23 PR Disasters That Got Way Out of Hand (Oops!)

So this guy got a weird check from someone on Craigslist and asked Bank of America if it was legit. The teller said, “Yep, sign it!” Then BAM – he was arrested for passing a bad check. Talk about a plot twist.

Remember when the Segway was supposed to change the world? Cities would be redesigned and everything! Instead, it showed up as… a scooter. No hover, no magic, just a scooter. Disappointing, right?

Back in the 90s, these "Wow" chips promised to let you eat fat-free snacks and still gain weight (magic, right?). But oops—they caused "oily discharge" and tons of stomach trouble. The only thing those chips wowed us with was ruining underwear.

Picture this: thousands suffering after Hurricane Katrina, but this official is stressing about what to wear on camera. Priorities? Not so much.

VW got caught cheating on emissions tests. The CEO quit, market crashed, and lawsuits exploded. Definitely not their finest hour.

McCain picked Palin as his VP pick, and America was like, "Wait, who?" Her interviews gave us gems like ‘I love to read! It’s great!’ but couldn’t remember what she’d read last. Awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Turns out Hilaria Baldwin was pretending to be from Spain. Spoiler: She wasn’t. The internet was totally shook.

A grown man stood up on live TV and slapped someone over a joke. People weren’t sure if it was real for minutes. Spoiler: It was. Epic chaos ensued.

Barcelona tried to rally fans with the hashtag #WeAreAllMessi after Messi's tax scandal. Even the fans weren’t buying it. Oof.

She tried to lip sync on SNL and got caught when the wrong track played. Awkward! But props for sticking with it—she came back, sang live, and did better. Still, that moment is legendary.

Imagine flying all the way to Vegas, checking into your hotel, then Adele drops the bomb she’s canceling. Fans were NOT happy campers.

This British boy band dude said the 9/11 attacks were "blown out of proportion" and suggested we worry more about animals. Yikes.

Remember when Ariana licked donuts in a shop and said she hated America? Yeah, that caused a lot of buzz—and not the good kind.

In 2006, Senator George Allen got caught using a racist nickname for an assistant. He tried to play it off but... no one bought it. Bye-bye re-election.

New Balance said they supported Trump’s domestic manufacturing and suddenly became the shoe everyone either loved or wanted to burn. Even the alt-right had opinions. Shoes got political, yikes.

Jesy Nelson left Little Mix and dropped her solo debut… which crashed and burned fast. All her good vibes vanished after some bad choices, including questionable looks that didn’t sit well.

At his peak, DaBaby made some super homophobic comments. His apology? Basically the worst. His career dipped so hard, looks like the pop-rap crown isn’t coming his way anymore.

After the Farro brothers left Paramore, Josh Farro threw shade online calling Hayley Williams a diva and the band a fraud. MTV interviews cleaned things up a bit, but the drama stuck around for a while.

Taylor got called out for using a private jet a lot. She said she rents it out to others, as if that magically solves the environmental eye-roll. Nope.

From music videos to a 24-hour live stream, SNL performances, and even dressing up as Hillary Clinton for Halloween—Katy Perry's Witness promo had everyone wondering, "Is this too much?" Hint: Yes.

Axl Rose fired all the old band members, added some wild new ones (one with a KFC bucket on his head!), missed shows, caused riots, and canceled a tour. The rock 'n' roll drama was at an all-time high.

ARTPOP was a wild ride. Gaga screamed at paparazzi, threw shade on Twitter at Katy and Madonna, all while trying to hype a song with R. Kelly. Drama, drama, drama.

Here’s a fun one: the Chevy Nova didn’t sell well in Latin America because “No va” means “doesn’t go” in Spanish. Oops, marketing fail!