8 Celebrity Sex Tape Scandals You've Forgotten About

What Happened?

The beginning of the sex tape frenzy can be contributed to Pamela Anderson in 1995. With drummer Tommy Lee, who would later become her husband, the actress created an intimate recording that was intended to stay private. As explained in the mini-series Pam & Tommy, the couple hired electrician, Rand Gauthier, who stole the videotape from the musician's safe and posted it online. The media attention was so insane that it even lead to the band being propelled to the top of the Guinness Book of Records ranking for the highest number of downloads. However, this experience did not prevent the Baywatch star from finding herself at the center of a new scandal in 1998 when a second sex tape was published without her knowledge.

How She Responded:

In response to these tapes being leaked, Pamela Anderson reformed her image. Instead of being only known for her dream body, she began to stand up for causes dear to her heart such as campaigns for animal defense alongside PETA and advocating for a vegetarian lifestyle. She involved herself in France, helping to raise awareness about the situation with the Calais migrant camps, prompting action within the French government. At the same time, the starlet became known to the young generation through shows like Dancing with the Stars (American and French).

What Happened?

In 2003, before the Kardashians became one of the most famous families in the world, Kim Kardashian shot an explicit video with R&B singer Ray J. This video was streamed online four years later in 2007 and created media hysteria that launched Kim Kardashian, and the rest of the Kardashian clan, into the mainstream spotlight. Kim has refused to reveal more information on the origins of the video and has denied speculation that she made an argument to leak it, stating that she felt humiliated and regretted it in an interview with Oprah. She later sued Vivid Entertainment and settled for $5 million dollars after dropping the suit.

How She Responded: 

Kardashian reformed her image through her reality show Keeping Up with The Kardashians. This bad experience ironically catapulted her reality career and ever since has been able to change her life. She created well-established businesses: a makeup brand, perfume line, and shapewear brand Skims. She now has decided to use this fame for politics; pleading for the recognition of the Armenian genocide and is now working to become a lawyer, like her late father, to seek justice for those who have been wrongfully imprisoned.

What Happened? 

At 23-year-old, heiress to Hilton Hotels, Paris Hilton filmed a sex tape in 2004 with her boyfriend at the time, produced by Rick Salomon. The tape, named "One Night in Paris," quickly went viral and for years followed Hilton. When the tape was leaked, Solomon and Hilton both sued each other and the company that released the tape. She won the trial, pocketing the pretty sum of $400,000 for damages that Hilton donated to charity.

How She Responded: 

Following this controversy, Hilton involved herself in various areas to reform her image. She tried singing, DJing, modeling, and acting. Hilton is now infamous for being emblematic of the iconic style of the early 2000s as a socialite and fashion icon. Now, Hilton is a successful businesswoman and a proud new mother to a baby boy.

What happened? 

At the end of the '90s, the singer and actress shot an intimate video with her husband of the time, Ojani Noa. At the end of their relationship, the ex-husband threatened the starlet to disclose the compromising recording in an effort to take revenge against the young star. After a court dispute, Lopez won the case without the video ever being published.

How She Responded:

Between her success as a pop star and her astonishing rise in the film industry, it didn't take much for J.Lo to bury the business of her sex tape. Due to the fact that the tape was never published, she was able to quickly move on from the scandal and pivot her focus back to her career.

What Happened?

In 1999, model Carolyn Murphy also had her privacy violated. At the time, Murphy was married to Jake Schroeder, and the couple filmed a sex tape while on their honeymoon. Schroeder later tried to sell the sex tape, and was charged with grand theft and extortion.

How She Responded:

Murphy responded by continuing her modeling career and occasionally dipped her toe into acting. Murphy controlled the publicity around the scandal so that it did not escalate as far as other incidents.

What Happened?

In 1988, Rob Lowe, actor and face of the Brat Pack, recorded a sex tape of an intimate affair with two women after meeting them in an Atlanta club. After the tape was leaked to the press, Lowe was under fire, as one of the girls featured in the tape was underage at the time. Lowe has since said he was not aware of this fact and settled with the girl's family privately in lieu of a lawsuit. 

How He Responded:

Although it caused trouble for his career and public perception at the time, the incident caused Lowe to reflect on the choices he had made since he emerged onto the Hollywood scene. "It's one of the reasons why I got sober. I woke up one day and I was like, 'What am I doing with my life?' I'm 29 years in and like people talk, but it's the best thing that ever happened to me. Honestly, I do because it got me sober, sober got me married. I've been married 29 years and I have two great sons. I don't think any of that happens without going through that scandal," Lowe said in an interview on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show.   

What Happened?

In 2006, Colin Farrell dated former Playboy Playmate Nicole Narain, and throughout the course of their relationship, the couple recorded an intimate tape. Following their breakup, the tape was released, much to the dismay of the actor and his publicity team, who worried that the leaked film would damage Farrell's reputation and jeopardize future projects.

How He Responded:

Colin Farrell tends to keep his profile low to begin with, but following the release of his private sex tape, he made no public statements. However, a lawsuit is a powerful statement in itself, and the court proceedings in 2006 ruled in Farrell's favor after determining that Narain conspired with other parties to release the footage. In the years since the unfortunate affair has mostly faded into obscurity, and Farrell's public image has been shaped by his charismatic persona and his brilliant filmography. 

What Happened?

In 2009, Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane filmed a sex tape with his then-wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and another woman, Keri Ann Paniche. The film was subsequently leaked to the public. 

How He Responded:

At the time, Dane defended the making of the time, and told People, "We all make mistakes." After the Los Angeles Police Department investigated the leak, Dane sued the responsible party for over a million dollars in copyright infringement charges. Later, in 2019 he told Glamour “I didn’t regret it, I have no regrets nor do I make any apologies for my life experience. It’s my life experience and I’m at peace with all of it.”