As WHO celebrates 30 years, we look back at the most jaw-dropping events from the past 30 years.
Here are the shocks and scandals that rocked our world!
Watch Below: Trailer For ‘Britney Vs. Spears’ From Netflix
Rise & fall of Britney Spears (1992-2022)
In 1992, Louisiana-bred Spears burst onto the scene as a contestant on Star Search. She followed up with a stint on The Mickey Mouse Club and, in 1997, signed a record deal, soon becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars. However, her high-profile relationship with Justin Timberlake made her a paparazzi target.
The scrutiny she faced after divorcing back-up dancer Kevin Federline led to a public meltdown that saw her temporarily lose primary custody of her two sons. She was placed under a legal conservatorship in February 2008, giving her father, Jamie Spears, control over her life.
With growing fan support (dubbed the #FreeBritney movement), a judge officially terminated the conservatorship in November 2021. Spears married actor and model Sam Asghari in June 2022.
Harvey Weinstein & #MeToo (2017)
Allegations in a 2017 The New York Times article accusing movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of being a sexual predator sparked a sweeping #MeToo movement.
In February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual assault in the first degree. He was sentenced to 23 years, with charges still pending.
Chris Brown & Rihanna (2009)
Rihanna and Chris Brown were no-shows at the 2009 Grammy Awards after getting into a fight on the way to the ceremony. Police photos of Rihanna’s bruised and battered face went viral and Brown was later found guilty of felony assault. “It’s important for young women to know this is not a sign of love,” Rihanna said in a 2009 TV interview.
Call Me Caitlyn (2015)
Before publicly coming out as a trans woman in April 2015, Bruce Jenner was a US Olympic gold medallist and the often eye-rolling patriarch of the Jenner-Kardashian clan. Caitlyn stole the spotlight when she appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair with the headline, Call Me Caitlyn.
Kylie Minogue Cancer (2005)
The Australian star was 36 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. After a partial mastectomy and rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, she was given the all-clear the following year.
“Cancer changed many things forever, and some things didn’t change at all,” Minogue reflected to WHO in 2020. “My view of the world was different, my destination, for the most part, was the same. Broader, for sure. I was even more passionate about the people and things that I loved, but life as I had known it was on hold.”
She got through it, she added, with the strength of love. “People shone so bright for me in those dark days,” she said. “The strength my family showed was extraordinary.”
Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee sex tape (1997)
Six weeks after meeting at a 1994 New Year’s Eve party, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee went on a trip to Mexico for their first date and married on the beach four days later. Upon their return, an electrician swiped a videotape the newlyweds made while on their honeymoon.
“We made it for ourselves,” she said. “We got home and put it in the safe. It wasn’t something we discussed with anyone. It was just for fun, for us.” The couple, who would go on to welcome sons Brandon and Dylan before splitting in 1998, filed a $10 million lawsuit to prevent the tape from being published, but the suit was dropped. “I made not one dollar,” Anderson said in 2015.
Tiger Woods Scandal (2009)
The phenomenal golf champion was a household name when in November 2009 he started to make headlines for his antics off the course. Two days after a report in the National Enquirer accused the father of two of cheating on his wife, Elin Nordegren, with New York nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel, he crashed his car outside of his Florida mansion.
In the weeks that followed, several women came forward claiming to have had affairs with the golfer, creating a media frenzy (he was on the front page of the New York Post 20 days in a row). The National Enquirer reported that Woods confessed to having 120 affairs with different women.
Nordegren filed for divorce from Woods in 2010 and won $100 million in the settlement. After being plagued by injury, Woods ended an 11-year major drought by winning the 2019 Masters and his 15th major title.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
