FULL LIST OF CELEBRITIES EXPOSED IN THE ASHLEY MADISON HACK

  • The Netflix docuseries explores the hack of the scandalous site Ashley Madison
  • A slew of high-profile figures were outed when the data was leaked in 2015
  • Now, FEMAIL lifts the lid on who the famous faces were - including Josh Duggar

A decade ago there were a whole host of famous faces - from politicians to reality stars - putting on a family-friendly façade alongside their loving wives while in the public eye.

However, behind the scenes, dozens crept onto their computers to get promiscuous with married strangers on infamous dating website Ashley Madison - which promoted itself as a place for spouses to get tangled up in steamy affairs.

Ashley Madison, which was established in 2001, drew people in with their intriguing slogan, 'life is short, have an affair' with over 37 million unfaithful spouses taking the bait - creating profiles on the site to link up and cheat on their partners. 

Users considered it to be a discrete site for adulterers but the curtain came tumbling down in 2015 when the dating service was hacked - leaving a slew of serial cheaters, including many high-profile celebrities, in seriously hot water.

The group who claimed responsibility for the hack called themselves The Impact Team and took matters into their own hands after taking a dislike to some of the site's features.

They demanded that the site be taken down - and, when it wasn't, they released all the 37 million records from the site onto the web for anyone to see. 

After a trove of data purporting to belong to the users was shared on the dark web, both police and Ashley Madison executives scrambled to find the tech wizards behind the Impact Team. 

However, no arrests were ever made and nearly a decade later, the question of who hacked Ashley Madison still remains.

Now, the headline-making scandal is being unearthed in a new Netflix docuseries entitled, Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, And Scandal, which premiered earlier this week. 

Within the series, the employees and the cheaters are exposed as the aftermath of the hack is thrust into the spotlight. 

Now, FEMAIL has lifted the lid on the celebrities that were met with public humiliation when their names appeared on the infamous Ashley Madison list. 

 

Sam and Nia YouTube star Sam Rader's perfect persona was tainted when he was outed as a cheater on Ashley Madison 

One of the high-profile figures who was forced to face the wreckage left behind from the leak was Christian YouTube star Sam Rader, who was - and currently still is - married to social media sensation Nia. 

Following the release of the list of names on the site, Sam shared a video to his YouTube channel in which he discussed his 'mistake' and how his wife had forgiven him. 

'This is an issue that is in our past. This was before I got onto YouTube. I brought this to my church at the time… this was brought to my wife's attention, she has forgiven me for this mistake that I've made in opening the account. 

'I've sought forgiveness from God, and he's forgiven me. So I've been completely cleansed of this sin,' he said in the clip. 

But Sam and Nia were recently forced to relive the harrowing events for the Netflix docuseries. 

Ahead of its release, the couple shared a slew of videos to their joint YouTube channel discussing their feelings about the documentary

In one video shared to their channel, the couple spoke out about the show, and Nia broke down in tears as she admitted that having to 'recount details' of her husband's cheating scandal wasn't easy.

The pair also admitted that they were seeking professional help to assist them in handling their immense nerves over it.

During the vlog, uploaded on May 8, Sam explained that they were about to sit down with a therapist provided by the production company to 'talk about their fears' regarding the upcoming docuseries.

He admitted that he and Nia were 'freaking out inside' and second guessing their decision to partake in the show.

'We're kind of freaking out inside, like, what did we do? Why did we do this? Why would we give out all of our personal information for the world to consume,' he told viewers.

'[The therapist] is probably going to make us feel like an idiot for doing this, like, "Why did you even agree to this to begin with? What was going through your head? Are you stupid?"'

The video then showed snippets of their conversation with the therapist.

'I'm feeling hurt again, having to re-say details that I would rather forget,' Nia was seen telling him. 'I've forgiven him.'

Afterwards, Nia began to cry as she reflected on the conversation with the expert.

'Just acknowledging it all makes me want to cry because it just feels so big,' she said.

But she added that it 'helped' for her to 'express' how she was feeling, as Sam told her, 'As long as we have each other and Jesus, it doesn't really matter.'

Later on in the video, Sam and Nia sat down to watch the first trailer for the upcoming docuseries, and despite their fears, Nia admitted that it looked 'good.' 

The couple also shared that they were 'super nervous' and were struggling to 'sleep' ahead of the show's release. 

 

Reality sensation-turned-felon: Josh Duggar was among the high-profile names on the list prior to his arrest 

One of the most notable celebrities uncovered from the list was TLC's 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar. 

At the time of the data dump, Josh was already under fire as he was suspected of molesting five underage girls - including two of his sisters. 

When his name was released on the list, he issued an apology to the public and admitted to cheating on his spouse. 

He said: 'I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife. 

'I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him.' 

Trouble didn't end there for the Duggars as Josh was arrested six years after the Ashley Madison leak for receiving and possessing child porn. 

 

Former Florida state attorney Jeff Ashton claimed he signed up for the site because he was 'curious' 

Florida State Attorney Jeff Ashton made headlines when he served as the prosecutor in the infamous Casey Anthony trial. 

And the lawyer was thrust back into the spotlight after his name was one of the many that appeared on the data dump from the cheating site. 

When the public discovered the legal guru had been using Ashley Madison, Jeff issued a statement to apologize. 

He said: 'I hope the public will judge me on my 35 years of service, and not a bad mistake.' 

The lawyer claimed that he never physically cheated and signed up for the site because he was 'curious.' 

Jeff refused to step down from his high-profile position because he insisted he didn't do anything illegal. 

He is now judge for Orange-Osceola and appears to still be married to wife Rita. 

 

Louisiana GOP official Jason Dore was among those who was outed on the list 

Many people became embroiled in the aftermath of the Ashley Madison hack - with police originally suspecting there was misconduct from many of the employees. 

One of the A-listers to have been named as a cheater on the site was Louisiana GOP official Jason Doré. 

However, Jason - who is married and is a dad-of-two - was addiment that he didn't use the account to cheat on his spouse. 

According to People, Jason insisted that he only made the account so he could research his opponent.

The account cost him a $175.98, according to IBT

 

Josh Taekman - husband of a Real Housewives star - was also on the cheating site 

Josh Taekman is best known for being the spouse of Real Housewives of New York star Kristen Taekman. 

When the list of names was leaked, Josh - who has been married to Kristen since 2005 - was among the A-listers on it. 

At the time, fans were convinced their marriage was going to crumble under the cheating scandal. 

However, the lovebirds remained together, with Josh releasing a statement about his infidelity a short time later. 

He said: 'I signed up for the site foolishly and ignorantly with a group of friends and I deeply apologize for any embarrassment of pain I have brought to my wife and family. We both look forward to moving past this and getting on with our lives.' 

 

Rumors also engulfed Hunter Biden and Snooki's husband Jionni LaValle

There have also been previous reports that both Hunter Biden and Snooki's husband Jionni LaValle were also named in the leak. 

However, both parties have adamantly denied this claim throughout the years. 

Ashley Madison did not verify any user's email - meaning a fake account could be created. 

Snooki denied that her husband had ever used the site. She noted that it 'couldn't be any further from the truth.' 

Hunter also vehemently denied that the person behind the account was him. 

He said: 'I am certain that the account in question is not mine. This account was clearly set up by someone else without my knowledge and I first learned about the account in question from the media.' 

The Netflix docuseries - which features employees and former users - was released on May 15.

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2024-05-16T11:21:37Z dg43tfdfdgfd