lost” his wife. Frey went to police six days after Laci went missing and secretly began recording continued conversations with Scott.

In addition to her “mistress” label, many suggested Frey was after her 15 minutes of fame, and nude photos of her were leaked before the trial. Frey’s attorney, Gloria Allred, said her client was “humiliated” by the attention on her personal life and was a woman who had bravely come forward to do the right thing. Frey ended up being a key witness for the prosecution.

While Scott was convicted in the homicides, his death sentence was overturned in 2020, and he has continued to appeal for a new trial, with a hearing to be held in late February 2022 over alleged juror misconduct. If granted, Allred has said her client will testify again if necessary, with her only motive being that justice is served:

Amber has said the truth is the truth… So if… there should be a new trial… She’s willing to testify and she will testify… Is she looking forward to it? No. Nobody is looking forward to being a witness to a high-profile case, but she will do it. And she knows it’s important to the cause of justice.

Frey did write a book about her experience with the case, published in 2005. The summary says her “whole world was turned upside down in the process. She lost her privacy, as every detail of her life was scrutinized by the media, who couldn’t seem to get enough of this tragic, heart-wrenching story.”

The former Baywatch star and the Mötley Crüe rocker made headlines with their whirlwind romance, which culminated in their Cancun wedding in 1995. Not long afterward, they got into some beef with an electrician named Rand Gauthier, who was doing work on their Malibu mansion. After Tommy Lee allegedly refused to pay Gauthier and pointed a gun at him, Gauthier decided to get revenge by swiping a safe from the couple’s home. Expecting to find Lee’s guns and Pamela Anderson’s jewels, Gauthier got more than he bargained for when he realized the safe contained a sex tape made by the couple.

As Gauthier tried to find distribution for the tape, bootleg copies began making their way around Los Angeles. It wasn’t until early 1996 when Lee and Anderson even realized the safe, and their private tape, were missing. Soon, the couple learned even Penthouse had a copy. In March they filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against anyone they believed to be in possession of the tape, including Penthouse. Twice, their efforts to file injunctions against the magazine failed, and though Penthouse didn’t print actual stills of the couple (Lee and Anderson still technically held the copyright) they did feature the tape as their June cover story, featuring a written description of its content and direct quotes.

The magazine’s lawyer argued that because Anderson had posed nude previously, and because the couple had discussed their intimate life in interviews, they’d forfeited their privacy rights. Anderson found the ongoing legal action humiliating, saying in Lee’s 2004 autobiography, Tommyland:

It was great sitting through depositions, where old men with crusty white sh*t in the corners of their mouths would hold up pictures of me naked in Playboy and ask why I’d even care that the tape was out there… I couldn’t handle it. It got to a point where I could not go to another deposition with these sweaty old guys asking me about my sex life.

By 1997, a copy had found its way to Seth Warshavsky, a big name in the internet’s early days of adult content. He announced he would be streaming the video on his website, Club Love, apparently in an attempted publicity stunt. Warshavsky never thought he’d legally be allowed to broadcast the tape, but a judge again refused to issue an injunction in favor of the couple. Warshavsky ran the tape on a loop for five hours online.

In November 1997, after exhaustive and fruitless legal efforts, the couple decided to settle with Warshavsky and sign over their copyright to the tape. The pair divorced in 1998.

When the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal erupted in 1998, US President Bill Clinton was impeached. The White House intern with whom he’d engaged in sexual relations, Monica Lewinsky, faced a much harsher entity than Congress: the court of public opinion. Her face was soon plastered on every media outlet in the country, coupled with cruel and asinine remarks about her intimate life and weight.

Lewinsky quickly became the butt of every joke, with renowned comedians like Jay Leno and David Letterman spouting punchlines like:

Leno: Monica Lewinsky has gained back all the weight she lost last year… In fact, she told reporters she was even considering having her jaw wired shut, but then, nah – she didn’t want to give up her sex life.

Letterman: Bush went to Wisconsin, to a Harley-Davidson factory and rode a motorcycle. It’s the biggest thing a president has ridden since… I just can’t bring myself to throw that joke away.

Clinton left office with a 65% approval rating, the highest since Harry S. Truman, with the hosts of Good Morning America discussing if there wasn’t something “sexy” about a man “who can get away with things.” Meanwhile, once her name was associated with the scandal, Lewinsky found her professional career in the toilet. No one would employ her; charities wouldn’t even let her volunteer. She faced such extreme insults she contemplated suicide.

Although the experience has left a long-lasting mark on Lewinsky, she’s chosen to turn the negativity into something positive, becoming an anti-bullying activist. She describes her mistreatment in a TED Talk:

I was branded as a tramp, tart, slut, whore, bimbo, and, of course, “that woman.” It was easy to forget that “that woman” was dimensional, had a soul, and was once unbroken.