Taylor Swift's 'fake' relationship, Prince Harry's divorce: Celebrities shut down wildest rumors of 2024
Year in and year out, there will always be rumors about celebrities.
From the outrageous to the mundane and everything in between, stars were the subject of a vast amount of gossip in 2024.
Check out some of the most memorable rumors from this year, including Jennifer Aniston's alleged outlandish affair, trouble in game show paradise, and more.
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In September, documents that appeared to be from Full Scope PR, the public relations firm that represents Travis Kelce, began circulating online.
The documents claimed that Kelce and girlfriend Taylor Swift would break up on Sept. 28, a few weeks in the future from when the documents first surfaced. Included was a plan for how to handle the press surrounding the upcoming split. The documents were titled "Comprehensive Media Plan For Travis Kelce's Relations Following Breakup with Taylor Swift."
Upon seeing the alleged plan, some people believed it was evidence that not only were Swift and Kelce about to split but that their entire relationship, which went public last September, was fake.
A representative for Full Scope spoke to People about the documents, explaining that "These documents are entirely false and fabricated and were not created, issued or authorized by this agency." The company also shared that they planned "to initiate proceedings against the individuals or entities responsible for the unlawful and injurious forgery of documents."
Months later, Swift and Kelce are still going strong.
In the years since they've been together, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been the subject of a multitude of rumors. This year, the couple made a number of separate appearances, which led to rumors that a divorce was imminent.
Royal biographer Angela Levin spoke about the rumors with GB News in October, saying that reported issues with his visa as well as claims that he and Markle purchased a new home in Portugal all signaled trouble in paradise.
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"He's got trouble with his visa," she claimed. "They're allowed to look again at what the problem is, and he might still not be able to stay there. Maybe that's why they're buying somewhere else … They say they're going to work separately, then they say they're buying a house in Portugal - you don't do that if you don't want to separate for most of the time, so I wonder if it's in a very bad state. But I'm sure they're trying to work out something."
Earlier this month, Harry directly refuted the rumors during an appearance at the New York Times Dealbook Summit 2024. He spoke with a columnist for the outlet, Andrew Ross Sorkin, who asked him about the rumors, pointing out that Markle had stayed home in California while he traveled east to New York alone.
"There's articles left and right about, you know, why are you making, doing independent events? Why aren't you doing them together?" Sorkin said.
Prince Harry replied, "Because you invited me, you should have known," before adding, "You should have known this was going to happen."
"Apparently we’ve bought or moved house 10, 12 times," he said. "We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So it’s just like, what?'"
"It’s hard to keep up with, but that’s why you just sort of ignore it. The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls," he said. "Their hopes are just built and built, and it’s like, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ and then it doesn’t happen. So I feel sorry for them. Genuinely, I do."
In August, In Touch Weekly released a report discussing rumors of an alleged affair between Jennifer Aniston and Barack Obama. The magazine released an issue with a cover that read "The Truth About Jen & Barack," and in October, Aniston responded to the rumors during an episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
After Kimmel pulled out the magazine in question, Aniston said, "That's kind of – that was – of all the calls you get from your publicist where you're just like, ‘Oh no, what’s it gonna be?' or the email saying, you know, ‘Some cheesy tabloid is gonna make up a story.’ And then it's that. I was not mad at it."
He asked if there was any truth to the outlandish rumors, and she responded, "No, that is absolutely untrue," later adding, "I know Michelle more than him."
After clearing up that rumor, Kimmel took the opportunity to ask Aniston about other rumors that have circulated about her – for example, she confirmed that she's had a facial with salmon sperm, and she denied having a black belt in jiu-jitsu.
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He also asked her if it was true that she has "a ziplock bag filled with your dead therapist's ashes." The "Friends" star admitted that it was "a little true," joking, "Oh, I'm gonna sound like I really need a therapist after this."
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin went through a very public "conscious uncoupling" with wife Gwyneth Paltrow in 2015. Two years later, he began dating actress Dakota Johnson.
Throughout their seven-year relationship, they've been mostly private, but in August, rampant rumors began popping up claiming that they'd broken up.
A source spoke to the Daily Mail, claiming, "Chris and Dakota have tried desperately hard over the past few months to make their relationship work. They’ll always have love for each other but they’ve both come to the conclusion the relationship cannot be sustained long-term."
The alleged insider continued to say that Martin and Johnson are "both busy people" and their schedules don't always line up, adding, "They wanted it to work, but it just hasn’t, and they’ve now accepted it is best to move on."
Several outlets picked up the story, but later that same day, Johnson's rep told Fox News Digital, "The reports are not true. They are happily together."
This year, Pat Sajak retired from hosting "Wheel of Fortune," a job he held for over four decades. He made the announcement of his retirement last year, and fans of the game show learned that Ryan Seacrest would take over the gig. It was also known at the time that Sajak's longtime co-host, Vanna White, would be staying with the show.
This summer, as Seacrest began filming episodes for the current season with White, rumors began swirling that there were issues. According to a report from the Daily Mail, White wanted to leave the show altogether because it was "so difficult" to do the show without Sajak.
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"She just doesn't jibe with Ryan like she did with Pat, and no one really ever expected her to," the report read. "There is just no way that she possibly could … She knows that the show needs to go in a different direction and appeal to a younger demographic. She wants the show to continue. This will require a younger female host, someone who can be to Ryan what she was to Pat."'
In July, shortly after the rumors began, White took to Instagram to share a photo of herself with Seacrest. She captioned it, "Friends on and off camera. Enjoying one of our favorites, Chicken and Dumplings!" seemingly clarifying that there were no issues between the two of them.
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Seacrest has also said that he and White have actually been friends for years, telling E! News in September that they've "had a friendly relationship for two decades, which America may not know."
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Three months into Seacrest's first season hosting "Wheel of Fortune," it seems clear that they've committed to their professional partnership.
Gwen Stefani began dating Blake Shelton in 2015, the same year both stars went through high-profile divorces from Gavin Rossdale and Miranda Lambert, respectively.
Throughout their relationship, even after they married in 2021, there's been gossip about a split. Earlier this year, the rumor was that since Shelton would be gone on tour for weeks – a leg of his "Back to the Honky Tonk" tour took him through the U.S. and Canada in February and March – there could be trouble in paradise.
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In an April interview with Nylon magazine, Stefani was quick to shut down the theory.
"When you're in love and have truly aligned values, nobody can get to us," she said. "You can say whatever you want to say about our relationship. I mean, a week ago we were getting divorced again or something. It's just lies. The truth is the truth, and we know what that is."
Elsewhere in the interview, she clarified what she meant by "the truth," saying, "The truth is I am in love with my best friend."