Immigrant pursued by federal agents before Alex Pretti's killing speaks out

Jose Huerta Chuma is a man in hiding — and he's also a man in distress. He's been replaying the fatal shooting of Minneapolis residentAlex Prettiover and over again in his mind, wondering if he could have done something differently and if there's something that "would have saved that life."

The 41-year-old immigrant from Ecuador, who said he has been in the U.S. for over two decades, described witnessingthe shootingafter hiding inside a local business. The Department of Homeland Security has described Huerta Chuma as a criminal living in the U.S. illegally who was the target of the Border Patrol operation that led to the encounter with Pretti on Saturday, Jan. 24.

"I think, maybe if I hadn't gone to that place, or I don't know, a little later or a little earlier, I mean, that never would have happened," Huerta Chuma told CBS News during a phone interview conducted in Spanish.

Asked if he feels some sense of guilt, he said, while crying, his voice fraught with emotion: "I do feel guilty, I do feel bad. I saw stories about the man and I saw a very good person."

DHS officials havedescribedHuerta Chuma as a "violent criminal illegal alien" on the loose. Documents reviewed by CBS News indicate Huerta Chuma's record includes traffic violations, and that he pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct misdemeanor offense in 2018. The New York Timesreported, citing Minnesota court documents, that the plea was linked to a domestic violence arrest, and that the offense was later expunged.

Huerta Chuma said the domestic violence case stemmed from an argument with his partner at the time. The Minnesota Department of Corrections said ina statementthat Huerta Chuma has never been in the state's prison system and that it did not find felony convictions in his case.

CBS News reached out to representatives for DHS seeking comment about Huerta Chuma's record and whether officials are still pursuing him.

A shooting witnessed from a hiding spot

In his first public comments, Huerta Chuma told CBS News he immigrated from Ecuador in the early 2000s, in his twenties. Before Pretti's shooting upended his life, he was raising his American-born children while working as a rideshare driver.

"I'm not a criminal. I just was working that day," he said. "I was going to pick up the delivery."

Huerta Chuma said he was on his way to pick up a delivery order around 8:18 a.m. on Jan. 24 in south Minneapolis. (He showed CBS News screenshots of the route from that morning indicating he was in the area where the shooting happened.) It was a routine delivery, similar to the almost 20,000 rides he had done over nearly six years.

As he was driving down Nicollet Avenue, Huerta Chuma said he passed a car driving in the opposite direction.

"One agent was staring at me, but I just blinked my eyes and said, 'God, they're immigration,'" Huerta Chuma recalled.

"So, when I looked in the mirror, they turned around immediately."

Huerta Chuma said the agents, who were in a red car without license plates, started to follow him.

"I didn't run or anything, I left very calm," he said. "I saw they were with ICE. I knew in my head they were ICE because they turned around so quickly when they [saw] my face."

Huerta Chuma said he parked his car, got out, and left the vehicle running. He said federal agents started to follow him, and a man at a local business let him inside, locking the door behind him. Huerta Chuma said he hid there for about 4 hours.

Huerta Chuma said he saw Pretti show up and start filming, and he saw a Border Patrol agent push a woman nearby. He said he sawthe agentstackle Pretti to the ground and take his gun.

"It all happened so fast," he said, noting he did not see Pretti trying to hurt the agents or reach for his firearm.

Then he described the rapid-fire shots: "Tac, tac, tac, tac, tac, tac."

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Huerta Chuma said he watched the ambulance arrive, but knew it was too late. He said he saw federal agents write down his license plate. Then he left.

"It felt horrible. To be watching and not being able to do anything," Huerta Chuma said. "I don't know how long I will be like this."

Initial public statements at odds with evidence, official report

Immediately after the shooting Huerta Chuma witnessed, DHS officials made sweeping statements about Pretti and his actions, some of which have since beendirectly contradictedby videos, witness accounts and a preliminary government report.

DHS initially said one Border Patrol agent fired "defensive shots" after Pretti "approached" agents with his firearm. The department suggested, without citing concrete evidence, that Pretti intended to "massacre" federal agents.

A report to Congress obtained by CBS News earlier this week found thattwo U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents fired their weaponsduring the Jan. 24 shooting. The report, based on a "preliminary review" by CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility, also did not mention Pretti reaching for his firearm.

Video analyzed by CBS Newsshows an agent had removed the gun from Pretti's waistband one second before another agent fired the first shot.

Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who has sincebeen reassignedfollowing the bipartisan backlash triggered by Pretti's killing, described Huerta Chuma as an "illegal alien" during a press conference hours after the deadly shooting. Pointing to a booking photo, Bovino said Huerta Chuma's record included "domestic assault," "disorderly conduct" and "driving without a license."

In a statement two days later, DHS branded Huerta Chuma a "violent criminal illegal alien" who remained "at large," asking the public to call a government hotline with any tips regarding his whereabouts.

Huerta Chuma said the government was displaying an older picture from after he was arrested in 2018 during an altercation with his wife.

Out of work and on the run

Huerta Chuma did not reveal his whereabouts to CBS News. He said he was worried about his safety, his work and what would happen to his three children born in the U.S. Huerta Chuma said he has two children, ages 11 and 15, who live with him, and another child, a 3-year-old, who lives with the mother. CBS News attempted to reach the children's mother but did not receive a response.

Information accessed through the Justice Department's immigration court system says Huerta Chuma's deportation case was administratively closed in May 2022. The immigration court records do not list a deportation order. Huerta Chuma said he has since applied for a "U visa," designed to protect immigrants who are victims of crimes and who have assisted law enforcement investigations.

It's unclear exactly when and how Huerta Chuma first entered the U.S. Huerta Chuma said he has another child living in Ecuador. Court records indicate that Huerta Chuma does not have a criminal record in his native country.

Huerta Chuma said he started working as a rideshare driver so he could have a flexible schedule and be available for his children. But since the shooting, he said, he hasn't worked, and is rarely eating or sleeping. He said he is continuing to hide.

Though he's scared about getting arrested, Huerta Chuma said the main source of his consternation is Pretti's death.

"I'm very devastated, spiritually. Why did they kill the man? He didn't do anything," he said. "I was there. I was there. I saw everything."

José Diaz contributed to this report.

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byAlpha World

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January 31, 2026

Immigrant pursued by federal agents before Alex Pretti's killing speaks out

Jose Huerta Chuma is a man in hiding — and he's also a man in distress. He's been replaying the fatal shooting of...

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Judge rejects Minnesota bid to block federal immigration agent surge

A federal judge on Saturday denied Minnesota's emergency request to halt a surge of federal immigration enforcement agents in the Twin Cities region.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez said her ruling does not make a final determination on the state's claim that the federal government has overstepped its authority. She also stressed the decision was not a ruling on the legality of specific actions taken by federal agents.

Menendez wrote that granting the injunction would "harm the federal government's efforts to enforce federal immigration laws."

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"The Court must view plaintiffs' claims through the lens of the specific legal framework they invoke, and, having done so, finds that plaintiffs have not met their burden," she wrote.

The judge noted Minnesota officials did not explain how to draw a clear line between what is constitutionally permissible and what is not.

State officials alleged the Trump administration targeted Minnesota as "political retribution" and gave the state unequal treatment, saying other states with larger undocumented populations could see bigger surges in enforcement activity.

But Menendez ruled the state failed to show how the executive branch's discretionary decisions violate the law.

byAlpha World

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January 31, 2026

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How a trans woman's removal from a restroom tore the world of competitive pinball apart

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Some of the best women's pinball players in North Carolina had a dilemma: Though it was an honor to be among the 16 invited to compete for the state title in January and a shot at nationals, they wondered whether they should skip the tournament in protest.

Kat Lake considered declining to send a message of support to her fellow trans pinball players amid a painful rift. But Lake, one of the top women in the country, also didn't want to give up on years of hard work climbing the ranks.

She ultimately decided to go, and on an unusually cold and rainy Sunday this month, she drove to the Coastal Hemp Company, a joint hemp shop and arcade. She greeted her competitors with hugs.

"These are the people that got me into pinball, that helped me become who I am, and I don't want to throw any of that away," she said.

Competitive pinball is a surprisingly intense sport with an inclusive culture, a niche pursuit that has long been safe from the spotlight — and from national politics. Then, at a tournament in November, an arcade employee insisted that a transgender competitor couldn't use the women's bathroom. The incident — and how it was handled by the sport's governing body, the International Flipper Pinball Association — tilted a friendly community into turmoil.

The all-male leaders of the IFPA say they received threatening messages. Players accused the organization of not doing enough to back trans competitors. The group's entire Women's Advisory Board resigned. Tournament directors and players across the country have boycotted IFPA events as a show of support for trans players.

The pinball blowup occurred at a moment when trans people face an increasingly hostile environment in the United States, particularly in sports. Twenty-nine states have laws or regulations prohibiting trans student-athletes in K-12 schools or colleges from competing on teams that align with their gender identities. The governing bodies for sports ranging fromswimmingandtrackto pursuits likechessanddartshave banned trans women from women's events.

What makes this dispute unusual is that everyone, including the IFPA, agrees that trans women should be allowed to play. The division is over the aftermath of the bathroom incident and whether the trans people involved received enough support. It highlights the complexities that even the smallest and most inclusive sports organizations are struggling to navigate in a tense political climate.

'Shrinking safe spaces'

The trans woman barred from using the bathroom said pinball had, until that day, been her safe space. B., a computer programmer based in Raleigh, asked to go by an initial because not everyone in her life knows she's transgender, though her pinball community does.

B. said she started playing in a local pinball league just over a year ago, and she has come to love the sport. She likes the flow state she gets into. After she lands shots, she sometimes breaks into a celebratory dance.

She has also found acceptance through the hobby. B. said the first person she came out to in pinball was Joan McCool, 72, who has been playing pinball since 1975 and is affectionately known as "pinball mom." McCool was immediately supportive. B. also learned that there are many trans people competing in the sport.

One of them is Kaylee Campbell. She came out as a trans woman in the fall of 2020 and asked the IFPA to change her name on official records. At that point, the IFPA didn't have a clear policy on trans players, but leaders were welcoming.

"It could sound silly to some people, but before transitioning, I was worried about my family, my job and then pinball — that was the order of fears of things that I may be losing by coming out publicly," Campbell said. "It makes me really proud that I'm putting things out there and being part of something that can be a safe space in a world with seemingly shrinking safe spaces."

After President Donald Trump returned to office last year and signed policies targeting transgender people, theIFPA said in a statementthat its tournaments should be "free from homophobia, transphobia, and all other types of discrimination." By then, it hadadopted a gender inclusion policy.

Finding out that her hobby was so trans-inclusive was "a breath of fresh air," B. said, which is what made the bathroom incident so jarring.

B. traveled to Grandy, a small, conservative coastal town, in early November. She planned to compete in the Outer Banks, or OBX, Fall Flippers Pinball Tournament. The tournament venue, Flippers Convenience & Arcade, boasts the most pinball machines in the state.

On Nov. 7, the first day of the tournament, B. said, she went to the bathroom about 10 minutes before the competition. As she washed her hands, a woman who manages the arcade came in and told her that it was against the law for her to be there and that the men's room was across the hall.

"I was just dumbstruck," B. said.

She left the bathroom and immediately told Samantha Bacon, a co-director of the tournament. Bacon, an aerospace engineer from Wake Forest, is also transgender and one of the top players in the country.

Bacon began to panic. There were a lot of trans and gender-nonconforming queer players at the tournament who would need to use the restrooms, she said.

She confronted Becky Connell, the manager who had spoken to B. Connell, Bacon said, pulled out an iPad and showed her a recent North Carolina bill that she said prohibited trans women from using the women's restroom.

"She puts it in front of my face and says: 'This is the law. If it happens again, I'm calling the cops,'" Bacon said. Bacon looked up the bill and showed Connell that it hadn't been passed into law, but, she said, Connell insisted that she was the manager and that she would have anyone she thought was in the wrong restroom charged with trespassing.

In text messages with NBC News, Connell said she confronted a trans person in the bathroom and "politely told" them that "the men's restroom was next door." (Connell said the person she confronted was a different person, not B.; that player, who is nonbinary, told NBC News that Connell didn't speak to them in the bathroom.) Connell didn't respond to questions about the state bill and said she threatened to call the police only when some of the pinball players started harassing her, which the players denied. She said she later received an anonymous unsettling letter at her home.

The arcade's owner, David Shields, said in a text message that transgender participants have always been allowed to use the women's restroom since the arcade started hosting tournaments in 2012. He defended Connell, calling the November situation regrettable but "not intended to cause harm." The arcade is "committed to fostering a positive and respectful atmosphere for all," he said.

Bacon's next move on the afternoon of Nov. 7 was to message the IFPA's leadership. Josh Sharpe, the organization's president, told her she had the authority to shut the entire tournament down if necessary, because the event was in violation of its inclusion policy.

Bacon consulted Campbell, the tournament co-director, about whether to cancel.

"I was worried that they would just blame the trans people for getting the whole tournament canceled," Campbell said. She searched for an alternative solution.

News of the incident spread quickly, and about a dozen players, many of them trans, gathered outside the arcade, with most saying they didn't feel comfortable going in.

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Kevin Stone, the main tournament director, told Campbell and Bacon that he didn't know what to do. Campbell suggested providing three additional hours of qualifying time to players who wanted to wait until Connell left. With that temporary solution, Bacon sent a message to IFPA leadership around 3 p.m. that said, "We got it sorted."

But the issue was far from sorted. Neither those organizing the tournament nor the IFPA initially understood the potential fallout. The fact that no one chose to cancel the tournament was part of what ultimately fractured the pinball community — which Bacon said she carries guilt about even though she feels it wasn't her fault.

Immediately after the bathroom confrontation, a friend guided B. to the arcade's back patio, where, she said, she had a panic attack and then went back to her hotel. She never returned to the arcade.

"Those first few days, it was a lot," B. said. "Being so new to being open about being trans, I think that was probably one of my first five times using a restroom labeled as women's. I've definitely, over the past few months, took a few steps back in how public about being trans I've been."

No one from IFPA leadership has reached out to her, B. said.

A painful divide

Once the IFPA's leaders fully understood what happened at the Outer Banks tournament, they agreed on the key issues: that trans women should feel safe at tournaments, including in women's restrooms, and that the bathroom incident violated the IFPA's inclusion policy, which meant the event should have been de-sanctioned, meaning the points players earned wouldn't count.

But it wasn't. The tournament continued, sanctioned, for the rest of the weekend, and that is where the fracture began. The IFPA's leadership, an all-volunteer group of men mostly responsible for developing algorithms to maintain the world pinball rankings, was suddenly thrust into an emotional debate. Many players, including trans players from North Carolina, expected the leaders to de-sanction the tournament to send a message that what happened wasn't acceptable. Some players took the IFPA's decision to mean that points were more important to leadership than trans players' inclusion and safety.

In the days afterward, Stone, the main tournament director at the event,apologized, saying he should have delayed the tournament until Connell left. He did not respond to requests for comment.

IFPA Director Adam Becker issued statements describingwhat happened as a leadership failure. He said Flippers Convenience & Arcade would be prohibited from hosting IFPA-sanctioned events for at least a year.

However, he said, the IFPAwouldn't de-sanction the eventbecause it didn't want to set a precedent that it could retroactively revoke sanctioning "based on failures of the IFPA organization." The IFPA pointed to Bacon's "We got it sorted" message specifically. Bacon felt the leaders were blaming her, and she resigned from the IFPA's Women's Advisory Board.

"If you're going to throw me under the bus like that, I'm gone," she said.

The IFPA said in a statement that the organization regretted that its handling of the situation contributed to Bacon "feeling blamed or singled out."

Over the next week, the debate over whether the tournament should remain sanctioned went national, with more than1,400 players signing a petitiondemanding that the organization reverse its decision. The four remaining members of the women's board voted to remove sanctioning, but Becker overruled them. As a result, they allresigned Nov. 19.

An online chat for IFPA players became heated, and IFPA leaders said that's when they began to receive alarming messages, with one calling them "transphobic pieces of trash," according to screenshots shared with NBC News.

The incident has especially shaken the women's pinball community, which has grown since the IFPA began recognizing women's tournaments in 2022. Players said the women's-only matchups began in part because arcades and gaming culture can be misogynistic. Men are likelier to hover over players during a game, which can be distracting and intimidating, players said.

As anger at the IFPA grew, players began boycotting events and some tournament organizers began pulling out of the IFPA. One tournament director in Oregon said players there were discussing starting their own competition circuit.

In response to the backlash, the IFPA has rolled out a number of policy and staff changes. It created an email address that players and tournament directors can use to report incidents that threaten player safety. It alerts the entire IFPA leadership team, which the group recently expanded toinclude Campbell and another woman. The IFPA also published a newcode of conductandinclusion policy, which tournament directors have to acknowledge that they have read before they submit new events to the IFPA.

Sharpe, the IFPA's president and one of the top players in the world, said in a phone interview that one of the key lessons the organization learned was that simply having inclusion policies on a website wasn't sufficient.

"We learned that we do have to do more, providing the organizers of these events with clear, enforceable guidance on how they can respond to these situations when they occur," he said.

The IFPA said its failure to contact B. was another communication error.

Going forward, Sharpe said, his biggest message to trans players is that they belong and that they should expect to feel safe and respected at IFPA-sanctioned events.

'I'm still going to be here'

For B., rebuilding trust is a work in progress.

She sees the IFPA's new inclusion policy as a good step but wonders whether it will actually be followed.

"What happened at Flippers was covered by the policy that they had," she said.

A week after the incident in the Outer Banks, B. said, she was shocked to play the best pinball of her life, winning eight matches in a row over two tournaments and qualifying for the North Carolina women's state championship for the first time.

That's how she found herself at the Coastal Hemp Company for the women's state tournament in January, nervously preparing to play against friends and players she looked up to. As the owners fired up a countertop popcorn machine, a disco ball hanging from the ceiling cast hundreds of shimmering reflections across the room.

She didn't reach the final round, where Bacon faced Campbell, her longtime rival, and won, with Lake coming in third. But B. said she was glad she tried. Even though she has complicated feelings about competing, she refuses to stop playing.

"F--- them, I'm still going to be here," she said. "Pinball has been such an escape," she added. "I'm not giving that up."

byAlpha World

in

January 31, 2026

How a trans woman's removal from a restroom tore the world of competitive pinball apart

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Some of the best women's pinball players in North Carolina had a dilemma: Though it was an honor t...

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32 Celebrity Downfalls That People Actually Feel Bad For

For acelebrity, their image is vital. If a famous person's reputation is tarnished, they're less likely to get work or be popular. At least that's what we'd think. Surprisingly, people don't really care about celebrity scandals. 50% of Americansremainindifferent to celebrity controversies; in fact, 20% would consume more of their work despite the controversy.

However, while some scandals are earned and are a result of a celebrity miscalculating their star power, others are totally undeserved. For example, we reflect differently onBritney Spears'so-called meltdown in 2007. What back then looked like entertainment today seems like gross exploitation of a young woman during a vulnerable time.

People nowadays have more perspective and compassion for famous people. So, when one netizenasked, "What celebrity downfall did you actually feel bad for?" people named many celebs whose careers got derailed for no justifiable reason.

Sinead O'Connor complained about the Catholic Church. Was boycotted by almost everyone. Ten years later the scandals she highlighted were headlines. Was still treated as a troublesome personality.

Anna Nicole Smith- always my answerShe was used and turned into a walking joke. She saw her son pass away and then she did to. Her life and how she was treated always make me sad to think about.

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I'm not sure if this counts, but Tina Turner's issues being used as a joke to the point where she moved to Europe always broke my heart.

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Princess Diana. The relentless press harassment and defamatory stories made her life a misery. She was then viirtually Deified by them post-mortem.Sadly it took until 2011 and the Leveson Enquiry before the Press were finally held to account.

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Winona Ryder but I'm glad that she's had a comeback.

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This is from Old Hollywood. I've always felt that Fatty Arbuckle got a raw deal. There was no physical evidence, he was acquitted, and still lost his career Mind you, he was the 1st Hollywood star to sign a million dollar deal. The system that promoted him spat him back out when the waters looked a bit murky.

© Photo:Genxschizo1975

The hysteria of the arrest of George Michael from the bathroom incident in which he was arrested for a lewd act in '98 was awful. At a time when homosexuality was still illegal in the US, George Michael's career and personal life saw a significant decline and led to a bunch of arrests.As someone also queer, it pained me to see him forced to come out publicly. He later described how deeply painful this was for him (because of course it was).The media was just vicious, particularly in the UK. And there was a feeling with some fans of a sort of betrayal since their heartthrob was not straight.(He turned it around, maybe not entirely, but he is a queer icon forever but it was clearly just so much hell for him.)

© Photo:GawkerRefugee

Elizabeth Berkley. She did everything asked of her. Directors, writers and producers - more often than not - require actresses to appear unclothed. And the public criticized only her. Yes - it is tacky, vulgar and tasteless to cash in on female body to sell tickets - but nobody is held responsible except the actress.

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I feel like what happened to Al Franken was taken a little too far.

Ellie Kemper getting backlash for participating in that weird antebellum daddy/daughter dance. It was obviously something she just did as a teenager to please her parents and her apology confirmed that for me.

© Photo:WarmestGatorade

Garrison Keillor. He didn't do *all that.* The biggest grievance towards him was that he accidentally touched a woman's bare back when he was trying to comfort her when she was crying. Yeah, it was probably weird, for both of them, and keeping his hands to himself probably would have been a better move. He's a tactile and extremely socially awkward, lumbering sort of fella. He was touching my jacket when I met him and I'm a dude. I'm not saying I love it, but Joe Biden has the same mannerisms and tendencies and he was our last president. All in all, Keillor meant a lot to a lot of people over the years (and still does) and it was unbecoming of all parties to completely crucify him the way they did.

© Photo:reubnick

Honestly, I can't help but feel a little bad for Rachel Zegler. She did and said some dumb things that she probably shouldn't have, but the internet destroyed her. Even I, who has absolutely doesn't care about the remake of snow white, got a little sucked into the propaganda. The same mob that cries about "cancel culture" is quick to ruin somebody's career over things that has nothing to do with them.

Philip Seymour Hoffman.He was an incredible character actor who really seemed like one of the few people in Hollywood who had their life together. He was in his late 40s and wasn't close to his peak.And then he gave up years of sobriety at a wrap party for The Master and had a *single* drink. It kicked off a spiral that eventually destroyed him.

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Lindsay LohanShe had some serious issues as a result of her upbringing (she's since made peace and understanding with her family) but the media made it out like she was this terrible human being. Like in 2007 it was between her and Britney who the tabloids were going to attack next.She's since gotten clean, sober, dealt with her legal issues and got an understanding of her past (which is what you do) and has been acting again with a Freaky Friday sequel due if it's not out already. She's going to be 40 next year (I'm around her age and it doesn't bother me) and honestly it's glad she got it together before that milestone of an age.

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Aziz Ansari. Seemed like the dude got cancelled over being awkward/bad with women and having an awful date during the peak of MeToo and everyone acted like he was a predator.

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Paris Hilton - Parents who sent her away to various "troubled teen" camps, profited off her social influence, and than turned to say "what did we do wrong"

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Macaulay CulkinBut I am delighted to see how well he is doing now.

Lara Flynn Boyle.AFAIK she was never cancelled. But it feels like for a period of time she was one of the most beautiful and famous actresses... and then one day she stopped working and started showing up in tabloids looking physically very different. I don't know what happened, if she had an illness or substance issue what.

The way Wil Wheaton was treated because of his character on Star Trek and what his parents were doing with his money. I don't want to know what would have happened to his parents had Jonathan Frakes had found out about it when there was no grey in his beard, that was a man who was barely controlling himself when he was asked about the story of Wil Wheaton and his parents.

Monica Lewinsky. She was so, so young and Clinton used her. The girl was confiding in a woman who was *pretending* to be her friend to learn more so she could spill her guts to the world AND the whole world shamed Monica. The whole world laughed at Monica. She was 22.As a young girl watching that happen to her made me mad in ways I wouldn't learn how to voice until college. Bill Clinton and to a lesser extent Linda Tripp are literally walking garbage and I take comfort in the absolute confidence they are burning in hell at some point.

Gary Busey. His future looked bright after the Buddy Holly movie until the motorcycle accident.

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Lil mama. Yes, going on stage with Jay Z was too much but not enough to cancel her.

Bam Margera. His downfall is 100% self inflicted, but it was still sad to see mental illness take its toll. So glad to see that he seems to be doing better now.

Bruce Willis from a good actor to a bunch of bad movies and then Alzheimer's.

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Here's one that UK redditors may know, Lena Zavaroni. She was a Scottish child singer in the 1970s with one of the most amazing voices ever. She was discovered singing with her family in a pub I think when she was about 10, and was snapped up by a London manager who booked her in a ton of shows. The manager said she was fat and by 13 she ended up with anorexia. She also developed horrible, debilitating depression. Because of her health issues she was essentially done as a performer by her early 20s. Because her money was mismanaged and some other reasons she was basically destitute. When she was 35 she had a 'medical procedure' to help with her depression. The rumor has always been that she was so desperate to curb the depression that she had a lobotomy. While she was in the hospital she contracted pneumonia and it was fatal. Her manager used her, drove her to anorexia and never admitted any responsibility in the situation. It's a really sad story.

I have yet to see it.Rosie O'Donnell. She spoke up against Trump back in the 90's/00's. There was time where people loved Trump and would laugh and agree when he made fun of Rosie.She spoke out against the US forces and their involvement with innocent civilians in the Middle East.Ok maybe you don't like her comedy or you find her loud and annoying. But she didn't deserve the public ridicule and hatred she deserved. .

Corey Haim. I grew up watching his movies and thought he was very talented. Hearing about everything he went through really broke my heart.

Milli Vanilli.Simluvac:I watched that bio movie about them 'Girl You Know It's True' I think 2 or 3 months ago and it was really good. I was about 10 when the lip synching was fully exposed and I fondly remember the scrutiny and backlash they got but because I was so young I never knew the logistics of the situation and didn't really know about Fab and Rob's lives. I knew they were the butts of many jokes ever since. The movie was really good and it didn't portray them as the absolute villains the public made them out to be. I felt really bad for them. If anyone is interested in checking it out it's currently streaming on Tubi. Again, it's a great watch.

Jenna marbles. She didn't deserve being cancelled. She was the realest of them all.

Ashlee Simpson. She could actually sing it's just that a backing vocal was used on SNL.

Amy Winehouse. So much talent. She fell into the wrong crowd - had horrible parents who were enablers - we all watched her slowly die and nobody did anything to help her get better. The Press we're awful ghouls too.

This is gonna sound weird, but I only feel bad for certain aspects of his downfall:Kanye West is a mentally ill person who, once the person who seemed to be his only genuine support in his life was gone, began a downward spiral in which everyone around him swooped in and are slowly eating him alive. Like I totally get and agree with the criticism he gets, but at the same time he's very obviously just mentally a walking corpse at this point. We're watching what happens when someone is so ridiculously rich that they can just perpetually live in psychosis.

© Photo:Turnbob73

byAlpha World

in

January 31, 2026

32 Celebrity Downfalls That People Actually Feel Bad For

For acelebrity, their image is vital. If a famous person's reputation is tarnished, they're less likely to get wo...

Read More