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20. Eminem

It’s safe to say Eminem has always been a rather angry chap. We’ve all heard his songs, so when his 2001 tour saw him wield a live chainsaw on stage, complete with sparks and destruction and a sinister hockey mask, no-one was really that surprised. But we were scared – very, very scared.

19. Nicki Minaj

For recording artists, you’d be hard pushed to find a stage less prestigious than that of the Grammys. So when Nicki Minaj took to the stage during the 2012 ceremony, she went in big. As if arriving at the event with a Pope lookalike wasn’t enough, her performance included a confessional booth, stained glass windows, monks, choirboys, hymns and holy water, as she depicted the rather graphic exorcism of her alter-ego Roman.

18. Dappy

No list of popstars going bonkers would be complete without an appearance from the gloriously unhinged Dappy, especially without a mention of a certain photo. His girlfriend (and the mother of his children, no less) decided to leak a photo of Dappy, as naked as the day he was born, onto the internet.

17. Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera’s been called many things in her time: Xtina; the Anti-Britney; the Dirrty Girl, but one thing we’d never expected Christina to be called is a “public safety issue”. Yet that’s exactly how the LA County Sheriff’s Office described her when she was arrested for public intoxication in March 2011. The arresting officer deemed she was “not capable of taking care of herself.”

17. Ne-Yo

Back in 2008, police in Georgia pulled over a driver who was doing well over 100 miles per hour, more than double the speed limit. Little did they know it was bastion of the slow-jam Ne-Yo. Aside from sending the speedometer into territory unknown, Ne-Yo was also unable to provide a valid license. He was fined one thousand dollars, made to take a defensive driving course, and undertake 24 hours of community service.But perhaps the most surprising aspect of his arrest was the accompanying mugshot, which showed him to have the hairline of a man knocking on retirement age. And there we were, thinking the hats were merely a dapper accessory.

15. Katy Perry 

Now, appearing on Sesame Street has become a true honour for many a celebrity, but their cameos actually made it to kiddies’ TV sets. Unlike Katy Perry, whose copious cleavage wasn’t quite what the parents of pre-schoolers were hoping to see. After publicity shots kicked up a storm, the cameo was pulled altogether. But the clip has since been leaked online, and to Elmo’s credit, he does a sterling job of maintaining eye contact with Katy throughout.

14. Drake

Another twist in the ongoing saga of Rihanna and Chris Brown brings a third party into proceedings – namely Drake, Rihanna’s one-time boyfriend. There’s not much in the way of fondness between Chris and Drake, something which was proved back in June when the pair kickstarted a brawl in a New York nightclub.

13. Cheryl Cole

Back in 2003, a young lady named Cheryl Tweedy got a tad too annoyed, landing a punch on a toilet attendant in a Guildford nightclub, following an altercation over a lollipop. Cheryl claimed she was acting in self-defence, but was sentenced to 120 hours of community service.

12. Justin Bieber

It’s hard to see little Justin Bieber as a grown-up, isn’t it? Which is why it was all the more surprising when a fan, Mariah Yeater, claimed Justin was the father of her son Tristen. Supposedly, Tristen was the result of a backstage tryst – hence his name, we imagine – but Justin and his lawyers were understandably VERY quick to deny.

11. Rihanna 

RiRi is a one-woman controversy machine! The songs, the videos, the outfits, the relationships… it’s hard to pin down one event, but this year’s summer-long stint of Mediterranean madness has to be up there – partying on her yacht, enjoying a few too many beverages, showcasing an ever-shrinking range of bikinis, and entertaining both Drake and Chris Brown within days of each other.

10. Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars was arrested at a Las Vegas hotel for using drugs. The quiffed crooner was sentenced to 200 hours of community service, which saw the charges dismissed upon completion. Bruno has since spoken out, saying “I’m a musician!” but we just think that's a bit Lazy. Get it?

9. Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson’s duet with Justin Timberlake all seemed to be going swimmingly, until the lyric “I’ll have you naked by the end of this song” – at which point, JT ripped the cup off Janet’s bra, revealing a bejewelled nipple. America freaked out, resulting in complaints, lawsuits, firings, apologies, excuses, and the creation of the phrase “wardrobe malfunction”. Whether it was intentional remains a topic of discussion, but it proved that Janet wasn’t too far behind her brother in terms of headline-grabbing lunacy.

8. Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey is perhaps best associated with her absurd diva demands – wanting her dressing room adorned with lilies, and puppies, and pillows made from genuine yeti fur. But way back in 2001, she rocked up – completely uninvited – on a live US TV show with an ice cream cart, and began handing frozen treats out to the audience. The fact she stripped down to a vest and gold booty shorts in the middle of it all suggests she wasn’t quite thinking straight. Sadly, it wasn’t long after that she checked into rehab.

6. M.I.A

Clearly, the SuperBowl is a magnet for controversy. After the sight of Janet Jackson’s nipple sent Middle America into meltdown, organisers have chosen to play it safe for every half-time show since. Unfortunately, they didn’t bank on a guest appearance from M.I.A. during Madonna’s 2012 set unleashing the hullabaloo once again. Whilst performing Gimme All Your Luvin, M.I.A chose to give the middle finger to the viewing audience of 111 million.

5. Kanye West 

When Taylor Swift’s name was called out at a big shiny awards show back in 2009, it’s safe to assume she was overwhelmed, until she was cut short that is. Kanye West’s decision to hijack her acceptance speech wasn’t a wise one, making himself Public Enemy Number One in a matter of seconds. Thankfully, the ever-gracious Beyoncé gave up her own speech later that night, so Taylor could have her moment. 

4. Lady Gaga

No-one knows how to make a fashion statement quite like Lady Gaga. And while her list of outlandish outfits goes into triple figures, the definitive what-were-you-thinking moment is, without a doubt, the meat dress. Apparently the outfit was passing comment on the US Military’s stance on gay servicemen and women, but you’d be forgiven for not making the link immediately. Or ever.

3. Tulisa

There’s no shortage of celebs whose career has been given a boost when their bedroom antics have been leaked to the rest of the world, but one lady who wasn’t too chuffed was Tulisa. A video of her, taken by her ex-boyfriend Justin Edwards, was leaked online in March 2012. Tulisa responded with a lengthy explanation on YouTube, saying she felt ‘deeply betrayed’.

2. Chris Brown

Turns out the boring questions go down a whole lot better than the intrusive ones, as the Good Morning America team discovered when host Robin Roberts asked Chris Brown about his relationship with Rihanna. After an incredibly tense on-screen interview, Chris returned to his dressing room, broke a window, ripped off his shirt and stormed out.

1. Britney Spears

There’s been no shortage of meltdowns in the wild world of Britney Spears, but things took a slightly more worrying turn in 2007 when she decided to shave her own head. Speculation as to why she did it is still rife, but whatever the reason, all eyes were on Britney for all the wrong reasons.