The Biggest Scandals To Ever Hit MTV

MTV has been known for many things over the years. So what about the biggest scandals that have shaken the network to its core?

It wasn’t until MTV started broadcasting videos from Michael Jackson and the then up-and-coming Duran Duran and Madonna that people began to take notice of the network. It really did have the power to turn everyday people into global megastars. Thankfully, things have taken a turn since the early days as MTV is now one of the more popular networks on the market. Although MTV still shows music videos, the network has shifted and now creates stars of a different kind: reality stars. Sadly, having huge names under its belt means there have been plenty of scandals that have shaken MTV.

Tonya Cooley accused MTV of forcing drink on The Real World: Chicago stars

Things started on a high note for Tonya Cooley in 2002 as she appeared as one of the housemates in the reality show ‘The Real World: Chicago.’ That was just the beginning as Tonya went on to star in no less than eight versions of the franchise and made a real name for herself on MTV. Although her last time on MTV came in 2009, things weren’t over between the network and the star.

In 2011, Tonya filed a lawsuit against Bunim/Murray Productions, who worked alongside MTV to make ‘The Real World.’ Here, Tonya claimed that she had been assaulted several times, but that wasn’t all. The star also claims the production crew is to blame as they would always force drink on the housemates, leaving her vulnerable.

MTV claimed that Tonya didn’t log her complaints as she should have

Of course, if there’s one thing that most top networks want to avoid, it’s a major scandal, especially one that sees all their dirty laundry aired out in the courtrooms. So what did MTV have to say about the case? Viacom, the network’s corporate parent, claims that Tonya Cooley never went about logging her complaints in the right way.

Essentially, they said that Tonya was responsible for everything that happened. As if that wasn’t enough, Viacom added that Tonya was often out of control during ‘The Ruins’ as she allegedly became “rowdy, combative, flirtatious” throughout it all and would often turn to drink. They even accused Tonya of exposing herself to the other contestants. Eventually, the case was settled out of court.

Amber Portwood has been arrested several times throughout Teen Mom

‘Teen Mom’ has been on our screens for many years, and it turns out the reality show is no stranger to scandals. Amber Portwood was one of the first stars to bring drama to the show. It all started back in 2010 after Amber assaulted her partner at the time, Gary Shirley, something that was aired on the show.

A CPS investigation was launched and turned up narcotics in Amber’s home. The result? She was charged with two counts of assault and sentenced to two years of probation. Sadly, Amber broke the rules again and had her sentence upgraded to five years. In the end, Amber was forced to serve 17 months behind bars before she was finally freed in 2013.

Farrah Abraham’s side job as an adult movie star saw her get fired from Teen Mom

Love her or hate her, Farrah Abraham was one of the first four stars to emerge from ‘Teen Mom’ since it hit our screens in 2009. Sadly, she ended up walking away from the show, but no one really knew what happened at the time. That was until news about Farrah’s adventures away from the screen hit the headlines.

It turned out that Farrah decided to make a film with adult movie star James Deen. Several ‘Teen Mom’ stars threatened to quit if Farrah stayed on the show, and fans of the series were surprised to learn about the movie. In 2017, producers from the show decided Farrah wasn’t portraying the right message they were trying to send and eventually gave her the boot.

David Eason was accused of taking the life of the family dog

When we think about ‘Teen Mom’ scandals, it can be tough to find someone more controversial than Jenelle Evans. However, it looks as though her husband, David Eason, has managed to take that title. In April 2019, the family hit the headlines when their dog, Nugget, allegedly nipped their two-year-old daughter.

Rather than separate the two or try to figure something out, David supposedly decided to end the dog’s life. He tried to defend the move by saying that people were in danger, but others quickly pointed out that David had to pick Nugget up before pulling the trigger. The move was so controversial that ‘Teen Mom 2’ gave Jenelle and David the instant ax and hasn’t gained the pair any fans in the years since.

Beavis and Butthead was accused of inspiring kids to use fire

It looked as though MTV had landed a winner in 1993 as the network scored the crudely animated show ‘Beavis and Butthead.’ The show followed the lives of two metalheads who loved to destroy everything, including Beavis’ love of fire. However, just a few months later, tragedy struck as five-year-old Austin Messner used a lighter to set his bed on fire.

Most of the family escaped from the blaze, apart from his two-year-old sister, who lost her life in the fire. Austin’s mom and the local authorities all blamed the show as they thought the idea “it’s fun to play with fire” is something that’s “going to stick in that kid’s mind.” MTV quickly cut out all fire-related jokes from the show.

A Buckwild star was arrested shortly after the finale

‘Buckwild’ was a show that was controversial from the start and almost had more scandals than episodes by the time it was through. The reality show was supposed to follow the lives of a rural ‘Jersey Shore’ cast as they got up to just about whatever they liked in West Virginia. Things like hunting squirrels, using a dump truck to host a pool party, and drinking in the woods were all on the menu.

Sadly, Salwa Amin was caught up in a scandal just a few days after the series finale as she was caught with multiple illegal substances. TMZ reports that Salwa was charged for the possession. Still, things got worse after a court-ordered test revealed Salwa later had other substances in her body.

Another Buckwild star lost his life and marked the end of the show

It turns out that not everyone was happy about ‘Buckwild,’ as the senator of the state, Joe Manchin, told the world it “plays to ugly, inaccurate stereotypes” about people in the area. The West Virginia Film Office also had plenty to say as it denied MTV a lucrative tax credit to help make the show.

Sadly, things took another turn in April 2013 as CBS News reported that one of the show’s stars was found unconscious. Shain Gandee was behind the wheel of his Ford Bronco. The reports stated the car was stuck in a mud pit with the tailpipe submerged below the surface. The result? A lethal buildup of gases that took Shain’s life. This was enough for MTV to quickly pull the show.

Several women say they wouldn’t do Rock of Love again

‘Rock of Love’ first hit our screens in July 2007 as Poison frontman Bret Michaels made it his mission to find true love. While it sounded like any other dating show to start, it quickly turned into some of the wildest things people have seen on MTV. Amazingly, ‘Rock of Love’ ran for three seasons until it was finally given the chop.

However, not everyone has fond memories of the show. Aubrey Fisher from season two told Thrillist that she felt the girls were more like inmates than contestants on a reality show. Aubrey claims they weren’t allowed to use the bathroom, had to work hectic schedules, and the production team allegedly never had food she can eat as she has Crohn’s.

Flavor Flav has been accused of exploiting typical stereotypes about women of color

There was once a time when Flavor Flav was the face of MTV. The rapper and his love life were the focus of his own reality show ‘Flavor of Love.’ Here, Flav hoped to find a woman to have by his side, but his tumultuous relationship with New York quickly stole the show and left many women fearing for their safety if they tried to stand in the star’s way.

Although Flav was once praised for the work he did within the entertainment industry, his reality show left many people thinking he was doing nothing more than exploiting typical stereotypes about women of color. The fighting, shouting, and hair-pulling didn’t paint most of the women in the best light, and it wasn’t long before fans noticed.

No one expected Mariah Carey to remove her oversized t-shirt

Anyone who was anyone wanted to land a spot on MTV’s ‘TRL.’ Mariah Carey was quickly becoming one of the biggest stars, so it might be no surprise that she landed a place on the show in July 2001. Host Carson Daly was supposed to send the show to a commercial break, but Mariah Carey had other ideas.

The signer arrived with an ice cream cart, wearing an oversized top that read ‘Loverboy’ – the name of her single. Apparently, the singer had a present for Carson. Mariah quickly announced it was her t-shirt, leading her to take it off on live TV. It turned out Mariah was wearing a tank top and “really short” shorts in an unexpected TV turn before Carson could cut the show to commercials.

Skins never landed well with potential fans over the pond

Some things land pretty well with an audience. Others? They take a while to get going. Sadly, ‘Skins’ was neither, as the teen drama never took off the way MTV imagined. The show was already a hit in the UK, and it wasn’t long before the network wanted to recreate the magic across the pond. MTV invested in its most costly ad campaign of all time.

Although things were an initial hit with 3.26 million viewers, MTV struggled to keep its advertisers as ‘Skins’ was labeled “the most dangerous show for children that we have ever seen” by the Parents Television Council. General Motors, L’Oreal, Schick, and Taco Bell were just some names to walk away from the show, leaving MTV with no choice but to cancel ‘Skins.’

Some Jersey Shore stars have spent time behind bars

‘Jersey Shore’ looked like nothing more than most other reality shows as it promised to floor the lives of housemates living and working around New Jersey. However, it wasn’t long before fans of the show learned the stars of the series had been up to a lot away from the cameras. Mike and his brother, Marc, are just two ‘Jersey Shore’ stars who have landed themselves in hot water over the years.

In September 2014, Mike pled guilty to evading tax. While the trial was postponed plenty of times throughout the next few months, Mike was eventually sentenced to eight months behind bars and two years of probation. He did his time in prison and was later released in September 2019.

Audrey’s My Super Sweet Sixteen meltdown has gone down in MTV history

Ah, ‘My Super Sweet Sixteen,’ the show that’s brought plenty of stars to our screens over the years. The show followed the lives of teens as they planned the biggest parties of their lives so far. It was filled with drama, tears, and tantrums that wouldn’t look out of place on ‘Toddlers and Tiaras.’

There have been plenty of memorable moments from the series over the years, including Audrey’s time on our screens. She appeared in season five and quickly earned a reputation for kicking off about everything from her dress rehearsal to her dancers. However, the biggest tantrum came when Audrey’s new Lexus was delivered on her birthday, rather than turning up at her 16th birthday party as she hoped.

Several celebrities have since admitted they rented homes for Cribs

Many of us have learned that reality TV shows aren’t always as they seem, but our favorite celebrities don’t have a reason to lie, right? MTV’s ‘Cribs’ gave us a chance to see where the rich and famous spend their time away from the flashing lights of Hollywood – or does it? That’s what some people have been questioning over the years.

Robbie Williams and JoJo are two stars who have confessed to using fake homes on the show as they rented them out to make things look better than reality. Ja Rule is another on the list. The rapper apparently rented the home for four days before he threw a huge party. However, the amount of damage was enough for the actual homeowner to sue the star.

Even many of the cars and add-ons were nothing more than rentals

It turns out it’s not just the homes that might have been staged on ‘Cribs.’ Several stars have also confessed to using rentals to make things seem more impressive. Robbie Williams allegedly used a team of hired butlers during his time in his rented house. Remember 50 Cent’s impressive fleet of top cars? Yup, they were all rented, too.

Lil’ Bow Wow was another who had a host of expensive cars to his name, but it was later revealed they were most likely rented from local garages. Of course, all of these rumors about what might or might not be true have left plenty of fans wondering how many other stars staged their homes. Perhaps the tagline should be “Welcome to what might be my crib”?

Tom Green was forced to retire his hit song due to pre-planned shows

Shortly before the turn of the century, MTV decided to take a chance on comedian Tom Green with his own show. Things quickly got out of control as Tom did things like painting adult images all over his parents’ car. However, the ‘Lonely Swedish’ was a hit no one saw coming. Tom would sing the song while rubbing his behind on things, and it instantly shot to number one.

The problem? Tom claims that MTV pre-recorded segments of ‘TRL’ as host Carson Daly was out of town, but the network didn’t realize that Tom’s song would be such a hit. Rather than find an alternative, MTV supposedly asked Tom to retire the song so that it didn’t disrupt the pre-recorded episode that didn’t include ‘Lonely Swedish at the top.

MTV was behind Janet Jackson’s infamous Super Bowl performance

There are wardrobe malfunctions, and then there’s Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl performance in 2003. The singer took to the stage with Justin Timberlake and was set to cause a storm as they went through the motions of their show. That was until Justin grabbed the top of Janet’s outfit and pulled it down, revealing a lot more of Janet than anyone imagined.

As if that wasn’t enough already, the halftime show was broadcast live to 150 million people, meaning there was nowhere to hide. Although many people have never forgotten the incident, not everyone knows that MTV was actually behind producing the show – and footed most of the blame. The NFL quickly announced that MTV would never work with them for another show again.

The outrage was enough for MTV to push some music videos into the late night

Of course, the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake scandal meant MTV needed to do a lot of damage control. The network instantly apologized, stating it was “unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional.” MTV even added that it was “inconsistent with assurance we had about the content of the performance.” This was just the start.

MTV took it upon itself to cut out any adult-themed content from its daytime show as it found no less than six popular music videos at the time were too edgy. A spokesperson for MTV said that “Given the particular sensitivity in the culture” at the time, they decided to err “on the side of caution for the immediate future.” ‘Megalomaniac’ by Incubus and ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears were just two videos banished to late-night viewing.

A 13-year-old boy ended up in the hospital after trying to copy Jackass

It didn’t take long for ‘Jackass’ fans to realize that some people are willing to push themselves – and their friends – to some pretty strange places. Johnny Knoxville and his friends would often pull off stunts that most of us would never try in our lives, all for the show. The stunts often looked homemade, something that led many to think they could pull off their own pranks at home.

That was the case for one 13-year-old Connecticut boy as he allegedly tried to copy the “human barbecue” stunt he’d seen on the show. Sadly, the teen suffered second and third-degree burns on his hands and legs in the recreation-gone-wrong. MTV’s response? The network effectively said that ‘Jackass’ came with a warning for a reason.

The stunt was enough to make the end of Jackass on MTV

Several people were outraged with ‘Jackass’ for promoting these kinds of stunts to young minds, including Senator Joe Lieberman. In a statement, he said it’s “irresponsible for MTV” to air scenes like this on “a program clearly popular with young teens.” The teen’s father was another to speak out against ‘Jackass’ as he placed all the blame on the network and show.

It looked as though the network had no choice but to react. ‘Jackass’ co-creator Spike Jonze told Maxim that “MTV got scared” and stopped “promoting the show.” Johnny Knoxville added the network insisted on “more health and safety measures,” but he didn’t want to do “a watered-down version of the show,” meaning ‘Jackass’ was axed after two years on MTV.

Other people lost their lives trying to copy things they’d seen on Jackass

While there might have been a warning at the beginning of the show, that didn’t stop people from trying to copy the stunts they saw on ‘Jackass.’ It turned out that injuries weren’t the only thing that happened as a result of the show as some people even lost their lives as a result. Sadly, there are plenty of examples.

One 15-year-old passed away when he was dragged underneath a car after watching ‘Jackass.’ A 30-year-old also lost his life when he tried to take a bullet while wearing a bulletproof vest, only his friend shot a little too high. A 16-year-old girl even lost her life when she tried to recreate a ‘Jackass’ stunt involving a merry-go-round attached to a pickup truck.

Some of the Jackass stunts were too extreme to show on air

Believe it or not, but there was a limit to the things the guys on ‘Jackass’ were allowed to do on the show – kind of. The group was always seeing who could go further than everyone else with their stunts and would often pull off some pretty questionable things to get a reaction. However, MTV did step in several times to try and calm things down.

Some of the stunts were censored, while others weren’t allowed on the show at all. Steve-O was usually the one getting in trouble as he apparently had no filter when it came to thinking up things to do. Although they might have been banned from the small screen, some ‘Jackass’ stunts did make it into their eventual movies.

Steve-O from Jackass suffered from substance abuse for many years

To some, it might come as no surprise that Steve-O suffered from years of substance abuse. The ‘Jackass’ star felt as though his life was crumbling away from the cameras and would often talk about his struggles with Johnny Knoxville. However, he allegedly never wanted to check himself into rehab or try and get away from the substances.

That was until Johnny took matters into his own hands as he arrived at Steve-O’s house with ten huge dudes. Here, he told Steve-O that he would get him beaten up if he didn’t go to rehab. Thankfully, the unconventional move paid off as Steve-O checked into rehab and has been sober ever since. Johnny has since banned all drink from the set of the movies.

Several Jackass stars have been left with life-long health conditions

All those stunts might have earned the ‘Jackass’ crew thousands of fans, but they took a huge toll on several of the stars’ health. In fact, some have been left with life-long health conditions as a result of the show. Steve-O opened up about it all during a Reddit Ask Me Anything, where he confessed he’s been diagnosed with Barrett’s Esophagus.

This is a “pre-cancerous condition in my throat/esophagus” that’s all to do with years of illegal substances and being ill. Johnny Knoxville also says that he’s been left with a pretty mangled downstairs after he famously hurt himself during MTV’s 24-hour ‘Jackass’ marathon. Johnny says that he had to take precautions for years to avoid issues from scar tissue.

The passing of Ryan Dunn left Bam Margera in a dark place

Ryan Dunn was one of the many faces who rose to fame through ‘Jackass.’ Tragically, the stunt performer lost his life in June 2011 when he was traveling with a producer from the second movie, Zachary Hartwell. Ryan’s car veered off the road, and both the men lost their lives in the crash. It might be no surprise that their passing took a huge toll on the rest of the cast, including Bam Margera.

Bam returned to the small screen in 2016 during an episode of ‘Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn’ where he opened up about how much Ryan’s passing affected his life. Apparently, he told his mom that he would lose his life before her as he struggled with depression and thoughts of taking his own life.

The Monkees’ antics were enough to see one song banned from MTV

It looked as though The Monkees were doing something before it was big: they had their own sitcom about life behind the band. It ran throughout the ‘60s before they announced a 20th-anniversary tour in the 1980s, but it quickly turned into something much larger after MTV got involved and helped boost the numbers like never before.

The network started playing their new video for ‘Heart and Soul’ like it was going out of fashion – until it was banned. Reports claim that MTV thought The Monkees would appear at a Super Bowl special in 1987. However, they already had another engagement and never showed. The executive producer in charge of MTV allegedly took such offense that they banned the ‘Heart and Soul’ video.

Some Pimp My Ride additions were immediately removed after filming

If there’s one thing many reality shows want to do, it’s make things look as good as possible for the small screen. It seems that some people think that was the case during ’Pimp My Ride.’ The show soon earned a reputation for all kinds of over-the-top additions on vehicles, but that might not have been the entire truth.

Justin Dearinger is one of the many who have said ‘Pimp My Ride’ took things away after the show. The drive-in theater and pop-up drinks machine were both unsafe for the road. However, producer Larry Hochberg says that some things had to be removed as they were unsafe or didn’t function properly and wasn’t a case of them “taking away’ some items.”

Several of the vehicle additions on Pimp My Ride didn’t even work

It’s one thing to say that something’s unsafe, but it’s something very different when it doesn’t work altogether. That was supposedly the case for many stars of ‘Pimp My Ride’ as they claim that alterations were dangerous or hadn’t been thought through. Seth Martino opened up to HuffPost, where he congested the LED lights in the seats “would get really hot,” meaning he couldn’t drive with them on.

He also claims the pistons for the gull-wing doors had to be removed as they “kept them from putting seat belts in the back.” Producer Larry Hochberg didn’t help matters when he added that MTV had a tow truck on hand just in case the wiring went wrong or there were other issues with a finished car.

The contestants would have to say goodbye to their cars for months

Perhaps you’ve found yourself wondering what it would be like to have a car that’s been through ‘Pimp My Ride’? You’re not alone. Sadly, it turns out that things weren’t always as they seemed on the show. One of the biggest ‘Pimp My Ride’ scandals wasn’t to do with the work that was done to the vehicles but how long it took to complete.

Contestants told HuffPost that they would have to say goodbye to their cars for six or seven months, rather than the week it looks like on the show. Seth Martino said that he had to use a “really small, shady company” to rent a car due to his age. Seth also added that MTV only covered a couple of months’ costs.

Kanye’s stunt at the MTV Video Music Awards has gone down in history

MTV is about more than the network many of us know and love. It’s also in charge of the MTV Video Music Awards that have become a major part of the music industry since they started. When you think of awards ceremony sandals, there’s a good chance that Kanye’s stunt with Taylor Swift comes to mind, right? It’s gone down in history as one of the biggest stunts ever.

In 2009, Taylor took to the stage to collect her VMA for best female video thanks to ‘You Belong With Me.’ However, Kanye wasn’t impressed as he thought Beyoncé should have walked away with the award instead. The result? Kanye did “let you finish,” but it started a feud that’s lasted for more than a decade.

Kanye West has accused the VMAs of being rigged ever since

It came as quite a surprise to many that Kanye West was allowed back to the MTV VMAs after his performance in 2009. However, his time has come time and time again as Kanye has been nominated and hosted at the awards ever since. In 2016, the rapper was back as he was nominated for video of the year and best male video.

Sadly, he lost in both categories – once to Beyoncé. He should have been happy, right? Sadly, Kanye was less than impressed with Beyoncé’s win. He later went on a 15-minute rant at a show where he accused the VMAs of being rigged. He even added that Beyoncé allegedly wouldn’t perform unless she won over Kanye and Drake.

Tila Tequila has upset plenty of people with her social media posts

MTv has made many stars, but it’s also helped make some of the biggest names at the time even larger than ever before. That was the case for Tila Tequila. She was already a huge hit on Myspace before the network approached Tila about making her own reality dating show, ‘A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.’

While the move might have paid off at the time, it now means many people associated Tila’s name with MTV – something they would probably like to avoid. Tila has spent many years upsetting people across the world with her various views, including several related to World War II. She even pushed things one step further by taking a picture of her nine-month-old baby in what Tila thought looked like a hijab.

She’s also shared a host of conspiracy theories and was ultimately axed from Celebrity Big Brother

It’s not just Tila Tequila’s anti-Semitic views that have landed her in hot water over the years; the social media and reality star has also shared several conspiracy theories with the internet. While that might not be the worst thing on paper, Tila doesn’t usually hold back when it comes to sharing her thoughts on it all.

Tila has spoken about Paul Walker’s passing. She claims the actor didn’t lose his life as many people believe, and it was actually a ritual. Tila even compared it to the passing of Elisa Lam, who was found in a water tank on top of the Cecil Hotel. As if that wasn’t enough, all of her views were enough for ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ to give Tila the boot.

Two teens sued Dude, This Sucks after a questionable incident

The height of shock shows saw some questionable things take place on MTV. However, it’s tough to find anything more questionable than the show ‘Dude, This Sucks,’ which turned out to be more than just a clever title. Two teens, Monique Garcia and Kelli Sloat, took their seats in the front row, where they learned how it got its name.

Apparently, the Shower Rangers took to the stage where they did their thing before bending over and finishing their act. Monique later added she smelled something “disgusting and started to gag.” It wasn’t until she looked down that the teens realized what just happened. An MTV programming president later said, “It was unintended and we regret that it happened.” Surprisingly, ‘Dude, This Sucks’ was axed.