The biggest celebrity scandals of 2019, from R. Kelly to Lori Loughlin, Matt Lauer and more

As the year winds down, we're looking back on 2019 highlights in the world of entertainment: the good, the bad and the scandalous.

Some celebrities in particular got wrapped up in major scandals over the course of the year. Some were accused of sexual assault, like R. Kelly and Matt Lauer, or wrapped up in legal battles, like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Others were criticized for insensitive comments, like Liam Neeson, or for shady cheating rumors, like Jed Wyatt of "The Bachelorette" and Tristan Thompson, Khloe Kardashian's now-ex.

These are some of the biggest celebrity scandals of 2019. Click through the gallery here for the full list.

R. Kelly allegations

"Surviving R. Kelly," the documentary series that began airing Jan. 3, detailing troubling accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against the singer. Kelly has spent most of this year wrapped up in multiple legal battles related to sex crimes.

After nearly two decades of allegations against him, Kelly was indicted in February and gave an intense interview a month later with Gayle King , during which he screamed and cried while emphatically maintaining his innocence.

Timeline: R. Kelly's history of sex-abuse arrests, indictments and lawsuits over the years

'I've been assassinated': R. Kelly screams and cries as he claims he's innocent

Jussie Smollett reports attack

Jussie Smollett made national headlines after claiming he was the victim of a brutal racist, homophobic attack. Then new details emerged, suggesting the "Empire" actor orchestrated everything himself.
Jussie Smollett made national headlines after claiming he was the victim of a brutal racist, homophobic attack. Then new details emerged, suggesting the "Empire" actor orchestrated everything himself.

Jussie Smollett garnered sympathy around the country after coming forward on Jan. 29, claiming he was the victim of a brutal racist, homophobic attack in Chicago.

Details later emerged that told a much different story: the "Empire" actor was accused of orchestrating the entire attack to gain recognition and boost his career.

After being suspended from "Empire," Smollett has faced a lawsuit from the city of Chicago, seeking a six-figure civil fine for allegedly wasting police time on an alleged hoax hate-crime claim.

Original story: 'Empire' star Jussie Smollett: Attackers yelled, 'This is MAGA country' during beating

Shifting the trajectory: FBI investigates whether Jussie Smollett had any role in threatening letter

Liam Neeson's controverisal comments

In a shocking interview with The Independent on Feb. 4, actor Liam Neeson recalled he once sought revenge for a loved one's rape by searching for a black person to kill.

“My immediate reaction was... I asked, did she know who it was? No. 'What color were they?' She said it was a black person," Neeson told the outlet. “I went up and down areas with a (nightstick), hoping I’d be approached by somebody – I’m ashamed to say that – and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could – kill him.”

The comments were met with extreme backlash, and Neeson made an appearance on "Good Morning America" the next day. "I'm not racist," he told host Robin Roberts, adding he made the comments in the first place to open up a difficult discussion about bigotry.

Original story: 'Liam Neeson is canceled': Fans react to actor's story of urge for racist revenge

Damage control: 'I'm not racist': Liam Neeson talks plan to kill black person on 'Good Morning America'

Khloe Kardashian/ Tristan Thompson split

Khloe Kardashian, left, and Jordyn Woods, right, shared an ugly back-and-forth after rumors emerged that Tristan Thompson, the father of Kardashian's baby, had cheated with Woods.
Khloe Kardashian, left, and Jordyn Woods, right, shared an ugly back-and-forth after rumors emerged that Tristan Thompson, the father of Kardashian's baby, had cheated with Woods.

Reports began to emerge in Feb. that Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson's relationship demise was aided in part due to a cheating scandal with Kylie Jenner's close friend Jordyn Woods.

Woods admitted to kissing Thompson on an episode of Jada Pinkett Smith's "Red Table Talk," but denied accusations that she was the reason the couple had split. Kardashian slammed her comments after the episode, blaming Woods directly as the reason her "family broke up" but later apologized.

How did we get here? A timeline of Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson's relationship

The drama continues: Khloe Kardashian goes after Jordyn Woods following 'Red Table Talk' tell-all

Ryan Adams misconduct allegations

A report emerged on Feb. 14 that FBI was investigating singer/songwriter Ryan Adams amid allegations he sexually harassed and manipulated female artists, including his ex-wife, Mandy Moore, who told The New York Times that "music was a point of control for him."

"His controlling behavior essentially did block my ability to make new connections in the industry during a very pivotal and potentially lucrative time – my entire mid-to-late 20s," she added.

Original story: FBI reportedly looking into allegations Ryan Adams sexted with underage fan

Mandy Moore on marriage to Ryan Adams: 'I felt like I was drowning'

Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin charged

Operation Varsity Blues, as it became known, blew up on March 12 after charges were made public against 52 parents accused of bribing college coaches and testing insiders to help get their children into some of the most elite schools in the country.

Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty in April to paying $15,000 to have someone correct answers on the SAT test of her oldest daughter. She was sentenced to 14 days of jail time and served 11 days in October.

Original story: Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin: What do feds allege they did and what happens next?

Felicity Huffman completes prison sentence, released early

"Full House" star Lori Loughlin, along with husband fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, was accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters falsely classified as crew recruits to be admitted into the University of Southern California. The couple has maintained innocence and are preparing for trial.

What we know about Olivia Jade, Lori Loughlin's daughter caught up in admissions scandal

Lori Loughlin pleads not guilty to new charges in college admissions scandal

Woody Allen backlash

Director Woody Allen faced backlash in June after he claimed in an interview that he should be the face of the #MeToo movement because he's worked with hundreds of actresses over 50 years and nobody had ever "suggested any impropriety."

Dylan Farrow, Allen's adoptive daughter, in 2014 renewed the claim that Allen molested her in 1992 when she was 7 years old. Allen has long denied the allegations. He was investigated but not charged. A number of actors have distanced themselves from Allen, raising questions about the future of the prolific filmmaker in a Hollywood newly sensitive to allegations of sexual misconduct.

Allen settled in court with Amazon Studios in November after the studio ended its contract with him, claiming he breached the four-movie deal by making insensitive remarks about the #MeToo movement.

Woody Allen settles legal battle after Amazon scuttles his film over #MeToo controversy

Jeff Goldblum says he 'would consider working with' Woody Allen again, draws backlash

A$AP Rocky jailed

Rapper A$AP Rocky made international headlines when he was convicted of assault in a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm, Sweden.

He said he tried to avoid a confrontation with two men who were following his entourage. On Aug. 14, the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, and his two bodyguards were given “conditional sentences,” meaning they won’t serve prison time unless they commit a similar offense in the future.

The scandal caught the attention of Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West, as well as President Donald Trump, who weighed in to support the Grammy-nominated recording artist.

After being released from Swedish custody, A$AP Rocky thanked his supporters.

I'm 'disappointed': A$AP Rocky breaks silence after guilty verdict in Sweden assault case

A$AP Rocky to perform in Sweden several months after being jailed there, convicted of assault

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s court case

Cuba Gooding Jr. appears in criminal court after a woman accused him of groping her at a New York City bar.
Cuba Gooding Jr. appears in criminal court after a woman accused him of groping her at a New York City bar.

Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was arrested in June after a 29-year-old woman said he squeezed her breast without consent at Manhattan night spot. Gooding has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in October to an indictment that includes allegations from a new accuser, alleging he also pinched a woman's buttocks at a Manhattan nightclub in October 2018.

Original story: Cuba Gooding Jr investigated by NY cops for allegedly groping woman in bar

Cuba Gooding Jr. pleads not guilty to charges in sexual misconduct case

Jedd Wyatt's 'Bachelorette' backlash

Bachelor Nation went wild over the summer when "Bachelorette" contestant Jed Wyatt was exposed in a People article for being in a serious relationship directly before filming Hannah Brown's season of the reality dating show. Worse, the singer/songwriter ended up proposing to Brown, who didn't know about the allegations until principal filming for the show had concluded.

Wyatt became a social media pariah, and Brown wrapped up the experience single once again.

Original story: 'Bachelorette' star Jed Wyatt was in a serious relationship during the show, his ex claims

'Bachelorette' finale recap: What went down between Hannah and Jed after the final rose

Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun

Taylor Swift and music executive Scooter Bruan fell into an ugly back-and-forth in July after she claimed his purchase of Big Machine Label Group (and with it, her entire existing catalog of music), came as an unwelcome surprise.

In a lengthy Tumblr post, Swift called the deal her "worst case scenario," accusing Braun of subjecting her to "incessant, manipulative bullying" for years and "controlling a woman who didn't want to be associated" with him.

Braun and Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta slammed Swift's comments, arguing she actually did have prior knowledge of the sale and didn't "learn about it as it was announced to the world," as she wrote in the post.

In November, Swift again called out Braun and Borchetta, claiming they had given her an onerous set of conditions if she wants to play a medley of her old hits at the American Music Awards show later that month. They denied her accusations.

Who is Scooter Braun? A look at the man who became Taylor Swift's 'worst case scenario'

Taylor Swift hits back at Big Machine after label denied her claim she is blocked from performing old songs

Scarlett Johansson's statements on acting roles

Scarlett Johansson raised eyebrows in July over controversial comments she made about which roles she should be allowed to play.

"Acting goes through trends," she said. "You know, as an actor I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job. There are a lot of social lines being drawn now, and a lot of political correctness is being reflected in art."

The "Avengers" star dropped out of the film "Rub and Tug" almost exactly a year prior, following a heavy backlash that argued a cisgender woman should not play a transgender man. In 2017, Johansson was also criticized for "whitewashing" Japanese manga with her role in "Ghost in the Shell."

She later responded to the backlash, arguing in a statement to USA TODAY that the interview was "taken out of context" and promised to "continue to support" casting diversity.

Scarlett Johansson defends casting: 'I should be allowed to play any person, tree or animal'

'The View' hosts slam Scarlett Johansson: 'She needs to be more understanding of her words'

Kevin Spacey case crumbles

Kevin Spacey appeared at a pretrial hearing after being accused of groping a teenager in 2016. The case later collapsed after the key piece of evidence disappeared.
Kevin Spacey appeared at a pretrial hearing after being accused of groping a teenager in 2016. The case later collapsed after the key piece of evidence disappeared.

Less than two years after William Little publicly accused Kevin Spacey of groping him at a Nantucket bar when he was 18, the criminal case collapsed after Little pleaded the fifth in the wake of his cellphone – they only key piece of evidence – disappearing.

Massachusetts prosecutors dropped the case on July 17.

Spacey, one of the first Hollywood figures to be accused of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct at the start of the #MeToo movement, no longer has any pending U.S. cases. Police in London said over the summer they're investigating allegations of sexual misconduct, but there's been no public update.

Kevin Spacey criminal groping case dropped by prosecutors due to accuser's 'unavailability'

LA prosecutorsreject Kevin Spacey sex battery case because the accuser has died

Placido Domingo called out

An Aug. 13 report by the Associated Press uncovered nine accusations of sexual harassment against longtime opera star Placido Domingo that spanned three decades. Since then, 11 more women have come forward with accusations of sexual harassment or inappropriate, sexually charged behavior and of sometimes damaging their careers if they rejected him.

Domingo has denied the allegations through a represenative. He's since resigned from positions with the LA Opera, Metropolitan Opera and Tokyo Olympics.

Original story: Women accuse opera legend Placido Domingo of sexual harassment, retaliation in AP report

More allegations: 11 more women accuse opera singer Placido Domingo of sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior

16. Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson faced backlash on Aug. 4 after posting a tweet about then-recent shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that many thought missed the mark.

"In the past 48hrs, the USA horrifically lost 34 people to mass shootings," Tyson wrote, claiming, "on average, across any 48hrs, we also lose… 500 to Medical errors 300 to the Flu 250 to Suicide 200 to Car Accidents 40 to Homicide via Handgun."

"Often our emotions respond more to spectacle than to data," he added.

He apologized the next day on Facebook, claiming he intended to offer "objectively true information" about preventable deaths, but acknowledged that he missed the mark during a time when "many people are either still in shock, or trying to heal – or both."

'First of all, timing': Trevor Noah criticizes Neil deGrasse Tyson's panned tweet

'I got this one wrong': Neil deGrasse Tyson apologizes for tweet about mass shootings

Prince Andrew's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

Prince Andrew stepped out with his mother, Queen Elizabeth, the day after the death of Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew stepped out with his mother, Queen Elizabeth, the day after the death of Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth and father to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, came into public questioning over the summer during the arrest of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Though the federal sex-trafficking charges brought against Epstein before his Aug. 10 death didn't involve Prince Andrew in any way, the Duke of York was friends with Epstein and the scandal brought back up a 2015 allegation by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused Epstein and his employees of paying her, when she was 17, to sexually service Epstein, Prince Andrew, Harvard lawyer Alan Dershowitz (then one of Epstein's lawyers), and others of Epstein's rich friends.

Andrew forcefully denied the allegation at the time and issued a statement more recently to clarify his "former association or friendship" with Epstein.

"During the time I knew (Epstein), I saw him infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year," an August statement from Buckingham Palace read. "I have stayed in a number of his residences. At no stage during the limited time I spent with him did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction."

In November, Andrew, trying to contain damage, sat down with the BBC in Buckingham Palace for a taped interview in which he again emphatically denied sleeping with one of Epstein's alleged "sex slaves" when she was 17 and claimed he had "no recollection of ever meeting" the accuser. Royals traditionally don't comment on such controversy, and the PR nightmare continued for the palace.

Jeffrey Epstein accuser: says she was 'trafficked' to Prince Andrew: He was 'an abuser'

Prince Andrew tells BBC he has 'no recollection' of photo with Jeffrey Epstein accuser

Chris Cuomo's outrage over 'racist slur'

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo went viral on Aug. 12 after he captured on video in a heated exchange with an unidentified man who called him "Fredo," which the CNN anchor called a racist slur toward Italians and compared it to the N-word.

"Punk (expletive) from the right call me 'Fredo.' My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN," the television host said during the NSFW video that was shared on Twitter. The journalist explained that the "disparaging" term is from the 1972 film "The Godfather," referring to Fredo Corleone, who Cuomo said is "a weak brother."

CNN offered support for Cuomo following the video's release, claiming the anchor was targeted in an "orchestrated setup."

CNN stands by anchor Chris Cuomo after NSFW exchange with a heckler who called him 'Fredo'

Trevor Noah lectures Chris Cuomo after journalist apologizes for NSFW 'Fredo' rant

Matt Lauer back in the headlines

News broke Oct. 8 that Ronan Farrow's book "Catch and Kill" revealed a new allegations against the former "Today" show host from Brook Nevils, previously unnamed former NBC News employee whose initial complaint led to Lauer getting fired from "Today" in November 2017. The book also included a claim he raped her at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

In a lengthy letter provided by his lawyer to Variety, Lauer denied the allegations and painted the picture of an accusation full of contradictions.

NBCUniversal confirmed to USA TODAY later that month that the network would not pursue a new investigation after two former NBC News employees, Megyn Kelly and Linda Vester, called for an outside firm to investigate.

Original story: Ex-'Today' host Matt Lauer denies new rape allegation; accuser tweets thanks for support

Ronan Farrow says there were 'multiple' accusations against Matt Lauer before Brooke Nevils

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Swift, R. Kelly, more stars involved in 2019's biggest scandals