Oops! Stars' Most Regrettable Moments

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They say there's no such thing as bad press – but Alec Baldwin, Paula Abdul and others just might disagree.

By Aaron Parsley

(People)



When a voicemail left by Alec Baldwin to his 11-year-old daughter, Ireland, was leaked to TMZ.com, people were shocked to hear the 30 Rock star calling her a "rude little pig" and threatening to "straighten your a-- out." Baldwin acknowledged he shouldn't have used that language and later went on The View, saying his anger was the result of "deep and seemingly endless frustration" with someone else (assumed to be ex-wife Kim Basinger).




Hugh Grant was arrested in April after the actor apparently pelted photographers with baked beans. Grant "got a container of food, it was like Tupperware, and threw it," photog Darren Goff says. "It sprayed everywhere and beans ended up in my hair." Grant was never charged and a police source speculated why: "The evidence may have been eaten."

 

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As clean-cut star of the tween hit High School Musical 2, Vanessa Hudgens is a role model to millions of kids. So when nude pictures of the 18-year-old popped up on the Internet in September, it was a shock to fans and a setback for the Disney darling, who eventually apologized.




Following the on-air, split-screen showdown between Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View in May, a staffer (and O'Donnell pal) was escorted out of the building after getting caught drawing mustaches on pictures of Hasselbeck that hung in the ABC studios.

 

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In a bizarre appearance with a Seattle TV station in January, Paula Abdul slurred, swayed and seemed to talk nonsense to local anchors, who asked her about the American Idol auditions in their city. Abdul later blamed her confusion on audio problems, saying, "Alabama was in my ear and so was Seattle at the same time, so I'm answering questions to the wrong answers of the cities."




When asked during an interview on Dutch TV about former girlfriend Melanie Brown's pregnancy, Eddie Murphy replied, "I don't know whose child that is." But in June, a DNA test proved that Murphy is indeed the father of the Spice Girl's baby Angel Iris Murphy Brown, born in April.

 

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Warning all American Idol hopefuls: Make sure you account for all racy photos before auditioning because, as Antonella Barba found out in February, they may show up online. Barba's best friend Amanda Coluccio conceded to PEOPLE that the photos were "meant for her boyfriend ... as a gift," but said the girl in even more scandalous images was "not Antonella."




Pictures taken in 2006 of Lindsay Lohan and Vanessa Minnillo posing provocatively and playing with knives made their way onto the Internet in June. The New York Post speculated that the photos could hurt Minnillo's TV broadcast career, though her rep said it hadn't, while fans of Lohan's Disney flick Herbie: Fully Loaded would hardly approve.

 

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While in Sweden for a golf tournament, Bill Murray was pulled over – in a golf cart! – for driving while intoxicated. "He refused to blow in the [breathalyzer] instrument, citing American legislation," detective-inspector Christer Holmlund said. "So we applied the old method – a blood test."




On a trip to Peru's famed Machu Picchu in June, Cameron Diaz carried a shoulder bag with the words "Serve the People" in Chinese. The phrase, a slogan of the late Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong, offended Peruvians, who suffered through the Maoist Shining Path insurgency that left nearly 70,000 dead. "It was certainly never my intention to reopen what I now know is a painful wound in this country's history," Diaz said in a statement.

 

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A video showing a shirtless and intoxicated David Hasselhoff eating a hamburger on the floor of a Las Vegas hotel room aired in May and prompted the Baywatch star to release a statement. "Because of my honest and positive relationship with my daughters, who were concerned for my well-being, there was a tape made that night to show me what I was like," he said. "The tape was never meant to become public, but ... I hope that someone else will learn from the tape, as I have."




In January, TMZ.com reported that Rachael Ray, after a little too much red wine at an L.A. restaurant, made some "disparaging racial remarks" about Oprah Winfrey regarding an image she had hanging up from her movie Beloved. But Ray went on the defensive, telling PEOPLE, "I felt bad for Oprah because it attaches my name to [hers]. I wrote Oprah a note and said I would never presume to redress your paintings."

 

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In 2007 Amy Winehouse found success in America and love with husband Blake Civil-Fielder, but it was also a rocky year for the British singer, who canceled her August performances to address health issues and has had close friends and relatives beg her to seek treatment for alcohol and drug issues. That same month, photos of a bloodied Winehouse and Civil-Fielder were published by the British press.




When Don Imus called the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" in April, MSNBC suspended Imus in the Morning (a simulcast of his radio show) for two weeks. But as calls for Imus to resign grew louder, the network permanently pulled the show, despite the shock jock's repeated apologies. His other employer, CBS Radio, followed suit.

 

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After songwriters for the '70s pop group the Rubinoos sued Avril Lavigne for plagiarizing their song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" with her hit "Girlfriend," Lavigne fired back on her official Web site. "I had never heard this song in my life and their claim is based on 5 words," Lavigne blogged in July. "All songs share similar lyrics and emotions. As humans we speak one language."




After failing to pay the bill on a storage unit, Paris Hilton's personal items – everything from steamy videos of the hotel heiress in bed to bank statements and pictures of her dog – were confiscated and then sold to Bardia Persa, who launched ParisExposed.com in January. The Web site, which offers a glimpse into her life for a fee, was briefly shut down by a judge but is back up and running.

 

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In June, John Stamos apologized after a visit to the Australian chat show Mornings with Kerri-Anne, where he wandered around the set, read the host's lines from the TelePrompter and made lewd gestures. The ER star blamed his behavior on jet lag and a sleeping pill, saying, "I was not drinking ... I do not have an alcohol problem. I am not David Hasselhoff."




The Hills may be deliciously entertaining – but is it real? The blogosphere was abuzz over pictures that popped up in October showing Spencer Pratt dropping off girlfriend Heidi Montag at a Los Angeles airport, then picking her up the same day. Maybe Montag said it best when she told Blender that the drama on her show is "fun to watch, but I’m glad it’s not my life."

 

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After Richard Gere kissed Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty during an HIV awareness rally in New Delhi in April, Indians in several cities protested and burned effigies of the actor, saying the kiss was an "indecent" act and "against Indian culture." Although a judge issued a warrant for his arrest, Gere said the kiss was "nothing."




First he got into fisticuffs with Tommy Lee at MTV's Video Music Awards in September, then Kid Rock was arrested for fighting at a Waffle House in Atlanta. "One kid just started [talking]," he told Ellen DeGeneres. "One thing led to another, and windows were broken."

 

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In a profile of Brody Jenner in the March issue of Details, the Hills star – and his then-BFF/manager Spencer Pratt – admitted that Jenner only dated Nicole Richie to become a celebrity. Although Jenner later said the article horrified him and claimed he was misquoted, Details issued a statement standing by their story.




Denise and Charlie Sheen's custody battle heated up in September when Richards filed court papers accusing Sheen of inappropriate behavior including an "attraction to underage women." The file included emails from Sheen's current fiancée Brooke Mueller, apologizing for his past tirades. Mueller told PEOPLE, "It's a shame that Denise conveniently edited my e-mail correspondence to serve her own interests."

 

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When Duane "Dog" Chapman's "n"-word-laced phone call with his son went public in October, A&E suspended his reality show Dog the Bounty Hunter. To apologize, Chapman made the media rounds, which included a stop at Hannity & Colmes, where he said, "If I could kill myself and people would forgive me, I would do that."




After giving Iggy, a dog she adopted from the Mutts and Moms rescue agency, to her hairdresser, Ellen DeGeneres got into trouble for violating her adoption contract. The agency then took the dog away from her friend's family, and placed it in another home. "I'm sorry," she said through tears on her talk show. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have given the dog away. Just please give the dog back to those little girls."