# Open Secrets in Hollywood: what else is out there? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995 "2017-10-15T22:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Poo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Poo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Poo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/61 "2017-10-26T13:47:34Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Huh. Never heard of that one, and I loved his shows as a kid. Never noticed the feet thing either. Do you have a cite? I’d love to read up on this Nothing concrete really, the discussion is largely on forums like reddit and others similar to this place. There was a news story a few years back of anon revealing insider secrets. [https://jezebel.com/5892565/is-robert-downey-jr-spreading-insider-celeb-gossip-on-blogs](https://jezebel.com/5892565/is-robert-downey-jr-spreading-insider-celeb-gossip-on-blogs) > **[Robert Downey Jr. denies he is anonymous commenter spreading Hollywood dirt...](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/robert-downey-jr-denies-he-is-anonymous-commenter-spreading-hollywood-dirt-in-blind-items)** > > Robert Downey Jr.’s camp is denying widespread speculation that he is anonymous commenter who has been spreading dark Hollywood rumors. It’s largely the inappropriate pics he’s taken with the tv stars that’s led me to believe there could be some truth to it. He has them sit on his lap and it looks like they’ve been crying. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/62 "2017-10-26T16:17:45Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Blaming women for going along with the system is like blaming store owners for paying protection to the mob when that was part of the system. Hey, they could have said no. They could have closed their stores. They just perpetuated the system by their acquiescence. I assume **Orwell** is imagining a scenario where a young ingenue is unbuttoning the top of her shirt and saying “I would do anything for this part. _Annnnnnytthiiiiing…_” but that doesn’t seem to be the case at all with the Weinstein allegations. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/63 "2017-10-26T21:30:12Z")
This open secret may seem dry when compared to the others discussed but what about [Hollywood accounting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting)? Fittingly, Weinstein has done quite a bit of that as well. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/64 "2017-10-26T22:58:51Z")
Finn Wolfhard, teenage star of _Stranger Things_ and _It_, [has fired his agent](http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/10/22/finn_wolfhard_fires_his_agent_over_sexual_assault_allegations.html) over sexual assault allegations. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/65 "2017-10-26T23:57:58Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > This open secret may seem dry when compared to the others discussed but what about [Hollywood accounting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting)? Fittingly, Weinstein has done quite a bit of that as well. Yes, this has been a huge scam for a long time and is a good example of an open secret. I see Wikipedia lists Return of the Jedi as the classic example, the one I always hear. Is it true that they claim Jedi never entered into profit? Does that remain today? ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/66 "2017-10-30T06:08:19Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > And Kevin Spacey… > > And Matthew Broderick… > > …basically everyone is or isn’t or may be gay in Hollywood Well, Spacey [goes to the “confirmed” column now](http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/kevin-spacey-1.4377929). ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/67 "2017-10-30T09:44:41Z")
> [@journeyman\_southpaw](#): > > Well, Spacey [goes to the “confirmed” column now](http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/kevin-spacey-1.4377929). Wasn’t there a Family Guy episode where Stewie ran around naked in a mall shouting “I just escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement” or something similar? I wonder of more of those “open secrets” were turned into jokes on that show. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/68 "2017-10-31T12:45:24Z")
> [@journeyman\_southpaw](#): > > Well, Spacey [goes to the “confirmed” column now](http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/kevin-spacey-1.4377929). Wow, even I know someone with a Kevin Spacey story! A (male) friend of mine was… aggressively pursued by Spacey when they were both in college. As with Rapp, Spacey was rejected by this guy. Are we getting a picture of him as the gay Pepe Le Pew? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/69 "2017-10-31T13:43:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But, no, it turns out that what Keys was concealing was that she had a boyfriend - who was married to another woman. Her boyfriend eventually split from his wife and Keys went public with the relationship. Heh. My daughter is friends with one of Alicia Keys’ husband’s daughters from a previous relationship. The friend’s mother is not an Alicia Keys fan, to say the least. #namedropping #gossip > [@Equipoise](#): > > About the only people who think that are former adolescents who are still butthurt that girls (or boys) they liked had a crush on him back in the Titanic days. Or right-wingers who wish he’s shut up about that environmental and altruism crap already. **Man in the Iron Mask** was on television the other night and di Caprio was \*\*dire \*\*in that, but so was everyone else (I think Malkovich was literally doing some of his scenes in his sleep). I’ll chalk that one up to the script. Back on topic: the problem with “everybody knows” stories is that some of them are true, some of them has a basis in truth but are embellished to some degree, and some are utter bullshit circulated out of ignorance, malice or humor. Take [this list of rumors about famous people](https://thoughtcatalog.com/charlie-shaw/2013/10/43-reputation-ruining-facts-about-famous-people-everyone-loves/), for example: the story about Matthew Broderick is true, the one about Rob Schneider started out as a joke on _Family Guy_, and the one about Ben Franklin is partly true (they did find skeletal remains in the basement of the London house he lived in, but it had nothing to do with Franklin). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/70 "2017-10-31T13:47:42Z")
I know a gay guy who insists he had a tryst with a very famous singer that I’ve never even heard a rumor about. Maybe said singer really is a “light foot.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/71 "2017-10-31T14:51:39Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > What about Susan McNamera, Deborah J. Hanley, Doris Falconer, and C. J. Haines? You’ve never heard of them because they refused sex, didn’t get the part, and left the industry. > > OK, obviously I made up those names and just as obviously they represent huge numbers of real women. Most would-be actors and actresses never get household name recognition, let alone become famous enough to speak out. So well put. In fact, it would make for a great public-service announcement: show some “clips” by these “actresses” in a sort of parallel universe, then explain why this differs from the world we know. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/72 "2017-10-31T15:16:43Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > the one about Ben Franklin is partly true (they did find skeletal remains in the basement of the London house he lived in, but it had nothing to do with Franklin). There’s another long-standing rumor about Franklin: that he was secretly working for both sides. Franklin was, of course, born a British subject. In the years before the American Revolution, he lived in London and tried to work out compromises between Britain and America (which at the time where still two parts of the same empire). The mainstream story is that he eventually came to realize no permanent compromise was possible so he returned to America where he joined the independence movement. But the rumors are that he hadn’t really abandoned the British side. He was returning to America to join the independence movement so he could undermine it. He was secretly sending reports back to London about what the Americans were doing. He supposedly believed that any attempt at American independence would fail because America was too weak. So he secretly backed the British because he figured they were going to be the winning side. And he may have hoped that when the Americans lost, he’d have some influence and could at least get better terms for America. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/73 "2017-10-31T15:36:41Z")
Corey Feldman has all but named Charlie Sheen as Corey Haim’s abuser when they filmed together in the 80s. Supposedly this lead to Haim’s addiction problems. There are lots of rumors that Sheen is bisexual, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/74 "2017-10-31T16:43:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s another long-standing rumor about Franklin: that he was secretly working for both sides. That’s definitely a new one to me. > [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Corey Feldman has all but named Charlie Sheen as Corey Haim’s abuser when they filmed together in the 80s. Supposedly this lead to Haim’s addiction problems. There are lots of rumors that Sheen is bisexual, at least. How odd - Sheen seems like such a nice respectable fellow. :rolleyes: Seriously though; that’s horrible. Conversely, while I can understand Feldman’s reluctance to speak out, he certainly wouldn’t need to worry about ruining Sheen’s career at this point. On another note, there were rumors for years about Barry Manilow being gay (and not just because he writes soppy music) which eventually turned out to be true. And pretty much a non-story. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/75 "2017-10-31T18:29:21Z")
[quote=“Rick\_Kitchen, post:54, topic:798995”] I wonder what Louis CK thinks of his new movie **I Love You, Daddy** , about a teenage girl having an affair with a Hollywood bigwig, in light of the Weinstein story. [/QUOTE] He’s probably loving this because it’ll get his movie more attention than it would have gotten otherwise. The media will ask him about it, he’ll say it’s pure coincidence, but inside he’ll be loving the returns. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/76 "2017-10-31T18:41:43Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Corey Feldman has all but named Charlie Sheen as Corey Haim’s abuser when they filmed together in the 80s. Supposedly this lead to Haim’s addiction problems. There are lots of rumors that Sheen is bisexual, at least. Corey Feldman also implied Robert Downey Jr was involved last time he started making the talk show rounds about it ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/77 "2017-10-31T19:36:45Z")
> [@The\_Big\_Poo](#): > > Nothing concrete really, the discussion is largely on forums like reddit and others similar to this place. There was a news story a few years back of anon revealing insider secrets. > > [https://jezebel.com/5892565/is-robert-downey-jr-spreading-insider-celeb-gossip-on-blogs](https://jezebel.com/5892565/is-robert-downey-jr-spreading-insider-celeb-gossip-on-blogs) > > [Robert Downey Jr. denies he is anonymous commenter spreading Hollywood dirt in blind items | Fox News](http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/03/22/robert-downey-jr-denies-is-anonymous-commenter-spreading-hollywood-dirt-in.html) > > It’s largely the inappropriate pics he’s taken with the tv stars that’s led me to believe there could be some truth to it. He has them sit on his lap and it looks like they’ve been crying. Boy, did THIS send me down a rabbit hole. Not to derail the thread, but this process lead me to an interesting thought. One of the things people would say about Schneider is that he was so sexually attracted to the pre-teens that he put all of that into his shows. Which are “sick” and “terrible”. Objectively this could be true, but I wonder how much of that stuff lead to his shows’ success. I’m gonna be honest, I watched his shows all the time because the girls were super hot and the jokes were sexually charged. As a 13-17 year old, this was right up my alley. I can’t imagine I was unique in that camp. Time and whistle-blowers will tell if these allegations are true, but if he did have an unhealthy obsession with teens, and it influenced the work, it probably ended up making his work so successful. A strange dynamic to think about. Either way, thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/78 "2017-10-31T19:49:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s another long-standing rumor about Franklin: that he was secretly working for both sides. > > Franklin was, of course, born a British subject. In the years before the American Revolution, he lived in London and tried to work out compromises between Britain and America (which at the time where still two parts of the same empire). The mainstream story is that he eventually came to realize no permanent compromise was possible so he returned to America where he joined the independence movement. > > But the rumors are that he hadn’t really abandoned the British side. He was returning to America to join the independence movement so he could undermine it. He was secretly sending reports back to London about what the Americans were doing. He supposedly believed that any attempt at American independence would fail because America was too weak. So he secretly backed the British because he figured they were going to be the winning side. And he may have hoped that when the Americans lost, he’d have some influence and could at least get better terms for America. Back in my undergraduate days, I had a prof whose area of expertise was the American Revolution. He had a number of educated (though not IMHO absolutely convincing) arguments that Franklin was also spying for France in order to make sure he (Franklin) had a safe old age plan no matter what happened. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/79 "2017-10-31T19:51:36Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Corey Feldman has all but named Charlie Sheen as Corey Haim’s abuser when they filmed together in the 80s. Supposedly this lead to Haim’s addiction problems. There are lots of rumors that Sheen is bisexual, at least. That is the easiest explanation for how he got HIV. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995/80 "2017-10-31T22:54:52Z")
_While he was in Nevada Johnny Cash murdered a man for no particular reason._ I totally believe this one. Johnny was very upfront about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-secrets-in-hollywood-what-else-is-out-there/798995.md?page=5)