2025 recap: Hollywood's major controversies

Hollywood in 2025 had been anything but quiet. From explosive lawsuits to public fallouts the year had drama, scandal and shock!

While the industry celebrated its box office success, it also buzzed with headlines that kept stars, studios, and fans on edge.

As the year unraveled, PR disasters, celebrity feuds, cultural clashes defined the year in Tinseltown.

With 2025 nearing its end and 2026 standing right around the corner, let’s take a sneak-peek of some of the major controversies of this year.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs case:

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ scandal arguably tops the list of Hollywood’s high-profile scandals this year.

In 2025 the disgraced music mogul was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

He was sentenced to over four years in prison along with being fined with $500,000.

The US President also rejected his plea for presidential pardon.

Though the rap musician was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges, the case proved to be a fall from grace for him.

Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni saga:

The viral feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni remained one of the major highlights of the year.

What began as a complaint filed at the end of last year by Age of Adaline actress against the Con Man star turned into a never-ending spectacle for the public.

Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign against her.

Taylor Swift being alluded to one of the dragons of Khaleesi (Lively) from Game of Thrones proved to be a breaking point in the BFFs relationship.

Hugh Jackman is another A-lister whose name popped up as the battle continued.

Kanye West, Bianca Censori Grammys appearance:

Kanye West is no stranger to controversies.

West, also known as Ye, continued to create headlines with his queer behavior.

Moments like walking out of a Piers Morgan interview, and attacking Beyonce and Jay-Z’s kids in social media rants broke the internet.

However, one particular incident that stood out is Bianca Censori’s appearance with the Yeezy founder at Grammys.

Wearing a sheer mini dress underneath a cloak, which Censori took off on the red carpet, caught everyone’s attention.

'Snow White' remake:

What might have been thought to be a tribute to one of Disney’s classics, Snow White remake turned out to be Disney’s one of the most controversial projects.

The casting of Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, being cast as Snow White raised many eyebrows.

The replacement of the famous seven dwarves with a diverse group of characters garnered negative attention as members of the dwarfism community felt the change erased representation.

'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' taken off air:

The renowned late-night show host landed in hot water for a monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel drew immediate backlash for criticising Donald Trump and his supporters for politicising Kirk’s murder and comparing their grief to ‘how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish’.

ABC took action against his remark and temporarily suspended the show in September.

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle Ad:

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle drew flak in 2025 with critics accusing the campaign of being ‘tone-deaf’ and promoting racist or eugenics-tinged messaging.

The campaign titled ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ allegedly played on the pun ‘genes/jeans’ and featured the Euphoria actress in denim looks.

Viewers perceived the slogan paired with Sweeney’s blonde hair and blue eyes as bearing troubling undertones.

Justin Timberlake DUI arrest:

Justin Timberlake was arrested for DUI in June 2024 in Hamptons, New York.

Though he had pleaded guilty and publicly admitted it was a ‘mistake’, the incident became one of the most talked-about scandals in Hollywood in 2025.