11 Celebrity Books That Were Supposedly Written By The Star — Until The Ghostwriters Started Talking

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When it comes to penning a memoir, immoderate celebrities, similar Julia Fox, tell their ain stories successful their ain words. Others, similar Prince Harry, are beauteous open astir utilizing ghostwriters. However, connected uncommon occasions, personage authors beryllium successful the in-between space, insisting that they wrote a publication connected their ain when, successful actuality, they (allegedly) had help. Even if they aren't wholly hiding the information that they utilized a ghostwriter, they whitethorn inactive look criticism.

Here are 11 celebrated radical who got caught up successful ghostwriting scandals:

1. In 1980, Old Hollywood prima Gloria Swanson published her memoir, Swanson connected Swanson. She allegedly told her ghostwriter, Wayne Lawson, "Only you and I cognize who wrote this book," but a whopping 43 years later, helium exposed the shocking truth! He told Vanity Fair, "It took 4 radical to constitute the book: Swanson, her sixth husband, her lover, and me."

He aboriginal said, "First of all, without Brian Degas [her lover], determination would beryllium nary Swanson connected Swanson. Degas whitethorn person been down connected his luck erstwhile helium approached Swanson, but she was undoubtedly flattered to beryllium approached — astatine 79, aft 5 failed marriages and a sixth successful occupation — by a captivating 44-year-old producer. In abbreviated order, Degas did marvelous things for her: the London assemblage amusement [showcasing her art] and a best-selling autobiography. Most importantly, helium made emotion to her and made her consciousness young again. He did for her what lone manager Billy Wilder had been capable to bash earlier him, with Sunset Boulevard. He gave her backmost her stardom. He besides got a bully sum of wealth for [her sixth husband, William] Dufty, for a publication I americium assured Dufty was incapable of penning connected his own. He gave maine the accidental of a lifetime, which became the ground for a agelong vocation successful publishing."

2. Naomi Campbell is simply a personage "writer" who admitted she didn't really bash immoderate penning astatine all! In 1994, she published her debut novel, Swan. She reportedly described it arsenic a "cute story" to get backmost astatine the media for doing her wrong. However, she aboriginal said that she "just did not person the clip to beryllium down and constitute a book."

The steadfast was initially nationalist astir hiring a ghostwriter. Caroline Upcher, who was an exertion astatine Naomi's publisher, told the Guardian, "The thought was to bargain the name. It was announced that this caller would hap and that I would constitute it, and earlier I'd written a word, I was being doorstepped by journalists asking what benignant of communicative it would be... There was nary friction due to the fact that I didn't request her. I conscionable did my probe and got connected with it. The lone clip I would interaction her would beryllium to get entree to parts of the manner world, to usage her sanction for research."

However, halfway done the project, the steadfast allegedly started touting Naomi arsenic the writer. Caroline said, "I was written retired of the picture. It didn't interest maine 1 mode oregon the other, but that's wherever the occupation came, due to the fact that everybody knew it was me, but we each past had to unreal otherwise. I ne'er knew if they did that to garner much publicity. In a way, it worked, but mediocre Naomi came disconnected worse due to the fact that she was being slammed for thing she hadn't truly wanted successful the archetypal place. There was a definite magnitude of snottiness astatine the thought of her being an writer — it was fixed to radical similar James Wood to review."

3. In 2014, Kendall and Kylie Jenner published their debut dystopian novel, Rebels: City of Indra. Critics and online trolls alike lambasted the teens' book, and adjacent their ghostwriter, Maya Sloan, caught strays! Kendall told the LA Times, "We conscionable wanted to bash thing antithetic — not thing everyone would person expected from us, similar a fashion, precocious schoolhouse benignant of story." She besides told Good Morning America that they had "some help" due to the fact that "we evidently can't constitute a sci-fi caller connected our own."

Maya came to their defense, telling the LA Times, "People are trying to instrumentality this distant from the girls. But astir creation is collaborative. It was never, like, 'Maya — spell disconnected and constitute 10 chapters and nonstop them backmost to us.'" The sisters reportedly worked with their originative manager to constitute up a two-page outlet for the story, past Maya was hired to bring it to life. She based the duplicate protagonists connected the Jenners, truthful she attended events with them and video chatted with them. Even aft each that work, the book's income were abysmal.

4. Donald Trump's ghostwriter described moving with the erstwhile world TV big arsenic putting "lipstick connected a pig." When helium declared his statesmanlike candidacy successful 2015, helium referenced his 1987 memoir/business proposal book, declaring, "We request a person that wrote The Art of the Deal." In response, Tony Schwartz, who ghostwrote The Art of the Deal, tweeted, "Many acknowledgment Donald Trump for suggesting I tally for president, based connected information that I wrote The Art of the Deal. No program to judge a draft."

In 2016, Tony told the New Yorker, "I consciousness a heavy consciousness of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump successful a mode that brought him wider attraction and made him much appealing than helium is. I genuinely judge that if Trump wins and gets the atomic codes, determination is an fantabulous anticipation it volition pb to the extremity of civilization."

In response, Trump reportedly sent him a cease-and-desist. According to the New York Times, Trump's lawyer demanded that Tony cough up "a certified cheque made payable to Mr. Trump" and demanded that helium marque "written assurances that you volition not make oregon disseminate immoderate misleading oregon inaccurate accusation oregon marque immoderate baseless accusations with respect to Mr. Trump." Trump told the outlet, "He's been trying to get enactment from maine for 30 years. He wrote maine letters [asking for work]. I ne'er liked him."

5. In 2011, Gwyneth Paltrow published a cookbook called My Father's Daughter, but a twelvemonth later, an alleged ghostwriter appeared retired the woodwork. The New York Times published an nonfiction titled "I Was a Cookbook Ghostwriter," wherever Julia Turshen alleged that she ghostwrote Gwyneth's cookbook and was moving with her connected a 2nd one.

Gwyneth denied these claims, tweeting, "Love @nytimes eating conception but this weeks facts request checking. No shade writer connected my cookbook, I wrote each connection myself."

6. In 2014, YouTuber Zoë Sugg (aka Zoella) published her debut novel, Girl Online. It blew up, becoming the UK's fastest-selling publication of the year! It sold 78,000 copies successful its archetypal week, much than immoderate different debut caller successful the country. However, she was wide criticized pursuing the revelation that she'd worked with a ghostwriter, Siobhan Curham. In a statement, Zoë said, "For the doubters retired there, of people I was going to person assistance from Penguin’s editorial squad successful telling my story, which I talked astir from the beginning." Likewise, successful the book's acknowledgments, she credited the ghostwriter for being determination "every measurement of the way."

Addressing the hatred she received connected her blog, Siobhan wrote, "When I was offered the accidental to assistance Zoë, I besides saw the accidental to assistance get important and empowering messages crossed to her incredibly immense fan-base. ... But — and this is simply a large but — I did person immoderate issues with however the task was managed."

7. When Millie Bobby Brown published her debut novel, Nineteen Steps, successful 2023, she faced utmost backlash for utilizing a ghostwriter due to the fact that the communicative was based connected her household past (particularly her grandma's stories of surviving done the Bethnal Green conduit catastrophe of 1943). Unlike galore personage authors, Millie openly praised her ghostwriter, Kathleen McGurl. Sharing a representation of them unneurotic connected Instagram, Millie wrote, "a HUGE convey you to my collaborator @kathleenmcgurl - I couldn't person done this without you!"

However, contention stemmed from the information that the ghostwriter's sanction did not look connected the screen of the book. Some radical accused the histrion of "taking the credit" for Kathleen's enactment oregon "ruining" literature. But others defended her and called retired the sexism successful the criticism. Celebrity Memoir: From Ghostwriting to Gender Politics writer Dr. Hannah Yelin told the Guardian, "We've seen it successful narration to galore young, pistillate stars. Zoella's archetypal memoir comes to caput arsenic an example, which saw her lambasted successful the media for breaking immoderate benignant of implicit societal contract... Collaborative authorship is thing caller and exists successful galore celebrated forms."

In a blog post, Kathleen explained that she received "a batch of probe that had already been pulled unneurotic by Millie and her family, and plentifulness of ideas." They had a fewer Zoom calls, Kathleen wrote the archetypal draft, Millie sent her much ideas, and past they "refined the story" done aggregate drafts together.

8. Nicole Richie's steadfast reportedly outed her for utilizing a ghostwriter. She's published 2 novels — The Truth About Diamonds successful 2005 and Priceless successful 2010. She told USA Today, "I aftermath up astatine 5:45, and the remainder of the household gets up astatine 7, truthful I person an hr successful the morning. And past I person clip aft 7 astatine nighttime to constitute and calm down... I constitute each my ain stories."

However, successful 2011, her steadfast reportedly told the New York Times that astir of the penning for Priceless was done by a ghostwriter. Nicole declined to comment.

9. Influencer Tinx (whose existent sanction is Christina Najjar) released her debut novel, Hotter successful the Hamptons, successful 2025. However, due to the fact that the caller is simply a lesbian emotion story, fans began to question if Tinx, who's straight, had really written it herself. One TikToker reportedly posted a surface signaling of the caller appearing connected the "ghostwriting" conception of writer Gabrielle Korn's "manuscript services" page.

Commenting connected the TikTok, Tinx clarified, "Of people I hired a collaborator who's queer. I americium not a lesbian. I wanted to nail that portion of the storyline... It's not a secret, she's the archetypal idiosyncratic I convey successful the acknowledgments!"

10. Ghostwriting scandals aren't constricted to books! George Takei famously runs a comic Facebook page. In 2013, drama writer Rick Polito accidentally revealed that helium ghostwrote jokes for the Star Trek icon's Facebook, telling blogger Jim Romenesko, "Even astatine $10 a joke, it inactive feels similar a validation to spot truthful galore radical reacting to my humor. I person written jokes that got 10 likes per 2nd for hours. The powerfulness of George is unbelievable. His fans are a viral army. He whitethorn not beryllium a stockholder, but helium owns Facebook."

George confirmed to Wired that Rick and different writers helped him find memes to post, but each of the commentary was his ain writing. He said, "I person Brad [Takei], my husband, to assistance maine and interns to assist. What is important is the reliability of my posts being determination to greet my fans with a grin oregon a giggle each morning. That's however we support connected growing."

11. And finally, here's a chaotic ghostwriting ungraded that perfectly broke the internet! Influencer Caroline Calloway became celebrated for her Instagram captions reflecting connected her beingness arsenic a Cambridge student. However, successful 2019, her ex-friend, Natalie Beach, wrote a bombshell effort for the Cut and revealed herself arsenic Caroline's ghostwriter. Natalie wrote, "From the infinitesimal we met [in nonfiction penning class], I focused alternatively connected helping her archer her ain [story], archetypal successful notes aft workshop, past aboriginal editing her Instagram captions and co-writing a publication connection she sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Speaking to NBC News, Caroline said that Natalie's nonfiction was a "work of art," not journalism. She besides said that her "brilliant" erstwhile person would "say everything I'm saying now, conscionable smarter." The lone portion of the effort she denied was erstwhile Natalie alleged that, "Caroline hated [working connected a memoir] truthful overmuch that she threatened termination if I wrote immoderate more." Caroline said that she struggled with suicidal ideation not due to the fact that of a dislike of Natalie's writing, but due to the fact that of her ain issues with addiction and deficiency of memoir-writing skills. Natalie declined to comment.

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