Top 12 Celebrity Scandals of 2012

December 31, 2012Gossip Cop

2:47 pm, December 31st, 2012

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2012 was as scandalous as ever for some Hollywood stars.

Take a look at the gallery below for some of the year’s biggest controversies!

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1.1. Kate Middleton Topless Photos

The Princess was "saddened" in September after an intrusive paparazzo invaded the royal's privacy and snapped topless pics of her as she sunbathed at a private home with husband Prince William. The Duchess of Cambridge won an injunction banning publication of the photos in France, where they first emerged, but they were already picked up by Italy's Chi by that point.

2.2. Lindsay Lohan’s Legal Woes

The starlet had quite a few run-ins with the law this year, after her supervised probation ended in March and she had even made fun of her troubled history on "SNL." Around the same time, Lohan was accused of a hit-and-run, and then had two altercations at a Los Angeles night club in in April. After a June car crash, Lohan was accused of lying to police about being behind the wheel, leading to three criminal charges and her probation getting revoked in December. A hearing will take place on January 15 to determine whether she should be sent back to jail. In September, Lohan was arrested for allegedly hitting a man with her car, and in October, cops were called to the Long Island home of Lohan's mom Dina after the two allegedly had a domestic dispute. In November, Lohan was arrested for allegedly punching a woman in the face at a New York nightclub, and her bank accounts were reportedly seized by the IRS a few weeks later to pay her outstanding tax debt. Whew!

3.3. Kristen Stewart Cheating With Snow White and the Huntsman Director Rupert Sanders

"Twi-hards" were shocked when Stewart was photographed kissing her SWATH director, leading her to issue a statement saying she was "deeply sorry" for hurting boyfriend Robert Pattinson, with whom she later reconciled.

4.4. Prince Harry Nude Photos

Prince Harry had a wild time during a Las Vegas vacation in August, getting completely naked during a game of strip poker. Nude pics of the Prince and his crown jewels later surfaced online.

5.5. Kate Middleton Hospital Prank

A nurse at London's King Edward VII hospital committed suicide after being duped by two Australian deejays into believing Queen Elizabeth was on the phone and inquiring about the pregnant princess' condition. The radio personalities later apologized, and their show was canceled.

6.6. Amanda Bynes’ Legal Woes

The actress had a disturbing amount of trouble behind the wheel this year, beginning with a March incident where Bynes fled the scene after getting stopped by the cops. Less than a month later, she was busted for DUI and sent out a Twitter plea to President Obama to have the arresting officer fired. Then, in May, Bynes was accused of two hit-and-run incidents, followed by a third in August. Just a few weeks later, the former child star had her sixth car accident of the year. In September, Bynes was pulled over twice while driving with a suspended license, getting her car impounded on the second offense and a new set of charges. The news baffled Lohan, of all people, who wondered on Twitter why she'd been sent to jail on several occasions and Bynes had thus far gone unpunished. Sure enough, in December, Bynes' hit-and-run charges were dismissed after she reached a civil settlement with the victims. She remains on the hook in the DUI case and for driving with a suspended license.

7.7. Gabriel Aubry and Olivier Martinez Brawl

Just a few weeks after losing a court bid to move to France, Halle Berry's ex and her fiancé had a violent altercation at her home on Thanksgiving when Aubry dropped off their daughter Nahla for the holiday. Aubry, who was arrested for battery but not charged, was left with significant injuries, prompting him to get a restraining order against Martinez, who allegedly threatened to kill him. Just a few days later, Berry and Aubry reached a custody agreement, and the model dropped his restraining order.

8.8. Angus T. Jones Calls “Two and a Half Men” ‘Filth’

"Two and a Half Men" fans were stunned in November when the former child star filmed a Christian testimonial in which he blasted his hit series as "filth," encouraged viewers to stop watching, and suggested the show is the product of the Devil. Jones later issued an apology for "disrespecting" his "Men" colleagues, but his former co-star Charlie Sheen said the young actor's "meltdown" is proof that the show is "cursed." Jones' video led to a spoof by Matthew Perry and a false rumor that claimed Miley Cyrus was set to replace him on "Men." But CBS head honcho Les Moonves said in early December that no decision had been made yet on Jones' future with the show, and admitted that the situation was a "piece of cake" compared to Sheen's own debacle with the show.

9.9. Chris Brown & Jenny Johnson Battle in Vulgar Twitter Fight

The performer got into an X-rated war of words with the comedienne in November, in which Johnson called him out for his violent past with Rihanna. The explicit exchange culminated in Brown's Twitter account getting shut down, and led Johnson to proclaim a few days later than she's "on the side of good." Elisabeth Hasselbeck accused Brown of "verbal rape," and Chelsea Handler called the singer a "moron" for the insults he lobbed at Johnson. Brown returned to Twitter exactly a week later, with a source telling us he had realized it was a "mistake to respond" to Johnson's initial taunt.

10.10. Paris Hilton Apologizes For Saying Gays Are “Disgusting” & “Probably Have AIDS”

In September, a secretly-taped recording of the socialite calling gay men "disgusting" and saying "most of them probably have AIDS" surfaced online. Hilton had been in a taxi, having a private conversation with a friend about the men-seeking-men app Grindr, in which she also said, "I would be so scared if I was a gay guy… you’ll, like, die of AIDS." After the audio leaked, Grindr slammed the heiress for her comments, suggesting that some of the men she's dated are in fact gay themselves. The next day, Hilton issued an apology through GLAAD, saying she's "so sorry and so upset that I caused pain to my gay friends, fans and their families," and insisting she "always will be a huge supporter of the gay community."

11.11. Kevin Clash, Voice of Elmo, Accused of Sex With Underage Men

In November, the beloved Sesame Street puppeteer was accused of having sex with a then-teenage boy, prompting him to take a leave of absence from the children's show while insisting the charges were false. A few days after, the accuser recanted his story, but later claimed he was pressured to settle with Clash. And when more accusers came forward with similar allegations of underage sex, Clash resigned from "Sesame Street" after a 28-year stint, with Sesame Workshop calling the growing scandal a "distraction."

12.12. Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Leaks

The wrestling legend unleashed a monster $100 million lawsuit in October against Gawker for allegedly leaking a sex tape of the former WWE star getting it on with his close friend Bubba the Love Sponge’s ex-wife, Heather Clem. Hogan also filed a separate suit against Bubba and Clem for secretly recording the dirty deed. A week later, Hogan, Bubba and Clem reached a settlement, the financial terms of which were not disclosed, but included Bubba releasing a public apology for suggesting the wrestler had leaked the footage himself.

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