PHOTOS: 2016's most controversial figures

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PHOTOS: 2016's most controversial figures

In no particular order, here are some of 2016's most controversial figures.

While in Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ryan Lochte claimed he and fellow US swim teammates were robbed at gunpoint by men claiming to be police, but later said he "over-exaggerated" the story. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Cirque du Soleil)

San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick drew criticism and applause for sitting during the National Anthem at NFL preseason games. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

Stacey Dash made a number of polarizing comments, including one in which she said that trans people should "go to the bushes" for the restroom. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was mostly surrounded by controversy once emails began to surface. Leaks plagued her campaign, including emails sent from a private server while she was working as Secretary of State. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Kanye West made a number of controversial remarks this year, but during one Saint Pablo Tour stop, he claimed Beyonce would not perform at the MTV VMAs unless she won Video of the Year, and that although he did not vote in the election, he would have voted for Donald Trump. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Donald Trump didn't run for office without controversy, including his feud with Fox News' Megyn Kelly, a leak of audio before a 2005 "Access Hollywood" interview that Trump later called "locker room banter," and multiple accusations of sexual assault. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Harambe alone isn't necessarily controversial, but the May 28 incident in which a 3-year-old boy got into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla enclosure that lead to the gorilla being shot and killed plagued the park. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)

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While in Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ryan Lochte claimed he and fellow US swim teammates were robbed at gunpoint by men claiming to be police, but later said he "over-exaggerated" the story. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Cirque du Soleil)

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