Celebrities Who Were Betrayed by Someone on Their Teams
Getting into a celebrity's inner circle is harder than getting into Harvard. By the time you're in, you've hypothetically jumped through every imaginable hoop to determine whether or not you're a miserable, leeching troll. That's why it's particularly devastating when someone on a star's team stabs her/him in the back. And it happens more than you think.
The benchmark case is Mexican pop star Selena, whose agent embezzled more than $60,000 and then shot her after getting confronted about it. No betrayal has been as severe since then, but they certainly exist. These eight are particularly difficult to swallow.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga's 2013 Artpop era was plagued with delays and false starts. Fans received a little insight as to why in a statement she posted on her Little Monsters website. "My heart breaks from the people I have trusted and loved, who I've worked so closely with, who have used me, lied to me, worked me into the ground for the personal gain," she wrote. The implication was that the statement was about Gaga's former manager Troy Carter, who she fired shortly after Artpop dropped.
Kobe Bryant
Bryant got into an epic legal battle with his mama Pamela because she wanted to auction off some of his vintage memorabilia. Originally not wanting her to hock any of his loot, Bryant agreed to 10 percent of it getting auctioned. Pam made $450,000 from the sale but severely damaged her relationship with her son. Worth it?
R. Kelly
Reuters reported in 2008 that many of the people who spoke out against R.Kelly during his underage sex tape scandal were former disgruntled employees. The article specifically cites his sibling Carey Kelly, who was allegedly bribed by the rapper to take responsibility for the sex tape. "Do not listen to the people that were fired, listen to the facts" Kelly said. "I know people are out to get me because I'm very vulnerable, especially during a seven-year trial."
Madonna
During a February stop in the Philippines on her Rebel Heart Tour, Madonna confessed that her personal trainer slept with her boyfriend. "Once I had a Filipino trainer, this beautiful, beautiful girl," Madonna told the audience. "She was gorgeous and very talented as a trainer, but, she f-cked my boyfriend. So, I fired her." Yikes. Who would dare cross the Queen?
Billy Joel
Even family can stab you in the back. Joel filed a lawsuit in 1989 against his former manager and brother-in-law Frank Weber for putting millions of dollars in investments that benefited Weber. Not Joel. What a crook!
Mike Tyson
In a book review for 1991's Mike Tyson: Money, Myth and Betrayal, Entertainment Weekly teases just a few ways Tyson was ripped off by his team. Betrayal writer Montieth Illingworth claims Tyson's trainer Cus D’Amato spoiled him to squeeze out one more champion before passing away. He also writes that D'Amato's successors Jim Jacobs and Bill Cayton inked deals with Tyson that benefited them more than him. Leeches!
Uma Thurman
According to Fox News, Thurman's financial adviser Kenneth Starr stole $1 million from her and gave it to his ex-stripper girlfriend. Count your coins wisely, folks.
Selena
After hearing she embezzled more than $60,000, Selena confronted her agent Yolanda Saldívar in a motel room in 1995. Saldívar delayed showing Selena financial papers by claiming she had been raped. But when Selena took Saldívar to the hospital and doctors found no evidence of rape, the singer circled back to the embezzlement. That's when it happened: Saldivar pulled out a gun and fatally shot Selena, who was only 23.
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