Locker room talk, leaked emails and Lochtegate -- the scandals that rocked 2016
Every year scandals come to light that leave people shocked, confused and in many cases angry -- and 2016 delivered on all those levels.
The biggest story of the year was the presidential election and the scandals that involved both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The term "locker room talk" became a topic of discussion after video surfaced of the president-elect using vulgar terms to brag about groping and kissing woman. The remarks were caught on a hot mic when Trump was talking to former "Access Hollywood" host, Billy Bush in 2005. Trump chalked the incident up to "locker room talk" and Bush left his new hosting gig at "TODAY" following the scandal.
Hillary Clinton also found herself embroiled in another email scandal. The former chairman of the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, resigned from her post after leaked emails appeared to show party officials favoring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.
Many people still remember Deflategate from 2015 and Bridgegate from 2013 -- and in 2016 Lochtegate came to light. Instead of making headlines for his performance in Rio, Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte, found himself at the center of a bizarre scandal. Lochte claimed that he and three other Team USA swimmers were robbed at gunpoint in Rio by men claiming to be police. Police in Brazil refuted his claims and it was later discovered that he lied about the incident.
2016 also saw several incidents centered around sexual abuse allegations. Fox News CEO Roger Ailes stepped down from his position with the network after former anchor, Gretchen Carlson, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him. Fox eventually reached a $20 million settlement with Carlson.
An investigation at Baylor University uncovered more than a dozen reports of sexual assault reportedly committed by members of the university's football team. And the sexual abuse scandal surrounding Bill Cosby hit a turning point in 2016 when a judge ruled that the actor must stand trial on sex abuse charges.
Click through the gallery above to see more scandals from 2016 including those centered around celebrities.
By: Lindsay Keeler
