Money, success, power, beauty – it often seems as if celebrities have everything they could possibly want. So it’s just as well they also get tangled up in their fair share of mishaps, blunders and own goals every year. Here’s a light-hearted look at some of 2024’s biggest flops and fails.
1. Katy Perry’s comeback
It was supposed to be a triumphant return, but critics and fans complained Katy Perry’s latest album 143 sounded dated and showed little artistic growth. The music video for Woman’s World, which saw Perry join a group of dancers wearing tiny outfits on a construction site, was criticised for being regressive, although Perry later said it was supposed to be satirical. Matters were only made worse when the singer attracted the attention of the Spanish government for shooting the video for follow-up single Lifetimes in ecologically-sensitive sand dunes in the Balearic Islands. But many fans defended the album, which wasn’t as bad as some reviews made out, and Perry’s accompanying tour has been a huge success.
2. Joker bombing at the box office
Making a sequel to 2019’s Joker, which grossed more than $1bn (£790m), was something Hollywood found simply irresistible. Unfortunately, the resulting film, Joker: Folie à Deux, was something audiences found entirely resistible. Making the film a musical was a bold swing, but the tonal handbrake turn alienated the fans and critics who adored the Oscar-winning original. Folie à Deux managed to scrape over the $200m (£158m) mark, but that was barely enough to cover its production budget, let alone marketing costs.
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14. Rishi in the rain
When Rishi Sunak called a general election in May, the then-prime minister made the announcement outdoors despite it bucketing with rain. Being in the open air also allowed an anti-Tory activist to disrupt the announcement by blasting music from a nearby speaker. But Sunak gamely stuck it out, later commenting that he was “not a fair-weather politician” and confirming he’d be taking an umbrella on the campaign trail.
15. Tour troubles
Live tours and concerts were disrupted this year for all kinds of reasons. Jennifer Lopez cancelled her live shows after reports of poor ticket sales, although she said it was so she could spend time with family and friends. Tenacious D’s tour fell apart after one member made some ill-advised comments about Donald Trump. And Madonna’s fans became increasingly frustrated with her lateness.
