1. One of the worst examples is when Kelly Osbourne thought she was making a powerful statement about the value of immigrants and ended up suggesting immigrants are necessary because they clean toilets.

2. Though perhaps even worse is the cringe-worthy time Tom Hiddleston used his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes to talk about the impact his TV show had had on aid workers in South Sudan, leading to some accusing him of trivializing the issue and having an inflated sense of importance.

After backlash, Hiddleston apologized on Facebook, writing, "I just wanted to say…I completely agree that my speech at the Golden Globes last night was inelegantly expressed. In truth, I was very nervous, and my words came out wrong. Sincerely, my only intention was to salute the incredible bravery and courage of the men and women who work so tirelessly for UNICEF UK, Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and World Food Programme, and the children of South Sudan, who continue to find hope and joy in the most difficult conditions. I apologise that my nerves got the better of me."

3. While many stars chimed in with impactful stories in the wake of the #metoo movement, Mayim Bialik maybe should've kept silent. In an op-ed for the New York Times, Bialik spoke about how she hadn't been a victim of the casting couch because she was not a "perfect 10" and had the "luxury" of being overlooked. She also spoke about her "self-protecting and wise" choices to reserve her "sexual self" for "private situations," to "dress modestly," and to retrain from acting "flirtatiously with men" — and seemed to suggest other women should do the same, though she acknowledged those "choices might feel oppressive to many young feminists."

"In a perfect world, women should be free to act however they want. But our world isn't perfect. Nothing — absolutely nothing — excuses men for assaulting or abusing women. But we can't be naïve about the culture we live in," she continued, adding that "having others celebrate your physical beauty is not the way to lead a meaningful life." She finished, "If — like me — you're not a perfect 10, know that there are people out there who will find you stunning, irresistible, and worthy of attention, respect, and love. The best part is you don't have to go to a hotel room or a casting couch to find them." It was an odd time to platform this perspective in a conversation about sexual assault and harassment, and even though Bialik was careful not to place blame on women, her words still served to put responsibility on women.

4. In another example where Bialik felt the need to make a public statement about something that ended up shaming women, Bialik took issue with a billboard of Ariana Grande. In an article for a parenting site, she wrote, "I am a bleeding heart liberal without exception. But I am old-fashioned. My kids have clothes they only wear to synagogue. I don't favor my kids cursing. I dress modestly. I don't want my kids learning about sex from billboards. Stuff like that. Which is why a few billboards I have seen lately really bug me. There is one for Ariana Grande, and I will go ahead and admit I have no idea who she is or what she does. Based on the billboard, she sells lingerie. Or stiletto heels. Or plastic surgery because every woman over 22 wishes she has that body, I'm sure."

"Why is she in her underwear on this billboard though? And if she has a talent (is she a singer?), then why does she have to sell herself in lingerie?" Bialik continued. "I mean, I know that society is patriarchal and women are expected to be sexy and sexually available no matter what we do in society, but I guess now I need to explain that to my sons?" Fans were left wondering why Bialik needed to make this statement, feeling it only served to shame women.

5. Lena Dunham once made the head-scratching statement that she wished she'd had an abortion, which many felt trivialized how difficult the experience of getting an abortion can be. Speaking on her podcast about visiting a Planned Parenthood in Texas, she said she was asked to share her abortion story. "I sort of jumped. 'I haven’t had an abortion.' ... I wanted to make it really clear to her that as much as I was going out and fighting for other women's options, I myself had never had an abortion. And I realized then that even I was carrying within myself stigma around this issue. ... It was an important moment for me then to realize that I had internalized some of what society was throwing at us. And I had to put it in the garbage." She continued, "Now I can say that I still haven’t had an abortion, but I wish I had."

Dunham later apologized, saying, "I truly hope a distasteful joke on my part won’t diminish the amazing work of all the women who participated. ... I would never, ever intentionally trivialize the emotional and physical challenges of terminating a pregnancy.
6. Ahead of cohosting the 2022 Oscars, Amy Schumer discussed the potential to platform global issues at the ceremony. She even said she wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speak (the Academy reportedly refused). However, at the actual ceremony, Schumer only made a throwaway reference to Ukraine, lumping the conflict in with attacks on women's and trans rights. "There's a genocide going on in the Ukraine and women are losing all their rights and trans people...and now please welcome Anthony Hopkins," she said before giving the floor to Hopkins, who was introducing Best Actress.

7. Sean Penn also made a Ukraine-related gesture that many felt was empty. After discussing the Academy's reported refusal of having President Zelenskyy Zoom in to the ceremony, Penn ranted over what became the biggest moment of the night instead — Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. "The Oscars producer thought, 'Oh, he's not light-hearted enough.' Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith! ... This fucking bullshit wouldn't have happened with Zelenskyy. Will Smith would never have left that chair to be part of stupid violence. It never would have happened." He then said he wanted to destroy his Oscars by melting them down to be made into bullets for Ukraine to use against Russia.

Penn actually ended up following through, giving one of his statues to President Zelenskyy. "This is for you. It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here, then I’ll feel better and strong enough for the fights," he told Zelenskyy. "When you win, bring it back to Malibu, because I’ll feel much better knowing there’s a piece of me here."

“The Oscar is there in his office, and ready to be melted any time he wants to melt it," he later told the press, calling the gift "a small gesture, symbolic between two friends — inspired by my continuing shame towards the leadership of the Motion Picture Academy in choosing to present Will Smith smacking Chris Rock rather than the greatest symbol of cinema and humanity living today. Their loss." While it was a nice gesture, giving an Oscar to a war-torn country felt sort of useless, especially given Penn kept bringing up Will Smith and the Academy rather than the war in Ukraine.
8. Too often, celebrities attempt to make political statements on Twitter...which almost always come across wrong. In response to a troll asking if she was trans after she posted a message of trans allyship, Alyssa Milano tweeted, "I'm trans. I'm a person of color. I'm an immigrant. I'm a lesbian. I'm a gay man. I'm the disabled. I'm everything." Milano — who is none of the above, quickly started receiving backlash. Fans were also unhappy with her use of the term "the disabled."

9. In another example, after the investigation regarding Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's rape allegations, Bette Midler paraphrased a John Lennon and Yoko Ono song by tweeting, "Women, are the n word of the world." She continued, "Raped, beaten, enslaved, married off, worked like dumb animals; denied education and inheritance; enduring the pain and danger of childbirth and life IN SILENCE for THOUSANDS of years. They are the most disrespected creatures on earth."

She later tweeted an apology, writing, "The too brief investigation of allegations against Kavanaugh infuriated me. Angrily I tweeted w/o thinking my choice of words would be enraging to black women who doubly suffer, both by being women and by being black. I am an ally and stand with you; always have. And I apologize."

10. Madonna has made several similar comments that attempted to platform women's rights but ended up being problematic. In 2015, she said, "Women are still the most marginalized group" and that "it's moved along for the gay community, for the African American community, but women are still just trading on their ass."