News

Tiger vs. Charlie

And other men behaving badly

Who’d have thought Tiger Woods—the man once known for having a reputation as glossy and perfect as his golf trophies—could out-scandal the tabloid world’s perpetual bad boy, Charlie Sheen?

Turns out that dashing good looks, fame at a young age and a taste for blond wives isn’t all that the No. 1 golfer and the star of Two and a Half Men have in common.

Tiger Woods

Nature of scandal: Serial infidelity

Who attacked whom: His wife allegedly hit him with a phone after discovering his infidelity by reading incriminating texts on his cellphone

Site of the shocking act: Eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom 6,700-sq.-foot mansion in a gated community in Isleworth, Fla.

Reach of disgrace: World

The significant other, at least for now: Elin Nordegren, wife No. 1. The former model/nanny is a psychology student and a mother of two young children.

Lingo: Tiger Woods Syndrome: devoted family man revealed to have mistresses galore

Charlie Sheen

Nature of scandal: Violence (the criminal charge is felony menacing)

Who attacked whom: He allegedly attacked his wife with a knife and threatened to kill her

Site of the shocking act: A rented yellow clapboard house in the ski resort town of Aspen, Colo.

Reach of disgrace: North America

The significant other, at least for now: Brooke Mueller, wife No. 3. The former actress is a real estate investor and a mother of twin toddlers.

Lingo: Prehab: checking into an addiction clinic before a relapse

John Mayer

In his 2001 tune My Stupid Mouth, he sang: “Mama said, ‘think before speaking’ / No filter in my head.” Nine years later, Mayer still hasn’t found that filter. In an interview with Playboy, he blabbed about his “crazy” sex life with ex-girlfriend Jessica Simpson, comparing it to “crack cocaine.” Simpson, for the record, is “a little bit angry.”

Adam Giambrone

The Tiger Woods of Toronto City Hall, he was forced to pull out of the mayoral race—and beg his live-in girlfriend for forgiveness—after confessing to “intimate relations” with multiple women. One mistress, a 19-year-old aspiring actress, said she had sex with the golden-boy councillor on his office couch, and exchanged dozens of dirty text messages. “I like you because you’re smart and interesting,” wrote Giambrone, now 32. “You’re also good-looking naked.”

Roy Ashburn

Caught drinking and driving after partying at a gay nightclub in California, the Republican state senator admitted the truth: he is attracted to men. The divorced father of four said he believed his sexual orientation wouldn’t affect his ability to represent his staunchly conservative district. And clearly, it didn’t. During eight years in state politics, he has voted against nearly every gay rights measure that reached the legislature.

John Edwards

The two-time U.S. presidential candidate finally confirmed what everyone knows: he fathered a child with one of his campaign workers. But his belated honesty may not be enough to save the former senator from prison. Reports say Edwards is on the verge of being indicted by a grand jury for using campaign contributions to pay off his baby mama. No word yet on whether he’s running in 2012.

John Terry

Britain’s highest-paid soccer star is no longer captain of the country’s World Cup squad—and the demotion had nothing to do with his feet. He was caught cheating on his wife with a teammate’s ex-girlfriend, forcing soccer officials to find a more suitable leader. His wife, however, seems willing to forgive and forget. “We’re very strong as a couple,” Toni said. “Always have been.” Well, not always.

Lil Wayne

The 27-year-old rapper is now in a Lil jail cell, serving a one-year sentence for carrying a loaded gun onto his tour bus. If he behaves, he could be back in the studio in eight months. In the meantime, guards at New York’s Rikers Island have reportedly ordered him not to sign autographs for fellow inmates.

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