(From top left: R.Kelly: Photo credit: refinery29. Middle: Gary Glitter: Photo credit: imdb. Harvey Weinstein: Photo credit: france24. Bottom left: Ian Watkins: Photo credit: walesonline. Middle: Bill Cosby: Photo credit: people. Suge Knight: Photo credit: legit. Collage created by Caledonian Kitty) Monsters come in all shapes, sizes, appearances and professions as we've seen many times and also read about on this blog. Some of us have encountered real-life monsters in our everyday lives and have fortunately lived to tell the tale. Sadly others have not and that is why it's important to help share their stories. The above individuals that I will be writing about in this post may be recognizable to many of you. These monsters come from the world of music, movies and entertainment. A lot of us grew up seeing these guys on the TV, enjoying their shows and listening to their music, oblivious to what really lurked behind the smiles and talent.
There's no denying that these men were talented and each had charisma which enabled them to carry on their hidden crimes for years in a cloak of darkness, preying on their innocent victims whilst they used their money and power to control their silence. There used to be a time where rumours would go around about certain people in the industry, witnesses may have even seen some inappropriate behaviour but there was a culture of silence where nobody would speak up out of fear of losing their jobs or not being believed.
Recently we've seen the shocking footage of rapper P. Diddy assaulting his ex partner Cassie. The horrific footage was taken from a CCTV camera in a hotel. It was a harrowing thing to see and had shown that all of the rumours that had been circulating about him for years was true, he was a monster towards women, a very violent monster. Cassie and other victims took him to court and Cassie was able to win her case but due to the recorded incident happening many years ago, he could not be jailed. If he was able to assault a woman like that in a hotel lobby with such sickening confidence, we can only imagine (or would rather not imagine) what else he was doing out of view and for how long.
I really wish that I was able to include a mug shot of P.Diddy in the horrible cast of characters above but apart for some financial issues, he's so far been able to get away with all of the things that he has done. Still more rumours remain about him and his connection to possible murders. I can't comment if he's actually killed anyone or had anyone set up to be killed (there was more rumours about a possible involvement in rapper Tupac Shakur's death in 1996) but maybe one day more of the truth with be proven and known.
So, in this post I have included below just 6 former celebrities who have all had lengthy, successful careers and are still serving time in prison. It may be the case (which looks highly likely given their ages and state of health) that these individuals will never enjoy freedom again but at the end of the day, they chose their paths in life and instead of using their talents for the greater good, they used their fame and money to cause harm to others. I hope you find this post informative and an interesting read. I have tried to be as sensitive as I can with the details without shying away from the facts. I, as always, welcome comments below or by email (jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com).
So let's get into the post....
Bill Cosby - Disgraced Comedian
(Bill Cosby. Photo credit: people)
Once known as 'America's Dad', people of all ages once adored Bill Cosby (real name: William Henry Cosby Jr). He was a man of many talents who had entertained audiences both on and off the screen, with the family favourite 'The Cosby Show' and his stand-up comedy routines. His charitable works and dedication to helping others endeared him to millions. However, that well loved reputation soon shattered to pieces around 2014 when numerous women came forward to reveal that Bill had assaulted them in a sexual manner.
It was no secret that Bill had a reputation as a bit of a 'ladies man' who would make creepy jokes that were often overlooked. It was hard for a lot of people to accept that this man who appeared for decades to be a 'salt of the earth' character was actually a sinister predator who his behind his showbiz personality and charitable endeavors whilst abusing women.
It is a horrible situation all round because he was a talented man who influenced so many people and did a lot for so many people but the truth is, he has a very dark, disturbing side to him. All those years of a well-respected career are now tarnished with only himself to blame.
Bill Cosby served time in prison for his horrendous actions but was released in 2021. He's still trying to make a 'come-back' and plans were made for him to return to the stage to do some stand-up shows but so far nothing has materialised. He is now 87 years old at the time of me writing this post. He seems to be delusional and trying to scramble to pick up the pieces (he has a small number of supporters) of what he thinks he has left of his career. At 87 years old and with so much disgrace connected to his name, I don't think his 'legacy' will ever recover and he will be forever remembered by most for all of the bad things that he has done which will always overshadow any good that he may have done for charity, which will always be looked upon with suspicion as a cover up for his actions.
Gary Glitter - Disgraced Singer
(Gary Glitter. Photo credit: imdb)
He was seen as 'The Leader', one of the pioneers of Glam Rock in the UK in the 1970s. Viewed by many as a legend and music royalty, famous for anthems such as 'Rock And Roll' and 'I'm The Leader of The Gang' amongst others. Some of his music is still played today at American sporting events and features on movie soundtracks (more recently in the 2019 movie,
Joker). Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Gary Glitter (real name: Paul Francis Gadd) ruled the UK charts and was mobbed by crowds as he walked down the street. He was beloved by the UK public until horrendous allegations appeared in the newspapers that he had downloaded indecent images of children. He initially denied guilt but the horrific allegations were proven to be true and from that, yet more sickening truths were revealed about his partaking in numerous child abuse incidences as well as an attempted rape.
He spent time in and out of prison and moved around countries for some time but was found to be continuing to carry on with his sickening predatory behaviour towards children. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2015 and was released on licence in February of 2023 but sent back to prison for breaching the conditions of his licence.
A recent parole bid in 2024 was denied and he has remained in prison. I have previously written about the shocking downfall of Gary Glitter, you can find the whole story
here!!!!
R.Kelly - Disgraced Singer
The former 'King of R&B' took the world by storm in the 1990s with his powerful voice, raunchy style and songwriting talents. He was seen by many to be a legendary artist and inspiration but word soon got around that R.Kelly (real name: Robert Sylvester Kelly) was taking advantage of his young female fans. There was also rumours of mistreatment of girlfriends and his ex wife. For years rumours ran wild about the real facts of his relationship with the late singer, Aaliyah. R.Kelly was a mentor for young Aaliyah in the 90s and for a long time rumours that their relationship was inappropriate was always a topic of discussion but nothing could be proven, however the shocking truth of what exactly when on was not made clear until years later.
He was a man who did a lot of things to the extremes, especially when it came to sex, he would engage in various acts with numerous women. He enjoyed recording his encounters with women and would be in 'relationships' with various women all at the same time. There was a bit of a sugardaddy situation going on with some of the women being put up in apartments and showered with gifts and beauty treatments in exchange for sex not just with him alone but with other women for his satisfaction. He would constantly jump from one woman to the other and would suddenly cut off contact with a woman as soon as he grew tired of her and would quickly replace her with someone else. He was an absolute ratbag of the highest order but had managed to get away with it for years because he had the money to pay people off and the power in the industry.
He faced charges in 2002 when one of the videos he had recorded of one of his exploits featured an underage girl. There was rumours that he paid off a lot of people connected to this horrendous situation and in 2008 he was acquitted to everyone's surprise. It seemed at the time that R.Kelly was never going to be held accountable for his disgusting actions towards women and underage girls, however some of the survivors of his abuse came together and in 2019 the shocking expose 'Surviving R.Kelly' was shown to the public. The documentary not only opened up all of the accusations of the past but revealed new details that the public were not aware of. The truth was revealed about his grooming of Aaliyah as a young teenager and as well as engaging in underage sex, he had married her when she was just 15. The whole thing was a mess and sickened people to their stomachs. After it was all said and done, R.Kelly, the self-proclaimed 'Pied Piper of R&B' was finally convicted of multiple charges and sentenced to 31 years in prison.
He attempted in April 2024 to have his sentence thrown out but the judge refused and he was informed that his sentence would continue. He is currently 57 years old and will probably never set foot outside of the prison gates. Like P.Diddy (who we've yet to see in a prison cell), the shocking story of R.Kelly has shown that it doesn't matter how much money and power you think you have, what is hidden in the darkness will eventually be brought out into the light.
Ian Watkins - Disgraced Rockstar
I covered the Ian Watkins story in more depth back in 2021, you can find the post
here!!! but to briefly go over the case for this post, this is a little bit of the shocking story of his crimes and downfall. Ian Watkins (real name: Ian David Karslake Watkins) was the popular lead singer of the rockband 'Lostprophets'. His numerous fans were so devoted to him that they had tattoos dedicated to him and initially supported him and refused to believe the horrendous allegations (of child abuse of young children and babies) that he was accused of.
He was a dangerous predator that targeted his vulnerable female fans and some of them were single mothers. His preference was to go for single mothers because he was trying to get to their children as sickening as that is to write. The details of this case was some of the most sickening I have ever read or researched. I had struggled to get through the court documents at the time when I was researching my original post on him.
With numerous disgusting and vile evidence stacked up against him, he was sentenced to 29 years. He is currently 47 years old. He appeared in the press recently (2024) after an assault in which he was stabbed (in Wakefield Prison) with a sharpened toilet brush after he failed to pay off a drugs debt.
Harvey Weinstein - Disgraced Movie Mogul
(Harvey Weinstein. Picture credit: france24)
He was known as one of the kings of Hollywood, having founded the Miramax company in 1979 with his brother. He was a powerful figure in Hollywood and helped shape the careers of many as well as produce iconic movies. When he appeared at award ceremonies, movie stars flocked to him, he was a very popular guy as it appeared to the viewers. But out of the blue in 2017 numerous allegations dating back to the 1970s were being tied to him. Numerous women had come forward from the acting and modelling world to expose Harvey's disgusting behaviour.
He had reportedly been a bully behind the scenes and had caused various damage to people's acting careers especially if he took a dislike to them or if a female actress rejected his advances. Not only was he a bully but he was being accused of rape/sexual assault. Secret recordings were made public of his harassing women and evidence that he had paid women for their silence all surfaced. It was the ultimate downfall of a Hollywood giant and kicked off the whole #MeToo movement.
One by one his Hollywood pals dropped him and even his own brother threw him to the wolves because he didn't want to be associated with him. The whole mess shook Hollywood and the movie industry to it's core and really exposed the reality of what really goes on in Hollywood and 'The Casting Couch' (which many of us hoped was a thing of the past). The Casting Couch was a term that was used for the terrible 'tradition' that would go on in old school Hollywood where actresses and actors would feel forced into sexual favours (with movie Executives, Directors, Producers etc) in promises of advancement in their careers or monetary gain. Harvey bragged to some of his victims that he had slept with a lot of female actresses in Hollywood and had set it up for some of his 'favourites' to gain Oscars.
Harvey was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in prison, He has tried to appeal and a court date is reportedly set for November of this year (2024). At the time of writing, Harvey Weinstein is 72 years old and said to be in bad health.
Suge Knight - Disgraced Record Executive
(Suge Knight. Picture credit: legit)
An intimidating figure in the music world with many a shocking story behind him, nobody seemed surprised when the chickens finally came home to roost for Suge Knight. He'd used violence, threats and intimidation in the past towards others and rumours have gone on for years about his possible involvement in the death of rapper Tupac Shakur. Suge Knight was the co-founder and CEO of Death Row records and had massive success in the 1990s but things soon started to go south with gang problems and financial issues.
He ended up filing for bankruptcy and Death Row Records folded. Riddled with health issues and stacks of brushes with the law due to assaults, petty crime, harassment etc, things came to a head when he was eventually jailed for the hit and run murder of producer Terry Carter.
Suge was given 28 years and is currently 59 years old with various health conditions. He won't be eligible for parole until 2034.
Well, if you have made it to the end of this post, thank you, I hope you found it to be an interesting read. I will be back next Sunday evening with some new content so I hope you will join me for that.
Further Reading & Sources:
As always, thank you so much for the support and if you would like to help support my work or come and chat to me on social media, all of my links are
here
Stay safe & see you in the next post x
.webp)
No comments:
Post a Comment