Celebrity Rhetoric and Sexual Misconduct Cases

This book considers the rhetorical strategies used by celebrities and their surrogates and attorneys when faced with claims of sexual misconduct. During the past five years, a series of public figures have claimed that their celebrity persona is distinct from their “real” self as a way of eluding allegations of sexual misconduct in the courthouse and in the court of public opinion. This book examines three case studies in which such claims were employed, namely Terry Bollea/Hulk Hogan, President Donald Trump/Reality Show Host Donald Trump, and R. Kelly/ Robert Kelly, to assess the mediated and legal communicative strategies used and their potential implications. Using a technique which the author calls “discursive self-cleaving”, these stars strategically craft statements on social media, in the press, and in the courtroom to create a discourse that works to shift blame away from their behavior. The book also traces the relationship between these discursive approaches and the politics of sexual violence and domestic abuse during the early months of the #MeToo movement and beyond. Providing a richly detailed analysis of how this discourse functions and why jurors and members of the public find it convincing, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of Communication Studies, Rhetoric, Media, Law, and Popular Culture Studies.

“Are you a famous man accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo movement? No worries. There’s a new image-management strategy, that Andrea McDonnell brilliantly identifies as 'discursive self-cleaving,’ in which celebrities like Terry Bollea, aka ‘Hulk Hogan’ claim it was their public personas, not their ‘real selves,’ who was the violator, so they are not to blame. Powerfully argued and persuasively written, with multiple examples, McDonnell shows how discursive self-cleaving builds on and perpetuates misogyny and must be called out. This is an incredibly original and eye-opening book, truly a must-read.” Susan J. Douglas, University of Michigan, USA. “In this timely book, McDonnell explores how men in power have sought to deflect stories about sexual misconduct, bringing together analyses of Hulk Hogan’s sex tape, Donald Trump’s locker room talk, and R. Kelly’s sexual abuse of Black women and girls. Essential reading for anyone interested in celebrity, gender and sexual norms in the US.” Karen Boyle, University of Strathclyde, Scotland.

Andrea M. McDonnell is Associate Professor of Communication and Director of the Communication Minor at Providence College, USA.