When celebrities torpedo their careers, usually it takes months, sometimes even years. After all, fans are forgiving and are more than willing to give their favourites second or third chances before they’re officially cancelled (we’re looking at you, Lindsay Lohan).
However, there are some mistakes that are so huge and controversial, there’s no way a celebrity can save themselves from it. And it’s a shame too, because often these stars were well-liked beforehand.
Below, nine famous people who sunk their careers with just one blunder.
This article originally appeared on our sister site, www.intouchweekly.com.
Ashlee Simpson – Back in 2004, Jessica Simpson’s little sis was making quite the name for herself. She had a successful MTV reality show, a debut album that was all over the radio, and a coveted performance gig on Saturday Night Live. Unfortunately, it was that last accomplishment that led to her downfall. After embarrassingly being caught lip syncing on live TV (while hoedowning off the stage), she became a laughing stock and was even booed when performing at the Orange Bowl a few months later. Although she blamed “acid reflux” and tried to do damage control, her career never really recovered.
Caitlyn Jenner – When Caitlyn Jenner first debuted her transition on the cover of Vanity Fair in 2015, for a brief moment she was a national LGBT hero. She continued being a voice for the trans community on her show, I Am Cait. However, in 2016 when Caitlyn revealed she was a proud Ted Cruz and President Trump supporter, many fans in the trans community found her opinions hypocritical, especially considering since Ted is a vocal supporter of controversial anti-trans “bathroom bills.” Angry, fans stopped watching her show, and I Am Cait was later cancelled after only two seasons.
Stacey Dash – The ageless Clueless star was loved by fans until she started opening her mouth about politics on her Twitter. Since 2015, she’s voiced some very polarizing opinions, from saying that transgenders should just “pee in the bushes” instead of using public restrooms to calling victims of campus sexual assault “bad girls.” Actress Gabrielle Union even called her a “crazy lady” once. Stacey is still outspoken on her blog and social media accounts, but her career hasn’t really recovered since.
Katherine Heigl – Not only was she on Grey’s Anatomy during the height of its popularity, Katherine was also starring in romantic comedies and winning Emmys. However, in 2008, two interviews torpedoed her career. In one, she revealed she didn’t think she deserved an Emmy because she didn’t like her Grey’s character’s storyline. And in another, she admitted that she found her film Knocked Up “kind of sexist.” Both comments got her painted as “difficult,” and pretty much ruined her reputation. “The thing that was my best friend for a long time [my career] suddenly turned on me. And I didn’t expect it,” she told Marie Claire UK in 2014. However, these days her career is doing a little better, and at least she’s not starring in NyQuil commercials anymore.
Ryan Lochte – The Olympic swimmer was on top of the world after winning gold (again) at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. However, things took a nasty turn when Ryan said in a statement that he and his teammates were robbed at a gas station by a bunch of thugs masquerading as police officers. The public initially felt bad for him — that was, until the real story unfolded.
The locals who worked at the gas station, as well as the security guards who confronted Ryan, came forward to say that the swimmer pretty much fabricated his entire story. What really happened was that Ryan was being drunk and disorderly at a gas station, destroyed property, and then was forced to pay for it when confronted by security guards. The public was so mad at him, many fans wanted him fired from Dancing With the Stars. Although Ryan has apologized and is trying to move past the #RioGate, many fans are still choosing to not forget.
Jennifer Grey – Typically when an actor gets a nose job, it improves their career. But that wasn’t the case with the Dirty Dancing star. When she got a nose job in 1989, she ended up losing everything, even her fame. “I went into the operating room a celebrity and came out anonymous,” she said. “It was the nose job from hell. I’ll always be this once-famous actress nobody recognises because of a nose job.”
Johnny Depp – The 54-year-old star of such classics like Pirates of the Carribean and Edward Scissorhands shocked fans when he was in the middle of a nasty divorce battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. Not only did Amber accuse him of being an alcoholic, she also alleged he was physically violent with her and even uploaded a video of an allegedly drunken Johnny slamming a bunch of kitchen cupboards. Although Johnny had a bunch of his famous friends speak out in his defence, in 2017, Johnny’s former business managers backed up Amber’s allegations about being allegedly kicked. It’s unclear if Johnny’s career is officially “dead” or not, but the divorce scandal has definitely changed the public’s perception of the actor.
Mark Salling – He had millions of young teen fans while playing hunky bad boy Puck on Glee. But that all changed when he was arrested in 2015 for having 25,000 images and 600 videos of child porn on his computer. He pleaded innocent but was found guilty in October 2017 and sentenced to four to seven years in prison. Creepily enough, his ex-girlfriend Naya Rivera said she “wasn’t surprised” by the charges. Ew!
Kathy Griffin – The comedian shocked fans in 2017 when she tweeted a picture of herself beheading President Donald Trump. People were outraged, and although she deleted the pic and apologized, the damage had already been done. She was fired from CNN, had her entire comedy tour cancelled, and was even investigated by the secret service. After openly sobbing at a press conference about the controversy, in August 2017, she said she was “no longer sorry.” “The whole outrage was B.S.,” she said on Sunrise. “The whole thing got so blown out of proportion.”
