Family firms often adopt brand strategies based on their family status to convey messages of ethics and integrity to their external stakeholders. Research has highlighted the positive influence that family-based brands exert on corporate reputation and related organizational outcomes, yet they may become a liability in circumstances of scandals. In this study, we disentangle the complex landscape of scandals in family firms by conceptually developing a typology corroborated with illustrative cases. Moreover, we explore the consequential effects of scandals on family-based brands and possible redressive strategies implemented in the aftermath of scandals outbreaks. While previous work has mainly seen family-based branding as an edge, our study examines its drawbacks under circumstances of scandals and offers a springboard to further develop this line of inquiry.