Realizing the connection between some of these celebrities is bound to be a eureka moment. You may not have noticed some of these famous stars shared last names until now, but don’t worry, we’ll help you connect the dots. Check out our list of surprising celebrity relatives and prepare to be surprised. 

20
Pete Wentz and Colin Powell

During an episode of the podcast Armchair Expert, Pete shared with actor Dax Shepard a lot of fascinating tidbits about his family history. Pete happens to come from a very accomplished family, but their success is not from the entertainment world, as you might expect. Pete’s IMDB page mentions that his mother is Jamaican, and yet it’s not a widely known fact, Pete’s grandfather was actually a US Ambassador to Sierra Lione, and his parents met while working on former Vice President Joe Biden’s senatorial campaign in the 1970s. We think knowing this makes it slightly less shocking that he is related to former Secretary of State, Colin Powell. It turns out Pete’s grandfather was Colin Powell’s cousin!

19
Al Roker and Lenny Kravitz

In an episode of the Today show, Al Rocker revealed the strange and amazing fact that he and Lenny Kravitz are actually related! As it turns out, their grandfathers were cousins! Lenny confirmed the fact, and mentioned that his mother’s name was actually Roxie Roker! The host and the rockstar are able to trace their lineage to the Bahamas, and we just can’t believe the odds of them ending up in the same industry and in the United States.  We do however feel a little bad for Al; he’s been robbed of the chance to be the coolest relative at family reunions by none other than Lenny Kravitz.

18
Kate Spade and David Spade

Designer Kate Spade passed away earlier this year, and many people were not aware of her relation to the comedian David Spade until he spoke out after her death (see what we meant about last names?!).  David and Kate aren’t directly related, but we’d say it still counts. Kate was married to David’s brother Andy, with whom she shared a daughter. The couple had been married since 1994, CNN reported, so it’s apparent that Kate and David would have known each other for a long time. Of course, they also remained connected by David’s niece.

17
Melissa McCarthy and Jenny McCarthy

Comedy and acting clearly runs in the family for Melissa and Jenny Mccarthy. The cousins are the same age, and after growing up in Illinois, it turns out Jenny helped Melissa get her first Hollywood job after she landed her sitcom, Jenny. Despite growing up together, Us Weekly reports that Melissa did not even attend Jenny’s wedding to her husband Donnie. We hope that it’s just a matter of busy schedules rather than any feud between the actresses. We’re still holding out hope that they’ll grace us with a big screen collab someday.

16
Yara Shahidi and Nas

Star of the television shows Blackish and Grownish Yara Shahidi seems to have sprung up out of nowhere, but she actually has a surprising connection to the entertainment world. Yara’s mom is cousins with rapper Nas (making them second cousins). Yara was even at Nas and singer Kelis’ wedding (I.E. the woman who blessed us with the iconic song “Milkshake”). Essence reported that a recent throwback photo revealed that Yara was the flower girl at the wedding. Nas also makes occasional appearances on Yara’s Instagram during family reunions, so it seems they’re a tight-knit bunch.

15
Brandy and Snoop Dogg

Nineties music would certainly have been lacking without the contributions of these two cousins. Rapper Snoop Dogg and R&B singer Brandy are first cousins, and overall they seem to be pretty close. So close, in fact, that the two collaborated on a song called “Special” with Pharrell a few years ago. A lot of people were uncomfortable because the song is not really the sort of thing you want to sing with your cousin. Ahem. In other news, Snoop and Brady’s families are clearly musically gifted because they’re also related to the legendary rock and roll musician Bo Didley.

14
Steven Spielberg and Jessica Capshaw

Jessica Capshaw is mostly known for her role as Arizona on Grey’s Anatomy. Most people don’t know that she is director Steven Spielberg’s stepdaughter. Spielberg married her mom, actress Kate Capshaw in 1991. Spielberg originally met Kate while she was starring in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and they’ve been together ever since. In addition to that film, Spielberg has directed popular films like Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park. The director is reportedly worth almost $4 billion dollars. Jessica may no longer be working on Grey’s, but if she ever falls on hard times, she can certainly call up her stepdad for a bit of help.

13
Elle King and Rob Schneider

Blues singer Elle King has definitely made a name for herself despite her father’s legacy. Elle was born to comedian Rob Schneider and model London King but mostly grew up in Ohio with her mom and stepdad according to People. Elle has been candid about the fact that she didn’t see her father much during her childhood because he was such a workaholic. She explains that they’ve since improved their relationship, partially because of her younger half-sisters.  Elle’s career took off after she released the hit, “Ex’s and Oh’s,” and Rob has joked that people now refer to him as “Elle’s dad.”

12
Beyonce and Bianca Lawson

Beyonce and actress Bianca Lawson became stepsisters when Beyonce’s mom, Tina Knowles, married Bianca’s dad, actor Richard Lawson in 2015. Bianca, who currently stars on Queen Sugar, has been featured on many shows from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, to Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries. She’s been acting since before she hit the double digits, and at thirty-nine-years old, she’s known for not aging (she still plays teenagers). They may only be related by marriage, but Beyonce and Bianca seem to share their amazing genes, and to be honest, they kind of look alike. Let the conspiracy theories begin…

11
Alexander and Stellan Skarsgard

It turns out that the Skarsgards are a hidden dynasty in Hollywood. Stellan Skarsgard has been in many popular films including Mamma Mia and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. His son is none other than actor Alexander Skarsgard, who is best known for his roles on True Blood and Big Little Lies. It turns out there are even more Skarsgards in Hollywood; Alexander’s brother Gustaf is also an actor, and currently stars on Westworld according to Refinery29. Their brother Bill was Pennywise in IT, which would probably be a big deal in any other family. All this time people have been raving about the Kardashians, we really should have been keeping up with the Skarsgards. Just imagine that reality show.

10
Melanie Griffith and Dakota Johnson

Star of the Fifty Shades of Grey films Dakota Johnson comes from a family that has a long legacy in Hollywood.  Her mother Melanie Griffith has been acting since she was a child, and is best known for films like Working Girl. The family’s legacy began long before her career started.  Melanie’s mother was Tippi Hendren, who is best known for collaborating with director Alfred Hitchcock on Birds and Marnie, IMDB reports. While Dakota and Melanie have had some awkward moments in front of the camera (the two once bickered on camera after Melanie candidly admitted she hadn’t seen Fifty Shades), they’ve been each other’s dates to Hollywood events for decades now.

9
Quincy and Rashida Jones

Actress Rashida Jones has impressively managed to build her own fanbase outside of her legendary father’s legacy. Record producer and musician Quincy Jones has a whopping twenty-seven Grammys to his name and was nominated for an even more astonishing seventy-nine. He produced three of Michael Jackson’s albums as well as the famous charity single, “We Are The World,” Popsugar reports. Meanwhile, Rashida is best known for her role in Parks & Rec and her appearance in The Office. These two maintain a close relationship, and Rashida even directed a documentary about his life for Netflix called Quincy.

8
Zoey Deutch and Lea Thompson

Best known for her role in the adorable Netflix romcom, Set It Up, Zoey Deutch is the daughter of the actress Lea Thompson. Lea is best known for playing the mom in the Back To The Future films and starring as Tom Cruise’s love interest in All The Right Moves, Popsugar reports. Lea had a long and successful run in the 80’s and 90’s, and she still acts. Recently she played Kathryn in Switched At Birth. The Thompson / Deutch family is clearly full of talent. In 2017 Thompson directed and starred in the film The Year Of Spectacular Men, which Zoey produced and starred in along with her sister Madelyn, who wrote the script and composed the score. Patriarch Howard Deutch was also a co-producer.

7
Sarah Palin and Halle Berry

We have a really hard time wrapping our heads around this one, but it turns out that actress Halle Berry is related to the former Alaskan governor and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Halle is best known for roles like Catwoman and Monster’s Ball (she made history by being the only black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress ). Suffice to say, Halle is an A-list actress. It’s understandable that she was also shocked to find out she was related to Palin. Berry told Extra, “In some twisted way…somebody sent me this information that she was somehow my distant…No! Aahh!” Sadly it seems her shock kept her from elaborating on just how she’s related to Palin, so we’re left hanging until another reporter decides to ask her about the connection.

6
Monica and Ludacris

Another cousin duo that’s important to music: singer Monica and rapper Ludacris.  Known for hit songs like “Get Back” and “Money Maker,” Ludacris has also ventured into the big screen in the Fast And Furious films.  It turns out that Ludacris’ second cousins R&B singer Monica, who is best known for songs like “Angel of Mine” and “The Boy Is Mine” (the famous duet she did with Brandy). When asked about her relationship with her cousin, Monica had this to say;  “Before there were Ludacris and Monica, there was Christoper Bridges and Mo, and we were just always close.”

5
Viola Davis And Mike Colter

What are the odds that two famous Hollywood actors from the same small town are second cousins? Apparently, the odds are higher than you think! Mike Colter, who is best known for his role as Luke Cage in Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, is related to Emmy, Tony, and Academy Award winner Viola Davis. Both the actors are from St. Matthews, South Carolina, but Viola’s family moved to Rhode Island when she was young. This probably explains why, as of 2016, the pair had yet to meet, but Mike told Essence that he knew Viola’s family and said, “I’m sure our paths will cross at some point.”

4
Lily And Alfie Allen

British singer Lily Allen’s brother, Alfie Allen, stars as Theon Greyjoy on Game of Thrones. Lily is best known for songs like “Smile” and “Hard Out Here,” but she’s even written one about her brother called “Alfie.” The song is mostly about him being a lazy little brother, so we can imagine it’s not his favorite. It’s not the only  time there’s been some tension between the siblings either, after Lily mentioned that she was asked to appear on GOT  in a cameo that would have required her to get romantic with her real-life brother (?!) Alfie publicly denied the claims and forbid her from talking about the show in public, Bustle reports. We’re hoping it was all a big misunderstanding…

3
Blake And Robyn Lively

Unbeknownst to many, actress Blake Lively has a big sister in the biz! Robyn Lively is best known for the cult-classic Teen Witch, but she’s also guest-starred in pretty much every TV show imaginable. If you’re wondering why there isn’t more of a resemblance between the two, it’s because they’re half-siblings. Confusingly enough, the two have the same mom, but they share a last name. Robyn and Blake’s mom took on the name of Robyn’s father while they were married, she kept the name when they got divorced, and then Blake’s father also took on the name when he married her. Blake’s last name is Brown like her father, but she uses Lively as her stage name. We love a family that ignores convention.

2
Allison Williams And Brian Williams

Allison Williams of Girls and Get Out fame spent most of her life being known as the “daughter of NBC journalist Brian Williams,” and apparently she hated it. She told the L.A. Times, “Now people almost never bring it up…I formed my own thing and now I get people who are surprised he’s my dad. I dreamed that would happen.” Allison has successfully achieved the dream most children of public figures have of creating their own legacy. The timing worked out well for Allison since her father lost a lot of credibility when he was suspended from NBC for exaggerating accounts of his fieldwork in Iraq, Us Weekly reports.

1
Marlon, Shawn, and Damon Jr. Wayans

You may be familiar with some of the Wayans, but you probably don’t know how extensive their work is in Hollywood, and just how many of them there are. It turns out Elvira Green and Howell Wayans had ten children, which explains why it’s so difficult to keep track! The majority of the Wayans siblings are in the entertainment industry, but the most famous are arguably frequent collaborators Marlon and Shawn (White Chicks). These two also created the Scary Movie series with their brother Keenan Ivory Wayans. Their brother Damon Wayans is best known for his sitcom My Wife and Kids, and his son Damon Wayans Jr. has risen above his success with his roles in New Girl, Happy Endings, and Happy Together. 

References: 

InStyle, IMDB, Today, CNN, US Weekly , Essence, People, Refinery29, Popsugar,  Popsugar, Daily Mail, Essence, Bustle, Us Weekly

The post 20 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Related appeared first on Thats Whats Up.

20
Rihanna’s Net Worth Skyrocketed With The Creation Of Fenty

She’s already conquered the world of music, and this year Rihanna took two major forays into the worlds of film and beauty. Sure, she played the the brilliant hacker Nine Ball in Ocean’s Eight, but that wasn’t even her biggest accomplishment of the year. After initially launching her Fenty Beauty line in 2017, Rihanna was its success skyrocket in 2018. The brand successfully addressed a major gap in the beauty market, which is notorious for offering less options for darker skin tones. The aptly dubbed “Fenty Effect” has led many other beauty brands to scrabble as they seek to claim a piece of the market Fenty has claimed. Time reports that the brand made $100 million in its first 40 days, and is now available in 29 countries. Basically, Rihanna never has to sing again.

19
Kayne West Had His Most Controversial Year Yet

Kayne was at it again this year with the controversial tweets and odd behavior. It’s as much a part of his brand as clothes with holes and narcissism, but this year he took it to a whole nother level. In addition to aligning himself with the highly controversial American president, Kayne forced many of his friends to publicly toe the line between being loyal to their friend and agreeing that he had, in fact, given them plenty of reason to worry. Many find it ironic that Kayne’s ever so loyal wife Kim Kardashian has done more for the people than he has in ages, and rumors are that she too has struggled with his endless twitter ramblings. Because he has one of the most loyal fan bases in music, Kayne remains a Hollywood staple. Still, he’s never come closer to ending his own career. We imagine his team will recommend he pull back in the new year.

18
Camila Cabello’s First Solo Album Went Platinum

Former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello’s solo career did not launch uneventfully. A plethora of rumors surrounded her departure, which her band mates seemed unhappy about despite pursuing solo endeavors soon after. It seems that the dust still hasn’t settled between the women, but it’s unlikely Camila has any regrets considering how well she’s fared on her own. Her admirably honest debut Camila features a balance between catchy pop hits (we still can’t get “Havana” out of our heads) and vulnerable ballads. After debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, the album went platinum, as did the single “Havana.” Only one thing allowed Camila to trump this massive career success: former President Barack Obama declaring Havana one of his favorite songs. We’d say this former harmonizer made the right choice.

17
Kevin Hart Had To Step Down From Hosting The Oscars

Kevin Hart may still be a wildly successful comedian, but he certainly had a fall from grace this year. After coming back from the scandal of cheating on his pregnant wife, he manged to stay off the radar for most of the year. We said most. Soon after Thanksgiving, Kevin and his wife found themselves in hot water after throwing their son a Cowboys vs. Indians party. Kevin chose not to apologize for the incident, and instead went into a long-winded defense on his radio show Straight From The Hart. Most of the public quickly forgot, and weeks later Kevin was announced as next year’s Oscar host. Upon the announcement, a series of homophobic tweets Kevin had made in the past came to light. Again, Kevin opted not to apologize, thus leading to him being forced to step down as the Oscars host. Clearly, his career is considerably resilient, but we can only imagine that he doesn’t have too many strikes left.

16
Awkwafina Starred In Two Of The Summer’s Biggest Blockbusters

Among Rihanna’s famed costars in Ocean’s 8 was comedian, rapper, and actress Awkwafina. After initially making her debut into the entertainment world with the comedy rap track “My Vag,” she began a career as an Internet creator.  She begin venturing intro traditional media afterwards, and had arguably the most successful year of her career in 2018. In addition to Ocean’s 8, the star also played Goh Peik Lin in Crazy Rich Asians. Starring in two of the year’s most successful films certainly boads well for the star, and she’s already planning to follow up her success with her sophomore album, in addition to starring in the Angry Birds 2 movie, Rolling Stone reports.

15
Matt Damon’s  Insensitive Comments Angered A Lot Of Female Celebrities

Considered a Hollywood staple and classic heartthrob by many, Matt Damon’s recent controversies have served as a reflection of changing times. While older generations swear by the actor, 2018 has not been so fond of him. After his bromance partner Ben Affleck and his brother Casey Affleck ended up on the wrong side of the MeToo movement, Matt added fuel to the fire by angering a great deal of female celebrities. Matt made some comments questioning how far the movement would go and why it wasn’t choosing to applaud men that hadn’t done anything wrong (presumably himself) and female celebrities in turn  questioned his eagerness for a reward. Actresses Alyssa Milano, Evan Rachel Wood, and Minnie Driver (an ex) all went to Twitter to speak their minds. Matt eventually apologized on the Today show, but we still haven’t forgiven him for The Great Wall. Tsk, tsk.

14
Ariana Grande Had Her First Number One Single

We know, it seems like a typo. “Thank u, next” was in fact Ariana Grande’s first number one single. Between “The Way,” “God Is A Woman,” “Problem,” “Dangerous Woman,” and so many more hits, it just doesn’t seem to make sense. Ariana has had considerable success in the music industry since “The Way;” this year’s Sweetener was her third number one album, but it’s still significant that she’s finally received her first number one single. Not only is “Thank u, next” iconic because of the film references and cameos in the music video, it also allowed the singer to turn her personal struggles into career success. This year, Ariana broke up with Mac Miller, began dating and quickly became engaged to Pete Davidson, mourned the loss of Mac after his overdose, and broke off her engagement with Pete. Most people would take a break after all she’s experienced, instead, she’s buried herself deeper into her work, and it’s paid off.

13
Pete Davidson Struggled Under The Spotlight

Pete Davidson’s relationship with the public this year has been almost as tumultuous as his romantic life. His whirlwind romance with Ariana Grande certainly required some getting used to.  First people were confused by the pair, then Pete’s disregard for political correctness quickly angered the masses, and somehow this has all culminated in sympathy as the public have refocused on his transparency about his mental health struggles. Nothing changed about the man, but in dating one of the world’s biggest pop stars, his spotlight grew. Living under a larger microscope has clearly exacerbated Pete’s mental health struggles (he’s taking a break from social media) and resulted in greater criticism of everything he does. The world can’t seem to decide how it feels about him, and there’s no telling what that may do to his career.

12
Idris Elba Was People’s Sexiest Man Alive

He was many people’s sexiest man alive even without the title, but the formality was still significant. Forty-six year old Idris is many people’s pick for the next Bond. He’s starred in both TV and big screen hits like The Wire and Thor and so far, he’s kept himself scandal free. Considering what a year 2018 was in Hollywood, this in itself was an accomplishment. Early this year, Idris proposed to his girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre at a film premiere, People reported. No word yet on whether the actor will be playing the iconic Bond role, but with such a successful year under his belt, anything could happen.

11
Roseanne Barr Had Her Show Renewed And Canceled

For many, Roseanne was a nostalgia-inducing cult classic. Many were onboard with the reboot, as dreaded as reboots often are, this one seemed to be fairing well. That is, until people realized it was best to leave an actress like Roseanne Barr in the past. Quickly, people protested against a “humorous”past photoshoot she’d done in the likeness of Adolf Hitler.  It wasn’t enough to end her career, but Roseanne decided to remind the world that her views hadn’t altered much, after openly identifying as a member of the alt-right, her fatal tweet was predictably racist and Islamophobic. This time, ABC was quick to pull the plug, Forbes reported. Instead, the show was re-rebooted to exclude Roseanne. Both the character and the actor’s fate were sealed.

10
Cardi B Broke A Ton Of Music Records

Like Ariana, Cardi had a great of deal of career success counteracted by a complicated personal year. The rapper became engaged and married to Migos rapper Offset. They had a daughter together, and months later Cardi announced she was filing for divorce (it seems Offset had cheated on her multiple times throughout the course of their relationship). While Cardi seems to be making as many headlines for the drama that surrounds her as for her music, she has broken quite a few records. Her number one  debut album, Invasion of Privacy, made her only the fifth female rapper to top the Billboard albums chart and gave her the largest streaming week for a female artist’s album ever. 

9
Scarlett Johansson Had To Back Out Of A Controversial Role

It’s not the first time Scarlett has faced controversy over taking a role that many found her unfit for. In 2017 Scarlett took on the role of a lead character in a live-action remake of a Japanese manga series. There were rumors that Paramount and Dreamworks contemplated using technology to make the actress look more Asian, which apparently seemed easier that casting an Asian actress. The movie did not do as well as expected and Scarlett just barely addressed the controversy. This year, Scarlett found herself in a familiar pickle when she was cast to play a transgender character in the upcoming film “Rub & Tug.” Initially, Scarlett addressed the controversy unapologetically and instead chose to highlight other cisgender actors that had previously played transgender characters, like Jared Leto. She eventually changed her tune when she realized she wouldn’t be able to get away with keeping the role this time around. Scarlett remains a successful Hollywood actress, but if she pulls a stunt like this again, we’d expect it to be her last chance.

8
Geoffrey Owens Had A Career Revival After Being Filmed At Trader Joe’s

Geoffrey Owens starred in The Cosby Show as Sondra Huxtable’s husband Elvin in the 80s and 90s. He fell off most people’s radar after that famed role and was spotted again this year while working at Trader Joe’s when a  customer decided to record him. Celebrities are often shamed for taking on “regular people” jobs after being on the big screen, but Geoffrey was lucky enough to have a lot of big names rally around him. Soon after the incident, he was interviewed on a number of talk shows. He explained that he was still acting and teaching, but had to fill in the gaps (presumably, the loss of residuals from The Cosby Show also affected his income). Nicki Minaj generously donated $25,000 to the actor (who then donated it to the Actor’s Fund) and Tyler Perry gave him a job. He’s set to star in “The Haves and The Have Nots,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” and a new film starring Hillary Swank, USA Today reported.

7
“Jersey Shore” Star Mike Sorrentino Was Sentenced For Tax Fraud

Maybe he wasn’t the biggest star, but Jersey Shore’s “The Situation” could have had things go another way for him this year. He celebrated three years of sobriety this year and tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend. However, things kind of derailed when he was sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion. In reality, the sentence was a long time coming for Mike, who was indicted on tax offences in 2014, along with his brother. In 2017, more charges were added to the list. His brother was sentenced to two years in jail. The Situation is expected to begin his sentence in January 2019, People reports.

6
K-Pop Group BTS Was Tweeted About More Than Kayne West And Trump

If you’re not an “internet person,” you may have never heard of the K-pop band BTS, but rest assured they’re a pretty big deal. Gone are the days when BTS stood for behind the scenes, now it refers to the record-breaking boyband. On top of being this year’s most tweeted about celebrity for the second year in a row, the band also broke the record for most Youtube views in 24 hours with their “Idol” music video, after beating out Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.” This year BTS also became the first Korean artists to top the Billboard 200, showing that 2018 was a big year for the group internationally.

5
Kathy Griffin Sparked Outrage Over Her Political Commentary

Comedian Kathy Griffin is known for sparking controversy, and despite being among the long list of celebrities that have spoken out against Donald Trump, it seems many thought she took it too far. After posing with a mask depicting his severed head, Kathy was scolded by the man on Twitter. Kathy was fired from her New Year’s Eve co-hosting job at CNN and even became the focus of a Secret Service investigation, E News reports. The comedian has spent most of 2018 trying to come back from the scandal while dealing with death threats and the president’s scorn.

4
Sandra Oh Made History As An Emmy Nominee

After spending years playing the beloved character Christina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy and being arguably underappreciated, Sandra Oh left the show. She went on to star on the majorly successful BBC show Killing Eve, where she plays the title character Eve. For this role, she was nominated for an Emmy and became the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for best lead actress in a drama series. Even though she didn’t win, the nomination has incredible historical significance, and will surely elevate her status as an actress. Additionally, it was only the show’s first season, so there is much time for her to be nominated again.

3
Keegan Michael Key And The Stars Of The Predator Film Came Under Fire

Olivia Munn followed up on her pledge to the MeToo movement this year by speaking up when she discovered that one of the film’s actors was a registered sex offender that plead guilty in a case involving an underage female relative. After alerting her male costars, Boyd Holbrook, Keegan Michael-Key, Augusto Aguilero, Jake Busey, and Trevante Rhodes, the actress found herself ostracized from the group. Only after the news came to light about the sex offender, and the fact that Olivia was being ignored by the rest of her costars, did they publicly speak up on the matter. The film fell short of its predecessor in earnings its first week, and while Olivia’s costars will certainly get second chances, this scandal will likely reemerge when more is tacked on to their lists.

2
Noah Centineo Became Everyone’s New Fave Heartthrob

After starring in “To All The Boys I’ve Loved and Sierra Burgess Is A Loser” for Netflix, Noah Centineo became many people’s internet boyfriend. Netflix seems to be single-handedly bringing back the rom-com genre, and it’s been a long time since US audiences have had a go-to male for this type of role. Noah previously starred on the Freeform drama The Fosters but this year marked his big debut. As admirers continue to muddle the line between the actor and his nice-guy roles, Noah’s star promises to rise, as long as he doesn’t disappoint.

1
Lena Dunham Continued To Tarnish Her Brand

Actress and Girls creator Lena Dunham was praised when she first rose to the scene, but since then she’s continued to be involved in a number of small, yet concerning scandals. This year she was forced to apologize for defending a former Girls writer against sexual assault allegations, shortly after declaring that women should be believed. In the past, she’s had to issue an apology to Odell Beckham Jr. after making a number of assumptions because he didn’t speak to her at an event (the two do not know each other). She was also involved in an odd situation where she claimed she had to give up her rescue dog because it was aggressive, but the shelter she adopted the dog from disputed her claims. This is just a glimpse into the number of situations Lena has had to explain/apologize for during her career, and every year people seem to be a little less willing to listen to her side of things.

References:

Time, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Slate, People, Forbes, Billboard, Teen Vogue, E News, CNN, NY Times, CNBC

The post 10 Celebrities Who Almost Ruined Their Careers In 2018 & 10 Who Thrived appeared first on Thats Whats Up.

20
Rihanna’s Net Worth Skyrocketed With The Creation Of Fenty

She’s already conquered the world of music, and this year Rihanna took two major forays into the worlds of film and beauty. Sure, she played the the brilliant hacker Nine Ball in Ocean’s Eight, but that wasn’t even her biggest accomplishment of the year. After initially launching her Fenty Beauty line in 2017, Rihanna was its success skyrocket in 2018. The brand successfully addressed a major gap in the beauty market, which is notorious for offering less options for darker skin tones. The aptly dubbed “Fenty Effect” has led many other beauty brands to scrabble as they seek to claim a piece of the market Fenty has claimed. Time reports that the brand made $100 million in its first 40 days, and is now available in 29 countries. Basically, Rihanna never has to sing again.

19
Kayne West Had His Most Controversial Year Yet

Kayne was at it again this year with the controversial tweets and odd behavior. It’s as much a part of his brand as clothes with holes and narcissism, but this year he took it to a whole nother level. In addition to aligning himself with the highly controversial American president, Kayne forced many of his friends to publicly toe the line between being loyal to their friend and agreeing that he had, in fact, given them plenty of reason to worry. Many find it ironic that Kayne’s ever so loyal wife Kim Kardashian has done more for the people than he has in ages, and rumors are that she too has struggled with his endless twitter ramblings. Because he has one of the most loyal fan bases in music, Kayne remains a Hollywood staple. Still, he’s never come closer to ending his own career. We imagine his team will recommend he pull back in the new year.

18
Camila Cabello’s First Solo Album Went Platinum

Former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello’s solo career did not launch uneventfully. A plethora of rumors surrounded her departure, which her band mates seemed unhappy about despite pursuing solo endeavors soon after. It seems that the dust still hasn’t settled between the women, but it’s unlikely Camila has any regrets considering how well she’s fared on her own. Her admirably honest debut Camila features a balance between catchy pop hits (we still can’t get “Havana” out of our heads) and vulnerable ballads. After debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, the album went platinum, as did the single “Havana.” Only one thing allowed Camila to trump this massive career success: former President Barack Obama declaring Havana one of his favorite songs. We’d say this former harmonizer made the right choice.

17
Kevin Hart Had To Step Down From Hosting The Oscars

Kevin Hart may still be a wildly successful comedian, but he certainly had a fall from grace this year. After coming back from the scandal of cheating on his pregnant wife, he manged to stay off the radar for most of the year. We said most. Soon after Thanksgiving, Kevin and his wife found themselves in hot water after throwing their son a Cowboys vs. Indians party. Kevin chose not to apologize for the incident, and instead went into a long-winded defense on his radio show Straight From The Hart. Most of the public quickly forgot, and weeks later Kevin was announced as next year’s Oscar host. Upon the announcement, a series of homophobic tweets Kevin had made in the past came to light. Again, Kevin opted not to apologize, thus leading to him being forced to step down as the Oscars host. Clearly, his career is considerably resilient, but we can only imagine that he doesn’t have too many strikes left.

16
Awkwafina Starred In Two Of The Summer’s Biggest Blockbusters

Among Rihanna’s famed costars in Ocean’s 8 was comedian, rapper, and actress Awkwafina. After initially making her debut into the entertainment world with the comedy rap track “My Vag,” she began a career as an Internet creator.  She begin venturing intro traditional media afterwards, and had arguably the most successful year of her career in 2018. In addition to Ocean’s 8, the star also played Goh Peik Lin in Crazy Rich Asians. Starring in two of the year’s most successful films certainly boads well for the star, and she’s already planning to follow up her success with her sophomore album, in addition to starring in the Angry Birds 2 movie, Rolling Stone reports.

15
Matt Damon’s  Insensitive Comments Angered A Lot Of Female Celebrities

Considered a Hollywood staple and classic heartthrob by many, Matt Damon’s recent controversies have served as a reflection of changing times. While older generations swear by the actor, 2018 has not been so fond of him. After his bromance partner Ben Affleck and his brother Casey Affleck ended up on the wrong side of the MeToo movement, Matt added fuel to the fire by angering a great deal of female celebrities. Matt made some comments questioning how far the movement would go and why it wasn’t choosing to applaud men that hadn’t done anything wrong (presumably himself) and female celebrities in turn  questioned his eagerness for a reward. Actresses Alyssa Milano, Evan Rachel Wood, and Minnie Driver (an ex) all went to Twitter to speak their minds. Matt eventually apologized on the Today show, but we still haven’t forgiven him for The Great Wall. Tsk, tsk.

14
Ariana Grande Had Her First Number One Single

We know, it seems like a typo. “Thank u, next” was in fact Ariana Grande’s first number one single. Between “The Way,” “God Is A Woman,” “Problem,” “Dangerous Woman,” and so many more hits, it just doesn’t seem to make sense. Ariana has had considerable success in the music industry since “The Way;” this year’s Sweetener was her third number one album, but it’s still significant that she’s finally received her first number one single. Not only is “Thank u, next” iconic because of the film references and cameos in the music video, it also allowed the singer to turn her personal struggles into career success. This year, Ariana broke up with Mac Miller, began dating and quickly became engaged to Pete Davidson, mourned the loss of Mac after his overdose, and broke off her engagement with Pete. Most people would take a break after all she’s experienced, instead, she’s buried herself deeper into her work, and it’s paid off.

13
Pete Davidson Struggled Under The Spotlight

Pete Davidson’s relationship with the public this year has been almost as tumultuous as his romantic life. His whirlwind romance with Ariana Grande certainly required some getting used to.  First people were confused by the pair, then Pete’s disregard for political correctness quickly angered the masses, and somehow this has all culminated in sympathy as the public have refocused on his transparency about his mental health struggles. Nothing changed about the man, but in dating one of the world’s biggest pop stars, his spotlight grew. Living under a larger microscope has clearly exacerbated Pete’s mental health struggles (he’s taking a break from social media) and resulted in greater criticism of everything he does. The world can’t seem to decide how it feels about him, and there’s no telling what that may do to his career.

12
Idris Elba Was People’s Sexiest Man Alive

He was many people’s sexiest man alive even without the title, but the formality was still significant. Forty-six year old Idris is many people’s pick for the next Bond. He’s starred in both TV and big screen hits like The Wire and Thor and so far, he’s kept himself scandal free. Considering what a year 2018 was in Hollywood, this in itself was an accomplishment. Early this year, Idris proposed to his girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre at a film premiere, People reported. No word yet on whether the actor will be playing the iconic Bond role, but with such a successful year under his belt, anything could happen.

11
Roseanne Barr Had Her Show Renewed And Canceled

For many, Roseanne was a nostalgia-inducing cult classic. Many were onboard with the reboot, as dreaded as reboots often are, this one seemed to be fairing well. That is, until people realized it was best to leave an actress like Roseanne Barr in the past. Quickly, people protested against a “humorous”past photoshoot she’d done in the likeness of Adolf Hitler.  It wasn’t enough to end her career, but Roseanne decided to remind the world that her views hadn’t altered much, after openly identifying as a member of the alt-right, her fatal tweet was predictably racist and Islamophobic. This time, ABC was quick to pull the plug, Forbes reported. Instead, the show was re-rebooted to exclude Roseanne. Both the character and the actor’s fate were sealed.

10
Cardi B Broke A Ton Of Music Records

Like Ariana, Cardi had a great of deal of career success counteracted by a complicated personal year. The rapper became engaged and married to Migos rapper Offset. They had a daughter together, and months later Cardi announced she was filing for divorce (it seems Offset had cheated on her multiple times throughout the course of their relationship). While Cardi seems to be making as many headlines for the drama that surrounds her as for her music, she has broken quite a few records. Her number one  debut album, Invasion of Privacy, made her only the fifth female rapper to top the Billboard albums chart and gave her the largest streaming week for a female artist’s album ever. 

9
Scarlett Johansson Had To Back Out Of A Controversial Role

It’s not the first time Scarlett has faced controversy over taking a role that many found her unfit for. In 2017 Scarlett took on the role of a lead character in a live-action remake of a Japanese manga series. There were rumors that Paramount and Dreamworks contemplated using technology to make the actress look more Asian, which apparently seemed easier that casting an Asian actress. The movie did not do as well as expected and Scarlett just barely addressed the controversy. This year, Scarlett found herself in a familiar pickle when she was cast to play a transgender character in the upcoming film “Rub & Tug.” Initially, Scarlett addressed the controversy unapologetically and instead chose to highlight other cisgender actors that had previously played transgender characters, like Jared Leto. She eventually changed her tune when she realized she wouldn’t be able to get away with keeping the role this time around. Scarlett remains a successful Hollywood actress, but if she pulls a stunt like this again, we’d expect it to be her last chance.

8
Geoffrey Owens Had A Career Revival After Being Filmed At Trader Joe’s

Geoffrey Owens starred in The Cosby Show as Sondra Huxtable’s husband Elvin in the 80s and 90s. He fell off most people’s radar after that famed role and was spotted again this year while working at Trader Joe’s when a  customer decided to record him. Celebrities are often shamed for taking on “regular people” jobs after being on the big screen, but Geoffrey was lucky enough to have a lot of big names rally around him. Soon after the incident, he was interviewed on a number of talk shows. He explained that he was still acting and teaching, but had to fill in the gaps (presumably, the loss of residuals from The Cosby Show also affected his income). Nicki Minaj generously donated $25,000 to the actor (who then donated it to the Actor’s Fund) and Tyler Perry gave him a job. He’s set to star in “The Haves and The Have Nots,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” and a new film starring Hillary Swank, USA Today reported.

7
“Jersey Shore” Star Mike Sorrentino Was Sentenced For Tax Fraud

Maybe he wasn’t the biggest star, but Jersey Shore’s “The Situation” could have had things go another way for him this year. He celebrated three years of sobriety this year and tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend. However, things kind of derailed when he was sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion. In reality, the sentence was a long time coming for Mike, who was indicted on tax offences in 2014, along with his brother. In 2017, more charges were added to the list. His brother was sentenced to two years in jail. The Situation is expected to begin his sentence in January 2019, People reports.

6
K-Pop Group BTS Was Tweeted About More Than Kayne West And Trump

If you’re not an “internet person,” you may have never heard of the K-pop band BTS, but rest assured they’re a pretty big deal. Gone are the days when BTS stood for behind the scenes, now it refers to the record-breaking boyband. On top of being this year’s most tweeted about celebrity for the second year in a row, the band also broke the record for most Youtube views in 24 hours with their “Idol” music video, after beating out Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.” This year BTS also became the first Korean artists to top the Billboard 200, showing that 2018 was a big year for the group internationally.

5
Kathy Griffin Sparked Outrage Over Her Political Commentary

Comedian Kathy Griffin is known for sparking controversy, and despite being among the long list of celebrities that have spoken out against Donald Trump, it seems many thought she took it too far. After posing with a mask depicting his severed head, Kathy was scolded by the man on Twitter. Kathy was fired from her New Year’s Eve co-hosting job at CNN and even became the focus of a Secret Service investigation, E News reports. The comedian has spent most of 2018 trying to come back from the scandal while dealing with death threats and the president’s scorn.

4
Sandra Oh Made History As An Emmy Nominee

After spending years playing the beloved character Christina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy and being arguably underappreciated, Sandra Oh left the show. She went on to star on the majorly successful BBC show Killing Eve, where she plays the title character Eve. For this role, she was nominated for an Emmy and became the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for best lead actress in a drama series. Even though she didn’t win, the nomination has incredible historical significance, and will surely elevate her status as an actress. Additionally, it was only the show’s first season, so there is much time for her to be nominated again.

3
Keegan Michael Key And The Stars Of The Predator Film Came Under Fire

Olivia Munn followed up on her pledge to the MeToo movement this year by speaking up when she discovered that one of the film’s actors was a registered sex offender that plead guilty in a case involving an underage female relative. After alerting her male costars, Boyd Holbrook, Keegan Michael-Key, Augusto Aguilero, Jake Busey, and Trevante Rhodes, the actress found herself ostracized from the group. Only after the news came to light about the sex offender, and the fact that Olivia was being ignored by the rest of her costars, did they publicly speak up on the matter. The film fell short of its predecessor in earnings its first week, and while Olivia’s costars will certainly get second chances, this scandal will likely reemerge when more is tacked on to their lists.

2
Noah Centineo Became Everyone’s New Fave Heartthrob

After starring in “To All The Boys I’ve Loved and Sierra Burgess Is A Loser” for Netflix, Noah Centineo became many people’s internet boyfriend. Netflix seems to be single-handedly bringing back the rom-com genre, and it’s been a long time since US audiences have had a go-to male for this type of role. Noah previously starred on the Freeform drama The Fosters but this year marked his big debut. As admirers continue to muddle the line between the actor and his nice-guy roles, Noah’s star promises to rise, as long as he doesn’t disappoint.

1
Lena Dunham Continued To Tarnish Her Brand

Actress and Girls creator Lena Dunham was praised when she first rose to the scene, but since then she’s continued to be involved in a number of small, yet concerning scandals. This year she was forced to apologize for defending a former Girls writer against sexual assault allegations, shortly after declaring that women should be believed. In the past, she’s had to issue an apology to Odell Beckham Jr. after making a number of assumptions because he didn’t speak to her at an event (the two do not know each other). She was also involved in an odd situation where she claimed she had to give up her rescue dog because it was aggressive, but the shelter she adopted the dog from disputed her claims. This is just a glimpse into the number of situations Lena has had to explain/apologize for during her career, and every year people seem to be a little less willing to listen to her side of things.

References:

Time, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Slate, People, Forbes, Billboard, Teen Vogue, E News, CNN, NY Times, CNBC

The post 10 Celebrities Who Almost Ruined Their Careers In 2018 & 10 Who Thrived appeared first on Thats Whats Up.