Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Biggest Falls From Grace In All Of History

Henry VIII in stained glass
gold and red cathedral interior
Photo by Tom Podmore on Unsplash

It's always disappointing when our heroes and idols don't meet our expectations.

Be they a film star, sports icon or prolific political figure, sometimes the people we admire the most don't turn out to be quite the person we hoped they were.

Proving to be a far cry from the friendly persona they exhibit in the media.

Sometimes, the truth behind people we held in high regard proves to be much worse than anyone could possibly imagine.

When these same people we've held high on a pedestal prove to have been responsible for reprehensible, sometimes criminal behavior.


Redditor owenthevirgin was curious to hear what people considered the most shocking cases of well regarded people showing their true colors, leading them to ask:
"Who had the biggest fall from grace in history?"

Henry VIII

"Henry VIII has to be up there."

"He was a famously handsome, pious, and noble young king, very in love with Katherine when they were married, and over time he became the wife-killing tyrant we know today."- SmunkTheLesser

David Farley

"Nationally/internationally you of course have mega stars and politicians."

"On a local level, I submit predatory doctor and religious leader David Farley."

"200+ accusers."

"Unless you're the DA, who disputes that number by saying there were only over 100 victims that came forward."

"So, somewhere between 101 and 299."

"Of course, he still has his defenders, but he 'retired' and moved out of state 'to be with his family' basically overnight."

"Note that his 'retirement' email was sent to his patients, some of whom had appointments scheduled, without mention of losing his license to practice medicine or the lawsuit/news article dropping that week."

"When he slipped out of state to 'be with his family' he was substitute teaching within days next door in Idaho, and has now moved to Utah."

"At least half his kids aren't speaking with him, but my parents assure me it's all made up because, and I quote 'he really helped us out when you were sick'."

"Yes, I know him personally and yes, I believe the victims, and yes, I will share this story anywhere it comes up naturally."

"Dude should be in prison forever."- David-S-Pumpkins

Vidkun Quisling

"I'd say Vidkun Quisling."

"He was one of the last men to be given the death penalty in my country, and his last name is listed as a synonym for a cowardly traitor in our dictionary."

"He essentially sold us out to the Nazis during WW2."

"The thing is that he was previously seen as a good humanitarian, traveling to other countries to help the poor with Fridtjof Nansen, a National hero who won the Nobel Peace Prize, but it has later been revealed, only a couple of years ago, that he was never a good man from the start, and was in fact always a vile opportunist regardless of what affiliation he needed to have in order to further his own reputation and build his own grandiose sense of self!"

"Under the guise of his humanitarian work, he'd loot values from dead/dying people, and give desperate starving people food scraps or pennies for VERY expensive valuables, if he didn't just take them."

"He'd also take advantage of desperate young women, those who had lost their families were the easiest targets after all."

"His first wife was a 17 year old Ukrainian girl named Alexandra."

"Even his family members were confused about it."

"He also got a second wife, Maria Quisling, so in addition he was also a bigamist."

"Seeing the pictures and notes of what he saw in famine stricken areas just makes what he did worse."

"The thought of this gut wrenching despair not phasing a man, not making him question what he's doing and just continuing on to prey on people, just makes me sick."

"I didn't think I could find a literal traitor to my country more deplorable decades after his execution, but learning what an ABSOLUTELY DEPLORABLE opportunistic narcissist he was, just made him even worse."

"To think that he was a revered humanitarian at one point."

"I'm glad he was executed."

"Though I wish they had paraded him around so people could throw tomatoes at him first."- DecadeOfLurking

Fred Phelps

"Fred Phelps."

"Started his career as a celebrated civil rights lawyer in Kansas. Followed up Brown vs Board of Education 20 years later and ended up forcing them to implement more fair educational conditions for students of color."

"Went on to form the Westboro Baptist Church which became one of the most despicable hate groups in the US. Notorious for their homophobia and protesting at military funerals. That church was one of the most reviled hate groups in the 90s and 00s."

MercutioMan·

Arnold

"Benedict Arnold. Hero general of the American Revolution. One of George Washington's best assets. Felt slighted and overlooked by his contemporaries. Switched sides to the British, made no difference to the war effort. Died in disgrace in England. His name is now a synonym for traitor."

GonnaGoFar·

As the saying goes, nobody's perfect, and not every famous person wants to be someone's hero or idol.

Therefore, they feel no obligation to put on a show and pretend to be someone they're not.

However disappointing this is to discover, however, these are the people who are simply being their true selves.

Not the ones who cover up their criminal, illicit and predatory behavior with a warm, caring demeanor, seeming to fool everyone.

Thankfully, though, the truth has a way of getting out.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Lauren Boebert; Hillary Clinton
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images

Lauren Boebert Dragged For Leaking Photo Of Hillary Clinton's Closed Door Epstein Deposition To MAGA YouTuber

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's deposition in the Epstein case had to be paused yesterday after Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert secretly snapped a photo of her and sent it to right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson—who then immediately posted it online.

Clinton, who along with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had insisted on testifying publicly regarding matters tied to the late financier, pedophile, and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, faced hours of questioning in a closed-door deposition after Republican Chair of the House Oversight Committee refused to make their depositions public.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kathy Hochul; Kash Patel
John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Annual Summit; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Trolls Kash Patel With Epic Zing Over 'Heated Rivalry' Airbnb Listing

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's FBI Director, Kash Patel, is facing backlash over his taxpayer-funded locker room booze fest at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

Patel flew to Italy on a taxpayer-funded FBI plane despite having repeatedly criticized his predecessors for such excursions throughout 2023 and 2024. But an FBI spokesperson claimed it was not a personal trip because Patel met with Italian law enforcement and the U.S. ambassador to Italy during his visit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @theunobsolete's TikTok video
@theunobsolete/TikTok

Woman Speaks Out In Viral TikTok After Company Expects Her To Train 25-Year-Old They Promoted Over Her

No workplace is perfect, but there are certain, inexcusable things that a workplace simply cannot do, like withholding opportunities from an employee because of their age or sex.

TikToker @theunobsolete felt that she was passed over for a promotion due to her age and salary requirements, despite being qualified, while a fresh-out-of-grad-school candidate with no experience was given the role instead.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @laysuperstar's TikTok video
@laysuperstar/TikTok

Guy Waiting For Luggage At Baggage Claim Mortified After His Undergarments Start Coming Out One At A Time

We've all heard the advice to "travel light," but packing only one sock for a flight might be taking it a bit far.

But in all actuality, TikToker @laysuperstar's brother, Hugh, did not only pack a singular sock for his trip, even if that's what the airport baggage claim would like you to believe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gani Catan (in red) performs CPR on a seagull during an Istanbul First Amateur League playoff match after the bird was struck by a ball mid-game.
@straitstimes/TikTok

Turkish Soccer Player Performs CPR On Seagull Mid-Match After It's Struck By A Ball—And It Survived

In a playoff match full of high stakes, one player ended up fighting for a very different kind of win—one that came with feathers.

Let’s start at the beginning. As reported by The Guardian, in the 22nd minute of the Istanbul First Amateur League playoff final between Istanbul Yurdum Spor and Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar in Zeytinburnu, goalkeeper Muhammed Uyanik scooped up the ball with the league title hanging in the balance.

Keep ReadingShow less