This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Megan Pavek. Find her on Instagram at @megan.pavek. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Having a conflicted relationship with celebrity drama or gossip is relatable. On one end of the spectrum, seeing paparazzi violate privacy and put a monetary value on stars’ personal lives is a bummer. On the other end, sometimes celebrities create the drama themselves, or intentionally react to a situation in a way that will draw attention. In my opinion this is the top tier gossip involving the lives of the rich and famous, the creme de la creme; celebrity revenge.
Typically, these stories include cheating or a breakup gone bad, with a few exceptions such as the Hailey Beiber drama. One thing is for certain; karma will eventually catch up with the famous antagonists of each story, but sometimes celebrities make iconic moves that help speed up the process.
Lana Del Rey
Let’s start with one of my personal favorites; Lana Del Rey advertising her upcoming album on a single billboard located in her ex’s hometown. Coincidence? I think not. Fans were stunned when the singer posted a photo of the billboard and captioned it “There’s only one and it’s in Tulsa” adding in the comments, “It’s. Personal”.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the title track of her new album “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” was also released on her ex’s birthday. The billboard stunt reached an entirely new level of pettiness that fans adored, and makes for a very satisfying celebrity revenge story.
Miley Cyrus
Lana Del Rey wasn’t the only famous singer to throw vast amounts of shade at an ex in the past year. Miley Cyrus is another strong female artist who’s not afraid to use her music as a match to set fire to ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s reputation. Thus, the explosive song “Flowers” was born, a break-up anthem declaring that she can love herself better than he can. Not only was this a catchy song with empowering lyrics for those who’ve been wronged by their partner, many fans claimed it was filled with a number of juicy easter eggs throwing further shade.
Taking a tip from Lana, Miley dropped her hit new song on her ex-husband’s birthday. According to a BuzzFed article, many fans also speculate that the house where the music video was shot may have a hidden meaning. Some believe that this location is where Liam Hemsworth allegedly cheated on his ex-wife, or is a property she had originally purchased by herself and symbolizes her independence from him. Let’s not forget a series of scenes where Miley dances in an oversized men’s suit, in what some believe is a replica of the suit Liam wore during an uncomfortable moment the former couple shared on the red carpet.
Hailey vs Selena
The recent Hailey Bieber drama had Selena Gomez’s army of fans assembling in full force. The alleged feud also included Kylie Jenner, and started with accusations that Kylie was making fun of Selena in an Instagram story. Of course this Instagram story also included a screenshot of a FaceTime with Hailey Bieber, which immediately made fans think she was in on it. That same day, Hailey also posted a TikTok that could be interpreted as taking shots at Selena, and it has since been deleted which adds suspicion.
It didn’t take long for the internet to brand Hailey and Kylie as bullies, and everyone was sharing their distaste for what they believed was obvious “mean girl behavior.” Hailey vs Selena is not a new concept, as both have dated famous singer Justin Bieber. However, Hailey is now married to Justin, but many die hard “Jelena” fans have been feuding on the internet ever since the now married couple first started dating back in 2018.
While this drama can likely be chalked up to fans making something out of nothing, the whole incident made it clear that bullies do not belong in 2023. So many people were quick to dismiss any semblance of mean girl behavior, which hopefully means we are evolving toward a more accepting society that empowers women!
This particular celebrity gossip didn’t end with intentional revenge, but something karmic did occur. An insane amount of users unfollowed Kylie and Hailey on Instagram in support of Selena. Ironically, Kylie Jenner is no longer the most followed woman on Instagram but – you guessed it – Selena now sits on that throne.
Do you love a little bit of celebrity drama and revenge? What other stories do you love? Let us know in the comments below!
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