From former child stars to “Twilight” stars, it seems no celeb was safe from the dreaded "celebrity meltdown" in 2012.
“As technology advances and the public can almost drown in every detail of the life and minute actions of celebrities, it is becoming apparent how narcissism, greed and loneliness are the new themes for celebrities, resulting in meltdowns and self-destructive behavior,” said human behavior expert Patrick Wanis PhD, who worked with FOX411’s Pop Tarts column to compile our list of the top meltdowns of 2012.
So who made the cut?
11. Miley Cyrus: Long gone are the days of the sweet, tween-friendly “Hannah Montana.” These days, the ex-Disney star is all about being naughty not nice. At the VH1 Diva’s concert, Cyrus grabbed her crotch as she sang “more, more, more,” shocking fans. Later in the year, at the ‘Christmas Creampies’ concert in Los Angeles, the young star cavorted on-stage with a topless stripper. And in the music video for “Decisions,” Cyrus gets down with a porn actress, kisses a pantomime horse and gets cake smeared seductively all over her. Charming.
10. Chad Johnson: Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, a former receiver with the Miami Dolphins pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery charges after allegedly head-butting his wife Evelyn Lozada when they argued. According to a police report, Ochocinco and his wife were unpacking groceries when she found a receipt for a box of condoms in the trunk. As they argued, the NFL star reportedly grabbed Lozada and head-butted her, prompting her to run to a neighbor’s house and call authorities. As a result of the battery against his wife, their new reality VH1 reality show “Ev and Ocho” was canned before it even hit the airwaves, and the Miami Dolphins terminated his contract. The couple divorced soon after.
9. Madonna: While it is not uncommon for pop stars to seek shock value, Madonna, 54, may have taken it too far in 2012. During a concert in St. Petersburg Russia, she stomped on an Orthodox cross, offending many fans. Activists are suing her for $10.5 million for ‘moral damage’ and pledge to donate it to charities, should they win. Also in 2012, at her MDNA concert in New York City, the Material Girl announced that she was “showing [my] naked ass for Hurricane Sandy victims,” encouraging her audience to throw money at the stage as part of her fundraising drive.
8. Liam Hemsworth: When you’re engaged to Miley Cyrus, anything can happen… The Australian actor was leaving a bar when he believed a drunken patron was throwing rocks at him and his friend. Instead of walking away, witnesses claim Liam punched the man as his friend held him down on the street. It definitely was not the “Hunger Games” star’s best moment in 2012.
7. Kristen Stewart: It’s been a humiliating year for the “Twilight” sensation, who was forced to issue a public apology pleading to her boyfriend Rob Pattinson, after photographic evidence proved that she was having an affair with her “Snow White and the Huntsman” director Rupert Sanders. Stewart instantly became the subject of death threats and made headlines across the world – her once “scandal free” image was irreparably tarnished this year.
6. Elmo – Kevin Clash: For decades, Elmo has been one of Sesame Street’s most-loved characters. Puppeteer Kevin won 23 daytime Emmys and one prime-time Emmy for his work as Elmo. But in 2012, Clash had little choice but to resign from the children’s TV series after four men claimed that Clash had sex with them, when they were underage. The men have all filed lawsuits against Clash. The former muppet actor denies ever being involved in underage relationships with any of the men and claims they were consensual adult relationships.
5. Angus T. Jones: He plays Jake Harper in “Two and Half Men” and makes a pretty penny doing it. Yet after almost ten years with the show, at age 19, Jones – who is now a devout Christian – slammed the series on a video calling it “filth”, “driven by the enemy” and Satan and urged people to stop watching it. But amid the fallout from such harsh words, the young actor promptly ate his words with the apology: “I apologize if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed. I never intended that."
4. Amanda Bynes: In 2007, the once innocent Nickelodeon star boasted that “club scenes and drinking doesn’t appeal to me.” In 2012, it seemed she changed her mind. In March this year, Bynes was stopped by police for talking on her cell phone while driving. In April, she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after side-swiping a police car in West Hollywood at 3 a.m. In September, the actress/singer was charged with hit-and-run pertaining to two separate incidents of leaving the scene of an accident, and two days later the California DMV suspended her license. Later that month, Bynes’s BMW was impounded. To top off Bynes’s jaw-dropping year, she was reportedly booted from a gym class in September after she stopped cycling and wandered around the room, removed her top and started applying makeup in the room’s giant mirror.
3. Erin Moran: The “Happy Days” are far gone for Erin Moran who played the cute and effervescent Joanie Cunningham in the classic TV series. This year at 52, Erin’s struggles with post-child stardom were made public when she was reportedly spotted drinking in a motel parking lot and offering back rubs to strangers. She was also reported to be homeless. Moran and her husband were last reported to be living in run down motels in Corydon, Indiana after being thrown out of their trailer.
2. Randy Travis: He is one of the world’s most famous country music singers – with more than 50 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and 16 number one hits. But despite all his successes, Travis was in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2012. In February he was arrested for public intoxication while sitting in his car at a Baptist church in Texas. In August, police found the singing sensation naked on the road and smelling of alcohol after crashing his car. That same day, just prior to the DUI arrest, Travis allegedly walked into a convenience store wearing no clothes, demanding cigarettes from the cashier. Later that month, police in Plano, Texas cited him for assault after responding to an early morning call that two men were fighting outside a church. Both men were reportedly taken to hospital following the incident, and Travis allegedly appeared to be "extremely intoxicated."
1. Lindsay Lohan: Lindsay Lohan’s is no stranger to our top celebrity meltdowns list. And 2012 is no different. This year, the “Liz & Dick” star has made it to the top. Lohan’s personal life has become nothing short of a spectacle and circus show. This year, her attempted return to acting was met with awful reviews from critics and fans alike. Her “Liz & Dick” performance was deemed "woeful.” But that was by no means the only reason Lindsay made headlines this year. She has been identified and accused of being involved in various scuffles and the IRS has reportedly seized her bank accounts because of money she owes in back taxes. In addition, Lohan managed to get herself arrested in New York City after allegedly punching a fellow nightclub patron, and her probation in California. However, possibly the best example of her childish behavior could be seen in her tweet during Hurricane Sandy--which killed over one hundred people and created close to $50 million in damage.
"WHY is everyone in SUCH a panic about hurricane (i'm calling it Sally)..? Stop projecting negativity! Think positive and pray for peace," Lohan wrote.
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