Famous firebrands
Everyone knew that actor Charlie Sheen was something of a loose cannon -- jokes were often made that his character of the same name on “Two and a Half Men” was pretty much Charlie Sheen crammed into sitcom format. But no one expected the media firestorm following the actor’s insults hurled at the “fools and trolls” at CBS and the claim that he has “Adonis DNA.” Winning! (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage)
Getty Images
If Charlie Sheen has taught us anything, it’s that our lives would be incredibly boring (read: less guilt-inducing) without outspoken celebrities and famous figures. For good or ill, here’s a look at some firebrands that have affected history. Or at least CBS’s ratings.
When he isn’t earning other countries’ and many of his citizens’ ire though his dictatorial decisions, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is making long, rambling, sometimes incendiary speeches. Gaddafi is so good at being offensive and nonsensical, he’s sometimes confused with Charlie Sheen. (MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP/Getty Images)
Pop artist Lady Gaga always has a message for her fans, whether that be to call their local representatives and ask them to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, buy her new Polaroid sunglasses, or simply to avoid being a drag, and “just be a queen.” Every Gaga moment is an opportunity for a statement of some form, even if she’s just making it with her clothes. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Actor Stephen Fry is both beloved and detested in the U.K. for his controversial statements on equal rights, the Holocaust and the sex drive of women. Some of his public commentary can also be painfully touching, like the letter he wrote to his younger self about the difficulties of growing up as a gay man. (Toby Canham/Getty Images)
Not only did Flynt cause a freedom-of-speech stir with his pornographic magazine Hustler, his ad parody on Reverend Jerry Falwell led the Baptist leader to issue a lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Flynt expressed a certain flair in his many court appearances, hurling expletives at Sandra Day O’Connor and sporting the American flag as a diaper. (Ron Galella/WireImage)
Though made to confess his treason by torture in the Tower of London, British rebel Guy Fawkes showed a flinty resolve against the crown and Scottish King James I in 1605. He was caught guarding a store of gunpowder underneath Parliament and later told his captors that he had intended “to blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains.” Fawkes was such a fiery character that U.K. revelers light bonfires every year to mark the day Fawkes was discovered. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Where to begin...Gibson’s 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ” got plenty of attention for its deviation from Biblical text and possible anti-Semitic undertones, and he was also accused by GLAAD of being homophobic in 1991. But that’s child’s play compared to the maelstrom that surrounded his very public breakup with girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. Tapes of an incensed Gibson spouting racially insensitive insults at Grigorieva surfaced, and the actor is still recovering from a dizzying drop in public esteem. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
From the moment he appeared on your television screen, reality TV star Spencer Pratt’s sole purpose in life seems to be insulting everyone he meets and the intelligence of the masses. Whether it’s warning the public about conspiracy theories, fake-divorcing his wife or trying to board a plane while armed, Pratt unflinchingly seeks your attention. He may preach about a variety of causes, but none is as important as Spencer Pratt. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage)
Though comedian and actor Michael Richards claimed he never intended to insult anyone in his 2006 outburst, his words certainly attracted a lot of attention. After hurling racial slurs at audience members, Richards went on several talk shows to apologize for the incident and eventually retired from stand-up in 2007. (Mike Guastella/WireImage)
