You can never judge a book by its cover, and unfortunately that's proven true for seemingly "good" people throughout history.
These 15 beloved public figures didn't just fall from grace, they turned out to be worse than anyone could possibly imagine
1
Bill Cosby
“Bill Cosby. He was the silly uncle we all wanted. Turns out he was a monster.”
2
Rudy Giuliani
“From America’s mayor to something more pathetic than evil.”
3
John Wayne Gacy
“John Wayne Gacy was a well regarded clown who met President Carter’s wife. Now his clown makeup is the basis for most scary clown masks.”
4
Rolf Harris
“Rolf Harris. He went from Jake the Peg to just another predator.”
5
Jimmy Savile
“Jimmy Savile. The guy raised millions upon millions for charity. But it was all a facade to hide what he really was.”
6
Neil Gaiman
“This one hurt a lot. I loved his books. The pain and betrayal. Stardust is my favorite book. That last line still makes me sob. And it was written by an awful person.”
7
Fluke Skywalker, AKA John Stevens
“He was a Mark Hamill lookalike. He would dress up as Luke Skywalker and attend charity events, often visiting sick children in hospitals. Eventually it came out why he was interested in doing that.”
8
Stephen Collins
“He was the dad from 7th Heaven and went from offering moral advice on a show to proving exactly what not to do.”
9
Jim Jones
“Jim Jones was a prominent figure in support of the civil rights movement. He contributed significantly to desegregation activism in Indiana. He also performed a lot of charity work, establishing soup kitchens and providing food and clothing to the poor.”
10
King Leopold of the Belgians
“He presented himself as a humanitarian who was motivated by a desire to improve the lives of Africans. He was allowed to establish personal rule over what was then the Congo Free State. In reality his regime caused the death of millions of Congolese inhabitants.”
11
Dan Schneider
The brain behind many beloved Nickelodeon shows, new stories continuously come out about each young star he worked with. (Matthew Perry unrelated.)
12
Bassnectar
“An EDM artist with a cult following. He preached tolerance and love and safe spaces, but then turned out to allegedly do some awful, manipulative, and coercive things.”
13
Dr. Phil
“He deserves to have his license taken away.”
14
Oliver Cromwell
“He came from a humble background to overthrow an oppressive king and establish one of the first modern democracies. Then he made himself dictator and appointed his son heir.”
15
Jared Fogle
Subway's Jared.
