It’s a hard bridge to break to go from People magazine’s first-ever Sexiest Man Alive to hated Hollywood actor, but that's what happened with Mel Gibson. He blew up his career when directing The Passion Of The Christ for making insensitive, anti-Semitic remarks, all while being charged with a DUI in 2006. You’d think that would be enough, but not for Mel.
He went on to disparage his girlfriend, all captured thanks to a recording of his misogynistic and racial word soup. But Gibson didn’t stop there--he has also allegedly said that Beatle John Lennon deserved to be shot. It’s no wonder that this leading man disappeared altogether.
If you’re GenX-er, then you’ll know that Winona Ryder was the It Girl of the ’80s and early '90s, whith huge hits like Mermaids, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Reality Bites, and Girl, Interrupted. She was Johnny Depp’s girlfriend for a time, as well as being linked to Matt Damon. Winona was even given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
So, it baffles the mind that Rider was arrested in 2001 on shoplifting charges from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. During her trial, she couldn’t catch a break and was convicted of grand theft, shoplifting, and vandalism. Rider’s career fell farther than a meteor until a little show called Stranger Things helped revive her career.
Optimus Prime and Bumblebee helped Shia LeBeouf shoot to super-stardom, but the dude could not get along with others and play nicely. Even more bizarrely, LeBeouf went to Twitter and threw tweet-tantrums, sending the trolls to crash his party. Even Michael Bay couldn’t save him and replaced him with Mark Wahlberg in Transformers 4.
However, bad behavior like arrests for assault, trespassing, and car crashes helped cement his decline. Once again, LeBeouf hit the Twittersphere to announce his retirement, much to the delight of the Twitter trolls. LeBeouf showed up on the red carpet wearing a paper bag over his head scribbled with “I’m not famous anymore.” You’re right, LeBeouf, you’re not.
Lindsay Lohan was slated to be the next big thing as a talented child actress coming out of Disney. But the crown of stardom is a heavy burden, and Lohan quickly fell out of favor as her parents tried to manage her career and she became notorious for being hard to work with.
Even worse, Lohan spiraled out of control with forays into drugs, alcohol, and multiple rehabs stints. She emerged as unreliable to work with, and her career came to a screeching halt.
Michael Richards made his claim to fame on the weekly hit Seinfeld as wacky neighbor Cosmo Kramer. And because of its success, he literally could coast into retirement with ease like the rest of the fab four, resting on his comedic chops as the syndication dollars rolled in by the truckload
Unfortunately for Richards, he became even more famous for an incredibly racist rant during a stand-up act in 2006. Richards was heckled and inexplicably started verbally attacking a black man in the audience with multiple racial epithets. Richards' career was ruined for good--he tried to take responsibility, but no one wanted to pay to hear him anymore.
Charlie Sheen, who was on the outskirts of the Brat Pack in the '80s, is famous for having one of the most public meltdowns in Hollywood's history. A bad boy from the get-go, Sheen not only made bad decisions by the dozen but also managed to insult the ONLY man who gave him a job on Two and a Half Men--Chuck Lorre, who promptly fired him from the series.
Following this, Sheen started talking about how much he was "winning" in life, just like those idiots that smoke through their noses and think they are warlocks. The final straw was his admission of being HIV positive but not disclosing it to any of his 200+ girlfriends. Not cool, dude, not cool.
Being branded as difficult to work with is a nasty tag for any actor, but it’s one that star Katherine Heigl learned the hard way. Heigl had an amazing role on Grey’s Anatomy but started criticizing the writing, and Shonda Rhimes wasn’t having it. Being released from the show, Heigl turned her attention to movies.
But a bad reputation follows you around, and Heigl was criticized for her over-the-top behavior on set. She was quickly branded as "not worth working with" and the Hollywood Reporter printed a scathing article about her difficulties. Heigl responded that she was “taking up for herself”, which is great. She’s still waiting on the phone to ring.
Terrence Howard has been around the Hollywood scene since the early '90s. Howard was part of an award-winning cast that won a Golden Globe for Crash, and his star was on the rise as he was constantly employed as a leading man in Hollywood. Everything was going swimmingly, and Howard was cast in the first official MCU movie, Iron Man. It appeared that his career was set.
The movie was an ENORMOUS blockbuster, and Marvel was quick to lock up their stars for additional films. However, Howard turned down a $1 million offer for Iron Man 2, citing the need to be paid more. Well, Marvel simply replaced him with a grateful Don Cheadle, who became a huge part of The Avengers franchise. Howard has still worked but for WAY less than he could have and without the royalties of the MCU.
She’s not the first and she’s not the last, but Shelley Long is the poster child for actors who shouldn't have left their TV show. In 1982, Long joined the cast of the new sitcom Cheers as Diane, the put-upon lady in charge. The show quickly took off and became a smash hit. She and fellow star Ted Danson got along great, and even Long won an Emmy for her performance.
Then, Long opted to leave the show, but Cheers continued onward with Kristie Alley joining. Multiple comebacks and some movie success later, Long claims she enjoyed spending more time with her family. However, you can’t deny that her career suffered badly due to a poor decision to quit.
That 70’s Show was a huge hit, and Danny Masterson was part of it. Along with multiple turns on Punk’d and a hosting gig in Woodstock 1999, life seemed golden for Masterton. He is a member of the highly controversial Church of Scientology and was spending part of his time as a DJ.
However, he was hiding a dirty little secret that has since made headlines —Danny Masterson was charged in four assault cases that involved the Church. He claims that the first woman made allegations about him years ago and that the other two did not do so until after he had a public spat with Leah Remini in 2016. Regardless, he’s standing trial on 3 charges.
Jennifer Grey is the daughter of Broadway icon Joel Grey and first got attention for Red Dawn, but you know her as Baby Housman, a wealthy camp goer and aspiring dancer in Dirty Dancing. The movie was a HUGE hit, and no one can deny the place that Jennifer Grey holds in pop culture.
But in 1991, Grey underwent two problematic cosmetic surgeries that left her face so drastically different that agents were wary. While surgery is nothing new in Hollywood, few have altered to the point Grey at such a young age, and the results were career damaging. She even was cast as herself in a show to no avail.
Amanda Bynes is an actress who worked first on the Nickelodeon series All That and then was featured in her own show The Amanda Show. She took her show to the screen and made several successful movies including What A Girl Wants and She’s The Man.
However, Bynes already had a reputation for her partying and substance abuse, and it all came to a head in 2012 when she hit a police car on a DUI. Bynes also got herself in several hit-and-run situations throughout the year, including deciding that driving with a suspended license was a fun thing to do. A star who struggles with substance abuse is a hazard for any Hollywood production, and they walked away.
Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan is an icon in wrestling history and has become a reality TV star. While he was always laying the smackdown in the wrestling ring, he was laying down some serious racist views. Hogan was heard to be sharply critical of black men and acknowledged his racism about anyone of color marrying his daughter. Hogan further sought immunity from prosecution for the use of anabolic steroids to testify against Vince McMahon--but then said he hadn’t supplied them and devastated the prosecution case.
Hollywood definitely has a short memory, because Hogan still continues to work. But it's clear from the quality of work that Hollywood holds him at arm’s length.
If you’re a fan of Glee, then you know all about Noah "Puck" Puckerman, a talented student who was portrayed by Mark Salling. Appearing in 4 seasons, it definitely was a great start to Salling's career as a talented musician.
However, legal problems started popping up, and Salling was into some heavy assault accusations. First, he was accused of assaulting a woman and forcing her to submit to his desires. Much more seriously, in 2015 Salling was arrested and convicted for illicit materials on his computer. He died by his own hands one month prior to his sentence.
Stephen Collins was fantastic as an actor when appearing on 7th Heaven and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. However, his off-set behavior was anything but heavenly. In 2014, the NYPD had acquired a tape of Collins admitting that he had engaged in illicit behavior in the past.
During his divorce, Collins admitted that he has engaged in a long-term pattern of assaulting minors for decades. He has not worked in the industry since 2014.
Josh Hartnett is one of those names you hear that makes you think, “Oh yeah, whatever happened to that guy?” Well, it turns out that Hartnett’s performances in movies like Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, and The Faculty made him such a big name that he received several offers to play big-name superheroes.
Hartnett turned down all of those offers. Why? Well, it seems that Hartnett simply wasn’t interested in playing any of the big-name roles. Hartnett states that producers were so upset that they just didn’t approach him anymore. He has appeared in small roles but has yet to achieve the success he had in the early 2000s.
It’s not hyperbole to say that Edward Norton’s got wildly famous by starring in some bizarre and versatile roles in American History X, Fight Club, and Rounders. His storytelling ability helped create these movies and proved why the stories should be told.
As it turns out, Norton’s one issue is how difficult he was to work with. Numerous reports suggested that Norton was on the bad side of many of the actors, directors, and producers that he worked with during his early years and that no one wanted to work with him. He has continued to work but mostly does voiceover work in animated films.
Val Kilmer has enjoyed a huge career--the kind most stars dream about. He’s been Batman and has had roles in multiple movies, earning him accolades and admiration from all around him. There was a time when it felt like Kilmer could do no wrong in terms of picking the right roles and working with the right directors.
Then came The Island of Dr. Moreau. That movie’s infamously troubled production and subsequent box office failures resulted in director John Frankenheimer telling everyone that would listen to him that Kilmer was impossible to work with. Even Kilmer admitted that he wasn’t someone who aimed to make friends and participate in Hollywood politics. Kilmer’s subsequent weight gain and personal issues seemed to put the final nail in his career coffin.
Thora Birch seemed like she was on a gilded path to superstardom in the early 2000s. After a successful career as a child in films like Patriot Games and Hocus Pocus, Birch transitioned into a young woman by giving extraordinary performances in films like the Academy Award darling American Beauty and the cult classic Ghost World.
And yet by the end of the 2000s, Birch was nowhere to be found, thanks to her manager-father, a former adult film star. He had a history of odd onset behavior, ranging from demanding he be allowed to direct an intimate scene featuring Birch to threatening to attack co-stars, which got her fired from a Broadway production.
In the late 1990s, Tara Reid was an up-and-coming actress and was quickly becoming the next It Girl in Hollywood, with films like Urban Legend and American Pie. Although she never became an A-list star, her career seemed very promising.
However, her reckless partying tarnished her short-lived career, and a couple of botched plastic surgeries, including breast implants and liposuction, destroyed her cute, girl-next-door look.
Even though he seemed primed for the big time, David Arquette has since slipped far from the spotlight. With his turns in fan-favorite movies like the Scream franchise and Never Been Kissed, Arquette seemed to have it all.
But his odd left turn into the world of professional wrestling and some professional beefs may have soured him with the Hollywood industry folks. Arquette "decided to pursue a career in professional wrestling in earnest," according to ESPN. "It's not a publicity stunt, that's for sure. It's too painful for that," However, in a “death” match, Arquette got pretty jacked up and was hospitalized.
It’s still so hard to believe that the loveable Dr. Bill Huxtable on The Cosby Show could do anything wrong. His warm humor, his great acting--it all made him the perfect TV dad and a true icon not just for television but American life.
However, it eventually came to light that Cosby had allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted over 30 women in his career. The effects were immediate with Cosby’s star power falling majorly, honors revoked, his TV show reruns yanked, and his reputation forever shattered. After a brief stint in jail, Cosby is once again free but will likely never work in the industry again.
There are numerous white papers, videos, television series, and movies dedicated to O.J. Simpson’s fall from grace. A Heisman Trophy running back and season record holder with the 49ers, it seemed like everything was looking up for O.J. — broadcasting, commercials, even Hollywood. And we all know what happened next: arrest for the death of his ex-wife, acquittal, and a civil court loss.
So you think that would be enough for one lifetime, but no. In 2007, Simpson led a group to rob the Palace Station hotel and casino and took sports memorabilia at gunpoint. He was arrested and sentenced to 33 years for kidnapping and felony armed robbery. At his parole hearing on July 20, 2017, the board decided to grant Simpson parole. He was released on October 1, 2017, having served almost nine years. But nobody wants this Juice anymore.
At one point in time, Nicolas Cage was one of the biggest and most respected stars in Hollywood--having starred in memorable roles in critically acclaimed films like Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Moonstruck, and Raising Arizona. In 1995, he received an Academy Award for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas. The blockbusters like Gone in 60 Seconds and the National Treasure series left him even more acclaimed.
However, he ran into a little tax issue with the IRS--he didn’t actually pay taxes on the $150 million he had earned. Due to financial troubles, Nicolas Cage began accepting every role he was offered, which may have paid the bills but did nothing for his career. Box office flops like Trespass, Drive Angry, Seeking Justice, Stolen, Left Behind and Rage redefined Nicolas Cage's career and reputation, from A-list star to D-list curiosity.
Tila Tequila was a faux-celeb that was a precursor to the Kardashians in reality television. The Singapore beauty had achieved fame as a social media personality on MySpace and, at one time, was even the most popular celeb on the site. She also was featured in multiple magazines as a model, usually pretty trussed up in nothing at all.
However, an article she wrote, “Why I Sympathize with Hitler”, absolutely derailed her career so badly that she was kicked out of Celebrity Big Brother. On top of the inflammatory piece, Tequila posted photos of herself posing in front of a picture of Auschwitz dressed as a stripper Nazi. The cancellation was cruel and swift and there's no returning for this star.
Randy Quaid doesn't always get the credit he deserves for being a solid comedic actor. Sure, not all his movies were prestigious (just try to watch Pluto Nash), but his work in the National Lampoon's Vacation films, Kingpin, and even Independence Day is pretty great. Plus, the guy was nominated for an Oscar in 1974, so how did it all go so wrong?
In September 2009, Quaid and his wife were arrested for not paying a $10,000 hotel bill. They were then arrested for squatting in a home they used to own, so they did what everyone does and headed to Canada. In Canada, things got weird. The Quaids claimed they'd fled to avoid the "Hollywood Star Wackers," a secret organization that took celebs out or manufactured scandals to discredit them.
George Lazenby was a handsome man and was offered the role of a lifetime replacing the iconic Sean Connery as 007 James Bond in what many people consider to be the best Bond movie, 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He was king of the castle, and the franchise wanted to nail him down for more.
He was offered a $1million contract for six more 007 films (a huge sum in 1969), but Lazenby turned them down before his movie hit cinemas. He even went as far as showing up at the premiere with long hair and a beard. He has said the filmmakers treated him like dirt and refused to listen to his ideas because he was new to the industry, while his then-manager convinced him Bond would soon be old hat in the era of hippies and Easy Rider. Too bad that manager wasn’t good at predicting that James Bond movies would continue for decades to come.
Have you ever heard of Marcus Chong? Probably not. He was the actor who played the key role of tech operator Tank in the first Matrix movie. He was all set to come back for the rest of the trilogy when talks allegedly broke down over his salary demands. He subsequently sued the filmmakers and studio, saying that they had succeeded in essentially blackballing him from Hollywood.
They countered by arguing he had verbally threatened them by phone, which resulted in him getting arrested in October 2000. Ultimately, the Wachowskis were done and Tank’s brother-in-law became the new tech operator for the other two films. Chong hasn’t appeared on the big screen since The Crow: Wicked Prayer in 2005.
The loveable funnyman is beloved by millions, so why is it so hard to find someone in Hollywood to say a nice word about Chevy Chase? He was our favorite family man in the Vacation franchise and stole the show in Fletch.
He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, but he quit after the first season and his personality seems to have rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way. He fought with Bill Murray backstage, made Kevin Smith feel uncomfortable while they talked about rebooting Fletch, and left sitcom Community in acrimony having argued with showrunner Dan Harmon.
The number one thing you’ll notice about Gilbert Gottfried is his voice, and while he definitely isn't the best-looking person in Hollywood, his voiceover work is legendary from Iago from Aladdin to the voice of the Aflac Duck.
That was until he got fired for joking about the Tsunami that killed thousands of Japanese. Taking to Twitter, Gottfried said "Japan is really advanced. They don't go to the beach. The beach comes to them." He was quickly fired from his job as the duck, especially when you consider 75% of Aflac business is done in Japan!
