1.
Ian Ousley performs Sokka in Netflix’s new live-action remake of Avatar: The Final Airbender. Showrunner Albert Kim stated the present was “an opportunity to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as dwelling, respiratory individuals.” In accordance with the biography posted by his supervisor, the actor is “mixed-race, Native American and is a Cherokee tribe member.”
However Cherokee Phoenix reported that social media customers appeared into Ian’s background and found he isn’t a member of Cherokee Nation, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, or Jap Band of Cherokee Indians. Twitter screenshots claim the one tribe to verify Ian as a member was Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky. Cherokee Phoenix described this as “certainly one of dozens of federally unacknowledged tribes decried as false by the three acknowledged Cherokee governments.” Ian’s casting sparked fierce debate on-line, and a petition known as on Netflix to “get the info straight.”
2.
In 2019, Forbes named Kylie Jenner the “youngest self-made billionaire” in historical past. “There’s actually no different phrase to make use of aside from self-made as a result of that’s the fact,” she stated on the time. “That’s the class that I fall beneath… I used 100% of my very own cash to start out the corporate, not a dime in my checking account is inherited… and I’m very happy with that.”
However the backlash was swift and extreme. Many identified that Kylie calling herself self-made was disingenuous contemplating she was born right into a rich household, grew up on Maintaining Up with the Kardashians, and certain would not have loved the identical success together with her cosmetics firm if not for the celebrity of her sisters. She shortly modified her tune, telling the New York Occasions, “I can’t say I’ve carried out it on my own. In the event that they’re simply speaking funds, technically, sure, I don’t have any inherited cash. However I’ve had a number of assist and an enormous platform.”
In a surprising twist, Forbes introduced the next 12 months that Kylie was not a billionaire. When she bought 51% of her firm to Coty Inc., monetary particulars apparently got here to mild. On this video, Forbes editor Chase Peterson-Withorn stated, “It is clear that for years, the Jenners have been mendacity… The sale has laid naked one of many Jenner household’s greatest secrets and techniques, which is: Kylie Cosmetics shouldn’t be practically as massive of a enterprise, or as profitable of a enterprise, as they spent years main your entire world — together with Forbes — to imagine.”
3.
Final 12 months, Sydney Agudong was solid as Nani Pelekai within the live-action remake of Lilo & Sew. Initially, this sparked a viral debate on colorism. On the time, many believed Sydney was light-skinned with Native Hawaiian ancestry, and that the function ought to have gone to a Native Hawaiian with a darker pores and skin tone.
Nevertheless, many social media customers shortly dove into Sydney’s background and located no indication that she is definitely Native Hawaiian in any databases, newspaper clippings, and many others. In accordance with web sleuths, her mom is white, and her father is Filipino — that means she has no Polynesian ancestry in any respect. This sparked fierce backlash, however Disney appears to have ignored Pacific Islanders’ requires the function of Nani to be recast. Many have accused Sydney of misrepresenting herself and her background, however the actor has but to make a press release.
4.
Over time, Ariana Grande has spoken extensively about manifestation. In her track “Simply Like Magic,” she sings strains like “manifest it, I finessed it” and “I get every part I would like ‘trigger I appeal to it.” On a 2021 episode of The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon, she stated, “I’ve this bizarre manifesting reward, I feel.” She recalled asking to audition for a Nickelodeon present when she was 4 years previous (she went on to play Cat in Victorious, a Nickelodeon present). Jimmy additionally performed a clip of Ariana singing the nationwide anthem at a Florida Panthers hockey sport when she was 8 years previous.
However many have known as out the singer’s insistence that she merely manifested a profitable profession. That Panthers sport the place she sang the nationwide anthem? Her dad and mom had been seasonal ticket holders and secured her early publicity. Ariana’s mom was the CEO of an organization that manufactured communications gear for the Marines and the Navy, and her father based a graphic design agency.
5.
All through his profession, John Leguizamo stated he was Puerto Rican and Colombian. The actor — who moved from Colombia to New York Metropolis at 3 years previous — stated his Puerto Rican heritage comes from his father’s facet. He was named Puerto Rican Day Parade World Ambassador of the Arts in 2011.
Nevertheless, only a week earlier than the Nationwide Puerto Rican Day Parade, John’s father advised a newspaper that they aren’t Puerto Rican. “It hurts me that John is mendacity to the Puerto Ricans and never backing up his Colombian roots,” he stated. John denied the accusation, telling reporters as he marched within the parade, “I’m Colombian-Puerto Rican. I do not know why he is saying that. I say that I really like him, and why is he saying that?”
Final 12 months, John appeared on an episode of Discovering Your Roots — a PBS present the place celebrities find out about their ancestral histories. The actor’s lineage included notable figures like Sebastián de Belalcázar, a Spanish conquistador, and Higinio Cualla, who served as mayor of Bogota, Colombia. The present didn’t discover any hint of Puerto Rican ancestry.
6.
Within the 2023 Beckham documentary sequence, Victoria Beckham — aka Posh Spice — stated she grew up “working class.”
However she was instantly known as out by husband David Beckham. He popped his head by means of the door and advised her to be trustworthy. “I’m being trustworthy,” she insisted. So, he requested her what automotive her dad drove her to highschool in. Victoria would not give a straight reply at first.
When David insisted on an trustworthy response, she admitted, “Okay. Within the ’80s, my dad had a Rolls-Royce.”
7.
Kelsey Asbille is finest recognized for enjoying Monica in Yellowstone. Her character was a Native American girl keen about Native rights, tradition, and historical past. Kelsey has stated in interviews that she is of Chinese language, European, and Cherokee descent however didn’t develop up in a Native neighborhood.
Nevertheless, Kelsey’s casting sparked backlash and a name to boycott the present. Although the New York Occasions reported that she was a descendant of the Jap Band of Cherokee Indians, the nation’s Tribal Enrollment Workplace declared the tribe had no file of her. Moreover, they might discover no proof that she was a descendant. Saulteaux actor Adam Seashore — who proposed the preliminary boycott — advised BuzzFeed Information, “What acquired me jolted by it was that I’ve a number of Native feminine actors that want a job. I instantly known as it out.”
8.
In Child Rock’s 1998 “Cowboy” track, he says, “I ain’t straight outta Compton, I am straight out the trailer.” He constructed his total public persona round being a self-described “lowlife.”
Nevertheless, a number of retailers reported that he really grew up in a 5,660 square-foot mansion with seven bogs, a visitor home, and a pool. His childhood house sits on a 5.5-acre lot, full with a regulation tennis court docket.
9.
For years, many individuals believed Hilaria Baldwin was from Spain. On this 2012 Good Morning America episode shortly after her marriage ceremony to Alec Baldwin, her accent is obvious. She’s been featured in publications like Latina journal and Hola journal and captioned many Instagram posts in Spanish. Moreover, Spain was listed as her birthplace within the bio of her company’s web site and on Google.
However in 2020, social media customers claimed Hilaria was faking the accent, sparking public scrutiny. The world found that Hilaria was born Hillary Thomas in Boston, Massachusetts. Her dad and mom usually are not Spanish; in actual fact, her father as soon as made a weblog put up stating his household is Midwestern, and Spanish meals and tradition deeply influenced his life regardless of not having “an iota of Latin blood.” Although her dad and mom traveled to Spain all through Hilaria’s life, they did not transfer there till 2011.
In a now-deleted Instagram video, Hilaria addressed the scenario, saying, “I am born in Boston, after which I spent a few of my childhood in Boston, a few of my childhood in Spain… There was, like, a number of back-and-forth my total life.” She additionally touched on her ever-changing accent. “It is a type of issues that I’ve at all times been a bit insecure about… If I get nervous, or I get upset, then I begin to combine the 2.”
10.
In 2016, Gwyneth Paltrow advised Glamour, “Individuals suppose, ‘She’s only a wealthy child.’ Till I used to be 18, I used to be. Then I used to be broke. I’ve by no means taken a dime off my dad and mom. I am fully self-made.” She recalled dropping out of school and dwelling in an condominium with a roommate to pursue appearing. “I labored as a hostess at a restaurant; I’d scrounge quarters to purchase Starbucks — and stroll there to save lots of gasoline… These had been the times. Sufficient to know the worth of cash.”
Her romanticizing of poverty and insistence that she’s self-made has drawn a number of criticism over time. Many identified that Gwyneth’s mom is actor Blythe Danner, her father is movie producer/director Bruce Paltrow, and her godfather is Steven Spielberg — who solid her as teenage Wendy in his 1991 film, Hook.
11.
And at last, Lana Del Rey has insisted that she grew up poor on quite a few events. In October, she made a since-deleted Instagram video saying she got here from a rural city and solely attended an elite boarding faculty as a result of her uncle labored there, entitling her to monetary help. “I had such a tricky time there as a result of everybody knew how a lot cash everybody had. Sadly, my expertise day by day was having individuals name me WT from LP: white trash from Lake Placid” (the city the place she grew up). She claimed that her father did not discover wealth till later, along with his web area firm. Within the feedback, she wrote, “We had completely no cash.”
Nevertheless, a 2012 Guardian article reported that her father was a millionaire who supported her profession — although it is price noting that Lana just lately known as the article “tabloid-psycho unfaithful” in an interview with the Sunday Occasions.
Even so, individuals criticized Lana for saying she grew up with “completely no cash.” Earlier than her father based his firm, he labored as a copywriter at an promoting company the place he met Lana’s mom, an assistant account govt. Their marriage ceremony announcement was printed within the New York Occasions. After they welcomed Lana, they moved to Lake Placid, the place her mother turned a instructor and her dad labored in actual property and created furnishings that was featured in design publications. Followers have pushed again on Lana’s insistence that she grew up in poverty and stated her upbringing sounds solidly middle-class, even when she wasn’t as rich as her schoolmates.
Every other celebs who’ve been accused of mendacity about their upbringing or background? Share them within the feedback under.
