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 residing, respiratory folks.” In line 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 is not a member of Cherokee Nation, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, or Japanese 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 information 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 Conserving 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 executed 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 loads of assist and an enormous platform.”
In a surprising twist, Forbes introduced the next yr 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 largest secrets and techniques, which is: Kylie Cosmetics just isn’t almost as large of a enterprise, or as profitable of a enterprise, as they spent years main your complete world — together with Forbes — to consider.”
3.
Final yr, 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 position ought to have gone to a Native Hawaiian with a darker pores and skin tone.
Nonetheless, 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 so forth. In line with web sleuths, her mom is white, and her father is Filipino — which means she has no Polynesian ancestry in any respect. This sparked fierce backlash, however Disney appears to have ignored Pacific Islanders’ requires the position of Nani to be recast. Many have accused Sydney of misrepresenting herself and her background, however the actor has but to make an announcement.
4.
Through the years, Ariana Grande has spoken extensively about manifestation. In her track “Simply Like Magic,” she sings traces like “manifest it, I finessed it” and “I get every little thing I need ‘trigger I entice it.” On a 2021 episode of The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon, she stated, “I’ve this bizarre manifesting present, 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 recreation 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 recreation the place she sang the nationwide anthem? Her mother and father 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 aspect. He was named Puerto Rican Day Parade International Ambassador of the Arts in 2011.
Nonetheless, only a week earlier than the Nationwide Puerto Rican Day Parade, John’s father informed 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 yr, John appeared on an episode of Discovering Your Roots — a PBS present the place celebrities study 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 informed her to be trustworthy. “I’m being trustworthy,” she insisted. So, he requested her what automotive her dad drove her to high school 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 identified for taking part in Monica in Yellowstone. Her character was a Native American lady enthusiastic 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.
Nonetheless, 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 Japanese Band of Cherokee Indians, the nation’s Tribal Enrollment Workplace declared the tribe had no report of her. Moreover, they might discover no proof that she was a descendant. Saulteaux actor Adam Seashore — who proposed the preliminary boycott — informed BuzzFeed Information, “What received me jolted by it was that I’ve loads 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 whole public persona round being a self-described “lowlife.”
Nonetheless, a number of shops reported that he truly grew up in a 5,660 square-foot mansion with seven bogs, a visitor home, and a pool. His childhood dwelling sits on a 5.5-acre lot, full with a regulation tennis courtroom.
9.
For years, many individuals believed Hilaria Baldwin was from Spain. On this 2012 Good Morning America episode shortly after her wedding 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 mother and father should not Spanish; actually, 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 mother and father 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, loads of back-and-forth my whole life.” She additionally touched on her ever-changing accent. “It is a type of issues that I’ve all the time 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 informed Glamour, “Folks 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 mother and father. I am fully self-made.” She recalled dropping out of school and residing in an condo 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 avoid wasting 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 loads 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 lot of 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 every single day was having folks 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.”
Nonetheless, 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, folks 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 wedding ceremony announcement was printed within the New York Occasions. After they welcomed Lana, they moved to Lake Placid, the place her mother grew to become a trainer 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.
Another celebs who’ve been accused of mendacity about their upbringing or background? Share them within the feedback under.