History Main / ControversyProofImage

* As with Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela became very much an [[UnacceptableTargets Unacceptable Target]] after his death, while before many right-wing politicians in the U.S. during Apartheid branded him a terrorist, even though he had long since disavowed the ANC's early use of violence. (He was only taken off the U.S. terrorist watch list in 1998).

* As with Martin Luther King, JR., Nelson Mandela became very much an [[UnacceptableTargets Unacceptable Target]] after his death, while before many right-wing politicians in the U.S. during Apartheid branded him a terrorist, even though he had long since disavowed the ANC's early use of violence. (He was only taken off the U.S. terrorist watch list in 1998).

* The famous "Homer's Enemy" episode from WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons revolves around how Homer's actions are controversy proof within Springfield and he never really suffers undue actual real world consequences (such as unemployment, abandonment or ''death''_ for his actions, whereas any attempts to imitate Homer, as in the tragic case of Frank Grimes, will lead to real-world consequences.

* As with Martin Luther King, JR., Nelson Mandela became very much an [[[[UnacceptableTargets Unacceptable Target]] after his death, while before many right-wing politicians in the U.S. during Apartheid branded him a terrorist, even though he had long since disavowed the ANC's early use of violence. (He was only taken off the U.S. terrorist watch list in 1998).

* The famous "Homer's Enemy" episode from WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons revolves around how Homer's actions are controversy proof within Springfield and he never really suffers undue actual real world consequences for his stupid actions (Poverty, Unemployment, Death, Abandonment, Involuntary Celibacy), whereas any attempts to imitate Homer, as in the tragic case of Frank Grimes will lead to real-world consequences.

This could also be true for actors and athletes who are probably charismatic and charming enough that the general public won't care about whatever scandal is plaguing them -- if they don't rally behind their idols for it. A good example is probably DavidLetterman, as opposed to Tiger Woods. Whether or not this is fair is up for debate. ValuesDissonance can also play a part: if you did something long ago enough that you can shrug it off with "It was a different time", or if you have the kind of fans who are not offended by much and indeed ''expect'' you to behave a certain way, your target audience will be happy to look the other way.

* UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette has somehow developed this of late. Nobody is quite sure how this happened but somehow all the things that made Antoinette controversial in her day and age, her excessive fashions, her airhead personality and political cluelessness has somehow made her endearing in TheNoughties and TheNewTens with a sympathetic biography (Antonia Fraser), [[Film/MarieAntoinette a movie]] and many references in fashion, advertisements and music videos that present her as a tragic figure and even, a feminist icon.

* UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan earned the nickname "Teflon Ron" because of how the numerous political scandals that surfaced during his presidency never affected his popularity. The most famous example has to be the Iran-Contra affair, involving the executive branch allegedly funneling money and weapons to not one but two groups which were enemies of the United States (specifically, {{UsefulNotes/Iran}} and the Contras, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters an anti-Communist militia movement in Central America]]). [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy Any]] [[UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson other]] [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon president]] would have undoubtedly been impeached and thrown out of office over such a scandal, especially if [[UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter they were already]] [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush unpopular to begin with]]. However, despite the affair being one of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century, and possibly in the entire history of the United States, all Reagan had to do was make a television address apologizing to the nation and he was off scot-free. He would leave office with an approval rating above 50%, his vice president UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush would be decisively elected to succeed him, and today he is a Republican icon who is [[VindicatedByHistory widely considered to be one of the greatest presidents in history.]] Having Oliver North take the fall for the whole ordeal certainly helped; of course, Col. North himself eventually had all charges against him dismissed, too.

* Creator/MarilynMonroe saw her career not only survive but thrive (and that's putting it mildly) after she publicly admitted to posing nude for a calendar, which no Hollywood actress had ever done before (admit, that is). Her reputation has remained intact to this very day, and if anything she is more beloved than ever. Not even rumors that she was a communist, that she had an illegal abortion, or that she smoked marijuana - not to mention stories about her that actually ''were'' true, such as her affair with President UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy - have damaged her reputation at all, and if anything ''you'' will be attacked for daring to attack her.
* Back in the 90's, Creator/WoodyAllen went through an ugly breakup with Mia Farrow after he left her for her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, during which accusations surfaced that Allen had sexually abused Farrow's daughter Dylan. Somehow, Allen has survived both the scandal and the accusations and continues to make movies.

* Donald Trump, over the years, has cultivated a large, boisterous, attack-anything-that-moves, take-no-prisoners personality, such that when he entered the Republican race for President in 2015, he quickly shot to the top of the polls, and stayed there even after insulting Creator/FoxNewsChannel anchor Megyn Kelly, then expecting ''her'' to apologize to ''him''.
* The Founding Fathers benefit from this a great deal. The general public [[EverybodyKnowsThat has known for so long]] certain truths about them (that UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson and several others were slaveowners, for example, or that UsefulNotes/AlexanderHamilton was hardly a friend of the common people and in fact was just over the line from being a British sympathizer) that any righteous ranting about those truths will be quickly shrugged off as having been [[ValuesDissonance "in the past"]] (though of course they would certainly not be tolerated today) or even countered with [[FairForItsDay "What with everything they did that]] ''[[FairForItsDay was]]'' [[FairForItsDay good, you should be grateful."]] When, for example, DNA evidence confirmed that Jefferson had a child with his slave Sally Hemmings, most of the public acted as if they had known all along, or at least suspected the truth. Some even tried to cite the tryst as proof that Jefferson was not a racist after all if he could love a black woman, [[RaceFetish overlooking how fallacious that logic is]] [[note]] specifically, that having a sexual lust for someone does not necessarily indicate you love them, much less that you see them as equal to yourself [[/note]].

* UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan earned the nickname "Teflon Ron" because of how the numerous political scandals that surfaced during his presidency never affected his popularity. The most famous example has to be the Iran-Contra affair, involving the executive branch allegedly funneling money and weapons to not one but two groups which were enemies of the United States (specifically, {{UsefulNotes/Iran}} and the Contras, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters an anti-Communist militia movement in Central America]]). [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy Any]] [[UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson other]] [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon president]] would have undoubtedly been impeached and thrown out of office over such a scandal, especially if [[UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter they were already]] [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush unpopular to begin with]]. However, despite the affair being one of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century, and possibly in the entire history of the United States, all Reagan had to do was make a television address apologizing to the nation and he was off scot-free. He would leave office with an approval rating above 50%, his vice president UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush would be decisively elected to succeed him, and today he is a Republican icon who is [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade considered to be one of the greatest presidents in history.]] Having Oliver North take the fall for the whole ordeal certainly helped; of course, Col. North himself eventually had all charges against him dismissed, too.

One thing that certainly helped Clinton was how Newt Gingrich and the Republican opposition used appointed attorney Ken Starr, who was investigating Clinton's involvement in the Whitewater scandal and the suicide of Vince Foster, as their personal dirt digger on Clinton; or, in other words they hoped Starr would discover something scandalous about him that could cause him to lose most of his support so the Republicans can take the presidency. Starr would uncover something that could potentially be controversial and Gingrich would manufacture a controversy around it in hopes of eroding Clinton's political support; the Lewinsky scandal was no exception. That is what saved Clinton's public popularity during his impeachment: he pointed out the aforementioned "fact" and portrayed Gingrich as a CorruptPolitician who was trying to undermine the presidency for his own political gain. It worked, and thus the only political consequence of the Lewinsky scandal was that the Republicans lost a number of seats in the 1998 midterm elections which led to Gingrich being forced out of power by his own party in 1999. Amusingly, [[{{Hypocrite}} Gingrich himself was involved in an affair at the time]] which eventually resulted in Gringrich's marriage ending, with Gingrich marrying his mistress and was another factor in his loss of power; HIS political career never recovered.
* UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, earning the nickname "Teflon Ron" because of how the numerous political scandals that surfaced during his presidency never affected his popularity. The most famous example has to be the Iran-Contra affair, involving the executive branch allegedly funneling money and weapons to not one but two groups which were enemies of the United States (specifically, {{UsefulNotes/Iran}} and the Contras, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters an anti-Communist militia movement in Central America]]). [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy Any]] [[UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson other]] [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon president]] would have undoubtedly been impeached and thrown out of office over such a scandal, especially if [[UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter they were already]] [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush unpopular to begin with]]. However, despite the affair being one of the biggest political scandals in recent history, and possibly in the entire history of the United States, all Reagan had to do was make a television address apologizing to the nation and he was off scot-free. He would leave office with an approval rating above 50%, his vice president UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush would be decisively elected to succeed him, and today he is a Republican icon who is [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade considered to be one of the greatest presidents in history.]] Having Oliver North take the fall for the whole ordeal certainly helped; of course, Col. North himself eventually had all charges against him dismissed, too.

* PunkRock. Although there are still, and probably always will be, people who regard the genre as the Caucasian counterpart to gangsta rap - artless, thuggish, and disrespectful of authority - with each passing decade such an attitude seems to become more irrelevant. Punk lyrics contain too much passionate political content, and the subculture itself has been too progressive in its advocacy of social equality (especially in the realms of gender and sexuality), for its influence to be easily dismissed as frivolous. Unless you are living in a very provincial part of the world, mocking punk or calling it "garbage" is a sure way to get yourself accused of being a bigot.
* Heather Locklear (the previous Mrs. Tommy Lee) publicly warned Pamela Anderson (the about-to-be Mrs. Tommy Lee) about Tommy Lee, on the basis that, as a bad boy rocker, Mr. Lee was controversy-proof and therefore had nothing to lose by doing stuff that could damage Ms. Anderson's career. One sextape later, Ms. Locklear could say "I told you so", although it doesn't seem to have done Ms. Anderson's career ''that'' much harm.

* Music/MichaelJackson: Ever since 1987 Jackson's public image has been tarnished by his face lifts, ever whitening skin color and allegations of sexual intercourse with underage boys. In 2002 he dangled his baby son outside the balcony of his window, causing even more controversy. Yet, when a court case rendered him not guilty of sexual abuse of minors in 2005 this resulted in a public reappreciation of the man and his music. Radio stations who formerly had put a ban on playing his music started giving him airplay again. Many high profile people publicly admitted liking his music again, without having to distance themselves from his behaviour and even most black people hailed him again as one of their own, in high contrast with the scorn Jackson received by some for allegedly whitewashing his black skin. When Jackson died in 2009 he became a prime example of DeadArtistsAreBetter and NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead. All the hate, ridicule and scorn against the man's private life vanished and he was hailed as a musical innovator and hero again. It says a lot that his album Music/{{Thriller}} turned up in many annual Album 100 lists, even on radio stations that had never had any Jackson record in those charts. Today Jackson remains controversial in some circles, but it's no longer embarrassing to express a liking of the man and his work.

* Music/{{Madonna}}: Look no further than Madonna. This woman survived countless scandals, most of them created by herself, and is still on top of public appreciation. A prime example of NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity.
* Whereas his ''MickeyMouseClub'' costars Music/BritneySpears and Music/ChristinaAguilera (the former more than the latter) had to struggle with the expectations of ContractualPurity, add had nearly every Creator/{{Disney}} star to come after them, Music/JustinTimberlake has proven scandal-proof. Look no further than "[[ScandalGate Nipplegate]]", the infamous Super Bowl halftime show performance that popularized the term "wardrobe malfunction". JT and Music/JanetJackson are doing a duet on one of ''his'' songs, featuring the line "gonna have you naked by the end of this song", and he removes a piece of her outfit, revealing her breast. (The real malfunction was that the pasty that was supposed to be underneath came off with it and so the nipple ended up showing.) Jackson was dogged by the scandal for a long time, but Timberlake's part in it was more or less forgotten after a week and he went on to make songs with even ''more'' suggestive lyrics and then sing about his "Dick in a Box" on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''.

* Rapper T.I. still has a very strong career despite all of his run-ins with the law, though his latest arrest is certainly taking a toll on his fanbase.

* Creator/CharlieSheen has proven to be incredibly resilient to bad press and controversy. What would kill most other actors' careers dead just made Sheen a greater celebrity. His first run-in with drug issues came in the '90s, when his father Creator/MartinSheen had to hold a live press conference to beg his son to stop using. Many people thought he was burned-out... and then he came back with a vengeance on ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'', where he essentially played a caricature of himself (and wound up become one of the highest-paid actors on television). Then he went on a tear by sleeping with hookers, hiring two porn stars to live with him as his "goddesses", took potshots at Creator/{{CBS}} and ''TAAHM'' creator Chuck Lorre (which got him fired) and generally went batshit crazy (so much so that he was a media punchline). The end result of that was CBS paying him an incredibly handsome sum of money for the unproduced episodes of his show, Sheen becoming an internet hero thanks to his first televised interview after his meltdown, praise from fellow celebrities and fans, and a lucrative deal with the FX Network to develop a series based on the 2003 film ''Series/AngerManagement''. Apparently, it's good to be Charlie Sheen. Except he's now revealed he's HIV-positive, so there are consequences.
* Mario Lopez has continued to host numerous TV shows (such as ''Extra'') since his ''SavedByTheBell'' days ended even though he infamously cheated (if not well throughout the relationship) on his wife Ali Landry virtually a day after their wedding (the marriage was annulled shortly thereafter).
* Sports announcer Mike Tirico is one of the top personalities on {{ESPN}} (calling ''Monday Night Football'', the PGA Tour, the NBA, etc.) even though back in the early 1990s, he was suspended by ESPN for sexual harassment. In fact, Tirico's perverted tales have been documented in several "behind the scenes" books regarding ESPN.

* MarilynMonroe saw her career not only survive but thrive (and that's putting it mildly) after she publicly admitted to posing nude for a calendar, which no Hollywood actress had ever done before (admit, that is). Her reputation has remained intact to this very day, and if anything she is more beloved than ever. Not even rumors that she was a communist, that she had an illegal abortion, or that she smoked marijuana - not to mention stories about her that actually ''were'' true, such as her affair with President JohnFKennedy - have damaged her reputation at all, and if anything ''you'' will be attacked for daring to attack her.

* Zizagged with in the case of various [[Website/YouTube Youtubers]] such as Sam Pepper, Jason Sampson and Creator/AlexDay. While their involvement in the ongoing sexual abuse scandal on Youtube has certainly tarnished their image and ensured that their careers will never be as high-profile again, they have somehow managed to keep loyal (if [[VocalMinority rather small]]) fanbases that will defend them regardless. Alex in particular is still managing to make money from selling his music independently, making and selling new TabletopGame/{{Sopio}} decks and publishing his book independently.

* Donald Trump, over the years, has cultivated a large, boisterous, attack-anything-that-moves, take-no-prisoners personality, such that when he entered the Republican race for President in 2015, he quickly shot to the top of the polls, and stayed there even after insulting a Fox News anchor, then expecting ''her'' to apologize to ''him''.
* The Founding Fathers benefit from this a great deal. The general public [[EverybodyKnowsThat has known for so long]] certain truths about them (that ThomasJefferson and several others were slaveowners, for example, or that AlexanderHamilton was hardly a friend of the common people and in fact was just over the line from being a British sympathizer) that any righteous ranting about those truths will be quickly shrugged off as having been [[ValuesDissonance "in the past"]] (though of course they would certainly not be tolerated today) or even countered with [[FairForItsDay "What with everything they did that]] ''[[FairForItsDay was]]'' [[FairForItsDay good, you should be grateful."]] When, for example, DNA evidence confirmed that Jefferson had a child with his slave Sally Hemings, most of the public acted as if they had known all along, or at least suspected the truth. Some even tried to cite the tryst as proof that Jefferson was not a racist after all if he could love a black woman, [[RaceFetish overlooking how fallacious that logic is]] [[note]] specifically, that having a sexual lust for someone does not necessarily indicate you love them, much less that you see them as equal to yourself [[/note]].
* MartinLutherKingJr Because the cause for which he labored was so noble, and because he went about it in so Christlike a manner (and was so sincere about the Christlike-ness, too), any quibbles about his politics [[note]] he was considered to be so far left in his own day that even most liberals wouldn't have been caught dead with him, which is strange in retrospect given that today even conservatives praise Dr. King [[/note]] or private life will be dismissed as nit-picking - ''[[UnfortunateImplications at best]]''. J. Edgar Hoover is almost universally regarded as a monster - or at least a fool - for making King the target of an anticommunist witch hunt, and those few mainstream figures [[note]] paleoconservative pundit and former Reagan crony Pat Buchanan, most notably [[/note]] who criticize King are cheerfully ignored, so much so that they have often ''ceased'' to be mainstream. (The same can be said of MahatmaGandhi, or for that matter Jesus Christ himself.)
* JohnFKennedy is also often regarded as an [[UnacceptableTargets Unacceptable Target]], despite his many moral failings, both because he did so much good for the most part and because he was assassinated - and [[BeautyEqualsGoodness being good-looking certainly helps, too]].

* Creator/CharlieSheen has proven to be incredibly resilient to bad press and controversy. What would kill most other actors' careers dead just made Sheen a greater celebrity. His first run-in with drug issues came in the '90s, when his father Creator/MartinSheen had to hold a live press conference to beg his son to stop using. Many people thought he was burned-out... and then he came back with a vengeance on ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'', where he essentially played a caricature of himself (and wound up become one of the highest-paid actors on television). Then he went on a tear by sleeping with hookers, hiring two porn stars to live with him as his "goddesses", took potshots at Creator/{{CBS}} and ''TAAHM'' creator Chuck Lorre (which got him fired) and generally went batshit crazy (so much so that he was a media punchline). The end result of that was CBS paying him an incredibly handsome sum of money for the unproduced episodes of his show, Sheen becoming an internet hero thanks to his first televised interview after his meltdown, praise from fellow celebrities and fans, and a lucrative deal with the FX Network to develop a series based on the 2003 film ''Series/AngerManagement''. Apparently, it's good to be Charlie Sheen.

* MartinLutherKingJr. Because the cause for which he labored was so noble, and because he went about it in so Christlike a manner (and was so sincere about the Christlike-ness, too), any quibbles about his politics [[note]] he was considered to be so far left in his own day that even most liberals wouldn't have been caught dead with him, which is strange in retrospect given that today even conservatives praise Dr. King [[/note]] or private life will be dismissed as nit-picking - ''[[UnfortunateImplications at best]]''. J. Edgar Hoover is almost universally regarded as a monster - or at least a fool - for making King the target of an anticommunist witch hunt, and those few mainstream figures [[note]] paleoconservative pundit and former Reagan crony Pat Buchanan, most notably [[/note]] who criticize King are cheerfully ignored, so much so that they have often ''ceased'' to be mainstream. (The same can be said of MahatmaGandhi, or for that matter Jesus Christ himself.)

* MartinLutherKingJr. Because the cause for which he labored was so noble, and because he went about it in so Christlike a manner (and was so sincere about the Christlike-ness, too), any quibbles about his politics [[note]] he was considered to be so far left in his own day that even most liberals wouldn't have been caught dead with him, which is strange in retrospect given that today even conservatives praise Dr. King [[/note]] or private life will be dismissed as nit-picking - ''[[UnfortunateImplications at best]]''. J. Edgar Hoover is almost universally regarded as a monster - or at least a fool - for making King the target of an anticommunist witch hunt, and those few non-racist mainstream figures who criticize King are cheerfully ignored, so much so that they have often ''ceased'' to be mainstream. (The same can be said of MahatmaGandhi, or for that matter Jesus Christ himself.)

* MartinLutherKingJr. Because the cause for which he labored was so noble, and because he went about it in so Christlike a manner (and was so sincere about the Christlike-ness, too), any quibbles about his politics or private life will be dismissed as nit-picking - ''[[UnfortunateImplications at best]]''. JEdgarHoover is almost universally regarded as a monster - or at least a fool - for making King the target of an anticommunist witch hunt, and those few non-racist mainstream figures who criticize King are cheerfully ignored, so much so that they have often ''ceased'' to be mainstream. (The same can be said of MahatmaGandhi, or for that matter Jesus Christ himself.)

This could also be true for actors and athletes who are probably charismatic and charming enough that the general public won't care about whatever scandal is plaguing them -- if they don't rally behind their idols for it. A good example is probably DavidLetterman, as opposed to Tiger Woods. Whether or not this is fair is up for debate.

* MarilynMonroe saw her career not only survive but thrive (and that's putting it mildly) after she publicly admitted to posing nude for a calendar, which no Hollywood actress had ever done before (admit, that is). Her reputation has remained intact to this very day, and if anything she is more beoved than ever. Not even rumors that she was a communist, that she had an illegal abortion, or that she smoked marijuana - not to mention stories about her that actually ''were'' true, such as her affair with President JohnFKennedy - have damaged her reputation at all, and if anything ''you'' will be attacked for daring to attack her.

Musicians from certain genres can survive scandals that would destroy or cripple other, pure mainstream, artists. For instance, any pop artist who said or did anything politically controversial, or something that was legally reprehensible and possibly career ending, could normally be survived by Alt/Rock, HeavyMetal, or HardcoreHipHop[=/=]GangstaRap artists. Pop artists come under scrutiny and they have to backpedal, clean up their image, etc. With the other aforementioned genres, it probably ''helps'' their image. Sure, the MoralGuardians will whine really loudly, but nothing will ever come of it. The artist's image and fanbase remain intact.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/madonna_controversy_9098.jpg]]

* Jeremy Clarkson caused scandal after scandal after scandal during his tenure at ''Series/TopGear'', yet the programme remained one of the BBC's most successful with a massive global fanbase. Deconstructed after he was eventually [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor sacked for punching a producer in the face]]; the show's fans were [[RuinedFOREVER enraged]] by the decision and continued to defend Clarkson to the point of [[FanDumb sending death threats to]] ''[[FanDumb the guy he'd punched]]'' even though Clarkson himself had been the one who reported the incident. He and his co-stars eventually signed a lucrative deal to [[StartMyOwn create their own motoring show for Amazon Prime]], AndTheFandomRejoiced, proving that the whole ordeal hadn't hurt his career or his fanbase one little bit.

* Creator/JeremyClarkson caused scandal after scandal after scandal during his tenure at ''Series/TopGear'', yet the programme remained one of the BBC's most successful with a massive global fanbase. Deconstructed after he was eventually [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor sacked for punching a producer in the face]]; the show's fans were [[RuinedFOREVER enraged]] by the decision and continued to defend Clarkson to the point of [[FanDumb sending death threats to]] ''[[FanDumb the guy he'd punched]]'' even though Clarkson himself had been the one who reported the incident. He and his co-stars eventually signed a lucrative deal to [[StartOurOwn create their own motoring show for Amazon Prime]], AndTheFandomRejoiced, proving that the whole ordeal hadn't hurt his career or his fanbase one little bit.

** The thing though is that one of the parties involved with Rob Lowe was a minor (though of age of consent in that state) and his video was one of the earliest, so the controversy was higher. Paris and Kim came out looking better by contrast and changing social mores.

** The thing though is that one of the parties involved with Rob Lowe was a minor.