The biggest scandals of 2025! There’s no forgetting Sydney Sweeney’s jeans fallout, Strictly’s controversies, the Coldplay kiss cam, Diddy trial and more

Tis the season to be jolly, but for a number of celebrities this Christmas will be an opportunity to draw a firm line under a year to forget.

The showbiz world has once again been rocked by its own share of controversy throughout 2025 from dramatic court cases to controversial campaigns. 

The last 365 days has had it all, from tarnished reputations, abrupt divorces and inappropriate workplace behaviour deserving of rather more than a quiet word from HR.

So as we prepare to take on 2026, the Daily Mail takes a look back at some of the most shocking scandals of the year.

It’s been a year since Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni – who was her director and costar on their popular romantic drama It Ends With Us – for sexual harassment and retaliation.

She is demanding $161million for personal and financial losses due to the alleged retaliation and smear campaign against her.

And 2025 has been filled with constant updates in the dramatic legal battle between the pair. 

In response to Blake’s claims, Justin adamantly denied all of her allegations against him, and responded by filing a $400million countersuit accusing her of extortion and defamation. Justin’s case was later dismissed by the judge overseeing the case.

Now the misconduct case is set to begin next May, after originally being scheduled for March. 

Judge Lewis Liman cited a packed court calendar with two criminal trials already slated for March 2026.

‘As important as this case is, criminal trials take precedence,’ the judge said.

In a further twist, Judge Liman referred both sides to a magistrate judge for settlement talks, even though both sides have indicated they want to go to trial.

Diddy was sentenced last month to four years and two months in federal prison in connection with his July prostitution conviction after originally charged with racketeering and sex trafficking.

The I’ll Be Missing You singer was then transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix in New Jersey on October 30.

There, his publicist Juda Engelmayer insisted to NBC News, his client is committed to sobriety, healing and trying to set an example for others.

He has secured a coveted job at the prison chapel and is enrolled in a drug rehabilitation program that could see his sentence reduced by a year. 

He has even reportedly started up his own class to teach other inmates how to be entrepreneurs at the low-security prison, located about 40 miles outside of Philadelphia.

‘His sobriety and self-discipline are priorities,’ his spokesperson said, ‘and he is taking them seriously’.

It was one of the biggest stories of the summer when a couple were caught having an affair on Coldplay’s kiss cam for the world to see.

Andrew Byron, the head of the AI startup Astronomer, was broadcast on the big screen at Boston’s Gillette Stadium with his arm around the company’s HR chief Kristin Cabot during the band’s gig in mid-July.

They rapidly covered their faces, with Andrew diving out of view and Kristin turning her back to the camera, prompting Chris Martin to mischievously joke from the stage: ‘Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.’

The awkward moment went instantly viral and they both resigned from Astronomer, which then released an ad starring the Coldplay frontman’s ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow. 

Public records suggested both Andrew and Kristin were married to their respective partners but were living at different addresses from those of their spouses.

Kristin’s husband Andrew Calbot later confirmed he and Kristin were already ‘privately and amicably separated several weeks before the Coldplay concert’.

Gwyneth sent fans into a frenzy by joining Astronomer as a ‘temporary spokesperson’ and starring in a video for their LinkedIn.

‘Astronomer has got a lot of questions in the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones,’ she said, prompting some text to appear on the screen showing one such query that began: ‘OMG! What the actual f**k.’

The text was then quickly cut off and Paltrow reappeared onscreen, deadpanning: ‘Yes! Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow. We’ve been thrilled to see so many people suddenly interested in data workflow automation.’

In May, Russell Brand officially pleaded not guilty after he was charged with the rape of a woman in 1999 in the Bournemouth area and the oral rape and sexual assault of a woman in 2004 in the Westminster area of London.

The comedian was also charged with indecently assaulting a woman in 2001 and sexually assaulting another woman between 2004 and 2005. Both offences are alleged to have taken place in Westminster.

Criminal charges were brought against Brand following a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches in September 2023.

The star, who now lives in Florida, appeared at Southwark Court in May and denied all five charges. 

He will stand trial next year in June 2026. 

Russell was represented by Oliver Schneider-Sikorsky, who successfully defended Kevin Spacey against sex assault allegations in 2023.

The court heard that he allegedly raped a woman in a hotel room in 1999 after they met earlier that day at a theatrical event following the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth.

Prosecuting Dhadda said: ‘He pushed her onto the bed, pulled down her trousers and knickers and he raped her. He left her with an email address.’

The court was then told about the second of Russell’s alleged victims, who accuses him of indecent assault.

He is accused of grabbing the woman by her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet at a television station.

The court heard the third alleged victim was a television worker Russell met in Soho. He is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly pulling her into a toilet and orally raping her.

The final complainant is a radio station worker who met Russell while he was working for Channel 4 on Big Brother’s Big Mouth, the court heard.

Russell is alleged to have grabbed her by the face with both hands, pushed her against a wall and kissed her before grabbing her breasts and buttocks.

Prior to welcoming their third child in September, the couple received the news back in February that Rihanna’s boyfriend A$AP Rocky was found not guilty of shooting a former friend during an altercation in Hollywood in 2021.

The three-time Grammy nominee, 37, was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm against his former friend, Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli.

Once close, the pair were members of the A$AP Mob crew while at high school in New York, but the relationship broke down after Rocky became famous.

Rihanna erupted in tears as the not guilty verdicts were read out before the rapper, who faced up to 24 years in prison if convicted, ran over and dived into her arms after being spared from a lengthy jail sentence.

‘Thanks y’all for saving my life,’ a jubilant A$AP Rocky told the jury, composed of seven women and five men, as he left the courtroom. 

He was later seen enjoying a celebratory dinner with Rihanna in Beverly Hills.

During the three-week trial, Relli testified that Rocky, real name Rakim Athelston Mayers, fired two shots from a handgun, grazing his knuckles.

The rapper’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, argued he was actually carrying a prop gun incapable of firing real bullets – and branded Relli an angry pathological liar’ who ‘committed perjury again and again and again and again’ during the trial.

It was not immediately clear whether the verdict was reached because the jury believed he was carrying a prop gun, or that he acted in self-defence.

Rihanna took to Instagram with an uplifting message after the verdict was read out.

‘THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE!’ the We Found Love artist said. ‘THANKFUL, HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY!’

The musical artist was emotional as he embraced his lawyers after the verdict was read.

Sydney Sweeney’s jeans fallout

Sydney Sweeney caused controversy when she collaborated with American Eagle jeans for an advert with the tagline: ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,’ a pun on ‘great genes’.

The phrase – and the actress’s blonde good looks – ignited a heated debate online when it launched in July with many accusing the company of promoting eugenics and white supremacy. Some even compared the ad to ‘Nazi propaganda’.

The actress first addressed the furore over her American Eagle ad in a November interview with GQ, saying she did ‘a jean ad’ and was too busy filming to notice the backlash.

‘I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life,’ she told the magazine.

‘I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn’t affect me one way or the other.

‘I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think. I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person. I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don’t really let other people define who I am.’

Her response at that time was perceived by some media critics and fans as dismissive. 

Earlier this month the star finally spoke out in the wake of the scandal as she revealed that staying silent about the controversial ad only fuelled the uproar in an interview with People.  

‘I was honestly surprised by the reaction,’ she said. ‘I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign.

‘Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true,’ she added.

American Eagle took a strong stance against the backlash, maintaining the campaign focused on personal style, confidence and authenticity.

‘”Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” is and always was about the jeans,’ the company stated in an August 1 post on Instagram. ‘Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.’

Sweeney insisted she’s ‘against hate’ and ‘leads with kindness,’ and the reason she’s confronting the issue now is to banish the negative energy.

‘Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness,’ said the star, who has been busy promoting her new movie The Housemaid co-starring Amanda Seyfried and directed by Paul Feig.

‘In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it.

‘So, I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.’

Jay Z’s lawsuit 

Jay-Z hailed ‘victory’ in February after having a lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13-year-old alongside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in 2000 dismissed by the alleged victim’s attorney.

The rapper, 55, was accused alongside Combs, also 55, after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in a civil suit filed in December by attorney Tony Buzbee.

Jay-Z released a statement saying: ‘Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere.

‘The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone.’

The 99 Problems hitmaker went on to reveal the toll that the case has taken on his entire family including megastar wife Beyonce.

The statement continued: ‘The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.

‘This 1-800 lawyer gets to file a suit hiding behind Jane Doe, and when they quickly realize that the money grab is going to fail, they get to walk away with no repercussions. The system has failed.’

He finished off the emotional statement with a commentary on the court system and sexual assault allegations as a whole.

Jay-Z concluded: ‘The court must protect victims, OF COURSE, while with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally.’

Lily Allen and David Harbour’s split

One of the biggest showbiz splits of the year, Lily Allen and David Harbour confirmed they had gone their separate ways in January.

The singer then checked into an £8,000-a-week trauma treatment centre after telling friends she was close to a nervous breakdown after the collapse of her marriage.  

Their separation came after Lily turned amateur sleuth after speculating that David had ‘cheated’ on dating app Raya and had had a three-year affair with a costume designer.

Lily was left in ‘agony’ when she allegedly discovered the actor had a secret profile on the celebrity dating app, The Mail on Sunday revealed.

The pop star joined the app herself, pretending to be ‘looking for women’ – and allegedly found that David had already set up a dating profile. He was reportedly listed on the app as being active for at least a month. 

Following their split, Lily turned her emotional trauma into art with the release of her new album West End Girl, which details the brutal honesty of her breakup – from the discovery of her husband’s ‘P***y Palace’ to his illicit relationship with ‘Madeline’.

The heartbreaking album opens with Lily revealing David had requested the couple embark on an open marriage – however with stipulations in place.

She goes on to expose David’s extra-curricular and rule-flouting activities and also shares a number of sordid details of his affair and their union, including the discovery of an abundance of sex toys and condoms at his ‘P***y Palace’.

While many of her confessions are explicit, the star also takes to hinting, including alluding to prostitution on track five, Madeline, in which she states David was allowed to sleep with other women ‘as long as there was payment’.

Madeline is a constant thread of the album, as Lily appears to be naming the woman involved in David’s affair and reads out a message exchange, which sees Lily attempt to investigate whether he was emotionally cheating rather than just having sex.

She repeatedly sings: ‘Who the f**k is Madeleine?’ and even went so far as to dress up as Madeleine for Halloween.  

MasterChef scandal

It was once the biggest cooking show on TV, yet now MasterChef has been embroiled in scandal after both the hosts were sacked this year. 

John Torode, 60, was given the boot in July after being accused of using a racist slur, while co-host Gregg Wallace was sacked after 45 complaints about his conduct were upheld, including inappropriate sexual language and unwelcome physical contact.

John was axed for allegedly using ‘extremely offensive racist language in 2018’, something he claims he has ‘no recollection’ of.

The allegation came to light during an investigation into his former co-host’s behaviour on set.

Meanwhile John took to social media to say that he feels he has ‘nothing to prove’ and ‘doesn’t need to convince anyone he’s a good person’.

He shared a post on Instagram Stories which read in full: ‘The best decision I ever made? To be quiet and move on. I have nothing to prove.

‘I’m not here to convince anyone to love me or that I’m a great person. I’m not fixing what I didn’t break, and I’m not fighting for anyone to see my worth.

‘Whatever you do is on you – and that’s your journey, not mine. As for me? I’m moving forward.’

John went on to front the show alongside new host Grace, before claiming he learned via the BBC News website that he had been axed.

Elsewhere Gregg also stepped down from the hit BBC cooking show after complaints were made about his behaviour and 45 of those 83 complaints were upheld following a report into his conduct. In total, 41 people complained.

The review concluded that the ‘majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour’.

It added that ‘a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated’, with ‘one incident of unwelcome physical contact’ also substantiated.

The former Eat Well for Less? presenter told The Sun that while he didn’t deny being guilty of some of the claims, he believed things had been ‘perceived incorrectly’.

Gregg claimed that he had worked with around 4,000 people, meaning that just 0.5 per cent of those he has worked with ‘found fault with me’.

He said his actions were the result of learned behaviour and workplace culture and claimed that his recent autism diagnosis also played a role.

‘I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. Autism is a disability, a registered disability,’ he said.

Gregg has previously said he felt the BBC failed to provide enough support for his condition during his 20 years working on MasterChef.

‘My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef,’ he said.

‘Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years.’

Strictly scandals 

From a sex slur scandal to bullying allegations and investigations, Strictly Come Dancing has had a rocky few years.

And back in August, a Strictly Come Dancing star was arrested on suspicion of rape.

The male suspect was reportedly ‘quizzed by police over allegations involving non-consensual intimate image abuse’.

A Met spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘On Friday, August 22, officers arrested a man on suspicion of rape and non-consensual intimate image abuse.

‘This is a joint investigation with Hertfordshire Constabulary and while the investigation is in its early stages, we urge anyone with any information to come forward to us.

‘The arrest follows a third party allegation of sexual and drug-related offences. Enquiries are ongoing.’

The Met Police also added the alleged rape victim is being supported by specialist officers.

A BBC spokesperson said at the time: ‘It would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation.’

There is nothing to suggest this is related to the current Strictly production.

It’s the biggest crisis the scandal-hit show has had to face and weeks later hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman quit the BBC show after 23 years. 

In 2024, Wynne Evans, 53, was accused of inappropriate behaviour and forced to apologise for making an unacceptable sexual remark on stage at a press event. He denied it was a sexual remark but was later sacked by the BBC.

In 2023, Amanda Abbington, 51, complained about Giovanni Pernice, 34, being ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’.

Whilst he was cleared of the ‘overwhelming majority’ of allegations, a probe did uphold some of her complaints of verbal bullying and harassment.

The same year, former Love Island contestant Zara McDermott, 28, was left ‘incredibly distressed’ following her experience in the training room with Graziano Di Prima, 31, who admitted to kicking the documentary maker, resulting in his axing.

The broadcaster has already launched an inquiry into the family show amid claims two of its stars had used cocaine.

One of the stars involved in the drugs probe was also suspected of drinking while working on the show after crew smelt alcohol on their breath.