As the start of a new year draws near, it's normal to feel a mixture of nostalgia for the year about to end and optimism about the year to come. 2022 was a year that had its problems, but in a lot of ways it felt a little easier than the past few years. COVID-19 is still a thing, of course, and we still have too many gun deaths and politicians trying to make things worse and not better. But we were also able to relax a little bit more and enjoy things such as celebrity gossip without as much anxiety as 2021 or 2020.
While it feels like 2022 was somewhat better for a lot of people, there are definitely some celebrities who are probably very eager to see the year come to a close. Now, here's the thing: We are going to talk about 16 celebrities who had the worst 2022, but that doesn't mean we necessarily feel sorry for these famous folks. The truth is that some of the people on this list had the 2022 that maybe they deserved. We're not afraid to call out the fact that some of these stars were super problematic this year, and it looks like karma decided not to wait until 2023.
For the troublemakers on this list, we hope that they spend the new year and beyond thinking about how they can be better humans and to right some of the wrongs they may have done.
Prince William & Kate Middleton
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were loved-up and happy in California, Prince William and Kate Middleton were having a tough year at home and abroad. Not only did they have to deal with ongoing rumors that their marriage was in trouble due to William's alleged cheating, but their royal tours didn't go so well. They got booed by crowds in the US in December and they faced protesters and demonstrations against the royal family during their tour to the Caribbean in March. They even had to cancel a stop in Belize because they were facing hostile crowds. All of this, plus the death of William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth, likely means 2022 isn't a year they want to repeat.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
James Corden
Talk show host James Corden has always tried to put out a friendly, easygoing vibe, but there have been rumors for years that he's actually kind of a diva behind the scenes. Those rumors were brought to light in 2022 when he was publicly called out by restaurant owner Keith McNally as "the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago." Keith's admission inspired others who've been mistreated by James to speak out, too, and the late-night host's reputation took a big hit as a result.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk has been problematic for years, but he really hit some new lows in 2022. His takeover of Twitter has largely been seen as disastrous (as many people wonder if the popular social media platform will be able to survive his leadership), and he was recently loudly booed by the crowd at a Dave Chappelle comedy show. Now he's attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci online and spreading false info about COVID-19, which is both dumb and dangerous.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian had a rough year, both personally and professionally. Season two of Hulu's The Kardashians was blasted by both critics and fans as being boring and had lower ratings than expected. Kim was also critiqued for both wearing (and damaging) Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress and for bragging about engaging in dangerous crash dieting to fit into it. She also had tons of drama with ex-husband Kanye West and broke up with boyfriend Pete Davidson. We're guessing she's looking forward to a fresh start in 2023.
Tom Brady
NFL quarterback Tom Brady was widely mocked online after he announced he was coming out of retirement for one more season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We wonder if he still thinks that was a good idea, given that the Bucs currently have a losing record and Tom's marriage to supermodel Gisele Bündchen fell apart. (His return to football was rumored to be one of the things that made Gisele throw in the towel.)
Adam Levine
It's bad enough to be publicly busted for possibly being unfaithful, but for Adam Levine, the leaking of his thirsty DMs to other women revealed that even the most famous guys can sound dorky and cringe when trying to flirt. Adam denied being unfaithful, but multiple women have also made claims that the Maroon 5 frontman was being horny in their DMs, too.
Chris Noth
In late 2021, Chris Noth was accused of sexual assault by multiple women, with some incidents dating back more than a decade. The fallout from those allegations continued into 2022, as Chris' character on the TV show The Equalizer was killed off as a result and some planned flashback scenes for his character Mr. Big were scrapped from the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That. Other than a small theater role, it looks like Chris' acting opportunities dried up in 2022.
Will Smith
When Will Smith took the stage at the Oscars in March and slapped Chris Rock, it was maybe the most shocking moment in the history of the awards show. Although Will issued an apology soon after, he has been banned from attending the ceremony for the next 10 years, even if he is nominated again in the future.
Chris Rock
Getting slapped while working would make for a bad 2022 for anyone. Getting slapped while working in front of millions of people and by a fellow superstar? That can't be a great feeling! While many people had sympathy for Chris Rock after the Oscars slap, others were outspoken that the sometimes-controversial comic deserved it for mocking Jada Pinkett Smith's medical condition. This is one of those times when nobody really comes out looking good.
T.J. Holmes & Amy Robach
Good Morning America cohosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach were in the press a lot — but for all the wrong reasons. News of their alleged workplace affair (and respective marriage bust-ups) broke in December, and the two have currently been pulled off the air as the ABC network conducts an internal investigation into their conduct.
Jason Aldean
Country star Jason Aldean was the subject of criticism and subsequently dropped by his PR firm after his wife, Brittany (an influencer and clip-in extensions seller), made a comment that many people thought was transphobic.
She wrote on Instagram: "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life". This prompted other country stars to fire back. This included a zinger from Maren Morris, who tweeted: "It's so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human. Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie." Ouch!
Olivia Wilde
On the plus side of 2022 for Olivia Wilde, she did presumably get to make out with Harry Styles for much of the year. On the negative side, she and Harry have broken up, her movie Don't Worry Darling got mixed reviews and more attention for the rumored on-set drama between her and star Florence Pugh, and she had the public embarrassment of being served custody papers while on stage in front of an audience of critics. That's a lot!
Amber Heard
The mutual defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard was tawdry and upsetting, filled with details about alleged physical and emotional abuse, drug use, and even the infamous poop in the bed story. Although both parties were found to have defamed each other, the jury ordered Amber to pay Johnny more than $10 million in damages.
Matthew Morrison
Glee star Matthew Morrison was fired as a judge on the show So You Think You Can Dance in May 2022 after it was alleged that he'd sent flirty messages to a female contestant who was made uncomfortable by the messages. Matthew fired back in an Instagram video to clarify that the message was meant to be professional, but he lost the gig anyway.
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling used to be one of the most beloved authors in the world, but she ended up spending a lot of 2022 fighting on social media with former fans and critics who decried her transphobic beliefs and statements. Even some of the stars of the Harry Potter movies spoke out against her. Daniel Radcliffe wrote an essay for the Trevor Project, apologizing for the harm caused by the author.
"To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you," he wrote. "I really hope that you don't entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you."
Kanye West
Did Kanye West get any good press this year? Between his disgusting antisemitic comments on social media and interviews, his harassment of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her then-boyfriend Pete Davidson, and the sudden shutdown of his shady private school, it's no wonder that so many of his former business partners, including Adidas and Gap, dropped him.
