12 Mocked Figures From Recent History Whom We Were Wrong About

Sometime in the mid-2000s, Brendan Fraser shifted from an idolized movie star to an internet meme punchline.Correlate this shift with 2003.Fraser spoke about an alleged assault by then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk.

Fraser shared his story in a 2018 interview with GQ.GQ.Fraser revealed Berk subjected him to unwanted groping:

I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt a ball in my throat. I thought I would cry.

WhileBerk called Fraser's allegation a “total fabrication,” but he admitted the incident in his memoir, calling it a joke. Fraser said the HFPA's response then wasHe admitted the incident was a “total fabrication” in his memoir, though he called it a joke. Fraser said the HFPA's response then wasAfter his 2018 interview, Fraser said the HFPA sent him a joint statement. The statement acknowledged the incident was inappropriate and happened, but said it was a joke. Fraser refused to sign it., and his big Hollywood movie offers started to dry up. Fraser felt the incident made him want to leave the spotlight. Fraser hadAhead of the 2023 Golden Globe nominees announcement, Fraser, widely expected to be nominated for The Whale, said he would boycott the event:I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association… No, I will not participate… It's because of the history that I have with them… And my mother didn't raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.

After his 2018 interview, Fraser said the HFPA sent a joint statement. This statement admitted the incident was inappropriate and happened, but claimed it was a joke. Fraser refused to sign it.

Berk, who remained an HFPA member until he was kicked out for his 2021 Black Lives Matter comments, said he did not read any organization report. He said, “[I was] told the statement would clear me of any wrong.” The HFPA later released a statement defending its actions. It stated an investigation found “the exchange was not an intended sexual advance” while repeating “what Mr. Fraser experienced was inappropriate.”

Ahead of the2023 Golden Globe nomineesFraser, who many predicted would be nominated forThe Whale, said he would boycott the event:

I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for it… No, I will not participate… This is because of my history with them… And my mother did not raise a hypocrite. You can call me many things, but not that.

In 1980, Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton (then Lindy Chamberlain) took her nine-week-old baby, Azaria, camping in Uluru, Australia. She was having a barbecue with other campers that August night. She heard a cry and went to check on her daughter. The baby was gone; only blood remained in the tent, and paw prints led to the entrance. Chamberlain-Creighton'ssubsequent shoutsof "the dingo's got my baby!" (later popularized by a Meryl Streep film) made her one of the most ridiculed and reviled figures in Australian history.

During the investigation and the homicide trial, the public and press discussed Chamberlain-Creighton's case. People scrutinized her behavior intensely,attracting criticismReporters described Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton's sleeveless dresses and "sultry good looks," apparently linking them to her guilt.

The fact that Chamberlain-Creighton and her husband, Michael Chamberlain, were Seventh-day Adventists raised suspicion, stirring lurid rumors of cult slayings and sacrifices. Some people claimed "Azaria" meant "sacrifice in the wilderness" in Hebrew.But it actually means"God helped."

Despite no body, no motive, and witness testimony of dingoes in the area, people convicted Chamberlain-Creighton of slaying her daughter. The dingo story sounded unbelievable, or prosecutors called it "a calculated, fanciful lie." People across the country applauded when Chamberlain-Creighton was convicted. She served three years in prison and receivedHe received frequent hate mail..

New evidence appeared in 1986. A hiker accidentally fell off rocks in the area and died. His body surfaced near a dingo den, along with an item of Azaria's clothing that Chamberlain-Creighton always claimed was missing. Much of the "forensic" evidence used to convict Chamberlain-Creighton also proved wrong.The claims were erroneous.. Still, an Australian medical examiner ruled a dingo the killer in 2012.

When Joanna Yeates vanished from her flat in Clifton, Bristol, England (pictured) in December 2010, the case grabbed UK public and press attention. Dog walkers foundHer frozen body appeared.on a snowy roadside on Christmas Day; attention on the case grew huge.

Police arrested former school teacher Christopher Jefferies shortly after Yeates's body was found.for the crime; Jefferies was also Yeates's landlord.Tabloids jumped on Christopher Jefferies and his "eccentric" look after his arrest for the crime; he was also Yeates's landlord.The Daily Mirror did this.The Daily Mirror called him a "peeping Tom."referring to him as "strange Mr. Jefferies," andThe Daily Mirror also referred to him as "strange Mr. Jefferies."remarking that his former college students called him "a fan of dark and violent avant garde films."Jefferies faced questioning for 48 hours before getting bail. His neighbor, a Dutch engineer named Vincent Tabak, implicated Jefferies, stating Jefferies borrowed his car on the night of the murder. Tabak was arrested weeks later and eventually convicted of killing Yeates. Even with Tabak in custody, Jefferies

Jefferies faced questioning for 48 hours before getting bail. His neighbor, Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak, implicated him, claiming Jefferies borrowed his car the night of the murder. Tabak was arrested weeks later and convicted of killing Yeates. Even with Tabak in custody, Jefferies faced public suspicion until March 2011.(or under intense public suspicion) until March 2011.(or intense public suspicion) until March of 2011.

and commented on his "trial by media."It was clear that the tabloid press decided Jefferies was guilty of Miss Yeates’s murder and pushed the public toward that belief.Jefferies commented on his "trial by media."

The tabloid press clearly decided Jefferies was guilty of Miss Yeates’s murder and worked to make the public believe it.

Tabloids printed much false information about Jefferies and the case, beyond just calling him a creepy loner. Jefferies won damages from eight publications after bringing libel cases against them.Daily MirrorandThe SunThese papers faced fines for contempt of court over their coverage of the case.

Shortly after September 11, 2001, the US faced another alarming attack. Someone sent mail laced with anthrax, a bacteria that causes fast-acting infection and painful death when inhaled. Seventeen people got infected; five died. A bio-attack hit the daily mail of Americans. The FBI acted.The FBI faced intense pressure to find the perpetrator.They focused on a scientist. Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, a physician who worked at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, was one of the few people known to have knowledge of anthrax.

Evidence against Hatfill included his past work in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during 1970s anthrax outbreaks. He wrote an unpublished novel about a biological attack on Washington, DC. Hatfill took ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic for inhaled anthrax, at the time, despite recent surgery requiring it. Hatfill was also described as eccentric, different from his peers.According toformer colleague Jim Cline, "If you try to link Steve and the wordnormal, they’re not going to match up."

Nearly a year after the attacks, the FBI first asked to interview Hatfill. He agreed and later allowed a 'swab' of his apartment; Hatfill had nothing to hide. He returned to TV helicopters and press surrounding a search of his home. A media leak appeared. Hatfill's life changed forever.As he toldThe Atlantic:

I never watched the news much. Now, I see my name everywhere, and idiots like Geraldo Rivera ask, “Is this the anthrax animal? Is this the guy who murdered innocent people?” It felt like sanctioned torture.

Steven Hatfill, a respected scientist who enjoyed long workdays, got fired and could not find another job. He moved in with his girlfriend, then became consumed by alcohol and depression as the world turned against him. The Attorney General named him a “person of interest,” an unusual move for an active investigation. Hatfill saw most of his friends and former colleagues leave him. For years, the FBI followed him and the press criticized him, even though no firm evidence showed he ever touched anthrax; there was never enough proof for an indictment. Hatfill explained:

It feels like death by a thousand cuts. There is a feeling of hopelessness. You cannot fight back. You just have to sit there, day after day, taking the constant drip-drip-drip of innuendo, a punching bag for the government and the press. I could not understand why this was happening to me. I was one of thegoodguys.

The FBI realized in 2007 that Hatfill, who never had direct access to anthrax at the USAMRIID facility, was not the only person they could investigate. Hatfill always claimed he was a “virus guy” instead of a bacteria specialist. Bruce Edward Ivins, a senior microbiologist at the same institute, had worked heavily with anthrax. The FBI quickly focused its intense scrutiny on Ivins, who took his own life the next year. The FBI then officially cleared Hatfill.

The FBI did find some evidence potentially linking Ivins to the attacks, it is impossible to know for certain. When questioned byThe Atlanticabout how close hemight have come to suicide in the six years he spent under a microscope, Hatfill said he could not consider that option. Doing so would only help the FBI win, making everyone believe he was guilty.

The first of theStar Warsprequel films,Phantom Menace, premiered in 1999, after rabid fanshad waited decadesfor another installment. Against massive expectations, it failed. Viewers criticized the dry plot, the awkward dialogue, and the still-controversial Jar Jar Binks character. It became rated one of the worst films in the franchise, and, like many overzealous fans, the criticism went too far.

Aside from Jar Jar, many viewers disliked the character of young Anakin, played by Jake Lloyd, who was only 8 when he got the role. He had past acting credits, but nothing near the level of Star Wars. On top of doing 60 interviews daily to promote the film, the then-10-year-old faced mockery and derision from fans for moments like his “Yippee!” line.

Lloyd faced bullying from his peers to the point that he said his life then was “a living hell.”He quit actingin 2001, two years after the film opened. He later said the experience made him uneasy in front of a camera. He was not the first, nor the last Star WarsJake Lloyd became the subject of harsh public insults.

Lloyd's later life held more tragedy. His younger sister died in her sleep at age 26. Soon after, Lloyd received a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

Luke Skywalker spoke about the film's 2017 backlash.Mark Hamill is the actor.Mark Hamill recalled:

I did not like the prequels. I am still angry about how they treated Jake Lloyd. He was only ten years old. That boy did exactly what George wanted him to do. I understand the clunky dialogue.

Since Elizabeth Smart was taken from her room one night on June 5, 2002, in Salt Lake City, UT, many books, movies, and podcasts about the case appeared. The rare kidnapping story had a near-happy ending; nearly a year later,Elizabeth was rescued.Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee took Elizabeth from her abductors and reunited her with her family. For Richard Ricci, the police's first suspect, there was no happy ending.

Ricci wasa convicted felon.A church program hired Ricci to work as a handyman on the Smart's property. Ed Smart remembered him as very capable and "incredibly friendly to the kids." The two had a good working relationship until about a year before Elizabeth vanished. An expensive bracelet went missing from the house. Suspecting Ricci, Ed fired him and most of the crew working on the house.

When Elizabeth disappeared, Ricci's past crimes involving drugs and robberies raised police alarms. Nine days after the disappearance, they arrested Ricci for a parole violation; he was drinking beer with his dinner. Someone also shared Ricci's name with the media. Ricci admitted stealing the jewelry but claimed he did not abduct anyone. He had an alibi: he was home all night asleep next to his wife, Angela. Ricci never proved his innocence. Two months later, he suffered a brain aneurysm, which a doctor called "stress related," in prison. He died several days later. His widow saidthe aneurysm was dueto her husband's stress, mistreatment, and lack of proper medication for his hypertension.

Much of the police force focused on Ricci after he died. However, Elizabeth's younger sister, Mary Katherine, the only witness to the abduction, stated from the start thathe was not responsible., asking her father when she saw his face on the news, "What's Richard doing on there… It wasn't him."

Yet when the case's main lead arrived, investigators ignored it. Mary Katherine later had a sudden realization about the voice she heard that night. It belonged to "Immanuel," a different man who worked on the Smart's property. Police dismissed this, but thankfully, the family had a sketch and took it toAmerica's Most WantedThis publicity gave them the name (Mitchell) and led to the sighting of Elizabeth, which saved her.

According toAngela Ricci's son Trevor Morse, who was 11 and saw Ricci as a father figure:

Police and the public convicted him and intensely interrogated him, all while he tried to tell people he was innocent. His life changed drastically the moment he faced false accusation. Since Richard Ricci died, his mother's heartbreak never healed.

His mother died in December 2015 from what looked like a prescription drug overdose, but Morse called it a broken heart.

In 1994, Stella Liebeck spilled hot McDonald's coffee on herself and sued the company. This case showed frivolous lawsuits in the US, where people sue for anything if they think they can make quick money.

McDonald's coffee at that time was kept atStella Liebeck asked McDonald's to cover her $20,000 medical bills - between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit (about 82 to 88 degrees Celsius). Food causes a burn hazard if it exceeds 140 F (60 C). A McDonald's quality assurance manager stated the company kept its coffee hot enough to burn your throat if you drank it.

Liebeck, who was 79 then, suffered third-degree burns on her legs and groin from spilling the coffee. This required hospitalization, major surgery, and skin grafts. Before her lawsuit, the company had received 700 complaints about burns from the coffee.

Stella Liebeck became a symbol of litigious American culture, yet she first asked McDonald's to cover her $20,000 medical bills. The company refused, prompting her to sue.

She settled for a mix ofcompensatory and punitive damagesworth about $640,000. The jury that first heard her casethought the payout should be $2.9 million. Both sides appealed this amount and later settled for a confidential sum. A judge overseeing the case called the corporation's actions "reckless, callous, and willful."thought the payout should be $2.9 million. Both sides appealed this amount and later settled for a confidential sum. A judge overseeing the case called the corporation's actions "reckless, callous, and willful."

Much happened for Notre Dame football player Manti Te'o in late 2012. Shortly after starting his senior season, he learned both his grandmother and his girlfriend (Lennay Kekua) had died in quick succession. Fans rallied to support him after the tragedy. He became a sports hero, leading the Fighting Irish to college championships and becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist. But by January 2013, the 21-year-old became a national joke.Shortly after starting his senior season, he learned both his grandmother and his girlfriend (Lennay Kekua) had died in quick succession. Fans rallied to support him after the tragedy. He became a sports hero, leading the Fighting Irish to college championships and becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist. But by January 2013, the 21-year-old became a national punchline.

About a year before, Te'o met someone online using Kekua's name. The two began nightly chats, treating themselves like a couple even though they had never met (something Te'o did not tell his parents). He and his family talked to Kekua and her friends and family on the phone, especially after she was supposedly diagnosed with leukemia.

Months after Kekua passed, Te'o became suspicious when he got a phone call.He got a phone call.Her "sister" called, claiming Kekua was still alive. In January 2013, Te'o faced championship pressure; Notre Dame lost after its star played poorly. Deadspin then tried contacting Te'o about an article it was running.Te'o saw an article.An hour later, the article went live. Te'o learned online, with everyone, that the person he thought was his girlfriend was Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Tuiasosopo had actually spoken to and met Te'o while pretending to be Kekua's cousin.

Te'o's online talks with Tuiasosopo led to initial claims that he was part of the hoax. However, as the story took over the news beyond sports, it became clear Te'o was fooled with everyone else.

Then came the.Saturday Night Live.Sketches, girlfriend bobbleheads, newspaper cartoons, memes, and talk shows mocked Te'o's intelligence or questioned his sexuality.Te'o surmised thatBeing a Mormon at Notre Dame makes it hard to be a liar and probably gay.

People questioned his football and leadership skills. Articles listed the star athlete among “the most hated athletes in the world,” alongside Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong.Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist:

Te'o did not grasp how the media builds up and tears down people.

Te'o choked up at the documentary's end. He said what happened caused him anxiety on the football field; his NFL career later failed. He stated he has long forgiven Tuiasosopo, a transgender woman living as herself, but forgiving himself took much longer.

Te'o's crime? Someone lied to him. That person conned many others (including voice analysts) into believing she was someone else, long before "catfishing" was known. Te'o endured the pain of losing someone he was with, only to find out nationally the person never existed. The world then mocked this trauma, overshadowing the career that was his life's goal. (Te'o was also mourning his grandmother's real death all along.)

On October 14, 2003, the Chicago Cubs played the Florida Marlins in game six of the National League Championship Series. They led 3-2 in the series and 3-0 in the game, in the eighth inning with one out. For those who do not follow baseball, the historically disappointing Cubs needed only five outs to reach the World Series, which they had not played since 1945.they hadn't played insince 1945.

A Marlin batter hit a foul ball on the third baseline. Cubs left-fielder Moisès Alou tried to catch the ball and get another out. A 26-year-old fan named Steve Bartman tried to catch the foul ball in the stands. Neither Alou nor Bartman caught the ball. The mob reacted quickly, blaming Bartman for deflecting the ball from Alou's glove. The Marlins scored eight runs in that game and nine runs in the next, ruining the Cubs' World Series hopes.

TV broadcasts focused on Bartman in the stands, showing him repeatedly on screen. Viewers at home told friends at the game to find Bartman. At Wrigley Field in Chicago, the crowd yelled insults at him. They chanted “a**hole,” pointed at him, poured beer on his head, and threw food and trash at him. Police escorted him out of the stadium.

The situation was not just about the moment or the night. The next day, aChicago Sun-TimesA reporterThey tracked down Bartman's name.The reporter found Bartman's name, where he lived, and where he worked. The reporter then published this information.The Chicago Tribune.The Chicago Tribune soon followed suit.. When Bartman started getting death threats and harassment, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.suggested he join the Witness Protection Program. Florida Governor Jeb Bush offered him asylum.

The enraged fandom reaction to the Bartman incident ignored several key points. Fans reached for the ball; this is a common baseball reaction. People remain unclear if Alou caught the ball; he gave conflicting statements over the years. The umpire ruled there was no fan interference. The Chicago Cubs made fielding errors and let the Marlins score eight runs; Bartman did not.

Bartman, a strong Cubs fan, sat down looking down after the event. He later apologized, saying, “There are few words to describe how awful I feel and what I have experienced within these last 24 hours.” He then vanished from public view for ten years, refusing TV shows and book deals. In 2016, after the Cubs won the World Series, they gave Bartman a championship ring, a gesture that seemed sorry for the abuse he faced from Cubs fans. He took the ring andBartman made his first statement in years.:

I humbly receive the ring not only as a symbol of one of the most historic sports achievements, but as an important reminder for how we should treat each other today. I hope we all learn from my experience to view sports as entertainment and stop harsh scapegoating. We must challenge the media and those who profit by acting ethically by respecting private rights and not using people to gain personal advantage or money.

People watched Anna Nicole Smith closely. They watched her rags-to-riches story in the 1990s and her tragic end in the early 2000s.Smith grew up poor.In Mexia, TX, Smith gained fame with some street smarts. She made money stripping to get breast implants, shaping herself for the centerfold ofPlayboy.She branded herself the '90s version of Marilyn Monroe.

Her marriage to billionaire J. Howard Marshall in 1994, a man over 60, got headlines. Many, including Marshall's family, saw Smith as a gold digger. Smith always claimed she did not want his money. At the wedding,She reportedly said::

I’m not marrying him for his money. He’s been begging me to marry him for over four years. But I wanted to start my own career. I needed my own money.

When Marshall died in 1995, Smith fought a long legal battle with his son E. Pierce Marshall over money security he promised her. Smith again said she refused Marshall's first offers, "so nobody could call me a gold digger, but I guess that backfired, didn't it?" Smith spoke fondly of Marshall for the rest of her life:

He took me from a bad spot and looked after me. He saved me. This was not a sexual "baby, oh baby, I love your body" kind of love; it was a deep thanks for pulling me out of that hole.

Smith eventually filed for bankruptcy. Her need for prescription drugs, which started because of pain from many surgeries, increased. With other offers gone, she agreed to join anE! reality series about her life, calledThe Anna Nicole Show., which used the tagline "It's not supposed to be funny - it just is!"

Many reviews of the show, which showed Smith often high on drugs, compared it to a car crash, a train wreck, and a "cruel exploitative joke." AsKen Tucker wroteforEntertainment Weekly."In exploiting a barely coherent Anna Nicole Smith, E! is doing something that comes pretty close to being obscene."

Five months after her son, Daniel Wayne Smith, died from a lethal drug mix, Smith died the same way at age 39. Tabloids treated her death as much as her life had been, withNational Enquirer. running photosof her body with the headline “Chilling FINAL IMAGE of Anna Nicole Smith.”

Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres started a fast romance in March 1997. The press and media attention caused much of the speed. Soon after the relationship began, DeGeneres, who was rumored to be gay, came out with her character on her sitcom,Ellen..

The decision hit both women's careers hard. DeGeneres shared how Hollywood blacklisted her for years; Heche, who worked mostly in movies, felt the same. She could not bring DeGeneres to her April premiere ofVolcanobut she did it anyway, she saysshe lost her contractwith 20th Century Fox:

The stigma around that relationship was intense. It caused me to lose my multimillion-dollar picture deal. I did not work in a studio picture for ten years.

Heche stood by her girlfriend while she worked the talk show circuit, appearing on theOprah Winfrey Showto an audience that did not accept her.DeGeneres explainedher sexuality was not a choice; it was how she was born. On Oprah and in other media interviews, Heche stated she “fell in love with a person,” not a gender. Audience members found this confusing, and Winfrey did too.Oprah, and in other media interviews, Heche maintained she “fell in love with a person,” rather than a gender. Audience members seemed confused, and Winfrey was too.repeatedly interjectedto this effect. Heche replied people are individuals with different experiences, and we should accept these differences.

Heche showed openness long before mainstream talk about sexual fluidity or pansexuality. Many people did not get it. They questioned Heche's reasons, and media outlets said lesbian relationships were a fad or just a stunt. When the couple split three and a half years later, many in the LGBTQ+ community turned against Heche, especially after she started dating a man.

Several journalists haveadmitted their own mistakesin how they reported the relationship. One gossip columnist even contacted Hecheto apologize. Heche responded:

I wanted an apology from someone, anyone, to admit that the view painted of me was not the whole picture. I want you to know how much it moved me.

In 2015, social media quickly targeted a woman namedJennifer Connell, dubbed the “worst aunt ever,” “aunt from hell,” and the “auntie-christ.” This backlash happened because Connell sued her 12-year-old nephew over an incident when he was eight. Sean Tarala, about 50 pounds then, ran to hug his aunt when she arrived at his birthday party. This caused them both to fall, leaving Connell with expensive medical bills for wrist damage.

Suing a pre-teen family member seemed outrageous to some. Connell’s lawsuit against Tarala was actually a technicality. As she explained toThe Today Show, in Connecticut, a plaintiffcannot name an insurance companyas a defendant in a personal injury case. The plaintiff must name the negligent party (her nephew) for his family's homeowner's insurance to pay. The jury dismissed the case after only 25 minutes.

Connell appeared onTodayHer family understood and supported her decision to sue her nephew, seeing it as a legal formality, not a personal attack. She found the experience surprising.The internet quickly turned against her.Jennifer Connell was dubbed the 'Aunt From Hell' after trying to get her medical costs covered by suing her nephew.

I was shocked. Walking into court that morning and leaving flooded social media. The story spread fast. People called, "Don't look at the internet. Don't turn on the TV." This felt painful and sad. It was like watching someone else's movie.

Connell noted that people might actually dislike how the US medical insurance system operates.

I am confused. I feel the legal system sets things up so insurance companies do not take responsibility for handling property claims.