ONLOOKERS have claimed that a courtroom sketch artist held a grudge against the Trump family after the drawings caused controversy — a seemingly common trend among several celebrity depictions over the years.
On Wednesday, Ivanka Trump appeared at the legal proceedings to testify in the 45th president’s civil fraud trial.
ReutersCourt sketches of Ivanka Trump from a Wednesday court hearing have sparked controversy online similar to those of other known celebs in the past[/caption]
Her actions come as part of the $250million lawsuit that accuses her father, former President Donald Trump, and 18 other co-defendants of committing fraud by inflating assets on financial documents with the alleged goal of better terms on insurance policies, per ABC News.
Ivanka quickly became of particular focus after court sketches were released from Wednesday’s hearing.
The drawings showed her being quizzed by lawyers with a pensive expression as her long blonde hair flowed down over her blue blazer
Viewers quickly took to social media to argue the sketch was an unflattering representation of the former president’s daughter.
“Someone else who’s insanely jealous of Ivanka Trump and her breathtaking beauty must have drawn this court sketch,” one person said.
Another added: “Damn what did Ivanka Trump do to that court sketch artist cause this feels like a grudge.”
“Ivanka Trump in a court sketch from her testimony today: Some artists have not taken too kindly to defendants and witnesses in recent times. This is one of the better portrayals,” a third wrote.
Other renderings of former President Trump, Donald Jr., and Eric could also be seen from previous hearings on November 1, 2, and 3, per Reuters.
They appeared to be drawn similarly to Ivanka’s November 8 depiction, seemingly by the same artist.
The artist was confirmed this week to be Elizabeth Williams, who spoke out after criticisms from former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who dubbed the sketches a “travesty” and said the former president’s in particular “looks nothing like Trump,” per Newsweek.
Williams told the publication that she is “getting used” to blowback over sketches.
“This dumping on court artists has now become part of our business,” she said.
Despite the controversy, Ivanka and the Trump family aren’t the only celebrities to have had mixed responses from onlookers over sketch artists’ depiction of them at court hearings over the years.
The U.S. Sun has gathered a comprehensive list of at least six other public figures and pop culture icons who have had sketches of their time in court that some fans later deemed similarly unflattering.
THE KARDASHIANS
APKhloe Kardashian, from left, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Kris Jenner were drawn in a Los Angeles court in April 2022[/caption]
While defending themselves in a $108 million defamation lawsuit in April 2022 brought about by model and television personality Blac Chyna, the Kardashians appeared at a court hearing and were rendered in a sketch, per Daily Mail.
Kim, Kyle, Khloe, and Kris were pictured side-by-side as the proceedings took place in the image, with Kris seemingly wearing a mask.
The sketch went viral online, with several users bashing the depiction — some going as far as to say they “hated” the drawing and felt the famous family looked “deformed.”
Artist Mona Shafer Edwards defended her work to the outlet, noting the nature of her job is more complex than viewers often give credit to.
TAYLOR SWIFT
AP:Associated PressTaylor Swift appeared in a Colorado court in 2017 amid a countersuit against former DJ David Mueller[/caption]
Pop music icon Taylor Swift also seemingly fell victim to a controversial court sketch during a one-week trial in 2017 where she counter-sued David Mueller, a former Denver DJ who accused Swift of false accusations that he groped her at a photo shoot, per Page Six.
The judge ruled in favor of Swift, and Mueller allegedly sent out a $1 Sacagawea coin to the legendary singer-songwriter as payment.
Swift was drawn in court with her blonde hair and bangs with a black, multi-colored polo.
Colorado artist Jeff Kandyba defended his drawings to local Fox affiliate KDVR.
“A person like Taylor Swift, who is very pretty — has perfectly proportioned dimensions on the face — is actually much harder [to sketch],” he told the station in defense of his work despite criticism online.
“It’s hard. Some people are just much easier to draw than others.”
RIHANNA
SplashOther celebrities like Rihanna have also been depicted in a light that some felt was inaccurate at court proceedings over the years (circa 2009)[/caption]
Like Swift, Rihanna also fell victim to a controversial sketch representation during a court hearing in 2009 where her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting her, per The Guardian.
The controversial drawing (shown at the top of the page) saw the music superstar sporting short hair at the time with sunglasses, a pearl necklace, and a black dress.
Users on a Reddit thread discussing controversial celebrity drawings criticized the “long neck” given to Rihanna.
It’s unclear who the artist was behind the depiction and if they ever spoke out to defend their work after supposed criticisms.
PARIS HILTON
APParis Hilton was drawn in a court hearing in May 2007 after violating probation placed on her driver’s license[/caption]
It’s also unlikely that businesswoman and media personality Paris Hilton was happy with the court sketch of her in 2007 when she appeared for violating her probation, Reuters reported.
In May of that year, a judge ruled that Hilton spend 45 days in jail for knowingly driving without a valid license after a traffic offense from a previous instance.
Hilton was depicted with features that caused controversy online, with some on the same Reddit thread noting that she appeared to look like someone else entirely.
“I thought the Paris Hilton one was Jenna Jameson,” a user wrote.
DOLLY PARTON
A sketch of Dolly Parton in court over a copyright lawsuit (circa 1985)Rex
Another who was unable to escape the sketch controversy was famed singer-songwriter and actress Dolly Parton.
Parton was drawn at a court hearing in 1985 over a copyright lawsuit, according to images shown by Daily Mail.
The famed celeb’s hair appeared to take on a different shape in the drawing than it did in photographs captured from the time around the proceedings.
It’s unclear who the artist was, but it’s likely the drawings didn’t earn praise from Parton.
ELON MUSK
ReutersElon Musk drawn at a court hearing in 2019 after he was accused of defaming British spelunker Vernon Unsworth on X, formerly Twitter[/caption]
Tech mogul Elon Musk also received a controversial depiction through a court sketch in December 2019.
Musk was sued for the alleged defamation of British spelunker Vernon Unsworth, who was known for his actions in the rescue attempt of a soccer coach and 12 boys from a flooded Thailand cave in 2018, per Daily Mail.
A judge ruled that Musk did not defame the spelunker, but he did not leave the situation with what some might consider a flattering sketch.
Musk could be seen wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt, frowning, and looking off into the distance.
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