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The Most Controversial Person The Year You Were Born
Vote up the figures whose controversies are the most burned in your memory.
Every year, it seems as though there's one controversy that dominates headlines. When it comes to the year you were born, you don't remember much, of course, but there were controversies taking place. It may revolve around movies, politics, sports, or some other aspect of pop culture that receives a lot of attention for the good and the bad. There are scandals that involve criminal acts, issues of human rights, or another matter that feels very close to home.
One aspect that's consistent regardless of what a controversy is about is the presence of people who stand in the on-going conversation. The names of many of these individuals become as common to onlookers as everything else about an ongoing controversy. And, as a result, these highly contentious figures get a lot of attention, too.
Controversial figures may be reviled or admired, depending on one's own believes. With this in mind, here are the most controversial people from the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Profession: Musician and cult leader
Controversy: After attracting followers for years and having a part in nearly 10 murders, Charles Manson was arrested and put on trial in 1970 for the murders of Shanon Tate, Leno LaBianca, and five others.
Manson was found guilty in 1971 and sentenced to death. That was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment.
Profession: Former Professional Athlete, Actor
Controversy: When OJ Simpson's former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were stabbed outside Brown's home in June 1994, suspicion fell on the former athlete.
Simpson rode in the back of a White Bronco while his friend AC Cowlings led authorities on a 45-minute chase on freeways in Los Angeles.
Profession: Mathematics Instructor
Controversy: Often referred to as the “Unabomber,” Ted Kaczynski mailed or delivered bombs to more than 15 people during the late 1970s and 1980s.
After his manifesto was published by The Washington Post, Kaczynski's identity became clear and an investigation led to his arrest at a remote cabin in April 1996.
Profession: Cult Leader
Controversy: Confrontations between David Koresh's Branch Davidian Christians and law enforcement officers resulted in more than 80 deaths in 1993.
Based at a complex near Waco, Texas, Koresh had numerous children on sight and was accused of abuse. Additionally, Koresh had a large stockpile of weapons and ammunition.
Profession: Musician
Controversy: A video of Robert Kelly, better known as R. Kelly, depicting the musician sexually abusing an underage girl began circulating in 2002. Kelly denied it was him in the video, but was brought up on more than 20 counts of child pornography in June in Illinois.
Within months, Kelly was charged in Florida for similar offenses and, through the 2010s, numerous comparable allegations in were made against the singer.
Profession: Director, producer, actor
Controversy: Roman Polanski was arrested in March 1977 for sexual assault of a minor. He was also charged with drugging the young girl in question.
Polanski attempted to take a plea deal but fled the United States when he learned it was rejected by the presiding judge.
Profession: Student
Controversy: John Hinckley, Jr., attempted to kill President Ronald Reagan in January 1981. His efforts failed, but it became clear in the aftermath that he did it to try to impress actress Jodi Foster.
Hinckley was found not guilty as a result of his mental health and sent to a facility until 2022.
Profession: Politician
Controversy: Richard Nixon became the first US president to resign from office on August 9, 1974, one day after announcing his intent to do so in a live broadcast. Nixon resigned to avoid possible impeachment after years of scrutiny following the Watergate Hotel break-in in 1972.
Profession: Television Evangelist
Controversy: Host of The PLT Club from 1974 and 1987, Reverend Jim Bakker resigned in 1987 amid allegations of sexual misconduct and fraud.
Bakker was later convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges and sentenced to prison.
Profession: Heiress
Controversy: Patty Hearst, granddaughter of publishing icon William Randolph Hearst, was purportedly kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in 1974 and forced to commit numerous robberies with the group.
Hearst was captured in 1975. Her claims of brainwashing were dismissed by the jury who found her guilty of bank robbery and other crimes. She was sentenced to seven years in prison.
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1992: Amy Fisher
Profession: Student
Controversy: Amy Fisher, 17 years old at the time, shot the wife of the man she was involved with on May 19, 1992. Mary Jo Buttafuoco, wife to Joey Buttafuoco, suffered a gunshot to the head but survived.
Fisher, dubbed the “Long Island Lolita,” was put on trial for the offense and later found guilty of aggravated assault.
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2001: Kenneth Lay
Profession: Businessman and Enron founder
Controversy: Enron Corporation was an energy company based in Texas that filed for bankruptcy in 2001. After years of exploiting accounting loopholes, Enron's investors lost billions of dollars due to the company's fraudulent revenue reporting.
Kenneth Lay, head of the company, was charged with fraud and making false statements as a result of the collapse.
Profession: Musician
Controversy: Rapper Kanye West pushed his way on to the state at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009 and interrupted Taylor Swift as she accepted her award for Best Female Video. According to West, Beyonce Knowles - who was also nominated for the award - should have won.
Profession: Musician
Controversy: In December 2003, Michael Jackson was charged with multiple counts of child molestation and administering intoxicating substances to others. The charges came after the documentary Living with Michael Jackson aired that year, although Jackson had previously been accused of similar offenses.
Jackson was arraigned in January 2004 - memorably standing on the roof of his car to wave at fans at the time - and later plead not guilty to additional charges of child abduction, extortion, and false imprisonment.
Jackson was tried and found not guilty of all charges in 2005.
Profession: Politician
Controversy: President Bill Clinton was impeached in December 1998 and, in February 1999, acquitted by the United States Senate. Clinton had been charged with obstructing justice and lying under oath to a federal grand jury.
Clinton's impeachment came on the heels of an extramarital affair, accusations of sexual harassment, and false statements to investigators.
Profession: Politician
Controversy: Vice President Dick Cheney was instrumental in the US efforts in Iraq and, after it came to light that there were no weapons of mass destruction there (a long-held assertion from the Bush Administration), Cheney made it clear that he would have supported the war anyway.
Cheney was also tied to Halliburton, a government-contracted oil service company with a large presence in the Middle East.
Profession: Actress and activist
Controversy: Jane Fonda actively protested against the Vietnam War and, when she visited North Vietnam in 1972, was criticized for turning her back on the United States and the US Armed Forces. She was dubbed “Hanoi Jane" and characterized as pro-communist as well.
Profession: National Security Council Member, US Marine Corp Lieutenant Colonel
Controversy: Oliver North was dismissed from the National Security Council by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 for his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. Congress had been investigating the illegal sale of weapons to Iran, an activity within which North and numerous other Reagan officials were implicated.
Two years later, North was indicted on multiple felonies associated with the affair.
Profession: Student (now a physician)
Controversy: William Kennedy Smith, nephew of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy (among others), was accused of sexual assault in 1991. Smith was in Palm Beach, Florida, when he allegedly forced a woman to have sex with him.
Smith was acquitted of all charges.
Profession: Musician
Controversy: Sid Vicious (born Simon Richie) was at the forefront of punk music during the 1970s but after his relationship with Nancy Spungen ended in her death in 1978, he was charged with killing her.
Vicious was found dead of an overdose on February 1, 1979.
Profession: Actress
Controversy: Rosanne Barr sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” at a San Diego Padres game on July 25, 1990, but her rendition of the song was seen as offensive and distasteful.
Barr intentionally sang out of tune and grabbed her crotch while spitting at the end of the song. Hundreds of complaints followed and the team issued an apology as a result.
Profession: Princess, Activist
Controversy: Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed were killed in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997.
The shocking deaths sparked worldwide mourning but also led to countless conspiracy theories about what happened to cause the crash.
231998: Terri Schiavo
Profession: Bookkeeper
Controversy: Twenty-six year old Terri Schiavo went into cardiac arrest and lost consciousness in 1990. After it was determined she was in a vegetative state and would not recover, her husband Michael - also her legal guardian - petitioned to remove her feeding tube in 1998.
Terri's parents intervened and a multi-year legal contest over her final wishes, the right to die, and who could make a final decision on her behalf ensued. Politicians and the media weighed in on both sides. Terri passed away after her feeding tube was removed in 2005.
Profession: Former Actor, Politician
Controversy: President Ronald Reagan gave his famous “Evil Empire” speech in early 1983, but that was also the same year he proposed a missile defense system called the Strategic Defense Initiative. Dubbed “Star Wars,” the entire program was unrealistic and expensive.
Profession: Politician
Controversy: Amid the ongoing controversies surrounding the Nixon administration, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned his office on October 10, 1973.
Agnew pleaded no contest to charges of tax evasion and was fined $10,000, disbarred in his home state of Maryland, and received three years of probation. In exchange, charges of political corruption against Agnew were dropped.
Profession: Musician, Dancer, Actress
Controversy: The release of Madonna's video for “Like a Prayer” included a Christ-like figure, stigmata, burning crosses, and other controversial imagery. As a result, the Vatican denounced the video as did family and religious groups worldwide.
Protests, boycotts, and general criticism accompanied the loss of a multi-million dollar deal with Pepsi for the singer.
Profession: Actor
Controversy: A sex tape featuring Rob Lowe, a 16-year-old named Lena, and a 23-year-old named Tara went public in 1988, sparking a scandal that threatened to bring his career to an end.
Profession: Club owner
Controversy: After years of running Studio 54 in New York City with his partner Ian Schranger, Steve Rubell was overheard bragging about a large amount of money the club brought in.
Within months, Rubell and Schranger were charged with tax evasion in conjunction with millions in unreported income.
Profession: Coach
Controversy: Bill Belichick was head coach of the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2023. In 2007, Belichick and the Patriots were caught video taping defensive signals made by members of the New York Jets.
Dubbed “Spygate,” Belichick was fined $500,000 for the violation of NFL rules prohibiting such activities. The Patriots were fined $25,000 and forfeited their picks in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Profession: Politician
Controversy: Barack Obama was elected to the presidency of the US in 2008, but during the campaign, was criticized for his connection to Bill Ayers. Ayers was once the leader of the anti-war group the Weather Underground.
Obama's links to his former pastor Jeremiah Wright also drew criticism.
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1976: Wayne Hays
Profession: Politician
Controversy: When Congressman Wayne Hays of Ohio's one-time secretary Elizabeth Ray came forward in May 1976, she indicated her former boss had paid her to be his mistress. The revelations ended Hays's Congressional career when he resigned the following year.
Profession: Musician
Controversy: As the lead singer of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osborne was no stranger to shocking fans and other observers. He'd bit the heads off of birds and bats during the early 1980s, but in 1985, he faced a lawsuit alleging he had somehow influenced a teenager to take his own life.
Profession: Actor
Controversy: In June 1955, Hugh Grant was arrested with a prostitute for “lewd conduct” in Los Angeles, California. Grant's companion, Divine Brown, sold her story to the media.
Grant was fined and sent to an education program. He later appeared on The Tonight Show to apologize.
Profession: Singer, Actress
Controversy: Lady Gaga attended the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010 wearing a dress made out of raw meat. No stranger to making statements with her clothing, Lady Gaga's dress shocked observers and prompted groups like PETA to call it offensive.
Profession: Musician
Controversy: Natalie Maines, lead singer of The Chicks (previously known as the Dixie Chicks) criticized President George W. Bush and the ongoing War in Iraq at a concert in England on March 10, 2003. Maines's statements resulted in a music industry backlash against the singer and the band.
The Chicks - Maines, Emily Robison, and Martie Maguire - were also threatened and saw a massive decline in popularity as a result of the controversy.
Profession: Musician
Controversy: Marshall Mathers - AKA Eminem - was involved in several controversies in 2000, many of which involved his wife, Kim. Musically, Eminem's release of The Marshall Mathers LP prompted criticism by politicians and other musicians.
Among the rappers most vocal critics was Ontario Attorney General Jim Flaherty who wanted to prevent Eminem from entering Canada.
Profession: Politician
Controversy: For Jimmy Carter, 1980 was the year he lost his re-election bid for the presidency of the United States. That was largely influenced by the ongoing hostage crisis in Iran.
Profession: Student, Model, Beauty Queen, Singer, Actress
Controversy: After winning Miss America 1984 in September of the previous year, Vaness Williams relinquished her crown in July 1984.
Nude photos of WIlliams emerged and the Miss American Organization gave the first Black Miss America mere hours to resign.
Profession: Filmmaker
Controversy: Ang Lee sparked controversy when his movie Brokeback Mountain was released in 2005. Because the movie depicted homosexuality, conservative critics and other observers deemed the movie offensive and even “disgusting.”
Brokeback Mountain went on to win three Academy Awards, including Lee for Best Director.
Profession: Musician
Controversy: Steve Harris and the Iron Maiden became involved in the so-called “Satanic Panic” of the early 1980s. Critics believed Iron Maiden's album The Number of the Beast was covered in demonic art and full of devilish messaging.
