In the last two years, 843 celebrity memoirs have been published, authored by personalities ranging from Britney Spears to Elliot Page. The widespread nature of these memoirs is perhaps a reflection of “an era of radical honesty,” as surmised by Savannah Cordova of BookTrib. Many of these books are quite revealing, and celebrities seem to be turning to the written word to discuss their past hardships. Some see value in them, as it can be beneficial to understand that we are not alone in our struggles, but their prevalence can also be pointed to as a cynical exploitation of fame in the interest of making even more money.

Some feel celebrity memoirs are not an honest representation of their lives. “A lot of people hire other writers to write their memoirs,” shared Arie Om, ‘25. The role of the ghostwriter has been shown in many memoirs recently published, such as Prince Harry’s Spare and Millie Bobby Brown’s Nineteen Steps. Om shared that she thought many celebrities penned memoirs to “save face and their reputation,” which coincides with the idea that the memoir can be a cynical tactic used by celebrities. Though written in 2000 before his allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs, Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s memoir stressing the importance of perseverance and hard work seems ironic considering that he has been stripped of his awards from the Tour de France. These memoirs can be a cash and reputation grab by celebrities looking to continue capitalizing on their notoriety.

The memoirs that celebrities release can be perceived as attempts to have open conversations about human struggles, but this effect is not always felt. The memoirs often feel like a “trauma dump,” explained Kaavya Checka, ‘26. Checka explained that the approach of the memoirs can feel like reading a laundry list solely about the turmoil the author faced, and their experiences seem more disingenuous as a result. Undeniably, many who choose to write memoirs have undergone past traumas, but the saturation of trauma in today’s celebrity memoirs can feel forced and can make them difficult to read. Celebrity memoirs are “likely stuffed to the margins with trauma,” said Cordova in her article, who theorizes that this can even send a message that it takes traumatic experiences to be able to sell a memoir. This message could contribute to the disingenuity many feel with the genre. Celebrity memoirs continue to be published, but many are dissatisfied with the themes present in them and the messages that they send.