People|Celebrities

13 Celebrity Scandals Caught on Security Cameras

Matthew Cole Weiss
Updated February 29, 2024 502.0K views 13 items

Celebrity scandals break all kinds of ways these days, but many start with embarrassing or damaging videos. Surveillance cameras and cell phone cameras are everywhere, and often they catch famous people doing scandalous, strange, or even illegal things. Famous people must miss the days before paparazzi wielded cameras on every street corner, any person could be quietly filming, and secret cameras could be anywhere.

Alas, times have changed, and we live in a digital world. Even behind closed doors, stars can't be sure they're not being filmed. Ariana Grande took a lot of flak for video of the pop star licking donuts at a donut shop, but she is just one of many stars who have done odd (and we mean odd) things and been caught by cameras they had no idea were filming.

Shoplifting, fights, DUI, racism, drugs, and affairs. These are just a few of the scandals that have been caught on tape and released for the American public to enjoy (and judge). Some you probably remember and some may be new to you, but they're all instances where celebrities were caught red-handed.

Here's a list of the top CCTV or hidden camera video scandals throughout the years. Note that these are all instances in which celebrities were caught off guard or unaware by cameras. There are no sex tapes. The list includes a few cases of hidden or cell phone cameras, but the rest of these celebrity scandals blew up because of the surveillance cameras we all encounter in public. Ah, the power of video.

  • Winona Ryder's Shoplifting Spree

    Winona Ryder's Shoplifting Spree

    Back in 2001, Reality Bites and Edward Scissorhands star Winona Ryder was caught by surveillance tapes showing that she was shoplifting over $5,000 of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. Though she claimed she was researching a role, Ryder was prosecuted and found guilty.

    Source: New York Times

  • Solange Knowles and Jay-Z In an Elevator Fracas

    Solange Knowles and Jay-Z In an Elevator Fracas

    In 2014, surveillance footage in an elevator caught Solange Knowles physically attacking her brother in law, Jay-Z, in an elevator in the Standard Hotel in New York City. They never revealed exactly what caused the fight, but Solange has since assured fans that everything is okay with the family. Her big sister Beyonce, meanwhile, cheekily referenced the incident in a remix of her song "Flawless."

    Source: TMZ, Today
     

  • Ariana Grande's Donut-Gate

    Ariana Grande's Donut-Gate

    Pop singer Ariana Grande and her boyfriend Ricky Alvarez decided to play a little truth or dare at a donut shop in Lake Elsinore, CA, daring each other to lick donuts (after a full make-out session). Surveillance tapes caught the star in the act, and the fallout hasn't been too sweet for  Grande.

    Source: TMZ

  • Leann Rimes and Eddie Cibrian Follow Their Hearts on Camera

    Leann Rimes and Eddie Cibrian Follow Their Hearts on Camera

    Video surveillance footage at a restaurant captured singer and actress LeAnn Rimes with co-star Eddie Cibrian as the two held hands and kissed on a romantic date. The thing is, they were both married. Since being publicly caught cheating, Rimes and Cibrian both divorced their respective spouses and married each other. 

    Source: US Magazine

  • Britt McHenry Berates an Employee

    Britt McHenry Berates an Employee

    ESPN reporter Britt McHenry lost her patience at a towing company and took her frustration out on an employee in a tirade caught by a surveillance camera. Even though the employee actually told McHenry she was being recorded, she continued her insults. The highlight of the video comes when McHenry says, "I’m in television and you’re in a F$@# trailer, honey." McHenry, who tweeted an apology, was subsequently suspended from her job for one week.

    Source: LiveLeak, CNN
     

  • Ray Rice Knocks Out His Fiancee

    Ray Rice Knocks Out His Fiancee

    NFL running back Ray Rice sparked a nationwide controversy after elevator surveillance footage from an Atlantic City casino showed him cold-clocking his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, and dragging his now-wife's unconscious body out of the elevator. The Baltimore Ravens dropped Rice. He was indicted on third-degree felony assault charges, which a judge later dismissed after Rice completed a one-year pre-trial program.

    Source: TMZ, NPR