Tiger and the Salahis: Two Kinds of Celebrity Crash

Two crashes — by the Salahis at the White House and by Tiger Woods — show what a wreck celebrity has become

Illustration by Francisco Caceres for TIME; Salahis: Gerald Herbert / AP; Samantha Appleton / Whitehouse / AP; Woods: Matt Sullivan / Reuters

There are two kinds of celebrity crash. The first, like Tiger Woods' on Nov. 27, is accidental. You leave your house and drive your car into a tree, 911 is called, the authorities become involved, and the incident cannot be contained by the walls of your estate or the iron grip of your publicist. You give cryptic answers and implore the media (and cops) to respect your privacy. Anyone with further questions can see your official statement.

The second is intentional. You crash a President's state dinner or crash a balloon into a...

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