Once they start giving TED talks and such, they are not researchers anymore. They are highly-educated influencers who want to stay in the limelight. And this brings its own set of bad incentives, staying "prolific" and eventually dishonesty being some of them. In the same field, see what is happening with Jordan Peterson.
In my experience most/all academics crave a certain type of attention. It is an occupation where you get promoted in part by how famous you are (how many citations your publications have, which conferences you attended, etc.).
