Britney's reputation has been tarnished by the media since the beginning of her career. The paparazzi were brutal in the 2000s. (Obviously, they haven't gotten any better since then.) Many people were following Spears and taking pictures of her. They would benefit more if Spears appeared worse. 2006 saw Spears' collapse. She drove to a hair shop and had her head shaved following a tough divorce, the death of her aunt, and a stay in recovery.

She was painted as crazy by this incident and the media frenzy that followed, and the following few days provided endless fodder for tabloids. In 2008, Spears formally joined her conservatorship, which would last for nearly 14 years and would conclude in 2021. The evidence was produced by the media, which ran headlines referring to her as a bad mother, psychologically ill, and promiscuous, among other labels, all over the international gossip scene.

The #FreeBritney movement and documentaries have altered the narrative and demonstrated Spears' victim status. Diane Sawyer's 2002 interview has been cited as the key piece of proof demonstrating media mistreatment. She accuses Spears of ruining her relationship with Justin Timberlake, hurting him, and interrogating her about her sexual orientation, among other offensive inquiries that are not acceptable anymore.

It became simple to buy into these expertly produced, compelling stories, but it also got far too simple to overlook the fact that the real individuals who are the subjects of these tales. People with a limited capacity for suffering before everything collapses and nobody is left to assist in picking up the pieces.

Born: December 2, 1981

Occupation: Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress
Years active: 1992–present

Nicole Smith suddenly appeared on magazine, billboard, and television covers in 1993. She probably followed you everywhere. She was even called the Marilyn Monroe of the 1990s. She was a prominent Playboy model at the time, if not the most prominent. She used the media, and they did the same. If my name is in the press, good or terrible, it doesn't matter; good or bad, I make money, therefore I'm going to do whatever it takes, she even declared in a Good Morning America interview. But regrettably, one partner in this relationship started to abuse.

She was the focus of headlines for the whole of the 1990s due to her marriage to a Texas oilman in 1991 and her connection with him. She was called a gold digger because of her friendship with the 90-year-old man. The early 2000s were a time of many low points in Anna Nicole's life. When she put on weight, the "1990s Marilyn" connection was written off. She was now viewed as "white trash." Her career suffered, and in 2006, her 20-year-old son passed away from an accidental overdose, leaving her to deal with a tragic loss. A victim of an unintentional overdose, Anna Nicole Smith was discovered unconscious in her hotel room in Florida on February 8, 2007, not long after the passing of her son. This blazing celebrity of old was no more.

The media became fixated on covering this horrible story for 24 days, capitalizing on it, and making it the biggest news story in the country. For weeks, tabloids published story after story, and the Anna Nicole Smith case dominated news coverage. Why did they care so much? was a question that was raised in the story. Smith's notoriety at the time made little sense. She was just well-known. Even if Anna Nicole Smith's relationship was exploited on both sides, the media went too far. The media never stopped reporting, even after a person passed away.

Born: November 28, 1967

Died: February 8, 2007

Occupation: Model, actress, television personality

Years active: 1992–2007

Amy Winehouse, a tremendously gifted artist, had only turned 19 when her debut album, Frank, was released in 2003. Her life had never been particularly simple. She was close to her father, but when their relationship broke down due to his adultery, she started self-harming at age 9. She ultimately started making music and put out her first album. She ultimately received recognition for her song "Stronger Than Me."

Although Winehouse was already well known for using drugs, her main poisons were alcohol and marijuana. This worsened when she fell in love with cocaine, heroin, and ketamine addict Blake Fielder-Civil. Back to Black, her second album, was quickly published and received immediate praise and phenomenal sales. However, a bigger profile also attracts more media coverage. Winehouse evolved become London's lesson for disturbed and shattered kids. Even as a cover story, the media used a picture of Winehouse with drug stains on her nostrils.

Amy's drug use eventually escalated and had a negative impact on her employment. The rise and fall of the career of this great artist was documented in the 2015 film Amy. The media was present throughout her entire struggle, which lasted right up until the very end. They watched like vultures as her career fell apart, perhaps not foreseeing how it would. Winehouse passed away from alcohol poisoning in her London residence on June 23, 2011.

Born: 14 September 1983

Died: 23 July 2011

Occupation: Singer, songwriter

Years active: 2002–2011

Whitney Houston had an enormous personality. With the release of her debut self-titled album in 1985, her career officially began. With her 1991 Super Bowl performance of the National Anthem, she'd achieve greater success. Following her appearance in The Bodyguard and the release of her classic cover of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You, she attained real superstardom in 1992. However, people started to notice the singer's gradual disintegration in 1999 and for the majority of the early 2000s.

Houston's battle with addiction became public knowledge. Despite his abuse and infidelity, she had been attempting to make her marriage with Bobby Brown work. She had three distinct rehab stays. She became reclusive and continued her drug abuse for years after divorcing in 2007.

It appeared that she had finally put her life back together in 2009 during an Oprah appearance. Contrary to a notorious Diane Sawyer interview in 2002, in which Sawyer relentlessly attacked Houston's substance addiction, weight, and other parts of her personal life, this was one of the first interviews in years that didn't end in disaster. She was explicitly questioned by Oprah about her difficulties and whether she anticipated doing drugs again in the future. She said, "I can only take today," and it was one of her most sincere statements she had ever made. daily, one at a time. No, not just now.

The situation was only intensified by the media's reaction. They made a big deal out of her personal troubles, starting in the 2000s with her drug addiction and failing marriage. They never relented as the decade progressed. Her fall from grace wasn't simply tolerated; it was virtually encouraged, since it made for compelling television. She appeared to be improving, but with every tabloid report, interview, and rumor the attacks grew more difficult to bear. She eventually had a relapse. At the age of 48, Houston passed away from a heroin overdose on February 11, 2012.

Born: August 9, 1963

Died: February 11, 2012

Occupation: Singer, actress, film producer, model

Years active: 1977–2012

On February 1, 2004, Janet Jackson performed as the halftime show's headlining act. She had gone above and above to make the performance memorable. Jackson hired Justin Timberlake to perform alongside her as the final number because his debut solo album had just been released and was a tremendous success. Jackson's shirt was pulled off by Timberlake throughout the performance in an attempt to unveil a new wardrobe. Instead, she was exposed in front of the Super Bowl's over 100 million spectators.

In 2004, the FCC, the media, and irate spectators who filed over 500,000 complaints all targeted Jackson for the incident on stage. At the time, the FCC chairman described Jackson's act as a "classless, vulgar, and terrible ploy." The media never ceased criticizing the artist over the incident; she was refused entry to the Grammy Awards; radio stations stopped playing her songs; etc. Timberlake escaped the encounter unharmed. If anything, it boosted his professional standing.

Jackson was criticized for creating the situation in order to stir up controversy and attention. Janet Jackson's career crashed in 2004 as a result of the relentless and concentrated media attention, and it didn't recover for nearly two decades. Her album was her lowest charting album since 1984 when it was released almost two months later.

A very uncomfortable Jackson was subjected to a barrage of questions regarding the incident during a March interview on Letterman (which you can watch above). Jackson made numerous attempts to divert the conversation from the Super Bowl. Although there were no bad guys in this affair, Jackson was depicted as such by the media.

Born: May 16, 1966

Occupation: Singer, songwriter, actress, dancer

Years active: 1974–present

The public was shocked to find that Chris Brown had physically harmed Rihanna by striking her when they were traveling to the Grammy Awards on February 8, 2009, the night of the ceremony. As a result of the assault, Rihanna had to go to the hospital, and Brown was ultimately found guilty.

At initially, the media essentially just relayed the information that was available to them. The majority of the reports concentrated on Chris Brown's career's demise. The story changed when Rihanna reconciled with Brown again a few months later then once again in 2012. The media attacked the victim for going back to the offender, despite the fact that both reunions were brief. She received a lot of backlash for her choice, particularly in light of what she had stated about Brown in her interviews. When asked about the picture from that night in her interview with Diane Sawyer, she said to the reporter, "I get extremely embarrassed, I feel humiliated. My anger returns again.

Media coverage of domestic abuse was erratic and uncompassionate. It wasn't a subject that was widely discussed at the time. The media's strategy was to promote perilous beliefs and engage in the silence of the victim behind mountains of hate, rather than furthering these conversations. As opposed to being the victim, Rihanna was made to feel that she was to blame for her abuse, which is a message that has not aged well.

Born: February 20, 1988

Occupation: Singer, actress, fashion designer

Years active: 2003–present

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle declared in 2020 that they would be leaving their roles as members of the royal family and starting over. However, this is not where our story starts. The relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was the focus of UK tabloids from the start. People even noted the obvious contrast between the media's treatment of Markle and Kate Middleton.

Some of the best instances of this prejudice may be found in news headlines, such as one from 2017 about how Prince William surprised Middleton with an avocado while she was pregnant. Tabloids instead talked on how Markle's use of avocados in 2019 while she was pregnant and eating them on toast was associated with drought and violations of human rights. Even though this is an absurd example, it is not the worst one. William and Kate established businesses in 2014 to safeguard their reputation. However, Prince Harry and Meghan appeared to be indulging in a blatant cash grab when they did it in 2020.

She said to Oprah in a 2020 interview that she came dangerously close to killing herself while talking about how the media damaged her mental health. The treatment Prince Harry was receiving made him uncomfortably think of his mother Diana, who had endured a similar situation while a member of the royal family. The host of Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan, who is never afraid to criticize a subject, called the interview a "2-hour trash-a-thon of our royal family." When she talked about her mental health, he kept calling her manipulative. Sadly, he is not the only one on the warpath against the Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan Markle

• Born: August 4, 1981

• Occupation: Actress, author

• Years active: 2002–2017 (actress)

Prince Harry

• Born : 15 September 1984

In the ten years between 1960 and 1970, The Beatles were arguably the most well-known band in the world. However, everything fell apart in 1970 when the band declared its dissolution. The globe was shocked by this news. It also sparked a backlash against Yoko Ono, who wasn't even a band member. Almost immediately, Ono was blamed for the band's dissolution; this claim has persisted for more than 50 years.

Paul McCartney, a member of the Beatles, made an effort to lay the rumors to rest in 2012 when speaking with renowned British interviewer David Frost. Before Ono even entered the scene, the band was already disintegrating, he claimed, and Ono "definitely didn't break the group up, the group was breaking up."

The difference in treatment between Yoko Ono and the Beatles was the biggest problem. Ono was treated as a stick of dynamite while The Beatles were held to a higher standard. Even Ono agrees that the media made the decision to utilize Ono as a scapegoat for an issue that had been building for a while. She was targeted by the media even after John Lennon was killed in 1980. Fans of the Beatles have taken solace in carrying on this tradition even as Ono approaches 90 years old as a result of constant media persecution.

Born: February 18, 1933

Occupation: Artist, singer, songwriter, peace activist

Years active: 1961–present

Demi Lovato has battled a number of problems throughout the years, ranging from substance misuse to an eating disorder. Even as recently as 2021, when she disclosed in her documentary that she relapsed months after her nearly deadly overdose in 2018, these issues were continuously in the public eye.

Lovato's addictions and other issues have received much more attention in the media than her profession throughout the most of her career. The news in 2018 was brutal. Demi Lovato DIDN'T 'SUFER' OD, Interventionist Says She Caused It, according to a TMZ report. Us Weekly emphasized Lovato's romantic life. Her health wasn't even the main topic, which prompted reps to appeal for "privacy and not conjecture, as her health and recuperation is the most essential thing right now," in a statement.

Clicks and magazine sales were Lovato's challenges for the tabloids. It served as Demi's continual reminder of her troubled background. She hasn't shied away from the reality, though. Lovato has made a number of YouTube films, the most recent of which she uploaded in 2021, detailing her problems and relapses. Her numerous interviews and documentaries served as a way to refute rumors and present the truth. Instead, she saw that the media was merely coming up with new ways to attack. How tabloids have covered other celebrities who have met considerably worse tragedies shows that addiction has never been one of their strong suits.

Born: August 20, 1992

Occupation: Singer, songwriter, actor

Years active: 2002–present

Miley Cyrus has received criticism for almost everything she has done for the majority of her career. She had the image of the innocent Hannah Montana actress because of her Disney origins. She would nevertheless contest this story in 2008. For a Vanity Fair picture session, she collaborated with photographer Annie Leibovitz. Cyrus, who was 15 at the time, had no top on and was only wearing a sheet. The public and the media both expressed displeasure at the young celebrity right away.

Every year, Cyrus stepped outside of this carefully cultivated Disney image as she grew older and Hannah Montana ended. But the media was constantly there to criticize her. In addition to being called a detrimental influence on her young fans, Cyrus was also widely reported to be insane. When discussing the Vanity Fair picture in a Rolling Stone interview, Cyrus said, "Yo, when I'm 16 and you're surrounding my boobs and s*** like that - I'm the bad guy?"

She stated that she believes things have improved in the same interview with Rolling Stone, adding, "I think we've made some major progress, especially toward women and bodies, in the past two years. Even if you can still slut-shame, I'm not sure. Does that even exist? I haven't really been slut-shamed by the media in a while.

Born: November 23, 1992

Occupation: Singer, songwriter, actress

Years active: 2001–present