“Jerry… just remember… it’s not a lie if you believe it,” is the advice one of the most famous liars, George Costanza, gives Jerry Seinfeld before he takes a lie detector test in the hilarious “The Bread” episode of Seinfeld. And while there is certainly some weird merit to what Costanza is saying, lying is still lying, no matter what way you look at it.
While we are taught from a young age that lying is wrong, we still do it. But as we get older most of us try and do the right thing and tell the truth, or throw out the occasional white lie. But some people make a career out of lying. Throughout history, there has been a host of famous liars who fed misinformation to their work colleagues, family, and friends for their own gain. When you are in a position of power and fame, it is much easier to get caught up in the hype and tell people what they want to hear. People in the spotlight seem to think they can get away with things because of who they are.
As it turns out, it doesn’t matter who you are; a lie is still a lie. There have been many famous people caught out for lying over the centuries that have impacted their legacies and the way the world views them. Read on and discover some of the most famous who lied their way to the top.
1. Bill Clinton
One of the most famous liars in recent years, former President of the United States Bill Clinton got caught out lying about an affair. A serial womanizer, Clinton was caught in a scandal during his second term revolving around 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky. The story leaked that Clinton was having an affair with Lewinsky. This is something he denied multiple times, even taking to television to declare, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
Turns out he did in fact have sexual relations with Lewinsky. Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives but acquitted of all charges by the Senate. Despite the affair dominating his second term in office, when Clinton finally left the White House in 2001, he had the joint highest approval rating of any President of the modern era, proving that if you do your job nobody really cares about your private life.
2. Herodotus
Greek historian Herodotus was a 5th-century writer responsible for Histories, a famous text detailing many factual events that happened way back when. But not everything Herodotus wrote was 100% true. While he did record real things that happened, he was known to embellish his stories and add details that certainly didn’t happen. Another famous Greek philosopher and writer, Plutarch, actually wrote an essay entitled, On the Malice of Herodotus, where he called out Herodotus for his lies. Spicey!
Due to his extensive writing about history and his love of a good lie, Herodotus is known as both the “Father of History” and the “Father of Lies,” depending on your view of him.
3. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong was a revered cyclist often cited as the greatest athlete to ever compete in the sport. Then it was discovered he was a drug cheat and all hell broke loose. Armstrong won the Tour de France a staggering seven times in a row from 1999-2005 after battling testicular cancer, making him a legend of the sport. But doping claims dogged him his entire career, and while Armstrong continually denounced these rumors as outright lies, it turned out he was the one doing all the lying.
A 2012 investigation conducted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency found Armstrong guilty of taking performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong refused to contest the charges (he believed it would impact his family too much) and was banned from all sports, putting an end to his cycling career. A year later in 2013 he admitted what he had done and has kept a relatively low profile since.
4. Frida Kahlo
STORICI SUBITO: la STORIA non è mai stata così SEMPLICE/YouTube
For all the greatness she achieved in life, Frida Kahlo also told one fairly big lie. She lied about the year she was born. Kahlo insisted she came into the world in 1910, but the year was actually 1907. Her reasoning was due to her immersion in indigenismo and her pride in Mexican culture. Her new birth date, July 7, 1910, was the same year the Mexican Revolution began. In the grand scheme of things, this lie didn’t have a massive impact on her history but did have some questioning the validity of her thoughts and actions.
5. Silvio Berlusconi
At one point the most powerful man in Italy, four-time Prime Minster Silvio Berlusconi is now a laughing stock of the country. The billionaire businessman’s shady dealings came unstuck in 2013 when he was convicted of tax fraud. During this time many other allegations about Berlusconi came out, including his many affairs, links to the Cosa Nostra, and corruption claims.
Berlusconi never served a prison sentence, instead doing community service. When he was eligible to re-enter politics, he was immediately voted back in and now has a place in the Senate after winning a seat during the 2022 Italian elections. Despite years of feeding the public lies, he has somehow managed to pull the wool over them again.
6. Bella Thorne
Actress and singer-turned-director Bella Thorne caused a big kerfuffle when she joined OnlyFans in 2020. She became the platform’s first person to earn $1 million in 24 hours, going on to make more than $2 million in a week. The only problem is what she promised wasn’t exactly what she delivered.
Thorne claimed to have nude photos of herself available that were pay-per-view and would set her followers back an additional $200. The high price tag didn’t seem to deter people, as thousands of people signed up for these naughty images. As it turned out, Thorne didn’t actually post any naked images. While seductive, she was still wearing lingerie, sending the internet into meltdown as people complained about false advertising.
Thorne has pretty much come out of the controversy unscathed, except for being branded a liar, while OnlyFans updated many of its terms and conditions to stop something like this from happening again.
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7. Richard Nixon
President Richard Nixon’s lies cost him the Oval Office. Nixon denied any involvement in the Watergate Scandal, which involved Republican party members sneaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters looking for information on their rivals. Nixon famously said, “I am not a crook,” but investigations into the break-in quickly linked Nixon to the incident.
Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, both from The Washington Post, uncovered information proving Nixon has authorized the break-in. As more info became known, impeachment proceedings were brought against Nixon and he eventually fell on his own sword and resigned from the top job, the only President to do so in the history of American politics.
8. Benjamin Franklin
Despite all the greatness he achieved, Benjamin Franklin loved nothing more than a good lie to stir the pot. His biggest lie came about when he discussed his experiment using lightning, a kite, and a key, which scientists proved was not even possible. Not only did he fake an experiment, but Franklin trolled the locals by printing his own newspaper.
In 1782 he used his home printing press to create a fake newspaper claiming the scalps of teenagers had been discovered on the frontier. Franklin wanted to create trouble for the Native American tribes, and he succeeded, with the newspaper being picked up by real publications and his article reprinted, sending Americans into a real tizz.
9. Frank Abagnale
Frank Abagnale is the man who inspired the Leonardo DiCaprio starring Steve Spielberg flick Catch Me If You Can. The young fraudster ran several scams on his unsuspecting victims, including posing as a pilot at the age of 16 and pretending to be a medical supervisor in an ER ward at 18. Charming and good-looking, Abagnale also seduced several older women before he was eventually caught and sent to jail.
He served less than five years behind bars, with the FBI giving him his freedom in exchange for Abagnale helping them solve cases of fraud. He wrote five books that sold well, although some questioned the validity of his claims. None of this has stopped Abagnale from making a successful living as a liar who is seen as a hero by some.
10. Calamity Jane
One of the original cowgirls, there is much conjecture about Calamity Jane’s history. She always claimed to be the sidekick of Wild Bill Hickok and one of his best friends, but those who knew Hickok say differently, believing Hickok hardly ever associated with Jane and had no interest in being mates with her.
Another lie Jane perpetrated had to do with her name. The story goes that Jane saved a Captain Egan from capture and he gave her the nickname Calamity. However, there is no evidence that Jane served under a Captain Egan or that he even existed. Many think much of the mystique surrounding Jane was invented by her to beef up her own legacy.
11. Benedict Arnold
There is no bigger traitor in American history that Benedict Arnold. A patriot who was a leading figure in the American Revolution and considered a war hero, Arnold was one of the many Americans who signed the Oath of Allegiance in May 1778. But when offered riches beyond his wildest dreams, Arnold forgot all about his allegiance to the red, white, and blue and defected to the British.
Arnold’s plans came unstuck when one of his co-conspirators was captured. While he was hung, Arnold managed to avoid the authorities and escaped to Britain. He was made a General in the British Army and fought against the men he once stood side by side with. He managed to have quite a successful career after leaving the army before passing at 60 in London.
12. Bernie Madoff
One of the biggest crooks of all time, Bernie Madoff was the brains behind the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. It’s estimated he stole around $64.8 billion from his clients over the span of close to five decades. Just like Charles Ponzi, Madoff paid off old investors with money made from new investors, creating high returns that stopped people from looking more closely at his business model. As long as the money was being made, nobody bothered to look closely at the details.
It all went tits up in 2008 when the financial crisis hit. People started taking their money out of his firm but Madoff didn’t have enough coming in to cover the large sums going out. He ended up confessing his deception to his brother and two sons, who promptly turned him in. Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 federal felonies and was sentenced to 150 years in jail. He did 11 years before passing away at age 82.
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