List of -gate scandals and controversies

The suffix -gate derives from the Watergate scandal of the United States in the early 1970s, which resulted in the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon. The word "Watergate" is derived from the Watergate Complex, where the scandal started. On June 17, 1972, agents of the Nixon White House and the Nixon reelection campaign were arrested while breaking into the office of the Democratic National Committee, which at the time was located in the Watergate Complex (a combination of residences and offices located near the Potomac River) in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the next two years, the scandal grew from what initially appeared to be a relatively small and inconsequential event to become one of the biggest political controversies in U.S. history.

Since the Watergate scandal, the media has on occasion refers to social or political scandals by adding the suffix "-gate" to one of the key words used to describe the scandal. This new label has sometimes stuck but often a new name is used. The process is known as -gate construction.

The first such naming after "Watergate" was the French "Winegate". 'Wine' being similar to 'water' in composition, it was an easy pun to make. But this set a structural precedent in time for "Koreagate".

Widely recognized scandals with a -gate suffix

• Baftagate — Controversy surrounding votes at the 1991 BAFTA television awards.
• Bandargate — a political scandal in Bahrain surrounding attempts by government officials to rig the parliamentary elections and politically marginalize the Shia population.
• Billygate — U.S. President Jimmy Carter's brother, Billy Carter, legally represented the Libyan government as a foreign agent.
• Bingogate - Bingogate was a scandal that occurred during the administration of former Premier of British Columbia Michael Harcourt, involving the skimming of charity funds for use by the ruling NDP.
• Bertiegate -- Controversy surrounding Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach of Ireland, receiving money from a speaking engagement while Minister for Finance.
• Camillagate — tape of a telephone conversation between Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles
• Cheriegate — concerning Cherie Blair's association with Carole Caplin, and through her to the convicted fraudster Peter Foster.
• Chinagate (also "Campaign finance scandal") — China allegedly attempted to funnel campaign funds to the Democratic Party of the United States during the 1996 elections.
• Closetgate — The Los Angeles Times coined this term in reference to the controversy that erupted following the broadcast of the South Park episode, Trapped in the Closet, a satirical attack on the Church of Scientology and some of its famous adherents, such as Tom Cruise.
• Coingate — the mishandling of Ohio government funds entrusted to Republican operatives, involving rare coin funds
• Colegate - Ashley Cole had an inappropriate and illegal meeting with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon in January 2005.
• Contragate see Irangate
• Dianagate see Squidgygate
• Fajitagate — In November 2002, three off-duty San Francisco police officers allegedly assaulted two civilians over a bag of steak fajitas (which were mistaken as drugs), leading to the arrest of the Chief of Police.
• Filegate — The illegal possession and scrutiny of 300-900 FBI files by the Clinton Administration without the file's subject's permission.
• Grannygate — a scandal in rugby league involving New Zealand players and their family history. The term was most recently invoked in the 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations series, where New Zealand was penalised for fielding former Queensland hooker Nathan Fien.
• Hookergate — The US Cunningham Scandal in which defense contractors paid bribes to members of Congress and officials in the US Defense Department, in return for political favors in the form of federal contracts.
• Irangate or Contragate (usually referred to as the Iran-Contra Affair) — The Reagan Administration sold weapons to Iran and diverted the proceeds to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
• Iraqgate — A Finnish scandal involving the leaking of secret documents to Anneli Jäätteenmäki, which helped bring down Paavo Lipponen's government. Later, it also brought down Jäätteenmäki’s government.
• Katrinagate (also "FEMAgate") — used by people who disapproved of government response to Hurricane Katrina.
• Kazakhgate — scandal surrounding James Giffen, an American businessman and former advisor of Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan, who paid $78 million in bribes to high-level Kazakhstani officials to secure the oil contracts for Western companies in the 1990s.
• Kobegate — Accusations of rape in a Colorado hotel against Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant that almost ruined his pro-basketball career.
• Marthagate — The 2002 investigation of television and magazine celebrity Martha Stewart for alleged insider trading, after selling 3,928 shares of ImClone Systems on December 27, 2001.
• Memogate, see Rathergate
• Monicagate, Lewinskygate, Tailgate, or Sexgate ("Zippergate", "the Lewinsky scandal") — named after Monica Lewinsky who had an "inappropriate relationship" with the then-US President Bill Clinton.
• Muldergate — South African political scandal of the late 1970s in which funds were clandestinely diverted by defence minister Connie Mulder for overseas propaganda in support of the apartheid regime. The scandal brought about the downfall of BJ Vorster.
• NAFTAgate [1]- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Chief of Staff Ian Brodie reveals to the media a document leak revealing that the Canadian government should not worry about U.S. Presidential candidate Barack Obama's anti-NAFTA rhetoric.
• Nipplegate — Justin Timberlake reveals Janet Jackson's nipple during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII.
• Paragate — several Colombian congressmen and other politicians indicted for suspicions of colluding with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and other paramilitary groups involved in Colombia's forty-year armed conflict
• Peppergate - pepper-spraying of peace demonstrators by the RCMP during an APEC summit in Vancouver in November 1997.
• Pizzagate - an incident involving a slice of pizza which was thrown by an Arsenal player at Sir Alex Ferguson [2]
• Plamegate (also "Leakgate", "CIA leak scandal", "Plame affair") — the revealing, by Robert Novak, of the name of Valerie Plame. Lewis Libby allegedly leaked to the media the identity of a covert CIA agent who worked on WMDs, in retaliation for her husband, Joseph C. Wilson, criticizing George W. Bush's justification for the invasion of Iraq.
• Rathergate (also "Memogate") — Faxed copies of forged memos, that were presented on 60 Minutes in 2004, claimed President George W. Bush was derelict in his duty in the Texas Air National Guard in 1972.
• Reutersgate — The controversy over Reuters photographer Adnan Hajj manipulating news photos with Photoshop.
• Rinkagate — A 1976 scandal in which Jeremy Thorpe, leader of the UK Liberal Party, lost his position and his seat in Parliament after being accused of involvement in an unsuccessful attempt to murder an alleged former gay lover. Thorpe was eventually acquitted, but the scandal and an unrelated personal illness ended his career. "Rinka" refers to a Great Dane that was killed in the attack.
• Shawinigate — A 1999 Canadian scandal involving then-Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's profiting from real estate deals in his home riding of Shawinigan, Quebec
• Skittlegate A student in New Haven, Connecticut was suspended for buying a bag of Skittles candy.
• Sirengate — a 2006 controversy in the Australian rules football match at Aurora Stadium where the final siren was not heard by an umpire, leading to an investigation and a reversal of result.
• Skategate — An international sports scandal involving figure skating judging at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
• Spygate -- 2007 National Football League scandal in which the New England Patriots were caught illegally videotaping signals in a September game against the New York Jets. Also known as Cameragate.
• Squidgygate/Dianagate — tape of a telephone conversation between Diana, Princess of Wales and a male friend.
• Stepneygate -- Allegations of espionage in Formula 1 racing carried out by members of the McLaren team.
  • Also sometimes known as Spygate (not to be confused with the NFL scandal of the same name)
• Stormontgate — a British spy reveals himself to be spying on Sinn Féin.
• Toiletgate -- The allegations by Veslin Topalov, the challenger of Chess World Championship that Vladimir Kramink (reigning champion at that time) was using internet connection and computer analysis while visiting toilet frequently during their 2006 match in Elista, Kalmykia.
• Travelgate — the 1993 firings of White House Travel Office employees at the start of the Clinton administration.
• Troopergate — the allegations by two Arkansas state troopers that they arranged sexual liaisons for then-governor Bill Clinton.
• Tunagate - a 1985 political scandal in Canada involving large quantities of possibly spoiled tuna which were sold to the public.
• Wheatgate — Scandal involving AWB Limited payments to the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein that were in contravention of the United Nations Oil-for-Food programme
• Whitewatergate,, better known as the Whitewater controversy.