Diane Keaton, Hulk Hogan and Kobe Bryant illuminate complex legacies
Diane Keaton’s The unexpected death on October 11, 2025, at the age of 79, led to an outpouring of grief and celebration for a woman whose work touched countless lives. Keaton has starred in beloved films such as Annie Hall, The First Women’s Club And Something has to give – the kind of films that many grow up with and enjoy re-watching when they’re in the right mood.
But in the days that followed, her death also led to more serious conversations about the parts of the late actress’ life that weren’t as universally loved, like her longtime friendship and the support of her former boyfriend. Woody Allen. The director, who married his ex-girlfriend By Mia Farrow daughter Soon Yi Previn was also accused of sexually abusing his daughter in December 1997 Dylan Farrowwhom he adopted together with Mia.
While Keaton, who adopted her own daughter and son in her 50s and who famously defended her decision to remain single for most of her adulthood, was celebrated for her feminist views and unconventional choices, many struggled to reconcile their perception — or perhaps projection — of who they believed she was with who she really could have been.
That reaction is not unique to Keaton’s deathDr. Wilsa Charles Malveaux told We weekly over a phone call, and it’s also a deeply human response based on “not just the movies and the roles” that a celebrity like Keaton portrays, “but even what they show people.”
Because it’s easy to form parasocial relationships with the actors, artists, musicians and athletes that so many of us admire, it’s sometimes harder to remember that public figures so often live double lives: “You have the person, the fuller, actual human being – the other half of the reality of who they are – that we don’t normally get access to,” Malveaux also said. “I think people get caught up in admiring and in some cases even idolizing the persona and forgetting that it’s still a person. And no one is all good or all bad. We all have flaws.”
This dynamic was visible after the death of Hulk Hoganwho died on July 24, 2025 at the age of 71, and NBA star Kobe Bryantwho died on January 26, 2020 at the age of 41. Both men were largely celebrated in the immediate aftermath of their deaths but, like Keaton, inspired larger conversations about their complicated histories in the days and weeks that followed.
(Hogan used a racial slur to describe his daughter’s ex-boyfriend in 2007, saying in the same conversation, “I’m a racist to some extent.” He later apologized for using the term. Bryant was charged with sexual assault in July 2003; the criminal case was dismissed the following year.)
Perhaps one of the most confusing realities that many fans go through after the death of a person with a complicated legacy is that there are often other famous people – who are also usually deeply admired by the public – who come out to defend the recently deceased. It can cause a person to question their own perceptions and beliefs.
“In the case of Diane Keaton supporting Woody Allen, we know what was said about him by his daughter and by his ex-partner,” Malveaux said. “And there certainly needs to be a push to believe sexual assault survivors. We don’t know what his relationship with Diane Keaton was, but it wasn’t just some random co-worker who supported them.”
She continued: “There are also people and other celebrities who believed him when he said he was innocent and that he didn’t do it. We kind of judge things in the court of public opinion and base it on the information we get through the media, social media and the press – but that’s not the whole picture, so it’s very difficult for us to know [how to feel].”
According to Malveaux, this is the point where cognitive dissonance plays a major role in what someone decides next. “So basically you have two conflicting ideas: you believe that this person is a good person and that he or she fits your moral values - but then you find out that they are connected to a heinous crime. Those two things don’t sit well in your brain and they cause you discomfort.”
Diane Keaton and Woody Allen
Getty ImagesThe result is usually one of three things, she added. Someone will adapt his beliefs to the new reality as he now understands it, or he will decide ‘that he no longer thinks this is a good person’. With this solution, “those two things are no longer in conflict.”
Some people will also choose to “ignore the part of the idea that is problematic for them. For example, they will simply not pay attention to the accusations, or they will avoid situations that might highlight where these two things come into conflict.”
This pattern of behavior is especially relevant when we consider the lives and legacies of Keaton, Hogan, and Bryant. For many, Keaton will never stop being an incredible actress and model for women, despite her support for a man who allegedly harmed a woman. Hogan will also be a wrestler who inspired others, including black wrestlers like Kazeem Famuyide – to play the sport, despite the racism he admitted. And Bryant, father of four daughters and coach of many young girls in his later years, will also always be the man accused of sexual assault.
Ultimately, this is where the age-old question comes into play: is it possible to separate the art from the artist? Personally, I have two Harry Potterthemed tattoos that I got in 2012 and 2015 respectively – years before the author JK Rowling first made her anti-trans comments. I consider myself a strong ally to the LGBTQ+ community and have often wondered if I should adapt the tattoos in a meaningful way. But they are still there, because there is a part of me – the part that was first noticed Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1999 and was introduced to a world that carried me through years of challenges and triumphs – one that still loves the series and everything it brought to my life.
Perhaps one way to soften the competing sides of this conversation is to understand that when we celebrate a celebrity, we’re not really celebrating that whole person. “We have to recognize how much we put on the public image and persona” that someone projects, Malveaux told me Us. “We have to recognize that even though we may fall in love with the persona, they are still a person, and we can’t be surprised if something comes up that doesn’t align with our values.”
Most importantly, she also said, “We have to recognize that [in any situation] we don’t have all the information. No matter how much information we have, we don’t have everything.”
Woody Allen is speaking out following the death of Annie Hall costar Diane Keaton. “It’s grammatically incorrect to say ‘most unique,’ but all grammatical rules, and I guess everything else, are suspended when it comes to Diane Keaton. Unlike anyone who has lived to see the planet or will probably never see it again, her face and smile […]
Ultimately, it is up to each of us to align our personal values with the ways we consume pop culture and who we individually look up to, celebrate, and admire. For me, that meant not dealing directly with Bryant’s legacy, but enjoying talking to some of the now young women he worked with; it also means that i probably have my Harry Potter tattoos and will definitely still watch the occasional Diane Keaton movie (I’ve never been a wrestling fan and have no interest in becoming one). That’s something I can live with for now – and it’s something that I, and all of us, can always change in the future if we decide to do so.
