To get the inside scoop on today's naughty boy millionaires, check out Exec Digital's July issue.
There are gentleman club’s dedicated to them, and films documenting their lives – and despite the media scrutiny, these Hollywood Bad Boys still manage to hold superior political positions, act in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters and perform in the best athletic leagues.
CAPITOL HILL
Politics and scandals practically go hand-in-hand, so it’s no surprise that the latest shocker involved social media, a Congressman and some serious acts of sexting. Arnold’s love child scandal was cut short after Twitter images appeared of Representative Anthony Weiner posing half-naked in the House Members gym. The tweet was just one part in a series of illicit acts that Weiner struggled to come to terms with (first lying about the personal photo shoot, then about his social media relationships). The Democrat finally admitted to his wrongdoing and resigned mid-June, just as his wife (Hilary Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff) of one year revealed she’s pregnant with their first child.
Arnold Schwarzenegger might have been able to hold the public accountable for his steroid use and film career, but it was the April scandal that could only leave Arnie’s to blame: a twenty year relationship with his family’s veteran housekeeper. The affair wouldn’t just have drowned his political career, but his personal one with wife Maria Shriver, who left their Brentwood home following paternity details. The news came just as Arnold dusted off his run as California Governor, but just enough time to salvage the career of an aspiring US president.
HOLLYWOOD HILLS
Just as common as political scandals are in the White House, Hollywood Blvd. is fraught with celebrities and their obsession with doing wrong. Jude Law is one of Hollywood’s favorite boys to hate after revealing he’d cheated on Sienna Miller with his children’s nanny. As if things couldn’t get worse for the actor, the father of three welcomed a lovechild following a brief courtship with an American model. Despite shattering the Brit’s public image, like his Sherlock Holmes co-star’s bad boy motif, Law has still managed to sustain his silver screen image as a Hollywood heartthrob.
Colin Farrell might have sung his way onto the big screen with a thick Irish accent and sharp bone structure, but if it were any other industry this guy would be living on the streets. Hollywood seems to have accepted this bad boy despite his deadly demeanor to hotel staff and film crews, rehab stints following partying days and sex tape (where he ended up suing former girlfriend following the release of his 14 minute glory). Still, Farrell’s box office numbers are just as high as he is.
Jesse James wasn’t a Hollywood bad boy until the wife he cheated on introduced him to the red carpet. That celebrity romance lasted just long enough for James to rack up enough infidelities that he was awarded a trip into rehab – for his sex addition. Though James had his own career as television’s most talked about welder (profiling his auto shop West Coast Choppers), James earned Hollywood traction when his marriage to America’s Sweetheart took a dramatic turn. As if that wasn’t enough, the former Mr. Bullock now stops the red carpet with his LA Ink catch Kat Von D.
He’s been on the bad boy list for years, and not just because he has had a problem with substance abuse or sordid love affairs. Mel Gibson’s charade reached a breaking point after his marriage of nearly thirty years ended, and exploded once he stepped out on the red carpet with Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva. It escalated profoundly following the birth of their daughter, when Gibson’s obscenities to Grigorieva were recorded and sold to media outlets around the world.
RUNNING DRILLS
Plaxico Burress was football’s darling until he was found in possession of an unregistered gun following a self-inflicted injury. The New York Giants wide receiver was the star during 2007’s Super Bowl – catching the game winning pass; but since 2009 has been locked up with little more than a cell block to practice his skills. Recently released, Burress’ agent expects the 31 year old to sign with his old team, despite losing twenty pounds and a tad bit of familiarity in the game.
A racist slur, several vacated NCAA seasons and illegal recruiting – it might not sound like the most respectable basketball career, but University of Kentucky coach John Calipari is at the center of all these controversies, leading one college team, and student (namely Chicago’s Derrick Rose), into one deep pitfall after another. Shocking though it may seem, Calipari still has a basketball career, and after moving from the University of Memphis to NBA’s New Jersey Nets, helped lead the Wildcats to the school’s 14th Final Four appearance this past season.
