Welcome to the Celebrity Apology Hall of Fame. These stars have admitted to some epic regrets, from bad Halloween costumes to on-set tantrums to using racist language. Our most recent example? Gary Oldman, who was so remorseful for his remarks about Jewish people and Hollywood in the July issue of Playboy that he apologized twice. 
Justin Bieber is no stranger to the public apology, having said sorry for mistakenly kicking the Argentinian flag and saying "F*** Bill Clinton" after urinating in a janitor's mop bucket. In early June, he apologized not once but twice after racially offensive videos of him surfaced. 
Being trailed by the paparazzi got the better of actor Jonah Hill in early June. The "22 Jump Street" star made a lewd remark and used a homophobic slur while in a confrontation with a paparazzo, and quickly apologized for his words, first on Howard Stern's radio program and then on "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon." His in-depth mea culpas were met with equal parts praise and criticism. 
"Seinfeld" star Michael Richards went from beloved comic actor to persona non grata after he erupted during a standup performance in November 2006, screaming racial slurs at an African-American man in the audience. After video of his tirade went viral, Richards appeared on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" to say that he was "very, very sorry." 
All the apologies in the world couldn't repair Kanye West's PR damage after he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Although he apologized more than once -- via Twitter, by phone and on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno as host -- public opinion wasn't swayed. 
During Winona Ryder's 2002 trial for shoplifting from Saks Fifth Avenue, the shopping outlet's security chief testified that Ryder apologized with the claim that she'd committed the crime for a role. "She said, I'm sorry for what I did. My director directed me to shoplift for a role I was preparing," the security chief said. 
When Paula Deen was being sued for racial discrimination in 2013, she admitted to using the "N" word -- and there went the celebrity chef's career. Deen tried to make amends with two different videotaped apologies, but the execution just made matters worse. 
Everyone remembers Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004, but we bet you don't recall Timberlake's meek apology following the uproar. "Listen, I know it's been a rough week for everybody," he said. "What occurred was unintentional and completely regrettable, and I apologize if you guys were offended." Timberlake had to give that apology in order to participate in that year's Grammy Awards airing on CBS; Jackson declined to attend the event and apologize. 
After being caught "engaging in a lewd act" with a "known prostitute" in Hollywood in 1995, Hugh Grant famously apologized on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." The Brit actor -- responding to Leno's memorable question, "What the hell were you thinking?" -- said that it would be "bollocks" to hide behind excuses. "I did a bad thing, and there you have it." 
Julianne Hough is such a fan of "Orange Is the New Black" that she thought it would be fun to dress up as one of her favorite characters, "Crazy Eyes," for Halloween in 2013. Yet Hough went too far when she combined a prison orange jumpsuit with blackface, prompting outrage and a swift apology from the dancer/actress. 
What hasn't Alec Baldwin apologized for? For starters, there's his 2007 regret for calling his then 11-year-old daughter Ireland a "rude, thoughtless little pig," which was followed by a semi-apology in 2011 for disrupting an American Airlines flight. More recently, the actor said he was sorry for using homophobic language in a confrontation with a photographer. 
Pharrell Williams' Elle UK cover story came under fire in June 2014 because the "Happy" singer/songwriter was wearing a traditional Native American headdress. Amid the backlash, Williams tweeted to his #nothappy fans, "I respect and honor every kind of race, background and culture. I am genuinely sorry." 
John Mayer's controversial 2010 interview with Playboy magazine brought so much heat for the singer/songwriter that he ended up crying during his apology. Mayer, who used the "N" word in the interview and claimed that he has a "white supremacist" penis, first gave a Twitter apology and then a tearful, public one during a concert in Nashville. 
Shia LaBeouf is such a pro at apologizing that he's started to think outside of the box. After he tweeted that he "f****d up" when he copied another artist's work without credit in December 2013, he then drove the point home by plagiarizing other famous apologies, skywriting his regret and then establishing a performance art piece called #IAmSorry. 
Mel Gibson publicly apologized in 2006 after going off on an anti-Semitic rant when he was pulled over for driving under the influence. The remorseful statement was thorough, but it hasn't erased Gibson's actions, which have since included allegations of the actor making racist remarks in arguments with his ex-girlfriend. 
Christian Bale actually encouraged the media to make fun of him after his expletive-filled rant on the set of "Terminator: Salvation" leaked in 2009. "I deserve it completely," Bale said at the time. "I was out of order beyond belief. I was way out of order. I acted like a punk. I regret that." 
For celebrities who want to apologize for something without ever actually saying what they're apologizing for, Kristen Stewart is the new standard. The actress released a statement in 2012 amid gossip that she cheated on her boyfriend Robert Pattinson with "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders that says everything while saying nothing at all. "I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected," she said. "This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry." 
Reese Witherspoon had to apologize for her drunken actions when she was caught on camera mouthing off to a police officer in 2013 after she and her husband were pulled over. "We went out to dinner in Atlanta, and we had one too many glasses of wine, and we thought we were fine to drive and we absolutely were not," Witherspoon said on "Good Morning America." "It's completely unacceptable, and we are so sorry and embarrassed. We know better, and we shouldn't have done that." 
David Letterman dropped a bombshell in the fall of 2009 when he admitted on his CBS late night talk show that he'd had affairs with a number of women on his staff. During a live taping of the show, Letterman first took several shots at himself, and then grew more serious: "I'm terribly sorry that I put the staff in that position," he said. "My wife, Regina, has been horribly hurt by my behavior ... Let me tell you folks, I've got my work cut out for me." Earlier that summer, Letterman also said he was sorry to Sarah Palin for what he called "a bad joke." 
Following his 2009 assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna, Chris Brown first tried to apologize with a personal video shared online, telling those watching that he was "truly, truly sorry that I wasn't able to handle the situation both differently and better." He then booked a seat on CNN's "Larry King Live," telling the show's host that he couldn't believe what happened. Judging from the public's perception of the singer, it seems neither apology has been accepted. 
Miley Cyrus isn't one to make a lot of apologies -- if you didn't like her twerking on MTV, that's too bad -- but she isn't immune to saying "I'm sorry." When suggestive photos of a then-15-year-old Cyrus surfaced in 2008 -- including one that showed her wearing just a bedsheet on the cover of Vanity Fair -- she said in a statement that she was "truly sorry" if she "disappointed anyone." Similar grievances were given after she was seen smoking a bong in 2011 and when a racially insensitive photo emerged in 2009. 
Naomi Campbell and Alec Baldwin have at least one thing in common: they know how to give excellent non-apologies. When she got into a tiff with airline British Airways over lost baggage in 2008, the supermodel apologized for assaulting police but refused to apologize to British Airways, which she accused of racism.
- Gary Oldman gave an apology on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Wednesday
- The Kimmel appearance followed a written apology
- Oldman was under fire for remarks in Playboy about Jewish people and Hollywood
(CNN) -- Gary Oldman is doubling down on his apology for his recent Playboy interview.
The British actor appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Wednesday to say in person what he's already said to the Anti-Defamation League in a letter: He very much regrets the remarks he made to Playboy about Jewish people and Hollywood.
Gary Oldman apologizes for remarks
"I said some things that were poorly considered," a subdued Oldman told Kimmel. "Once I saw it in print, I could see that it was offensive, insensitive, pernicious and ill-informed."
In the Playboy interview, Oldman gives his unfiltered opinion on political correctness and how it's impacted controversial actors like Alec Baldwin and Mel Gibson, the latter of whom has used anti-Semitic language in the past.
"Mel Gibson is in a town that's run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he's actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him -- and doesn't need to feed him anymore because he's got enough dough," Oldman told the magazine. "But some Jewish guy in his office somewhere hasn't turned and said, 'That f**king kraut' or 'F**k those Germans,' whatever it is? We all hide and try to be so politically correct. That's what gets me. It's just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone."
Gary Oldman goes off on hypocrisy, political correctness
Within a day of Playboy releasing its interview, Oldman wrote the ADL to tell it he was "deeply remorseful" for what he said. And on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Oldman took the extra step to also apologize to his fans.
"Words have meaning, and they carry weight long after you've said them," he said. "I don't condone or excuse the words that I used in any context. ... I am profoundly, profoundly sorry and deeply apologetic. Especially to the fans, they've been so incredible to me, and I really feel that I let them down. ... I'm a public figure, I should be an example and an inspiration. And I'm an a-hole. I'm 56, and I should know better."
Oldman also thanked Kimmel for giving him the opportunity to appear on the show and speak his piece, to which Kimmel replied, "I'm so happy that someone has to apologize on this show, and it's not me for once."
No comments:
Post a Comment