The Year in...Scandals. It’s not every year that a member of Congress gets ousted, then outed as (allegedly) a fan of OnlyFans and Botox. Or that Gwyneth Paltrow goes on a ski trial. In 2023, there were also messy breakups, billionaire taunts, and celebrity memoirs sharing more than anyone asked. Time to send your favorite public relations professional a care package as we review: Stories that had us phoning home…It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a person accused of not being real. There were alleged Chinese spy balloons and UFOs. Also, people took aliens seriously. Memoirs…Prince Harry didn’t “Spare” anyone stories about his todger. Britney Spears didn’t hold back on her relationship with Justin Timberlake, and revealed she was almost Allie in “The Notebook.” Oh, and Jada Pinkett Smith gave exes (and current partners) a lot to red table talk about. Breakups…happen. And no one knows all the details. Still, the world rallied behind their Queen in the North. Spongebob’s ex. Sofia Vergara. Shakira. And Ariana Madix. Not exactly a ton of rallying for Matty Healy. Famous people on their backfoot…Former President Trump got a mugshot. Andrew Tate got arrested. Meanwhile, the pressure was on for celebrities ranging from Jonah Hill to Colleen Ballinger to Lizzo. The public naturally selected Matt Rife out. And had words for Simone Biles’ husband. The weirder political moments…like Bernie Sanders breaking up a fight. Lauren Boebert getting her beetlejuice on. That Senate staffer. Cocaine in the West Wing. George Santos moved from Congress to Cameo. Ron DeSantis’ boots kept us on our tiptoes. The House has a speaker now. And Kevin McCarthy’s just Kevin. Then there were the lower-stakes scandals: the blue couch. France’s bedbugs. TikTok’s MascaraGate. But that’s all in the rearview now. Stay tuned tomorrow for some of this year’s best moments in pop culture. | 