Celebrity Crises and Conflicts: Exploring Scandal, Failure and Misconduct

Fame is fickle, as conventional wisdom has it, but in current times, celebrity seems to be in crisis more than ever. Sexual abuse scandals and the #MeToo movement have rocked the foundations of celebrity culture; media and AI developments have questioned the nature of the 'star' as a human figure; various forms of societal, cultural, and political polarisation have put celebrities under increased public pressure; and more and more famous figures are opening up about their mental health crises and the negative effects of fame, such as burnout, anxiety, the impact of hate speech, body-shaming, or performance pressure.

This edited collection explores how such moments of crisis―scandals, reputational breakdowns, public controversies, and conflicts―shape the contemporary dynamics of celebrity culture. Bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives from media studies, cultural studies, and sociology, the contributions examine a wide range of cases, from high-profile public scandals to the affective politics of celebrity failure and reputational repair. This book highlights how celebrity figures become focal points for broader social debates about gender, class, race, morality, and authenticity, offering critical insights into the mechanisms of fame, the politics of visibility, and the cultural work performed by celebrity scandals in the digital age.

This volume will be of great interest to postgraduate students, researchers, and academics in media and cultural studies, sociology, communication studies, and celebrity studies as well as anyone interested in understanding the complex relationship between fame, power, and contemporary culture. It was originally published as a special issue of Celebrity Studies.

Gaston Franssen is Professor of Dutch Literary Studies and Intermediality at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Erin A. Meyers is Professor of Communication at Oakland University, USA.

Alice Leppert is Associate Professor of Media and Communication Studies at Ursinus College, USA.