Sometimes celebrities make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes cost them their careers. Be it unnecessary plastic surgery, a general descent into a drug fueled madness or just bad luck, celebrity status doesn’t always get you off scot-free.
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Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen starred in numerous blockbuster movies and TV shows such as Red Dawn, Platoon, The Rookie and Two and a Half Men, a show that made him the highest paid actor on TV. However, to Hollywood insiders, Sheen is notorious for being one of the most difficult actors to work with. Problems with alcohol and drugs resulted to erratic behavior that have been captured by cameras during the course of his career, the most publicized of which was his meltdown after he was dismissed from TAHM in 2011.
The next one is great too!
Vince Offer
You may not know Vince Offer’s name, but chances are you would if he was referred to as the Shamwow guy. Offer is an infomercial spokesperson that is best known for his pitching of the infamous Shamwow. However, an unfortunate altercation with a hooker in 2009 but Offer’s career on hiatus for a bit. Later it was determine that Offer had assaulted the prostitute because she had bitten his tongue during sex and refused to let go. Offer was not charged for assaulting the 26-year-old woman, but his career took a hit as a result of his arrest.
The next one for our Canadian fans!
Jian Ghomeshi
Jian Ghomeshi is a Canadian musician, writer, and a member of the band Moxy Fruvous. Ghomeshi also enjoyed a successful career as a radio broadcaster on CBC shows Newsworld and the Q. In late 2014, Ghomeshi was taken off the radio when he was charged with sexual assault. After his initial arrest, the broadcaster was also charged with choking in order to restrain. The charges came from multiple women and if found guilty could lead to a very long prison sentence for Ghomeshi.
We feel a bit bad about the next one…
Ashlee Simpson
Ashee Simpson, the younger sister of Jessica Simpson also went after a singing and acting career in the early 2000’s. She played minor roles in TV, most notably in family drama 7th Heaven before snagging her own reality TV series, the Ashlee Simpson Show. Simpson came out with three albums in the course of her singing career, but it was her debut single that put her on the map, for good and bad reasons. Pieces of Me was a top 5 hit and was listed in the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 charts. However, it was also the same song which became the source of one of the biggest lip-syncing flops in TV history. Ashlee was set to perform on Saturday Night Live and just seconds before she was about to sing, her own voice came out, obviously out of sync, to the chagrin of everyone in the crowd. Simpson managed to finish the entire performance, doing an awkward jig the whole time before dancing off the stage, but her SNL screw-up snowballed into one of the most memorable lip-syncing disaster on TV.
OOOOOOOPS!
Michael Richards
Michael Richards shot to stardom as Cosmo Kramer in Seinfeld, for which he won more Emmys than any other cast member on the show. However, during a 2006 stand up performance Richard’s uttered expletives and used the N-word against members of the audience. A video of the incident got out which offended the black community. Richards apologized, going on to several shows to explain his side but Richard’s himself admitted that the incident played a big part in his withdrawal from stand up comedy.
NSFW!!
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanili was the 90s RnB team of Rob & Fab that shot to stardom with their debut album Girl You Know Its True, for which the pair won a Grammy in 1990. However, the award was withdrawn after the group admitted that singers Morvan and Pilatus did not sing the lead vocals. This created intense media backlash and lawsuits against the two singers and Arista records. Rob and Fab never regained their former popularity, despite efforts to come out with a new album which had them as the lead performers on vocals.
Isaiah Washington
Isaiah Washington is best known for his role of Dr. Burke on the fan favorite Grey’s Anatomy. It was an incident behind the scenes of Grey’s Anatomy that earned Washington a trip to the Hollywood blacklist. In October 2006, the veteran actor was overheard calling a co-worker, T.R. Knight, a homosexual slur. Later, Washington denied and eventually apologized for his harsh words. However, his apology seemed insincere when he made jokes about the incident on the red carpet of the Golden Globes in June 2007. Despite going to counseling to address the issue, Washington was let go from Grey’s Anatomy later that month.
Lance Armstrong
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong faced doping allegations all throughout his career and seemed impervious to scandals until 2010 when these allegations were made the subject of inquiry by federal prosecutors. Armstrong initially maintained his innocence. In 2012, the United States Anti-Doping Agencyconcluded, based on its investigations that Armstrong took advantage of performance enhancing substance over the course of his cycling career. This resulted to a lifetime ban on sports overseen by the World Anti-Doping agency. Armstrong was also stripped of his wins after 1998. This decision was upheld by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Armstrong partially admitted to the truth of the allegations in 2013 but never fully revealed the extent of his drug use.
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson, undoubtedly one of the most well-respected and versatile actors in world today, is also among the most hated. Notable for films such as the Lethal Weapon franchise to The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto, Gibson faced public scrutiny following several incidents involving anti-Semitic comments while he was being arrested for drunk driving, as well as making threatening comments against ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, following the latter’s allegations of physical abuse. Aside from these, Gibson has, throughout the course of his career, been recorded making offensive comments against gays and blacks.
NSFW
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods enjoyed a squeaky clean celebrity persona as one of the best golfers of his generation but this came to a grinding halt when news of his infidelities broke. Woods held the world number 1 position for the most consecutive weeks for any golfer and was the PGA Player of the Year for a record eleven times. However, his career took a nasty nosedive following allegations of infidelity which were fueled by a vehicular accident that occurred near his home and the release of a voicemail allegedly left by Woods for a mistress. During the next few days, more women claiming illicit affairs with the golf star came forward. Woods made public statements admitting to his infidelities and requesting for privacy for him and his family. Woods lost his major sponsors as a result of the scandal and his performance on the course suffered as well. He and ex-wife Nordegren divorced in 2010.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan shot to stardom as an 11-year old in Disney’s The Parent Trap, and went on to star in other films such as Mean Girls and Freaky Friday. She also enjoyed a successful singing career and performed the songs for several of her movies. However, addiction to drugs and alcohol resulted to several run-ins with the law and numerous stints in rehab. Lohan was also notoriously hard to work with and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage due to delays in shooting whenever she turned up late or did not show up at all. Movie offers dwindled, and reception to her 2014 West End debut was lukewarm.
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes starred in the popular Nickelodeon series All That and The Amanda Show before moving to the big screen with such movies as What a Girl Wants, She’s the Man and Hairspray. However, alcohol and drug use led to DUI violations and hit and run incidents. She was also arrested for drug possession in 2013. This was followed by more erratic behavior that lead to the filing of conservatorship by her parents in 2013. Bynes announced her retirement from acting in 2012.
We liked her pre surgery
OJ Simpson
OJ Simpson was an NFL Hall of Famer and actor who won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 before playing professional football. He was set to become a famous movie star when news of his wife’s murder broke in 1994. After failing to turn himself in for questioning, Simpson became involved in a low speed car chase with the police, which became one of the most publicized police car chases in history. While he was acquitted of criminal charges, he was found civilly liable for the wrongful stabbing deaths of his wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson’s career took a hit following the trial and in the following years he became embroiled in other legal troubles including tax evasion, allegations of drug trafficking and piracy of broadcast signals. In 2007, he was charged with armed robbery and kidnapping among other felonies and found guilty in 2008. He is currently serving sentence in Nevada.
Oscar Pistorious
Olympic track and field star Oscar Pistorious, known as Blade Runner, become the first double leg amputee at the 2012 Summer Olympics where he won gold and silver in the 400 metre and 200 metre relays respectively. A year later, Pistorious was battling criminal allegations of having shot and killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorious maintained his innocence, claiming that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder hiding in the bathroom of his Pretoria home. He was convicted of culpable homicide in 2013. He was scheduled to be released to house arrest in 2015 for good behavior. However, Pistorious is barred from returning to the sport until he finishes the entire 5 years of his sentence.
Jenny Mccarthy
Jenny Mccarthy has enjoyed bomb bombshell status for most of her career but the former Playboy Playmate and MTV star is perhaps most known for her anti-vaccination stance. Mccarthy is one of the most vocal celebrities involved in the vaccination-autism debate primarily because her son has autism. Many critics point to her views as one of the driving forces of misinformation about vaccination that could be contributing to a rise in vaccine-preventable disease in children today, particularly because her claims that vaccines cause autism have no scientific backing and because the studies of Andrew Wakefield, on which she bases her claims, have been shown to have been founded on fraudulent and manipulated data.
Bill Cosby
It seemed like Bill Cosby would go down in history as one of the most popular TV personalities of all time, with iconic shows such as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, The Cosby Show and Kids Say the Darndest Things. However, his carefully crafted image of a fatherly figure who was the go-to guy for sensible advice started to unravel in 2015, when at least 54 women, including model Janet Dickinson, came forward accusing Cosby of rape, sexual assault or misconduct and battery in incidents dating back the the 1960s. Although many of the allegations fall outside of the statute of limitations and Cosby has consistently denied the truthfulness of the allegations, the scandal caused many organizations formerly affiliated to the comedian to sever ties. Many of his honorary awards and degrees have also been revoked.
Katherine Heigl
There was a time when it seemed like Katherine Heigl was starring in every movie being shown. Following her success in Gray’s Anatomy, Hiegl went to star in a number of rom-coms such as 27 Dresses and Knocked Up. Heigl’s star began to fizzle following reports of unprofessionalism, outrageous wardrobe demands, and rude, diva-like behavior.Popular complaints against the actress include questioning scripts, refusing to leave her trailer. and slamming the writers of Gray’s Anatomy for changing the story of her character and poor writing that, according to her, was not deserving of an Emmy nomination. It seems like her haters are having the last laugh, since Heigl’ now has a reputation as an actress that the rest of Hollywood does not want to work with.
Sinead O’ Connor
Sinead O’ Connor popularized the hit song Nothing Compares 2U and enjoyed a successful music career in the 80s. However, a 1992 performance in Saturday Night Live, where, in front of a live, national audience, she tore a photo of the Pope while singing the word ‘evil’ alienated fans and significantly reduced her popularity. The network suffered a huge backlash following the incident and SNL issued a formal apology.
Paula Deen
Chef Paula Deen was the star of her own cooking show and was everybody’s loving white-haired grandma until a video of her making racist comments went viral. The controversy resulted to the Deen being scrapped from the Food Network and the loss of major endorsements such as Target and Wal-Mart. Deen later went on an interview with Matt Lauer, where she admitted to having used racial slurs. During the interview, Deen questioned the appropriateness of her termination from the network, a move that caused many to question her sincerity. Deen has never regained her popularity and all her endorsements are gone, despite the support of a few fans and smaller companies that are still loyal to her.
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are a popular country band behind hit songs There’s Your Trouble and Wide Open Spaces. The band fell in hot water, however, over a statement made during a London concert where the lead vocalist expressed their opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and that they were “ashamed that President of the United States is from Texas.” This caused a boycott by US fans,caused album sales and song ratings to drop, and resulted to corporate blacklisting.
Roseanne
Iconic 90’s sitcom star Roseanne is an actress, comedian, director and producer who starred in on of the most watched TV shows in American TV history. She won an Emmy and a Golden Globe, among other awards for her performance in Roseanne before moving on to host her own TV show. In 1990, she sang the national anthem in a baseball game at the Jack Murphy stadium, where she sang so loudly that the audience thought the performance was screechy. Afterward, she mimicked spitting and grabbing at her crotch. Her performance offended many who watched and even President George Bush Sr. weighed in, calling it ‘disgraceful.’
Ray Rice
Football running back Ray Rice seemed on the cusp of football stardom until allegations of domestic abuse surfaced in the media. He was charged with 3rd degree aggravated assault for punching his then-fiancee which left her unconscious. He was released from his contract with the Ravens following the incident. Rice successfully appealed for his reinstatement. His claim for back pay against the Ravens was also settled. Rice remains a free agent.
Jennifer Grey
Jennifer Grey shot to stardom with Dirty Dancing but a 1987 nosejob left her so unrecognizable and limited movie offers, primarily because her old nose gave her a distinctive look that made her desirable for movie roles. Grey herself commented that after the surgery, it felt like she went in a celebrity and came out completely anonymous. She appeared in a few TV movies and appeared in mainstream TV again when she joined Dancing with the Stars, eventually winning the competition with partner Derek Hough in 2010.
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson is a singer/songwriter and the youngest sibling in the Jackson family. The R&B artist is best-known for her seductive albums and elaborate stage shows. Unfortunately, it was Jackson’s elaborate 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that destroyed her career. During the halftime show, special guest Justin Timberlake sang the line “I’m going to have you naked by the end of this song.” As Timberlake, ripped open Jackson’s costume, for dramatic effect, the singer’s right breast was exposed to 40 million viewers on live television. Jackson and Timberlake both apologized for the “wardrobe malfunction.” Timberlake was immediately forgiven for his part, but Jackson wasn’t as lucky. She was uninvited from the 46th Grammy Awards, lost her role in an upcoming biographical film as Lena Horne, and received no support for her 8th studio album Damita.
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress and Golden Globe winner. She is best known for her roles as Lydia Dietz in the 1988 film Beetlejuice and later that year as her role in the cult classic Heathers. Once one of the most profitable actresses during the 1990s, Ryder became shunned by the industry after a 2001 arrest for shoplifting from Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue. Later it came out; Ryder was heavily medicated with strong painkillers during the incident. Eventually, she was charged with grand theft and ordered to attend psychiatric and drug counseling. Ryder’s career suffered substantially after the incident because directors could not obtain insurance to cover her.
Michael Barrymore
Michael Barrymore is an openly gay TV presenter and English comedian. The British funnyman’s career was put on hiatus when a man was found dead floating in his pool on July 3, 2007. During the investigation of the man’s death, Stuart Lulbock, it became apparent that the hours leading up to the man’s death included drug use and apparent sexual assault. Investigators determined Lulbock had not drowned in the pool but instead died of heart failure or shock. It is believed the shock or heart failure was caused by an earlier sexual assault. Barrymore was arrested on drug charges stemming from the incident, and his ex-partner and dustman were both arrested on suspicion of Lulbock’s murder but never charged.
Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone is an American comedian, interviewer, and commentator. During the 1990s, the comedian was the foster parent of eight children. In 2001, the comedian was arrested for child endangerment. The charged stemmed from the fact that Poundstone was drinking and driving while she had four of her foster children in the car with her at the time of her arrest. In 2001, the foster mother was also accused of sexual molestation of two girls under 14 years of age. The formerly beloved comedian fell from grace after her arrests and eventually reached a plea bargain with prosecution. She was also ordered to serve probation, community service, and alcohol treatment.
Jesse James
Jesse James is best known as an American TV personality specializing in custom motorcycle builds and the man who broke the heart of America’s sweetheart Sandra Bullock. James and Bullock were involved in a media scandal in March 2010 when news of James’ multiple illicit affairs was leaked to the public. The affairs had taken place during Bullock and James’ marriage. About a month later, Sandra Bullock filed for divorce from the bad boy, reality TV star. Shortly after, James’ once bountiful career came crashing down around him too.
Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman)
Paul Reubens is best known for his comedic, fictional character Pee-Wee Herman. Herman was a beloved comedian who created the show Pee-Wee’s Playhouse in 1985. The show appealed to children and parents alike. Unfortunately for Reubens, a 1991 arrest for masturbating in an adult theater made him the subject of public ridicule. After his arrest, in Sarasota, Florida, Reuben’s show was canceled, his upcoming tour was squashed, and all Pee-Wee Herman toys and related merchandise were removed from Toys ‘R Us stores. For years after the incident, Reubens was unwilling to give public interviews or appear on television.
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris is an Australian entertainer and the recipient of many honors in his country. When the artist was arrested in March 2013 during Operation Yewtree, he was charged with historical sex crimes including the assault of girls ages 14 to 16. The crimes were said to have taken place during the 1980s. On June 19, 2014, Harris was convicted of all crimes and sentenced to prison. As a result of his arrest and conviction, Harris’ reputation was ruined and the majority of the honors and accolades he had achieved during his lifetime were taken away from him.
Ian Watkins
Ian Watkins was the Welsh singer of the rock band Lostprophets. The popular band disbanded in 2013 after its lead singer was arrested for sex offenses in late 2012. The charges against the rocker included 13 charges of attempted rape and sexual assault of children under the age of 16. Investigators believed the charges involved infant children of two fans. The children’s parents were also charged with crimes. Watkins was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 29 years in prison.
Jeffrey Jones
Jeffrey Jones is best remembered as the quirky principal in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The comedic actor also played dad to Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice. Despite a successful career as an actor, Jones is no longer sought after because of his 2003 arrest for owning child pornography. During the criminal investigation, it was determined Jones solicited a 14-year-old boy for nude pictures. After a result of his charges, Jones was ordered to register as a pedophile and sex offender. Jones was again arrested in 2010, twice, for failing to update his sex offender registry.
Randy Quaid
Randy Quaid is best remembered as the quirky, kind of trashy, uncle in the National Lampoon movies. The actor also received a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Lyndon Johnson in the movie LBJ: The Early Years. After years of professional success, Quaid began to unravel mentally. Along with his wife, Evi, the star has been exiled to Canada and had his American passport revoked. Quaid’s behavior includes a documentary entitled Star Whackers were he and his wife talk about a death squad that has killed other actors including Heath Ledger and David Carradine. The most recent bad behavior that has made the Quaids persona non grata in the United States is a video they created simulating sexual acts between Quaid and his wife wearing a Bernie Murdoch mask.
NSFW
Elizabeth Berkley
Elizabeth Berkley was a model turned actress that is best remembered as Jessie Spano, a good girl, on the TV sitcom Saved by the Bell. While Berkley became well known for the teen sitcom, she wanted more. In 1995, she took on the role of Nomi Malone in Showgirls. Showgirls was the first blockbuster title to be rated NC-17 and Berkley felt it was her shot to rise to fame. Unfortunately, the movie was a huge flop, which derailed Berkley’s career and her pursuit of notoriety as an actress.
R. Kelly
R. Kelly is a handsome R&B singer that was overwhelmingly popular in the 90s and early 2000s. The artist is well versed in hip hop, rap, and soulful crooning. One of the singer’s best known songs was “Bump & Grind” which became a favorite date night jam. In February 2002, R. Kelly’s personal life was put under the microscope when a video emerged, which appeared to show the singer having sex and peeing on an underage girl. R. Kelly and his legal team vehemently denied the allegations. However, when authorities searched his Florida home in June 2002, a digital camera with images of the same girl were found in his possession. As a result, R. Kelly was charged with possessing child pornography. In June 2008, the R&B singer was found not guilty of all charges, but the damage to his career was too great to recover from.
Dog the Bounty Hunter
Dog the Bounty Hunter is a worldly recognized bounty hunter thanks to his career as a reality TV star. In his reality shows, Dog is often featured along with some of his many children. While Dog and family have had their fair share of run-ins with the law, it was a personal phone call between Dog and his son Tucker that made him a reality TV star pariah. In October 2007, a private phone call between Dog and Tucker was leaked to the public. During this conversation, Dog was confronting his son about Tucker’s relationship with an African-American woman. Dog referred to the woman as an n-word. After the conversation leaked, A&E suspended the show from production. Dog issued an apology for his words and asked his family and the public for forgiveness. Later, A&E canceled the show.
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski was once thought of as the best international filmmaker in the world. But that all changed when the director was arrested for charges that stemmed from the rape, with drugs, perversion, sodomy, and lewd acts upon a child. It is believed the incident took place when the child was 13-years-old, in 1977. Polanski had left the United States before charges were filed and would be arrested if he returned to America.
Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame won audience’s hearts when she appeared in It’s a Wonderful Life. While she was a successful actress, she wasn’t great at marriage. When she married her third husband, Nicholas Ray, best known for directing Rebel Without a Cause, Grahame thought she’d finally found love. However, when she ran off with her 14-year-old step-son, the actress ruined her reputation and career. As a result, she later suffered a nervous breakdown. Eventually, she married her former step-son, when he was legally old enough, and gave birth to his children. Since Grahame had also had a child with Nicholas Ray, her family tree became extremely complicated.
Yoo Seung-Jun (Steve Woo)
Yoo Seung-Jun, better known as Steve Woo in the US, was a best-selling artist in Korea during the 90s and early 2000s. When Steve Woo left South Korea to become an American citizen in 2002, his career as a Korean music artist was over. It is believed Woo fled Korea to avoid mandatory enlistment in the armed forces. As a result of his leaving Korea, Woo was deported from Korea and banned for desertion.
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter was once a best-loved British music star specializing in Glam Rock. However, that all changed after Glitter was arrested during Operation Yewtree in October 2012. At the time of his arrest, Glitter was charged with historical sex offenses including attempted rape and indecent assault against children under the age of 13. After his arrest, Glitter became a hated public figure. He was officially charged with sex crimes on June 5, 2014, and was sent to prison for 16 years on February 27, 2015.
Fatty Arbuckle
Fatty Arbuckle was one of the most celebrated comedians in the early 1900s but between 1921 and 1922 he was famous for being the defendant in the rape and murder of actress Virginia Rappe. Arbuckle was accused of raping and accidentally killing the actress during a San Francisco part hosted by the comedian. Arbuckle was tried three times– the first two resulted in hung juries while the third resulted in an acquittal. However, this did not do anything to restore his career. Arbuckle was publicly ostracized and never regained his former popularity.
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lewis is perhaps best known for the song ‘Great Balls of Fire’ and ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On. However, while on the road in the 1950s, a reporter learned that Lewis’ third wife, who was 13 at that time, was actually his first cousin once removed which resulted to a public uproar and the cancellation of his British tour.The scandal reached the US and resulted to his songs and performances being blacklisted from radio and TV shows. He tried to revive his career in the 60s with energetic stage rock and roll performances before transitioning to country music. Lewis has since released chart-topping country hits, won several Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
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