13 Famous Celebrities with Herpes [2023]

Herpes is a viral infection that’s often spread via sexual contact, leading to blisters and sores around the mouth or the genitals of the patient. Besides sexual activity, herpes can spread via close contact with someone infected.

Due to the nature of the virus, herpes is currently incurable. This means that following the initial outbreak of the virus, there are high chances of recurrence later in life. It happens when the virus “wakes up” after remaining dormant for an extended period.

Since the condition is typically classified as an “STI” or a sexually transmitted infection, discussion surrounding it has become a societal taboo. Hence, not many celebrities out there openly discuss their struggles with herpes and similar viral infections.

This article will point out a list of some of the celebrities who allegedly have herpes. Kindly understand that the reports mentioned are alleged and aren’t intended to hurt anyone mentioned in the article.

Famous Celebrities with Herpes

Seldom will you come across celebrities who have been diagnosed with herpes. While many people often mistake cold sores symptoms for herpes, the latter is a much more severe condition that requires medical intervention.

Following are some of the celebrities who allegedly have herpes:

1. Joshua Jackson gave it to Katie Holmes

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Given how hush-hush everything is regarding a sexually transmitted disease like herpes, pinpointing or ascertaining the claims is tricky.

However, famous actor Joshua Jackson reportedly transmitted the virus to his former co-star on Dawson’s Creek, Katie Holmes.

Remember that these are speculations. Both the parties involved have yet to come out and discuss these possibilities or the truth of these statements in detail. The couple came under much public scrutiny after the news broke out. However, no information has been confirmed on the speculation to date.

2. Kim Kardashian

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Known for her glamorous lifestyle, Kim Kardashian is another celebrity who has reportedly contracted herpes.

The rumors started following her break up with Kris Humphries, where the media speculated and ran several press releases suggesting that Kim had contracted herpes from her ex-boyfriend.

Despite the outpouring of these speculations in the media, no one involved in the scandal has reported on the situation.

3. Rihanna

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Not only has Rihanna dominated the music world, but she is also now dominating the beauty and makeup industry as well.

If you are a fan of Rihanna, you may know about her dark past with Chris Brown and her toxic relationship. There are no official confirmations or photographic evidence; however, a few media outlets did publish that Rihanna has struggled with herpes due to her abusive ex-boyfriend.

Besides that, a few controversies also came up surrounding Rihanna’s beauty line, Fenty Beauty, where one customer claimed that she contracted the herpes virus after using their products. No claims or confirmations have been released surrounding that information too.

4. David and Victoria Beckham

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Victoria Beckham has been papped several times, sporting cold sores around her mouth. However, these images also led to the potential speculation that the Spice Girls singer could potentially have herpes.

No confirmation is available, and everything we know from the media is alleged and a speculation. As an extension to the rumors, news outlets also started speculating that even David Beckham allegedly has herpes.

None of the two celebrities have said anything for or against these media speculations. And since there is no confirmed news, we can assume they are rumors.

Also read: 10 Celebrities with Bad Teeth (With Before and After Pictures)

5. Chris Brown

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While we are on alleged celebrities with herpes, Chris Brown deserves a spot on the list too. Following a very public breakup with Rihanna and the DV allegations against him, Chris Brown has found himself widely circled with controversies.

But it doesn’t stop there. Rumors and speculations arose where Brown claimed that Rihanna gave him herpes. Although these speculations made a round in the newspapers for some time, no official statements have been released.

There is also extrapolation of the rumors, suggesting that Chris Brown claims Rihanna gave him genital herpes. Rihanna hasn’t commented on these allegations.

6. Jessica Alba Genital Herpes from Derek Jeter

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Jessica Alba is a leading American actress and businesswoman. With her career skyrocketing, Alba has found herself trapped in multiple controversies.

Amidst them, her dating life has been in the public talks quite a few times. In 2007, there were sudden rumors and speculations that Jessica Alba had herpes from her then-boyfriend Derek Jeter.

What started as rumors remained so because none of the parties involved in the equation commented further on it.

7. Usher

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Although there is no direct confirmation that Usher has had herpes, there are a lot of controversies surrounding the topic.

A quick Google search returns a list of lawsuits filed against Usher at the Georgia Court by Laura Helm, who claimed that she contracted genital herpes from the singer.

The lawsuit dragged on for a while, but it was later confirmed that Usher wasn’t guilty of the charges, and the case was closed eventually. There’s no way of verifying the allegations of whether or not Usher has herpes, given that he hasn’t publicly talked about it at all.

8. David Hasselhoff

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Another famous American actor that has rumors of having herpes is David Hasselhoff. Known for his roles in Knight Rider and The Baywatch, David Hasselhoff is nicknamed “The Holf” and is also the Guinness World Record holder for being the “Most Watched Man on TV.”

However, the peak and growth of his career have come with many controversies and speculations. The media claiming that the actor has herpes is one of them.

Despite these rumors, David hasn’t denied or confirmed the news. Since there is no way of ensuring the news, we can assume things are alleged.

9. Dennis Rodman

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For those who aren’t into sports and NBA, you might not be aware of who Dennis Rodman is. Rodman is a former American professional basketball player.

A quick Google search with the terms “Dennis Rodman” and “herpes” brings up a few news and media coverage from 1995.

It was allegedly reported that an Atlanta Hawks cheerleader claimed Rodman infected her with genital herpes while being intimate. There is no confirmation on the subject, and the rumors were soon buried under the hatchet.

10. Michael Vick

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Known for his career in American football, Michael Vick is another celebrity who has been involved in controversies about having herpes.

Vick has been slammed with multiple lawsuits where a few of his past partners have claimed that Vick has infected them with herpes.

Later in 2003, one of Vick’s former girlfriends filed a lawsuit against him in civil court, claiming that he gave her genital herpes. There is no news about the case after that, so confirming or denying the claims is difficult.

11. Jessica Biel

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During one of her interviews at the height of her career, Jessica exclaimed how her mother used to apply gels to her cold sores to treat them.

Although Jessica hasn’t outright come out and confirmed her having the herpes virus, rumors suggest she has struggled with the same for quite a few years.

12. Paris Hilton

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Regarding celebrities with herpes, Paris Hilton is another name that deserves a spot on the list. She has been spotted multiple times in public with cold sores, which led to the public and media speculating that she could have herpes.

However, despite the rumors, Paris hasn’t confirmed the condition. However, reports suggest that in 2009, Paris went and got laser treatment to eliminate the cold sores from around her mouth.

13. Justin Timberlake

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Last on the list is another celebrity who allegedly has herpes. During a public outing in 2009, the singer sported a bad case of cold sores around his mouth, which led to the media speculating that he had herpes.

Timberlake hasn’t shed any light on the situation nor denied or confirmed anything surrounding the rumors.

Conclusion

Herpes is a highly contagious viral infection primarily spread through sexual activities. However, given the taboo surrounding it, not many people discuss the condition openly. If you were inquisitive to know which celebrities have herpes, these are a few names we could think of at the top of our heads.

Also read: 15 Celebrities Who Wear Dentures