The Biggest Scandals of 2011

The Biggest Scandals of 2011

A walk down why'd-they-do-it? lane.

The newest scandal for the end of 2011 is that illustrious potential presidential nominee, Herman Cain, had an affair with a woman for thirteen years. Ginger White said that Cain flew her out to various cities where he was speaking so that they could continue their sexscapades in hotel rooms. White was only the latest in a string of women accusing Cain of having affairs with him, but really, are multiple sex scandals the only way to ruin the man’s presidential bid? He quoted Pokémon at a debate.

Cain’s repeated allegations of sexual infidelity were only one of many scandals that wrapped up the news in 2011. Here are a few more whoppers:

Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal. Defensive coordinator Gerald “Jerry” Sandusky was charged with sexually abusing eight young boys during a 15-year period at the university. Since Sandusky’s arrest, head coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier have been fired, and athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz have stepped down from their posts.   

Kim Kardashian’s 72-Hour Marriage. Famous-for-who-knows-what Kim Kardashian married New Jersey Nets player Kris Humphries in August 2011. A mere 72 days later, Kardashian was over the marriage, divorcing Humphries with the cause of irreconcilable differences.

Charlie Sheen Lost his Mind. Charlie Sheen has been a whack job for a while, saying that 9/11 was a controlled demolition and living with a couple of porn star “goddesses,” but he really lost his mind in 2011. He went on a number of talk shows to rant incoherently about curing diseases with his brain and being on a drug called Charlie Sheen. He was subsequently fired from his television show Two and a Half Men, and, to add insult to injury, replaced by Ashton Kutcher.

Rebecca Black Released a Terrible Song. The fourteen-year-old’s parents paid $4,000 to let their little girl make a video and song that she would loathe to remember after she turned 18. Unlike most of us, Black was not so lucky and her song “Friday” went viral, wracking up more than 150 million views on YouTube. The singer received numerous death threats and had to drop out of school, but apparently, she’s at it again. Now, she’s started her own record label.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Revealed He Had a Teenaged Love Child. Schwarzenegger lost his wife, Maria Shriver, to divorce this year when he revealed that he’d fathered a son with his maid fourteen years earlier. The maid, Mildred Baena, was employed for the couple for over 20 years, and Schwarzenegger found ways to spend covert time with the child over the years. Sad.