10
Snooki’s Weight Loss

Motherhood looks good on Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. She was a weight-loss machine after giving birth to her first child in late 2012. The pint-sized reality star shed 42 pounds. This past October, less than a year after her first baby, she and husband Jionni LaValle welcomed their second child. Her speedy slimming proved just as ferociously effective the second time around. She looks thinner than ever!

This is more about setting an example of health for her two young ones than it is about looking great in skinny jeans, though she undeniably does. But the reality star suffered from an eating disorder in high school and is all about health as an adult and mother.

“Even though I want to be healthy for myself and it feels great to be healthy, I mainly want to do it for my kids,” Polizzi, 30, has said. “I just really want to be a fit mom. I want to be able to keep up with them, run after them.”

9
Snooki’s Kids Names

LaValle is the youngest. Both were graced with proud, Italian names. The Jersey Shore alum recently shared a video of her 5-year-old son Lorenzo and 2-year-old daughter Giovanna repeating their mother’s famous nickname along with the caption, “THE DAY HAS COME.”

In the clip, the former MTV star, who starred on all six seasons of Jersey Shore, asked her oldest child what exactly a “Snooki” is, and he adorably answered: “I don’t know.”

8
Snooki’s Real Name

Snooki’s real name is Nicole Elizabeth Polizzi. She was adopted from Chile as an infant, and grew up an only child, with Italian American adoptive parents. Now a mother of two children, Snooki added:

“Eventually, when I was 21, 22, I got my dad drunk and was like, ‘Dad, can you just tell me what went on? Why was I up for adoption?’”

The reality TV star learned that her adoptive parents flew to Chile to pick her up after her birth parents gave her up because they couldn’t afford to raise her.

“I can’t even imagine because I have two kids, putting up a child for adoption, to give them a better life,” she said. “That’s so amazing for them, that shows how much they loved me. But also I could never do that. I can’t even imagine how they felt giving me up but thank you for that.”

Although she says her adoptive parents are her real parents, Snooki said she’d be interested to meet her birth parents.

“In the back of my head I’m always curious to meet my birth family,” she said.

Snooki’s father is a volunteer firefighter and auto-salvage supervisor, and her mother is an office manager. She received her nickname, Snooki, in middle school, when her friends named her after “Snookie”, a male character in “Save the Last Dance” because she was the first of her friends to kiss a boy.

7
What Nationality is Snooki?

While she was adopted from Chile, Snooki is not actually Chilean. She took a DNA test to determine her genetic background: she is part Romani, Iberian American, South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern, and Jewish with roots in North Western Croatia, Macedonia, Slovakia, Russia, and Spain. She was surprised to learn that while born in Chile, she is not genetically Chilean.

6
Snooki’s Age & Workout Routine

The 30-year-old star is determined to keep making health and fitness gains into her 30s. In her workout regimen, she focuses on plyometrics (like burpees or squat jumps) and isolating specific muscle groups to chisel out various sections of her petite body.

“I love that stuff because it burns and I know that I’m making a difference in my body – plus I can’t breathe,” she says. “I like my arms when they get nice and muscley. I’m in the process of trying to get that back.”

Peanut butter is Polizzi’s culinary vice, but she indulges carefully, by the spoonful!

“A scoop of peanut butter is actually good because it’s high in protein,” she explains. “I usually skip every other day, but I’ll do a scoop of peanut butter at night. But I’m addicted to peanut butter right now, I don’t know why.”

Judging by her fitness results, I’d say her discipline is doing just fine.

5
Is Snooki Pregnant?

The newest Jersey Shore spinoff details more of the personal lives of the cast than it once did. Polizzi once addressed her want for a third baby, too. During one of the episodes, she felt nauseous and eventually got sick in the bathroom. Since that was unlike her, she revealed to Jenni Farley that she and LaValle were trying for a baby, and she might be pregnant. Farley took her to the pharmacy to get a pregnancy test, but the test was negative that time. Polizzi announced her third pregnancy on Thanksgiving Day.

The next photo Polizzi posted of her two tiny meatballs (OK, technically, there’s three tiny meatballs in the photos, if we’re counting the bun in the oven) is a lot less posed and a lot more real. Not that the first photo wasn’t real, of course. The second photo — which is in color — kind of demonstrates how tough it probably was to get that perfectly posed first pic.

4
Snooki’s Net Worth

As of 2018, Snooki’s net worth is $4 million. Snooki debuted in the TV industry from MTV’s ‘Is She Really Going Out with Him?’ After that show, she became a cast member of the MTV reality show, Jersey Shore in 2009. This series helped her gain popularity and extend her career. She was identified as ‘the breakout member of the cast’ and was one of the popular celebrity Halloween costumes of 2010. She also has appeared in many other TV shows including MTV Music Video Awards, New York Stock Exchange, TLC’s Cake Boss, The View CMT Music Awards, and others.

Along with JS cast JWoww, she starred a show titled Snooki & JWoww. She won WWE Slammy Awards for ‘A-Lister of the Year’ in 2011. After getting success on TV Screen, Snooki launched her business of fashion accessories and beauty product. She also wrote a book A Shore Thing but couldn’t gain enough success. Polizzi’s net worth is estimated at $4 million and now earns $150 thousand per episode as of 2018.

3
How Tall is Snooki?

Proof that good things come in small packages, Snooki is a diminutive 4 feet 9 inches tall and has a curvy body. She weighs about 98 pounds. Snooki’s eyes are dark brown, and hair is black. She is active on social media with 11.9 million followers on Instagram, about 7 million followers on Twitter and 10 million followers on Facebook to date.

2
Who is Snooki’s Husband?

30-year-old Snooki is married to Jionni LaValle. They have been married for three years. She first met her husband in 2001 during a night out in Seaside Height’s fist-pumping headquarters. The pair fell for each other and tied a knot on 29th November 2014 after living being engaged for 2 years.

Born in East Hanover, New Jersey on March 20, 1987, Lavalle is an American reality Television star and a successful entrepreneur who owns several ATM businesses across the country. Jionni is one of four children born to Joe LaValle and Janis LaValle. He grew up in New Jersey and completed his higher education at Centenary College where he studied to become a teacher. His net worth today is nothing to sneeze at. It is estimated at about $200,000.

1
Snook’s Future Plans

Snooki made her writing debut in 2011 with ‘A Shore Thing’ and has since pretty much penned a new book to welcome each new stage in life.

According to Elle, she’s also the author of Confessions of a Guidette, Baby Bumps: From Party Girl to Proud Mama and all the Messy Milestones Along the Way, Gorilla Beach, and Strong is the New Sexy. We have a feeling you definitely haven’t seen the last of Snooki and her literary pursuits yet — she probably has a few more novel ideas under her belt. We’ll say one thing — the woman definitely knows how to monetize her fame, from getting fans to buy her books, to slanging all sorts of Shore merchandise. She seems to know that reality television fame doesn’t last forever, so you may as well make the most of it while you’re in the spotlight.

We’re betting on more Jersey Shore, more books and maybe a fourth baby. We’ll be watching for announcements about New Year’s resolutions for 2019 on Instagram or elsewhere! And we’re sure she and JWoww will continue to organize playdates for their children. She and her Jersey Shore co-star have been close friends for over a decade. And the ladies seem to be passing on the good vibes to their daughters.

The post 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Snooki from Jersey Shore appeared first on Thats Whats Up.

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.

15
Ray J

Let’s face it – even though Ray J once had somewhat of a career as an actor slash rapper, his main claim to fame was getting hot and heavy with Kim Kardashian on the former couple’s now infamous celebrity sex tape. We all know that the “leaked” adult home movie was what made Kim K. a household name, but Ray J wasn’t quite as lucky. Since the pair’s x-rated romp in 2003, not many of us have been left wondering what Ray’s next big move will be. In addition to his shameless attempt of starring in his own reality TV dating show, Ray has been desperately trying to stay relevant by dropping his ex’s name every chance he gets. In 2013, the one trick pony released a song called “I Hit It First,” where he bragged about bedding Kim before her bevvy of famous beaus that have followed in his footsteps. Most recently, Ray J once again gave an interview about him and Kim’s past love life, revealing that she kept a “Louis Vuitton trunk of sex toys.” Kim was quick to fire back at her old flame, calling Ray J a “pathological liar” on Twitter. Regardless of his futile attempts at relevancy, nobody really wants much to do with Ray J these days…and who could blame them?

14
Lamar Odom

Although Lamar Odom worked hard throughout his professional career as a championship winning basketball player, his accolades have been permanently overshadowed by his mounting personal troubles and his former relationship with a Kardashian. Odom was a standout player for the LA Lakers when he caught the attention of Khloe Kardashian in 2009. The couple’s relationship suddenly got serious when they decided to tie the knot after only one month of dating. Following their fast-paced nuptials, Khloe and Lamar’s popularity skyrocketed as they flaunted their newfound love every chance they got. Between starring in their own reality show and launching a fragrance line together, Khloe and Lamar were fully submerged into the spotlight and their relationship became a focal point for their brand.

However, even though the couple appeared to have an unbreakable bond it soon became clear that their marriage was crumbling behind the scenes. After months of speculation, Khloe filed for divorce from Odom in 2013 after it was revealed that Khloe had enough of his addictions and his cheating ways. The pair were unexpectedly reunited in 2015 when Lamar’s hard-partying ways almost cost him his life after overdosing in a Las Vegas brothel. While it briefly appeared like there was hope for the pair to reconcile, Khloe and Lamar ultimately parted ways for a second and final time. If you’re curious to what Odom has been up to since then, the answer is…not a whole lot. Most people have all but forgotten about the retired athlete while the Kardashian’s fame has reached new heights with no end in sight.

13
Younes Bendjima

After welcoming three children together during a tumultuous decade-long relationship with Scott Disick, Kourtney Kardashian decided that she was better off single and broke it off for good with her baby daddy in 2015. It didn’t take long for fans to notice that she had set her sights on a new beau – a male model named Younes Bendjima, who was twenty-four years her junior. After initially trying to hide their romance, Kourtney and Younes became the talk of the town and were often spotted enjoying elaborate dates and exotic vacations. While nobody had really heard of Bendjima before he linked up with Kourtney, it soon became clear that he would become famous by default as long as Kardashian was by his side.

Although the young model surely enjoyed all of his newfound attention due to his high-profile partnership, he surely didn’t appreciate the paparazzi capturing him canoodling with another woman earlier this year. The photos were further confirmation that the couple were heading towards a split after they had unfollowed each other on Instagram several weeks prior. Bendjima publicly lashed out at reports of his infidelity, but he also has used social media as a platform to slam his significant other as well, taking to Instagram to shade Kourtney for sharing a photo of her scantily clad backside. Kourt’s sister, Khloe, came to her defense and slammed her immature ex by commenting, “Alexa play ‘heard it all before’ by Sunshine Anderson”. It appears that the Kardashians got the last laugh after all, because since his split from Kourtney it doesn’t look like anyone is keeping up with Younes.

12
Tyga

Kylie Jenner’s relationship with Tyga lasted a lot longer than most probably thought it would, but that’s likely because he was using her to boost his own career. Their taboo love affair raised some serious eyebrows when the rapper first linked up with the future makeup mogul long before her eighteenth birthday, but that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the controversy surrounding Kylie and Tyga.

There’s no denying that Tyga experienced a bump in popularity when he was standing alongside Jenner. It was often reported that she would be the one to pay for his living expenses and lavish gifts. To make things even crazier, Tyga shared a child with Blac Chyna, who would eventually become romantically involved with Kylie’s brother, Rob. The whole thing was one big hot mess. Despite their unique dynamic, the couple seemed to be invested in making it work. However, once they split up in 2016 Tyga’s fame faded away along with the memory of their long-lost romance. We don’t really hear Tyga’s songs on the radio anymore and the only time he appears in headlines is when he mentions Kylie. Clearly, Tyga’s existence has become virtually irrelevant now that he’s detached from the Kardashian/Jenner brood.

11
Kris Humphries

The Kardashians always seem to find a way to make anything profitable. Whenever it’s a reality show, a makeup line or everything in between, this family sees dollar signs everywhere they go. So, it should be no surprise that Kim’s 2011 wedding to Kris Humphries became a national spectacle…only to be outdone by their messy divorce filing a mere 72 hours later. Sure, Kim and the NBA star looked like the perfect couple on paper and they made certain that the spotlight was always on their relationship. But their love wasn’t built to last and Kim ultimately pulled the plug on their union at lightning speed.

Although their relationship had come to an end, Kim and Kris battled it out in court regarding the details of their divorce settlement. Humphries argued that Kim’s entire reason for getting hitched was in the name of fame and publicity, citing the large sums of money that Kardashian earned by making their relationship so public. After refusing to sign on the dotted line and grant Kim the divorce she desperately wanted, Kris finally caved in 2013 when Kim was heavily pregnant with Kanye West’s first child. Humphries admitted that life with Kim wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and these days he’s keeping himself out of the Hollywood scene. The former ballplayer is laying low somewhere in Minnesota while venturing into the food industry with a couple of restaurant franchises in the works. The simple life sure seems like a far cry from the days when he was Kim K.’s better half.

10
Blac Chyna

Blac Chyna had already been linked to her fair share of famous men and had a baby with Tyga but she reached full celebrity status when she sunk her hooks into Rob Kardashian. The former exotic dancer and Rob first became a thing in 2016, much to the chagrin of the entire Kardashian family. While pretty much every single one of his sisters protested their relationship, Rob retaliated by getting more serious with Chyna. Soon enough, they were engaged, Chyna got pregnant and they landed a reality show of their very own, but it was only a matter of time before their relationship imploded while the whole world watched in awe. Between televised fights and public bashing of each other on social media, these two were too toxic to function. While Rob was wallowing in self-pity on his Instagram stories, Chyna was laughing all the way to the bank. Although Chyna had a good run leeching off of the Kardashian family name, she’s been easy to forget ever since she and Rob parted ways.

9
Damon Thomas

It might feel like Kim Kardashian tries her hardest to over-expose herself and her relationships, but there’s one old flame that she tries her best to keep under wraps. Long before getting married to Kris Humphries and eventually Kanye West, Kim was married to a man named Damon Thomas. The future reality star and the music producer secretly eloped in Las Vegas when Kim was just nineteen. It’s no secret that Kim keeps her lips sealed regarding her first marriage because it was nothing short of a disaster. Kardashian and Thomas got divorced after three years together, and the specifics of their separation were gruesome. According to Kim, her first husband was verbally and physically abusive throughout their marriage. The star also asserts that Damon was overly controlling and demanded she get plastic surgery to improve her looks. Their split was finalized in 2003 and Thomas has since given trash-talking interviews to the media regarding his famous ex…but let’s face it, this bad romance was easy to forget because it happened way before anybody even knew who Kim was.

8
Rashad McCants

Khloe Kardashian has dated her fair share of famous athletes…and Rashad McCants was definitely not one of them. Khloe and Rashad dated for a short time in 2008 but their relationship was hardly ever acknowledged by longtime Kardashian fans. McCants was briefly mentioned on an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians when Khloe discovered that the former first-round draft pick was cheating on her. McCants insisted that their relationship was strictly made for TV in an attempt to save face, but there was no way for the former athlete to save his already sinking ship. Although their relationship was over before it even began, McCants is still quick to blame his ex for ruining his entire basketball career. Recently, the bitter ball player adamantly proclaimed that his reputation in the NBA was tarnished by being linked to a Kardashian. Of course, the demise of his career couldn’t have been attributed to his lackluster performance on the court…it must have all been Khloe’s fault.

7
Michael Copon

Every detail of Kim Kardashian’s love life has been well documented for public consumption, but most people are probably wondering two things: who is Michael Copon and when did he ever hookup with Kim Kardashian? The rise and fall of this forgettable faux-mance all played out on a 2010 episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and perhaps it’s hard to remember because nobody really cared in the first place. Although Copon isn’t a professional athlete or a rapper, the producers must have thought that creating an on-screen romance between him and Kim would make for a good storyline. On the show, Kim was seen flirting with and going on a couple of dates with the actor, who must have been desperately trying to grasp on to his final fifteen minutes of fame. While the twosome tried their best to convince viewers that their romance was the real deal, its safe to say that even clinging on to Kim wasn’t enough to salvage Copon’s career in show business.

6
Ben Flajnik

Perhaps the least memorable (and most perplexing) past relationship to come from the Kardashian camp is none other than the brief fling between Kris Jenner and Ben Flajnik. The matriarch and former Bachelor star were frequently spotted together in 2014 but many were left wondering what the real deal was between the mismatched pair. While Jenner has undeniably built an empire with the entire billion-dollar Kardashian brand under her belt, Flajnik seemed like an interesting choice to link up with. Not only was he nearly half of Kris’ age, but their awkward coupling seemed more like a PR stunt than a real love affair. We all know that Kris Jenner knows a good opportunity when she sees one and since Ben’s season of The Bachelor had just aired at the time, Kris knew that forming some sort of relationship with him would surely make headlines. Neither one of them would confirm or deny the status of their relationship outright, keeping everyone guessing when it came to how serious their bond really was. Of course, a lot has changed since Kris and Ben were trying to flaunt their potential fauxmance. While Jenner continues to reign supreme as ruler of the Kardashian roost, nobody has given the whereabouts of Ben Flajnik a second thought.

5
TJ Jackson

There’s simply no denying that the Jackson family has some seriously legendary DNA, but back when Kim dated TJ Jackson their relationship was anything but interesting. Kim and the son of Tito Jackson were in a serious relationship for most of Kim’s high school career. The two dated from the mid to late nineties and TJ was even Kim’s prom date. While it’s likely that a fifteen-year-old Kim thought she was hot stuff for dating Michael Jackson’s nephew, we can’t help but be bored by their teenage romance. Lots of more interesting men have made their way to Kim’s long roster of exes, and TJ Jackson is kind of a nobody in comparison. Unlike some of Kim’s other relationships, there’s really no juicy drama to speak of here which makes this old flame a non-factor.

4
Nick Cannon

Before Kim made it big she was already making her rounds on the Hollywood dating circuit. Kardashian briefly dated Nick Cannon for a few months in 2006 and 2007 but their relationship really wasn’t memorable. Of course, Cannon was the much bigger talent at the time but he and Kim allegedly parted ways after the actor discovered that her sex tape with Ray J was set to be released. According to Nick, Kim denied altogether that the film even existed…and we all know how that turned out. Cannon claims that he knew Kim and her momager were shopping around the tape in an attempt to become famous but when she flat-out lied about it he had no choice but to dump her.

Kim herself rarely speaks of her relationship with Nick, but frequently responds to questions regarding his former romance with the reality star. These days, Nick Cannon has since divorced from Mariah Carey and has lost his hosting gig on America’s Got Talent after a public spat with the show’s producers. It seems like everyone has tried to forget about Nick…especially Kim Kardashian.

3
French Montana

Khloe Kardashian never seems to stay single for long, but most people were surprised by her random rebound romance with French Montana. Khloe and the rapper linked up in 2014 following the end of her four-year marriage to Lamar Odom. Fans couldn’t help but wonder what exactly attracted her to him in the first place. He was a rapper and thats at least one of the prerequisites necessary to date a Kardashian, but their relationship never really made much sense. French really liked to mention that he was dating Khloe, he never missed an opportunity to appear on her reality show and it was all kinds of strange to watch. Not surprisingly, these two called it quits after a cheating scandal involving French and he eventually faded back into moderate obscurity where he belongs.

2
The Game

What better way for someone to promote their new album than to make a shocking allegation involving bedding three Kardashians? The Game knew exactly what he was doing when he released a song called “Sauce” in 2016 suggesting that he had been intimate with multiple members of the Kardashian clan. The rapper had been previously linked to Kim in 2006 and then Khloe in 2014, but that left practically everyone wondering who the third Kardashian was. Many people assumed it was Kourtney but after an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, The Game tip-toed around the fact that it was Blac Chyna who he had also slept with. The Game has had a decently successful career in the music industry, but after this tacky stunt, he’s been reduced to just another Kardashian clout-chaser.

1
Caitlyn Jenner

Just when you thought you had seen it all from the Kardashians, Caitlyn Jenner shows up and throws everyone for a loop. It’s no secret that Jenner had been married to the Kardashian family matriarch, Kris, for nearly twenty-four years before making a shocking announcement that would throw the entire family into a tailspin. The former Olympian revealed plans of a name change, a divorce from Kris and a complete transition from male to female. Jenner made some serious power-moves and was initially met with an outpour of support from the Kardashians but that all changed once she spoke out against her ex-wife.

Jenner released a memoir that didn’t exactly paint a favorable picture of Kris and the entire family turned on her in the blink of an eye. She went from playing a major role in the Kardashian brand to being completely forgotten about by both the public and her step-children. Without the Kardashian’s involvement, there’s really little interest in Caitlyn Jenner these days.

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Whether you think about them often or only occasionally, they have made a big impact on your life. Sometimes we’ll mourn the passing of celebrities, only to move on with life and put it behind us. One day we’ll hear mention of said celebrity and you’ll think, didn’t they pass away? Are they still with us? The overwhelming familiar feeling of always having them around is strong and you’ll begin to doubt if they are actually living or not. Here is a list of 15 celebrities that we have lost and how we lost them.

15
Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy died at the age of 83, on February 27th, 2015 in Bel Air, Los Angelas California of complications from COPD. Best known for his role as Spock in the original Star Trek series, Nimoy was loved by fans of all ages. His popular phrase “Live long and prosper”, is a phrase well remembered by an entire generation.

14
Michael Clarke Duncan

Michael Clark Duncan died on September 3rd, 2012, at the age of 54. Duncan died from complications due to a heart attack he suffered on July 13th, 2012. Michael was best known for this amazing performance as John Coffey in “The Green Mile”, besides Tom Hanks. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He appeared in dozens of movies, most notably Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, The Scorpion King, Daredevil and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

13
Roger Ebert

Roger Joseph Ebert died at the age of 70 on April 4th, 2013. He died from thyroid cancer but had several health problems during the later part of his life. He was in and out of the hospital for surgeries to remove cancer, repair surgery complications, and attempts to restore his ability to speak. Roger was best known as an American film critic. He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism and was a screenwriter and author. His most well-known phrase after reviewing a movie was “I’ll see you at the movies”.

12
James Gandolfini

James Gandolfini died suddenly on June 19th, 2003 at the age of 51. James died from a heart attack in Rome. He is most well known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO television series, The Sopranos. His performance widely spoke of, won him three Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Golden Globe Award. It was said that the Sopranos was so realistic that real-life Mob members thought there was a connected guy on the inside, giving pointers.

11
James Avery

James LaRue Avery died on December 31st, 2013 at the age of 68. James died from complications after undergoing open heart surgery. James Avery was best known as Uncle Phil in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air next to Will Smith. He appeared in multiple movies and tv appearances. James was voted the 34th Greatest TV Dad of all time.

10
Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith died on February 8th, 2007 at the age of 39. After a lengthy investigation, it was announced that Smith died from a combination of drug intoxication and a sleeping medication. Anna Nicole Smith first gained popularity after becoming Playmate of the Year in Playboy magazine. She became a popular fashion model and made some tv and film appearances.  She married 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall at the age of 26. This caused her to be the topic of great speculation and fascination.

9
Paul Walker

Paul Walker died on November 30th, 2013 at the age of 40. Walker died as a passenger in a single car crash alongside his friend Roger Rodas. Paul was an American actor most well known for his role as Brian O’Conner in the Fast and the Furious collection of films. Walker was a car enthusiast, held a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and held an interest in marine biology. Paul Walker left his entire $25 million estate to his daughter.

8
Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple Black died on February 10th, 2014 at the age of 85. Temple’s death certificate listed the cause of death as COPD. She was a lifelong smoker but believed it set a bad example for her fans, so she avoided smoking in public. Shirley was an actress, singer, dancer, business owner and diplomat. She was most popular from 1935 to 1938 as a child actor. She had the ever popular drink, the Shirley Temple, named after her. She sat on the boards of Disney, Del Monte and the National Wildlife Federation. As an adult, she was named the US ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. She also served as the Chief of Protocol for the United States.

7
Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher died on December 27th, 2016 at the age of 60. She stopped breathing on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Later her cause of death was released as cardiac arrest. After further investigation, it was found that she had cocaine, heroin, MDMA and other opiates in her system. They were unable to determine when the drugs were taken or if they contributed to her death. Fisher was most well known for her part in the Star Wars movies. She acted in several films and television. She also wrote several novels. Her mother, Debbie Reynolds suffered a stroke and died the day after Fisher’s death.

6
Bill Paxton

William Paxton died on February 25th, 2017 at the age of 61. The cause of death on the death certificate was a stroke, brought on by complications from a heart valve surgery. Bill Paxton acted in many popular films and television. He also directed several films and started a musical band called Martini Ranch. His best-known films were Twister, True Lies, Aliens, The Terminator and Apollo 13.

5
Stan Lee

Stan Lee died on November 12th, 2018 at the age of 95. Lee was rushed to the hospital earlier in the day for a medical emergency and had been battling pneumonia earlier in the year.  No official cause of death has been released. Stan Lee was originally a comic book writer, editor and publisher who eventually became Marvel Comics primary creative leader. He co-created several well-known superheroes including Spider-Man, the X-men, Iron Man, Thor , the Hulk and many more. Stan Lee was known for his cameos in Marvel movies.

4
Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds died on September 6th, 2018 at the age of 82. He died of a heart attack in Jupiter, Florida. Reynolds was a well-known actor, director and producer. Reynolds breakout role was in Deliverance in 1972. He went on to appear in dozens of film over his lifetime but experienced a decline in his career starting in 1983. Reynolds received much acclaim for his role in Boogie Nights but refused to appear in the sequel because he stated he hated working on the film and hated Anderson, the writer/director.  Burt Reynolds turned down some really major roles during his career, including Han Solo, James Bond and Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment.

3
Robin Leach

Robin Leach died on August 24th, 2018 at the age of 76. Leach died from complications of a stroke. Best known for hosting the popular series Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Leach began his career as a print journalist, writing for Daily Mail, New York Daily News, Ladies Home Journal and helped launch GO Magazine. He is fondly remembered by his signature phrase, “champagne wishes and caviar dreams”.

2
Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain died on June 8th, 2018 at the age of 61. Bourdain was found dead, presumably by suicide in his hotel room in Le Chambard hotel, Kayserberg France.  Bourdain was a celebrity chef who travelled around the world to experience new food and culture which he shared with his audience. He was widely seen as one of the most influential chefs in the world. Bourdain authored several books and hosted many different shows across several networks. He was best known for his shows, A Cook’s Tour, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unkown from 2013-2016.  He had a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, loved tattoos and said the worst thing he ever ate was Namibian Food, warthog rectum.

1
Kate Spade

Kate Spade died on June 5th, 2018 at the age of 55. She was found by a housekeeper in her apartment in Manhattan. The death was ruled a suicide by hanging. She left a note for her daughter but the contents have not been released. Spades husband Andy, released a statement that spoke of her depression and anxiety. Spade was a fashion designer who founded the handbag company Kate Spade New York. Earlier in her life, she worked in the accessories department for the fashion magazine Mademoiselle and later senior fashion editor.  After selling her ownership in Kate Spade, she founded Frances Valentine, a luxury footwear and handbag company.  Kate Spade married Andy spade, the brother of the actor David Spade.

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