Showman and circus owner P.T. Barnum was the first person to say, "There's no such thing as bad publicity," almost 200 years ago. Oscar Wilde mimicked this sentiment in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,' when Lord Henry Wotton says, "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." The belief that any publicity is good publicity, whether it paints you in a positive light or not, has been maintained to this very day. Celebrities and businesses alike know that inserting oneself into the cultural conversation is a surefire way to stay relevant, even if it's for all the wrong reasons.
Publicity stunts have often been used to raise awareness of political issues, but more often they're a ploy used by misguided public figures to raise their profiles. Many of these stunts get lost in the 24-hour news cycle, but others have cemented themselves in public memory, for better or for worse.
Click through the following gallery to remember some of the most infamous celebrity publicity stunts in history.