That time when I was reminded of celebrities doing horrible things or at least accused of doing said things…

I felt like I had to say something after something happened at work the other day.

So, I was in the breakroom and the news was on the TV with a few people casually watching. There was a segment with two actors involved in the new Woody Allen movie. That movie would premier at a film festival, but there has been some controversy given the allegations that Allen faced with him sexually assaulting his adopted daughters as well as having a relationship with one of them. It was a talking point which they spent a great deal of time talking about it. The actors involved still wanted to be a part of this festival and promote the movie. One of them even said something along the lines of “Because he’s [Woody Allen] a genius.” while giving him a free pass and saying how people should focus on the good thing he’s done to the film industry whether he did those horrible things or not. The interview bugged me so much that I said out loud “Nate Parker was falsely accused and he NEVER got treated like that!” to the TV before minding my own business. Surprisingly, no one responded to me when I said that fact. In case you’re wondering, I was talking about the actor/director Nate Parker getting lied on for being a rapist even though it was proven false. It frustrates me how some famous people get a free ride for anything and get the convenience of “separating art from the artists” while others do the same thing, less, or are falsely accused of something and they get canceled just like that.

Not long before that moment, I recently discovered other celebrities found dead to rights doing terrible things that I legitimately didn’t know about with some articles and in a brief conversation with my sister’s boyfriend the other day. Here are a couple of examples that I recently discovered.

Tim Allen: Did you know he was a cocaine trafficker before getting into his acting career when he was in his early 20s? Yeah, he was caught with a kilo of the infamous illegal nose candy and almost got a life sentence, but only served 2 1/3 years. How did he pull that off? He snitched on the rest of the traplords in his crew and the rest is history. Yes, the guy from Home Improvement, The Santa Clause, and even Buzz Lightyear himself was getting his Tony Montana on decades ago. Ironic how other people got caught with that amount of drugs, less, or had them planted on them who wish they had a short sentence like this guy who was in a bunch of family-friendly shows and movies.

Ben Roethlisberger: I can care less about football nor have I ever been to Pittsburgh in my life so far, but I know he’s a famous football player. He just retired yesterday and while there were people wishing him well, there were others who got “Big Rape” trending about his retirement. Why that name you might ask? It’s because this now-former Steeler violated Andrea McNulty in a hotel in Lake Tahoe. Apparently, people covered up that sexual assault and it was settled out of court. Why would he settle if he was innocent? Also, Ben Rapist-burger…I mean, Roethlisberger was never punished by the courts or the NFL for those actions. I guess it’s only in America where one gets carte blanche for sexually exploiting someone and they get to ride off into the sunset with their head held high. But God forbid you take a knee to protest against systemic racism, and then you lose your job! Can anyone explain how that makes sense at all?

Caitlyn Jenner: This former Olympian was in a fatal car crash where someone died and others faced multiple injuries. All it took as a settlement was a drop in the bucket for Caitlyn’s bank account and never got charged. I did hear about rumors of her having some interest in being a Californian governor, but nothing is confirmed. That fact would most likely be brought up if she does commit to this political career. She shouldn’t be talking about criminals being let out when people have been in jail for less than what she did who never killed anyone. Interestingly enough, this wasn’t a DUI or a DWI. Jenner passed the sobriety test, so this gives it a bit of a disturbing dynamic. Speaking of fatal car crashes…

Matthew Broderick: People can probably guess a certain irony I will bring up given his filmography, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Not long after Ferris Bueller’s Day Off came out, he and his girlfriend at the time Jennifer Grey were vacationing in Northern Ireland. They were driving around and Broderick crashed into a mother and her adult daughter. He almost got a decade-long sentence but ended up getting no jail time despite killing two people and paid a $175 fine. People have paid traffic tickets that much or more and never killed anyone. Not only that, but he showed up in a freaking Hyundai commercial after the fact which ticked off the family of the deceased. Here comes the most obvious observation to make if you know me: Looks Simba himself killed a parent and their child at the same time. Scar can’t even make that claim if you really think about it. Congrats! You Disney fans can’t un-see it now! Keep in mind, he still had a career years after that fatal car crash yet people have rotted in jail for much less for non-violent crimes and was never canceled for his previous acts.

Those were a few examples I could think of, but I know there are others who were treated with kid gloves. It’s no wonder I get more jaded as I get older when I see blatant displays of hypocrisy in the (in)justice system.