Hollywood celebrities understand the truth behind the old adage that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Even when a celeb is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, it keeps people talking about them. That kind of constant buzz comes in handy when these stars try to get bigger and bigger roles.
Because of this, there is never a shortage of crazy rumors about actors. Most of these rumors end up being false, and some are even planted by PR agents hoping to generate some fake buzz. However, some of the craziest rumors in Hollywood history ended up shocking us by being real.
What kind of rumors are we talking about? Keep reading to find out!
Sylvester Stallone starred in an adult film
This rumor has a pretty interesting origin. Back in a 1978 interview with Playboy, Sylvester Stallone admitted that he once starred in a XXX film. Therefore, he wasn’t exactly hiding this fact from the world, but he didn’t really mention it much after becoming a household name. His later silence and the fact that the porno movie (The Party at Kitty and Stud’s, later cheekily retitled The Italian Stallion) never got a VHS release turned Stallone’s admission into the kind of thing that sounded too wild to believe.
However, that movie briefly got a DVD re-release in 2004 and 2007. That release plus the rising popularity of the internet meant the entire world could see Sylvester Stallone’s embarrassing early start as an actor. Fortunately, the films hit home video too late to significantly damage his career.
The beef between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall
Sex and the City was wildly popular when it premiered, and fans were understandably upset when the show was canceled. Shortly after that cancellation, there were rumors that some arguments between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall had led the series to an early death. However, the truth behind these arguments and whether Cattrall really had tried to argue for a raise for herself after finding out how much Parker made was always disputed, making fans think they were just ugly rumors.
For years, Cattrall echoed Parker’s claims that the cast of the show loved each other. But Cattrall later went off when talking to Piers Morgan, claiming in 2017 that the cast had “never been friends.” She even lashed out at Parker via social media; the other woman expressed condolences for the death of Cattrall’s brother, prompting Cattrall to tell Parker via Instagram “You are not my family. You are not my friend.”
The relationship between Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes
Normally, celebrity relationships are an open secret. It doesn’t take long for the press to pick up rumors of two big names dating, and the truth usually comes out soon enough. However, every now and then, a power couple hides in plain sight and it takes years for everyone to find out they are an item.
This is what happened with Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes. They actually began dating in 2013 (soon after her divorce from Tom Cruise) without telling anyone, and when they were seen in public more often in 2015, it prompted rumors they were a couple. Weirdly enough, they never confirmed they were a couple until the May 2019 Met Gala red carpet and ended up breaking up only three months later.
BJ Novak really did have his face stolen by marketers
You might have seen images online of various products with BJ Novak’s face on them. He played fan-favorite character Ryan on The Office, so fans were naturally skeptical at seeing images of his face on rain ponchos, cologne bottles, and everything in between. In an age of Photoshop and AI art, all of this had to be a weird prank…right?
Not exactly, although the story of how this all happened is weirder than anything that ever happened on The Office. Novak later revealed that his face had mistakenly gotten added to a database of royalty-free images that could be used to sell just about anything. Marketers jumped at the chance to use a big star’s face without paying a hefty fee. As for Novak, he found the whole thing funny enough that he didn’t bother to get his face removed from the database!
Tom Holland and Zendaya’s real-life relationship
If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you’re used to seeing Tom Holland and Zendaya have a relationship on the big screen. At first, everyone assumed that their romance ended when the credits rolled. However, they were increasingly seen in public together, leading to persistent rumors that they were actually dating.
They played coy for a very long time, but both of them eventually admitted they were, in fact, a couple in real life. We were happy for the revelation because the two seem very cute together. Plus, we now have an explanation for why they have such great chemistry together onscreen!