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Whether crafted out of vengeance, for monetary benefit, or simply to reveal hidden truths, poisoned pen biographies that unveil the darker aspects of a celebrity or public figure have long been a staple in the literary world. These tell-all accounts are sometimes penned by someone close to the subject, like Christina Crawford’s book Mommie Dearest, written by Joan Crawford’s adopted daughter. More often, however, they are the work of seasoned authors skilled in uncovering secrets, such as Kitty Kelley, who has written scathing biographies of figures like Frank Sinatra, the British royal family, and Nancy Reagan.
Although these provocative exposes often invite skepticism, they also succeed in stirring curiosity among fans and journalists. Here are ten of the most notorious poisoned pen biographies.
10. Bette Davis: My Mother’s Keeper
With her notoriously tough and no-nonsense persona, it’s hard to imagine Bette Davis as a nurturing mother. However, the 1985 memoir My Mother’s Keeper, written by Davis’s daughter B.D. Hyman, reveals a chilling behind-the-scenes look at her mother’s behavior. Among other allegations, Hyman claims that Davis withdrew her from school at the age of eleven to serve as her personal assistant and would punish her children by staging mock suicides.
Hyman discussed the differences between My Mother’s Keeper and the tell-all book Mommie Dearest, which was written about Davis’s rival, Joan Crawford. While the two books can’t help but be compared, particularly due to Davis’s alleged heavy drinking and her strained relationship with her daughter, Hyman clarified that Davis did not abuse her. Hyman also noted that she published the book before Davis’s death, giving Bette the chance to respond to her claims.
Davis not only responded to My Mother’s Keeper, but also mentioned it in the final pages of her own memoir, where she included a letter to her daughter. In this letter, Davis refuted the allegations made against her and accused Hyman of lacking “loyalty and gratitude for the very privileged life” that she had been afforded. Hyman revisited her relationship with Davis once more in the 1987 memoir Narrow Is the Way, which she co-wrote with her husband.
9. Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography
Andrew Morton, a celebrated celebrity biographer known for his controversial works about the British royal family, such as Diana: Her True Story, also made waves with his 2008 book Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography. Cruise and the Church of Scientology fought intensely to block the publication of the biography.
The book shocked readers by revealing details of Cruise’s meticulously protected private life, such as claims made by his former wife Katie Holmes, who alleged that she was required to “audition” to be in a relationship with him. Along with other peculiar stories about the actor, the biography paints him as a controlling figure. Another claim made by Morton is that Holmes supposedly signed an agreement stating that if she or their children ever suffered from mental or terminal illness, they would only receive treatment from Scientology’s methods.
The book provides an unexpected perspective on Tom Cruise's marriage to his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, featuring a recollection from a source who described Cruise's tendency to monitor Kidman constantly. Along with revelations about Cruise’s personal life, the book includes shocking claims about his connection with the Church of Scientology. According to reports, Cruise and the Church of Scientology even considered pursuing a $100 million lawsuit and vehemently denied the allegations, questioning Morton’s credibility.
8. Life with My Sister Madonna
Pop music icon and actress Madonna has long been a figure of controversy, known for her boundary-pushing and unconventional persona. However, the 2008 memoir Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone adds fuel to the fire for her critics. Ciccone was uniquely positioned to write about his famous sister, having shared her childhood and spent two decades working alongside her.
In this book, co-authored with Wendy Leigh, Ciccone paints Madonna as a cold, disagreeable, and narcissistic figure. He even states, “From her perspective, she is the only person in the universe.” He also discusses her drug use and recalls bizarre events, including one where an intoxicated Madonna, mysteriously covered in candle wax, was escorted out of a post-Grammy celebration.
7. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Jackie Oh!
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis has been the subject of numerous biographies, often regarded as the most captivating and elegant American first lady in history. Her immense popularity, paired with the intrigue surrounding her private life, amplified the public's fascination with this iconic woman who later married the wealthy Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis.
Kitty Kelley's 1978 book Jackie Oh! marked her debut as a biographer. This explosive bestseller portrays Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as a self-indulgent and superficial diva while revealing controversial details about her life, including Kelley's assertion that John F. Kennedy once had her committed for electroshock therapy.
6. Becoming Beyoncé: The Untold Story
Beyoncé, the singer-songwriter-actress, has been in the public eye almost her entire life, starting in show business at just eight years old. From her early days in Destiny's Child to building a monumental solo career and business empire, there's been a hidden side of her life, until J. Randy Tarraborrelli unveiled it in his 2015 book Becoming Beyoncé: The Untold Story.
Tarraborrelli delves into the infamous elevator altercation, where Beyoncé's sister Solange physically confronted Jay-Z, and addresses the rumors surrounding Beyoncé's pregnancy with Blue Ivy, speculating whether she may have secretly adopted the child. He also covers the numerous lawsuits filed against Beyoncé and the intense drive of both her and her ambitious father to dominate the competitive music industry during their relentless pursuit of fame.
5. Martha Stewart: Just Desserts: The Unauthorized Biography
Before her five-month prison sentence for obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in connection with her stock market scandal, Martha Stewart was exposed in Jerry Oppenheimer’s 1997 bestseller, Martha Stewart: Just Desserts: The Unauthorized Biography. Oppenheimer uncovers a side of the domestic TV icon that contrasts sharply with her public image, portraying her as a petty, shrewish, and fiercely ambitious individual with a tyrannical approach to leadership.
The book reveals intimate details about Stewart’s tumultuous divorce, her strained relationship with her daughter, and the gradual breakdown of numerous friendships. Though the tell-all was criticized by SFGATE as “a hatchet job,” it also provided a sense of vindication for those who struggled to meet the high standards set by Stewart, even as it disappointed some of her devoted fans.
4. His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra
Kitty Kelley, a journalist known for her controversial biographies, achieved notable success with His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra, published in 1986. The book’s courageously candid exploration of Sinatra's life was especially surprising given the notorious figures with whom he had been associated—figures Kelley didn’t hesitate to detail in her biography.
For years, rumors swirled around legendary singer and actor Frank Sinatra's alleged connections to the underworld, and Kitty Kelley’s thoroughly researched book provided solid proof of his close ties to organized crime, citing mafia-related government documents. She also shed light on his ongoing infidelities and explosive temper.
Kelley portrayed Sinatra as a violent bully, recounting a disturbing incident in which he reportedly shoved a woman through a plate-glass window, nearly severing her arm. Sinatra attempted to block the release of His Way with a $2 million lawsuit, though he eventually withdrew the case.
3. Joan Crawford: Mommie Dearest
Joan Crawford was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1930s and 1940s, and in addition to her successful career, she carefully crafted the image of a perfect mother. Therefore, it was shocking when her eldest adopted daughter, Christina, accused her of physically and emotionally abusive treatment in her explosive 1978 memoir Mommie Dearest, shortly after Crawford’s death.
The memoir paints Joan Crawford as a ruthless, controlling, and mentally unstable alcoholic, whose violent outbursts could be triggered by something as minor as the presence of wire hangers in her child’s closet. Christina even claimed that her mother choked her during one such confrontation at the age of 13. Mommie Dearest became a powerful exposé on child abuse, and the 1981 film adaptation, with Faye Dunaway portraying Crawford, eventually surpassed the book in fame.
2. The View Cast: Ladies Who Punch
As entertaining as The View has been with its fiery debates among co-hosts, Ramin Setoodeh’s book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View reveals that the behind-the-scenes drama is even more shocking. While viewers may sense the tension on-air, Setoodeh uncovers outrageous events and complicated relationships between the show's co-hosts.
Rosie O'Donnell's time on the show was marked by conflict with many, including co-hosts and producers. One notable incident occurred when O'Donnell verbally lashed out at Barbara Walters in the dressing room after Walters continued speaking with Donald Trump, despite O'Donnell's ongoing feud with him. However, O'Donnell found herself in a clash with Whoopi Goldberg, whom she perceived as equally harsh as anyone she had encountered on television.
Barbara Walters herself was known for being formidable. Jenny McCarthy confessed that she sometimes hid from Walters, who would often criticize McCarthy's wardrobe choices. Even Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the show's usually sweet and often bullied co-host, had her breaking points. During one segment, Walters lectured Hasselbeck, causing her to storm off the stage, ripping up her note cards as the show cut to commercial.
According to an audio recording corroborated by Setoodeh, Hasselbeck could be heard shouting in frustration, '*(Expletive) that!*' as she paced a narrow corridor backstage. 'I'm not going to sit there and get reprimanded on the air...,' she declared, but moments later, she was convinced to return to the set.
1. Poison Pen: The Unauthorized Biography of Kitty Kelley
In 1991, the spotlight turned on bestselling author Kitty Kelley when George Carpozi published Poison Pen: The Unauthorized Biography of Kitty Kelley, a biting expose that seemed like poetic justice to Kelley's critics and the celebrities she had famously tarnished with her controversial books. Carpozi claims that the sensationalism in Kelley's non-fiction works is built on falsehoods.
Carpozi paints Kelley as a gossip-driven author and an alleged thief. Barbara Howar accused Kelley of stealing a manuscript from her home during a garage sale and selling it to Washington magazine. Although Howar threatened a lawsuit that stopped the publication, Kelley’s credibility was already called into question. Regarding her Frank Sinatra biography, His Way, Carpozi states that the date Kelley claimed to have interviewed Peter Lawford was actually 12 days after the actor's death.
Further allegations arise from Kelley's disgruntled former publisher, Lyle Stuart, who claims that she once confessed to fabricating a personal conversation between Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Pete Hamil for her 1978 biography Jackie Oh!, a passage Stuart removed from the book. However, since Stuart was also the publisher of Poison Pen, his own biases may have influenced his account of Kelley's integrity.
One of the most colorful claims in Carpozi’s account is that Kelley’s first husband went through Elizabeth Taylor’s trash while Kelley was researching her biography, The Last Star. With no shortage of outrageous stories, Carpozi’s book paints Kelley in a hostile light. The Los Angeles Times described Poison Pen as ‘a book so hostile that if it were a person, its name would be Moose, and he would be holding a gun.’
