Thanksgiving may be a beloved American tradition – but for Hollywood, the long holiday weekend has a chilling reputation.
While families across the country settle in for turkey and pie, the stars often find themselves hurtling into scandal and disaster.
From Natalie Wood’s mysterious Thanksgiving weekend drowning to Kim Kardashian racing to Kanye West’s side during his ‘psychotic breakdown’, the season has spawned some of Tinseltown’s darkest moments.
Even Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t spared — his infamous holiday-weekend drug arrest only deepened the legend of the Thanksgiving curse.
And while some A-listers like Angelina Jolie and Shailene Woodley avoid the holiday altogether, citing its history or personal reasons, others haven’t been able to escape its chaos.
Now, the Daily Mail digs deep into the most shocking cases that cemented Thanksgiving as Tinseltown’s unluckiest week of the year.
Thanksgiving may be a beloved American tradition — but for Hollywood, the long weekend has a dark history, including Kim Kardashian’s frantic dash to Kanye West during his 2016 meltdown; (Kim and Kanye in 2016)
Even Robert Downey Jr . wasn’t spared — his infamous holiday-weekend drug arrest only deepened the legend of the Thanksgiving curse
The mystery surrounding Natalie Wood’s Thanksgiving weekend death has haunted Hollywood for more than four decades
The mystery surrounding Natalie Wood’s Thanksgiving weekend death has haunted Hollywood for more than four decades.
On November 28, 1981, the West Side Story star’s body was found floating near Catalina Island after a night on a yacht with husband Robert Wagner, friend Christopher Walken, and captain Dennis Davern.
Though ruled an accidental drowning at the time, the case returned to the spotlight in 2009 when Davern came forward with new details.
Wagner was later labeled a ‘person of interest’ after the captain recalled a tense argument between the couple shortly before her disappearance.
Now 95, Wagner has never stood trial, though the case was reclassified as ‘suspicious’ decades later.
Thanksgiving 2009 brought another Hollywood implosion when Tiger Woods’ world unraveled following reports of an affair with Rachel Uchitel.
In the early hours of Black Friday, Woods crashed his 2009 Cadillac Escalade outside his Florida home, hitting a fire hydrant and then a tree just feet from his driveway.
Woods was found in and out of consciousness in the front seat with facial lacerations and blood in his mouth.
On November 28, 1981, the West Side Story star’s body was found floating near Catalina Island after a night with husband Robert Wagner, friend Christopher Walken, and captain Dennis Davern; (Wood and Wagner pictured 1981)
Though ruled an accidental drowning at the time, the case returned to the spotlight in 2009 when Davern came forward with new details; (pictured Robert Wagner’s boat Splendour)
Wife Elin Nordegren arrived on the scene and reportedly smashed the rear window with a golf club to pull him out.
The crash caused roughly $3,200 in property damage to the hydrant and tree.
Police cited Woods for careless driving, but no criminal charges were filed.
The incident set off a cascade of public scandal, with multiple women coming forward alleging affairs, ultimately leading to the couple’s divorce in 2010 and a stint in sex-addiction rehab for Woods.
The holiday chaos didn’t spare Halle Berry.
On Thanksgiving morning 2012, a violent brawl erupted outside her Hollywood Hills home during a custody exchange of her then 4-year-old daughter Nahla.
Ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry had just dropped off the child when a heated altercation broke out with Berry’s then-fiancé Olivier Martinez.
The fight left both men hospitalized: Aubry suffered a fractured rib, facial bruising, and a black eye, while Martinez reportedly sustained hand and neck injuries, leaving him to exit the hospital wearing a brace on his right hand.
Thanksgiving 2009 brought another Hollywood implosion when Tiger Woods’ world unraveled following reports of an affair with Rachel Uchitel; (Elin Nordegren and Woods in 2009)
The incident set off a cascade of public scandal, with multiple women coming forward alleging affairs, ultimately leading to the couple’s divorce in 2010 and a stint in sex-addiction rehab for Woods; (Woods’ SUV in 2009 crash)
On Thanksgiving morning 2012, a violent brawl erupted outside Halle Berry’s Hollywood Hills home between he ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry (pictured with Berry) and Berry’s then-fiancé Olivier Martinez
The fight left both men hospitalized: Aubry suffered a fractured rib, facial bruising, and a black eye, while Martinez reportedly sustained hand and neck injuries, leaving him to exit the hospital wearing a brace on his right hand; (Martinez and Berry in 2011)
Police booked Aubry on suspicion of misdemeanor battery, and emergency protective orders were issued to keep him at least 100 yards from Berry, Martinez, and Nahla.
Prosecutors eventually dropped the charges, but the incident remains one of Hollywood’s most notorious Thanksgiving-day showdowns.
Just days before Thanksgiving 2016, Kanye abruptly canceled the remaining dates on his Saint Pablo Tour after walking offstage mid-show in Sacramento during a string of bizarre on-stage rants.
The following day, after his physician called 911 expressing concern for his mental state, police and paramedics responded to his home, and Kanye was taken by ambulance to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, reportedly handcuffed to a gurney as part of a standard psychiatric hold.
Sources say the breakdown was linked to severe sleep deprivation, dehydration, and mounting paranoia — Kanye allegedly believed people around him were ‘out to get him,’ suffering from hallucinations and overwhelming anxiety.
Kim Kardashian flew back from New York and spent the week at his side, coordinating care while he remained under observation.
The incident rocked their family and became a defining moment in Kanye’s public image, with Kim and Kanye ultimately calling it quits in 2021.
Back in 2000, Thanksgiving weekend proved disastrous for Robert Downey Jr.
For Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock (pictured 2002), Thanksgiving 2006 proved to be the final straw as the two had married just months earlier — tying the knot in July 2006 aboard a yacht near St.‑Tropez
Back in 2000, Thanksgiving weekend proved disastrous for Robert Downey Jr: The actor was arrested late on Saturday, November 25, in a Palm Springs hotel after police found him alone with 4.5 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine — just months after completing a prison sentence for a similar offense
The actor was arrested late on Saturday, November 25, in a Palm Springs hotel after police found him alone with 4.5 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine — just months after completing a prison sentence for a similar offense.
He was booked on multiple charges, including possession and being under the influence while out on bail.
The bust came after a brief career resurgence on Ally McBeal, derailing his comeback and forcing him into another round of rehab and probation.
Downey’s path to redemption would not begin in earnest until months later, eventually leading to the global success of Iron Man.
For Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock, Thanksgiving 2006 proved to be the final straw.
The two had married just months earlier — tying the knot in July 2006 aboard a yacht near St.‑Tropez.
Their split came only weeks after the release of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, in which Anderson appeared.
According to the film’s creator Sacha Baron Cohen, Kid Rock was furious after seeing her cameo — allegedly screaming that she had humiliated herself.
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey also fell victim to the holiday split cycle: On Thanksgiving 2005, Simpson announced that the pair were parting ways
Even in 2023, the Thanksgiving curse struck again when Will & Grace actor Eric McCormack and his wife Janet Holden ended their 26-year marriage
A friend close to the couple at the time told media that Rock ‘exploded’ after the film.
By late November 2006 Anderson had filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences — just four months after saying ‘I do.’
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey also fell victim to the holiday split cycle.
The pop singers tied the knot in 2002, and their high-profile marriage was chronicled on MTV, turning them into one of the early 2000s’ most famous couples.
But disaster struck on Thanksgiving 2005, when Simpson announced in a statement that the pair were parting ways: ‘This is the mutual decision of two people with an enormous amount of respect and admiration for each other.’
Sources at the time said the breakup followed months of tension fueled by Lachey’s rumored infidelity and their hectic public schedules.
Even in 2023, the Thanksgiving curse struck again when Will & Grace actor Eric McCormack and his wife Janet Holden ended their 26-year marriage.
The couple, married since 1997 and parents to a 24-year-old son, finalized their split quietly, adding their names to the long list of celebrity relationships undone during the holiday season.
But Hollywood’s Thanksgiving curse isn’t just a modern phenomenon — the holiday has spelled disaster for generations.
Two days after Thanksgiving in 1942, Boston’s Coconut Grove nightclub erupted in flames, killing 492 people in what remains the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history.
Among the victims was Western star Buck Jones, who had visited a children’s hospital just hours before the blaze, a tragic reminder that even the brightest stars are not immune to misfortune during the holiday season.
Whether it’s sudden deaths, public meltdowns, career-crushing arrests, or shocking breakups, Thanksgiving has proven to be a perilous time for Tinseltown.
