15 Celebs Whose Personal Actions Immediately Affected The Public In A Huge Way

It's easy to think of Hollywood as a world that is completely separate from our day to day lives. Even though we follow our favorite celebrities on social media, watch their shows and movies, and have all their songs downloaded on to our phones, it still seems like they live in their own world. But the truth is that the events that go on in Hollywood can have a serious influence on our everyday lives. It goes way beyond just talking about celebrity gossip at work. The choices that our favorite celebs make can actually cause some serious changes outside of Hollywood.

Over the past two years, we've seen our world go through some serious changes. Trends are shifting, social movements are evolving, and sometimes it can seem like the world is moving too fast to keep up. Sometimes, these massive changes and national conversations are sparked by events in Hollywood. Some celebrities are not just actors or musicians, they are also influencers, and their influence goes way beyond social media. So, who are the real game changers, and what have they done that makes a big impact on the public? Here are 15 celebs whose personal actions are changing things.

15 Rose McGowan Revealing The Truth Within Hollywood

Unless you have been living under a rock, you definitely have heard of the #MeToo movement. This movement is all about giving women the space to speak up about the harassment they have experienced. It has revealed that this is a widespread issue that we should all be aware of. This movement began when women in Hollywood started speaking up about the awful behavior of some of the men in their industry. So, who was the first woman to kick off this wave of confessions? Rose McGowan, who became well known for her role in the TV show Charmed, broke the silence when she revealed that producer Harvey Weinstein had harassed and was violent towards her while she was working with him. After that, many women came forward about their experiences.

14 Angelina And Brad's Divorce

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were one of the most admired couples in Hollywood. They had adopted several children together and had biological children of their own. They were the definition of a true power couple. Everyone looked up to them-they were our couple goals, right? So there was no way there could be trouble in paradise. But when Angie and Brad announced that they were getting a divorce, it seemed like hearts broke all over the world. It almost seemed like they were making a statement about celebrity marriages-if they couldn't make it, were any celeb marriages really legit? How much of it was for publicity, and how much of it was real love? It definitely was a depressing day all around.

13 Kylie Jenner's Pregnancy

Kylie Jenner's pregnancy made it clear that even though we may think that we know everything about our favorite celebs, that's just not the case. In fact, we often know much less than we think. Kylie managed to hide her pregnancy for months and months, with only one unnamed source making a single comment about it to a tabloid. It was actually pretty impressive that a reality TV star with one of the biggest social media followings was able to keep such an important aspect of her life totally private for so long. When she revealed that she had had her daughter, everyone went crazy. This proved that we don't have access to-or even deserve-all the info about our favorite celebs. Even reality stars should get privacy!

12 Logan Paul's Awful Videos From Japan

Logan Paul became famous for appearing on Disney Channel, but he kept up his fame by becoming popular on Vine and then moving on to YouTube. People have consistently criticized his YouTube videos because he often just makes clickbait vlogs that are of no real importance. But he took things way too far on his recent trip to Japan. While in Japan, Logan filmed himself and his friends being rude to locals, acting disrespectfully at sacred sites, and included graphic and inappropriate footage that should never have been shown on YouTube in the first place. He mocked people who struggle with mental health. His apology was totally fake, yet he still has millions of young fans. After this vlog, many people became concerned about what children are exposed to on YouTube.

11 Hannibal Burress Uncovering Massive Bill Cosby Scandal

Hannibul Burress is a hilarious stand-up comedian who has also appeared on The Eric Andre Show as a cohost. His brand of humor is surreal and absurd, so you might not expect him to make any profound social commentary. But Hannibal actually revealed a serious scandal that had been untouched in Hollywood for decades during one of his stand up shows. He began telling his audience that he was not a fan of Bill Cosby. Hannibal said that he did not appreciate the fact that it seemed like Bill looked down on other African-American men, and then told his audience to look up Bill's treatment of women over the years. He said Bill could not be a role model because he mistreated women-and when people began doing some digging, it was clear that Hannibal was actually right about this once beloved TV star.

10 Ellen DeGeneres Coming Out In The 90's

Who doesn't love Ellen DeGeneres? Honestly, this woman is one of the most beloved talk show hosts of all time. She is clearly such a sweetheart, she is accepting of all kinds of people, and she is also one of the funniest women around. But Ellen experienced some turmoil early in her career. Ellen has always been attracted to women, and if you are a fan of hers, you probably know that she has been happily married to actress Portia de Rossi for about ten years now. But back in the 90s, being a lesbian was not very acceptable. Ellen eventually came out on Oprah Winfrey's show, and while some people disapproved, her loyal fans stood by her side. She was an early role model for the LGBT community.

9 James Franco And Seth Rogen Caused A National Security Incident

A few years ago, James Franco and Seth Rogen came together to make a comedy film about North Korea called The Interview. Many of their fans looked forward to seeing the film in theaters-but that never happened. The two planned to release the movie like any other and announced their opening date for a nationwide release. But here's the thing about making a movie on such a highly charged political issue-you're bound to get some serious backlash. The North Korean government began making threats, saying that they would react if the movie was released. It's crazy to think that these two funny actors could provoke such an extreme response, but the movie had to be pulled from theaters. It was released on Netflix instead.

8 Kendall Jenner's Pepsi Commercial Sparked A Huge Debate

Kendall Jenner has taken on plenty of media projects in her time as a reality TV star. She's a Kardashian, so being on TV is kind of her thing. Could anything that she appeared in really be that controversial? Kendall may have thought that she was immune to criticism when she decided to appear in a Pepsi ad that aired a while ago. In the ad, Kendall walks through a protest, hands a can of Pepsi to a police officer, and suddenly, all is well at the protest. Hmmm, maybe starring in such a politically charged ad was a bad idea, because the Internet freaked out after it was aired. Many people felt that the ad was tone deaf, and that Pepsi was out of line by associating their product with protests.

7 Britney Spears 2007 Breakdown

Britney Spears was the queen of pop in the early 2000s. You could not go anywhere without hearing one of her songs, and every girl secretly wondered what it was like to be her. But honestly, Britney was miserable inside, and it all came out when she had her infamous breakdown in 2007. Looking back, it really was not funny-it was actually very sad, and Britney was basically crying out for help and being laughed at instead. But this incident revealed that being a star was not all fun and games. It showed that being a celebrity actually came with so much pressure that it could cause a talented superstar like Britney to crack. After this, it seemed like a dark side of Hollywood was exposed.

6 Jenny McCarthy Criticizing Vaccines

Jenny McCarthy was a former model, but apparently, some people think that this makes her a reputable source of medical advice. Jenny has been at the center of scandals since the beginning of her career when she posed for a scandalous photo shoot that got her religious neighborhood all riled up. But the controversies surrounding Jenny definitely did not stop there. Years later, after she had her son, she began stating that her son's medical issues were caused by vaccines. Despite the fact that doctors could not find any evidence for this, Jenny continued to insist that this was the root of the problem and encouraged other parents to take up the same cause through various media appearances. This kicked off a debate about vaccines that is still ongoing.

5 Chris Brown And Rihanna's Downward Spiral

Unfortunately, dysfunctional relationships are a reality everywhere, even in Hollywood. You may look at some celeb couples on screen and think that they must be living out a fairytale romance, but this could not be further from the truth. Many couples in Hollywood have lots of trouble behind the scenes. Just look at what happened to Chris Brown and Rihanna. They seemed like a happy golden couple, living their star-studded dreams out together-but then something horrific happened. It was revealed that Chris Brown had been physically towards Rihanna. This was a huge shock to their loyal fans, but it revealed that no matter how successful, talented, or fun a guy seems to be on the surface, it can take a long time to see someone's true colors.

4 Chance The Rapper Donating $1 Million To Chicago Schools

Chance the Rapper is one of the most amazing new artists on the scene these days, and it's not just because of his music-it's because of his positive attitude and the way that he approaches business. Honestly, Chance is revolutionizing the music industry. He has released so much of his music for free, and he has even won a Grammy award for his streaming-only album Coloring Book, which has never happened before. But the coolest thing about Chance is his generosity. Chance donated a million dollars to Chicago public schools at a time when his net worth was at two million dollars. Now, clearly he still had plenty left over, but donating half of his net worth showed that many wealthy celebs and public figures could afford to be more giving.

3 When Kesha Sued Dr. Luke

When Kesha (yes, she has finally dropped the dollar sign from her name) began releasing music, it was like a breath of fresh air. She was exciting, fresh, and funny, and her songs quickly took over the radio. But Kesha was struggling with a lot of issues at her label-mainly with her producer, the famous Dr. Luke. He has worked with so many incredible popular artists-Kesha should have been grateful that she got to work with him, right? Wrong. Kesha eventually took him to court because she wanted to be released from their contract. He had disrespected her and harassed her behind the scenes for years. When she found out she had to keep the contract, she broke down crying in court. This was one of the first incidents that revealed the abuse women were facing in Hollywood.

2 B.O.B. Saying He's A “Flat Earther”

There are some crazy conspiracy theories floating around out there these days. You can find people questioning all kinds of issues and proposing ideas that seem pretty out there. One of the strangest popular conspiracy theories is the “flat earth theory”-for some reason, more and more people these days believe that our planet is flat! Who made this theory so popular? Oddly enough, it was actually the rapper B.O.B. He started tweeting about his belief that the earth was flat and called everyone who believed it was round “sheep.” We like his music, but come on. This is just silly. For some reason, this seemed to push the theory into mainstream discussions. Now you can find lots of people online who think the earth is flat. Thanks for that, B.O.B.

1 Alexis Ren Admitting To Her Eating Disorder

Alexis Ren is a world-famous model who got her start when she was discovered on Tumblr. She is absolutely gorgeous, and she has millions of young followers who think that her life is #goals. Early in her career, she received a ton of publicity and modeling work because of her relationship with fellow blonde model Jay Alvarez. But after they broke up, Alexis blew the lid off all of her happy social media posts and revealed that she was actually extremely unhappy in that relationship. She also admitted to her fans that she had been struggling with an eating disorder. She made it clear that so much of what we see on social media is fake and manufactured, and these positive images don't always reflect reality.