Stars who had a rocky 2017

By Cara Sprunk 4:38pm PST, Dec 1, 2017

Though accusations of sexual misconduct dominated the headlines in late 2017 and derailed the careers of some of Hollywood's biggest stars (Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Russell Simmons, super-producer Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer and more), other bold-face names also hit rough patches this year. Wonderwall.com is taking a look at some of the celebs who had a rocky 2017, starting with Johnny Depp. This year, the Oscar nominee faced money issues normal people could never even imagine: After he sued his former business managers in January — and they filed a countersuit — it was revealed that he's $40 million in debt. His lavish spending was broken down and included things like shelling out $30,000 a month on wine and $200,000 a month on private jets. In addition to his ongoing money woes, Johnny faced controversy when he said, "When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?" to a crowd in June. He was later forced to apologize, saying, "It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone." Keeping all those factors in mind, is it any wonder the A-list actor might be looking forward to a fresh start in 2018? Now keep reading for more stars who struggled this year…

In July, "Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller reported to Victorville Federal Correctional Institution in California to begin a 366-day sentence for bankruptcy fraud. She was originally accused of hiding $775,000 worth of income in October 2015 and was sentenced in May to time behind bars, a $40,000 fine and a $120,000 judgment. "I'm just going to pretend that I am shooting a movie, and we're on set, and I am there for 10 months, and that's the way it's gonna be," she told "Good Morning America" of how she plans to survive her prison stint.

Former FOX News darling Megyn Kelly has sparked controversy ever since it was announced early in the year that she would be joining NBC's "Today" show. When she finally took over the third hour of "Today" in September, she landed with a thud. Since her show's inception, her ratings plummeted as she failed to connect with a morning audience and drew attention for uncomfortable interviews with guests including Jane Fonda. They even started affecting the rest of the ratings for "Today." In October, it emerged that Megyn's hour was down 32 percent over last year. All this comes on the heels of her poorly received evening newsmagazine show, "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly," which aired over the summer. That show was marred by controversy — Megyn made headlines when she was forced to revamp a Father's Day episode featuring conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, the "InfoWars" host who's claimed the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax — and drew drew lackluster ratings, regularly getting beat by reruns of "60 Minutes" and "America's Funniest Home Videos." Following anchor Matt Lauer's shocking firing in November, it was reported that Megyn's "Today" colleagues were unhappy with what some felt was an insensitive regard for his distraught co-stars as she immediately took an aggressive stance on the scandal.

Ben Affleck went to rehab earlier this year. "I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to confront," he wrote on Facebook in March. He added that "this was the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery." In the fall — after he was reportedly seen drinking again on a date with new girlfriend Lindsay Shookus in July and at an Emmys afterparty in September — Ben was repeatedly photographed visiting an outpatient rehab clinic where it's believed he's seeking additional help. But that's not the only reason things were tough for the A-list actor this year. In January, he stepped down from directing a previously announced Batman solo movie. Then in July, the director who replaced him scrapped Ben's script. Come November, "Justice League" had the worst box office opening of any movie in the DC Extended Universe. Things are not looking good for the future of the Batfleck!

It was not the best year for Kendall Jenner's career. First, the model starred in a tone-deaf Pepsi ad that seemingly echoed the Black Lives Matter movement. In the infamous commercial, which debuted in April, the reality star leaves a photoshoot to join a protest against the police, where she ends the conflict by handing a Pepsi to a cop. The ad was widely accused of attempting to capitalize on the movement. Kendall was mortified, and Pepsi ended up pulling the ads. But that wasn't the end of her problematic spring. Kendall was also paid to promote one of the biggest fiascos of the year: April's Fyre Fest, which memorably resulted in hundreds of millennials stranded on a private island with inadequate food, water and shelter. Then she made headlines in May when she (instead of an Indian star) appeared on the cover of Vogue India's 10th anniversary issue. Yikes.

The year hasn't been kind to Katy Perry. A promising first single ("Chained to the Rhythm"), a Taylor Swift diss track ("Swish Swish") and a stunt-filled publicity campaign that included a bizarre 96-hour livestream of her life couldn't save her fifth album, "Witness," which inspired headlines branding it "a spectacular failure" and a "flop." Yes, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in June, but in its second week, it suffered an 89 percent sales drop — the biggest second-week sales drop in history. A high point came when Katy, who split with Orlando Bloom in February, was the first judge hired for the upcoming "American Idol" reboot, for which she scored a jaw-dropping $25 million payday, according to reports. But then after she underwhelmed while hosting the MTV Video Music Awards in August, rumors emerged claiming ABC execs were regretting making the hire (and blowing half their talent budget) without an audition. Then came the rotten cherry on top: Katy was snubbed by the Recording Academy when Grammy nominations were announced on Nov. 28, failing to score even a single nod.

It wasn't all bad for Jimmy Fallon in 2017. But the funny late-night host, who used to be the runaway leader in ratings, really started to feel the competition this year. Jimmy's lost 21 percent of his audience year over year after making the choice to not talk about politics. In February, "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" — whose host regularly takes President Trump to task — knocked Jimmy out of the No. 1 spot. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" also made major gains. Though "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" remains the No. 1 late-night series with viewers 18 to 49, Jimmy's numbers there are also getting smaller (in November, Jimmy saw his lead shrink to less than 60,000 viewers). Looks like talking about politics is actually a winning business for late-night TV!

After Kathy Griffin appeared in a photo taken by controversial artist Tyler Shields in May — the infamous shot showed her holding a bloody mask that resembled the decapitated head of President Donald Trump — she was hit with backlash and death threats. She was also fired from her gig hosting CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with pal Anderson Cooper, who openly criticized her for the photoshoot. In a since-deleted tweet, she said she does not condone violence and was "merely mocking the Mocker in Chief." After profusely apologizing in the wake of the scandal, she drew criticism again in August when she publicly declared she was no longer sorry. It's bad enough that she lost jobs and fans, but what's especially tragic is the fact that her longtime friendship with Anderson is no more.

In September, DailyMail.com delivered some shocking news when it claimed that daytime TV host Wendy Williams' husband was living a double life. The reports alleged that Kevin Hunter had been having an affair with a 32-year-old massage therapist for 10 years. Wendy fired back, telling viewers, "Don't believe the hype" before making it clear she was standing by her man. Another story about her husband emerged in November when Kevin was spotted with the massage therapist yet again.

It was made public in February that Lisa Marie Presley had lost custody of her twin daughters after child services launched an investigation into her and estranged husband Michael Lockwood's behavior in the wake of their bitter split. Lisa Marie, who reportedly spent time in rehab in late 2016 and early 2017, claimed she'd found disturbing photos of children on their father's computer (which he's vehemently denied). Her mom, Priscilla Presley, confirmed that her granddaughters, Harper and Finley, were living with her and not in foster care as Lisa continued to deal with her divorce and addiction issues. Lisa Marie reportedly regained custody in October and is now on the upswing.

When it came to custody cases this year, Jenelle Evans is another celebrity who faced intense scrutiny. The "Teen Mom" star lost a custody war with her mother, Barbara Evans, over her eldest son, Jace, resulting in shared time when she wanted full custody. Later, it was revealed that son Kaiser (with ex-Nathan Griffith) was the subject of a custody war between Jenelle and Nathan's mother, who claimed that Jenelle's third child, daughter Ensley, had tested positive for marijuana at birth, according to a report from E! News. Nathan's mother, Doris, also claimed that her grandson had unusual bruising on "several occasions."

Ja Rule's Fyre Festival was one of the biggest flops of the year. Together with entrepreneur Billy McFarland, the rapper organized what was supposed to be a luxury music festival in the Bahamas over two weekends in April and May. It ended up being anything but, with people stranded on an island without the food and accommodations they'd paid for. The festival was quickly cancelled and the organizers are facing multiple lawsuits.

While Robin Thicke got some good news this year — his girlfriend, model April Love Geary, is expecting their child in 2018 — he also dealt with quite a lot of drama. In January, TMZ revealed that he'd temporarily lost custody of his son, Julian, with ex-Paula Patton, following allegations of abuse. Paula took out a restraining order against him and they bitterly battled over custody until August, when they finally declared a truce and reached a custody agreement.

In April, former "The Bachelor" star Chris Soules was accused by authorities of fleeing the scene of an accident after his pickup truck collided with a tractor being driven by a fellow Iowa farmer who later died from his injuries. Chris was charged with felony hit and run and faces a January 2018 trial date, though his lawyers have argued that he called 911 from the scene and stayed with the man, even performing CPR. Whether or not he's found guilty, one thing is clear: This story is tragic no matter how you look at it.

Aaron Carter sure had a rollercoaster of a year. In June, he landed in the hospital for exhaustion. In July, he was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence and marijuana possession. He later claimed he suffered from a myriad of health issues and admitted to using facial fillers after being body shamed for being thin — a result, he said, of an eating disorder. In August, he came out as bisexual after he and girlfriend Madison Parker called it quits. In early September, he totaled his BMW and tested positive for numerous prescription drugs on an episode of "The Doctors." Finally, at the end of that month, he entered rehab to work on his health and "overall wellness," according to his rep. Though he successfully completed rehab — and gained a significant amount of weight that's bolstered his health — in late November, he was slapped with more charges stemming from his summer DUI arrest. Aaron might not be completely out of the woods, but at least he's now making progress!

Over Memorial Day weekend, Tiger Woods was arrested after he was found unconscious in his car 15 miles from home. It was later discovered that he had the painkillers Vicodin and Dilaudid, the mood drug Xanax, the sleeping aid Ambien and THC (found in marijuana) in his system. He ended up pleading guilty to reckless driving. Tsk tsk!

In February, Jackie Warner, who starred on Bravo's "Work Out," was arrested on a slew of charges after she crashed her car into a pole: felony assault with a deadly weapon (she nearly hit a police officer with her car) plus misdemeanor DUI and hit and run. Her lawyer chalked it up to her "long history" of insomnia and said that she was "driving unconscious after taking Ambien." Lucky for Jackie, she escaped jail time after striking a plea deal in June.

In 2017, Mischa Barton was the target of revenge porn, which she's called her "absolute worst fear." At a March press conference, she shared, "Someone I thought I loved and trusted was filming my most intimate and private moments, without my consent, with hidden cameras. Then I learned something even worse: that someone is trying to sell these videos and make them public. I came forward to fight this not only for myself but for all the women out there."

DeMario Jackson struggled on both "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise" this year. First, he was ousted from Rachel Lindsay's season after an ex appeared on the show and claimed that he broke up with her just to go on "The Bachelorette." (He denied it.) Then, on "BiP," he was involved in a sex scandal with contestant Corinne Olympios that halted production and resulted in both of them being eliminated from the show. Though an investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct cleared DeMario of any wrongdoing, the damage to his reputation had been done!

One year after The Fappening, more celebrities were victimized when their nude photos were hacked and leaked publicly in 2017. Everyone from Amanda Seyfried and Miley Cyrus to Kristen Stewart, Katharine McPhee and Lindsey Vonn saw incredibly intimate snapshots emerge online. Many pursued legal action. "It is an outrageous and despicable invasion of privacy for anyone to steal and illegally publish private intimate photos," Lindsey's rep said at the time. To make matters worse, the Olympian and her boyfriend, Kenan Smith, called it quits after a year of coupledom in November. Bummer!

In July, an explosive report on BuzzFeed alleged that R. Kelly was running an abusive sex cult, with multiple sources accused him of brainwashing women. According to the report, the singer — who has been accused, but never found guilty, of sexual misconduct — is keeping multiple women hostage in his home. Some of the women's parents spoke to the outlet, claiming the music star controls what their daughters eat, wear, when they shower and sleep and how they engage in sexual acts with him. He's denied the claims via his lawyer, but the allegations sparked career repercussions: The rapper canceled several of his shows in the wake of the scandal, which he addressed on Instagram in August. "I want everybody around the world to know: Ain't no tours canceled, man," he said. "Despite what you hear — don't believe the hype. I haven't canceled not one show." Despite his assertion, Variety reported that at least five of his tour stops had been called off as of late August. According to the trade publication, a gig in Memphis was canceled by the promoter due to "unforeseen circumstances."

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