These celebrities are constantly making news for the wrong reasons. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at celebs, creators, and influencers who found ways to repeatedly stir outrage, getting canceled on more than one occasion.
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00:00 It's okay to admit when you're wrong.
00:02 It's okay to be upset at your past self for making mistakes.
00:07 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at celebs, creators, and influencers who found
00:13 ways to repeatedly stir outrage, getting cancelled on more than one occasion.
00:19 Also to talk about cancel culture itself and how horrible it is and how fascist.
00:26 Number 20.
00:27 Jimmy Fallon.
00:28 This late-night personality has based much of his shtick on being light-hearted and inoffensive,
00:34 making it all the more jarring whenever he finds himself at the center of controversy.
00:39 In 2000, Fallon infamously impersonated Chris Rock on SNL.
00:43 "The story came out about me on SNL doing an impression of Chris Rock in blackface.
00:49 And I was horrified.
00:52 Not at the fact that people were trying to cancel me or cancel the show."
00:55 While not exactly PC, this was before social media took off.
01:00 It wasn't until the sketch resurfaced in 2020 that #JimmyFallonIsOverParty made the
01:06 rounds.
01:08 Fallon reflected on this as a "terrible, unquestionably offensive decision."
01:13 "I realized I needed to get educated about how to stop the silence and the fear of saying
01:18 the wrong thing by not being silent."
01:21 With Rock standing up for Fallon, all seemed to be forgiven until 2023.
01:26 Rolling Stone published an article claiming that Fallon's Tonight Show created a toxic
01:32 work environment based on the stories of 16 workers.
01:35 "There were complaints about Jimmy Fallon's erratic behavior, mood swings, and hissy fits.
01:41 Some former employees even claimed there were so-called crying rooms where staffers would
01:45 sit and weep."
01:46 Fallon again apologized, expressing embarrassment.
01:50 Some are ready to forgive Fallon, while others wish Conan would come back.
01:55 19.
01:56 Lana Del Rey
01:57 This singer came under fire multiple times in 2012.
02:01 Many felt her album cover for Blue Jeans romanticized domestic violence.
02:07 She was also accused of cultural appropriation for wearing a Native American headdress in
02:11 the video for "Ride."
02:18 Del Rey's views on feminism and race came to a head in 2020 when she wrote on Instagram,
02:24 quote, "I'm fed up with female writers and alt-singers saying that I glamorize abuse."
02:30 She also implied that there was a double standard, comparing herself to several other singers
02:35 who touch upon similar themes, some being women of color.
02:39 "The difference is when I get on the poll, people call me a whore.
02:43 But when Twigs gets on the poll, it's art."
02:45 This sparked yet another scandal, to which Del Rey responded, quote, "Don't ever, ever,
02:51 ever, ever, bro, call me racist," accusing her critics of trying to start, quote, "a
02:57 race war."
02:58 "And the fact that they want to turn my posts, my advocacy for fragility into a race war,
03:04 it's really bad.
03:05 It's actually really bad."
03:06 Number 18.
03:07 James William Ross, also known as Tyra Sanchez
03:11 Just because someone is spreading hate doesn't give somebody else the right to send equally
03:16 insensitive comments back.
03:18 Tyra Sanchez learned this the hard way in 2016, several years after winning RuPaul's
03:24 Drag Race.
03:25 "My queen."
03:26 "Go, girl!"
03:27 "Wear this crown with pride."
03:28 "The other Tyra is dead.
03:29 Long live the new Tyra!"
03:37 When Sanchez became the target of a mean-spirited tweet, he suggested that the writer take their
03:42 own life.
03:43 This unleashed a swarm of backlash, but Sanchez refused to apologize.
03:47 "That was the opportunity for the fan base.
03:50 Instead of attacking the person that's sending me the gun shoots, or the guns, I'm the one
03:55 that gets attacked.
03:57 And the one that's shamed and told that I should die or whatever."
04:01 RuPaul stood by Sanchez as some demanded that their title be revoked.
04:06 However, Sanchez was banned from DragCon LA 2018 for making perceived threats online.
04:14 Since then, Sanchez was arrested for vandalizing the side of a building in 2020.
04:19 Three years later, he was apprehended two more times, once for reportedly threatening
04:24 a cop and again for publicly protesting with a sex toy.
04:28 17.
04:30 Michael Jackson
04:31 Even in death, a celebrity can face comebacks and cancellations.
04:36 Nobody better exemplifies this than the King of Pop.
04:39 Michael Jackson had proven polarizing since 1993, and tensions reached their apex with
04:45 his 2005 trial.
04:46 "With an umbrella, a white suit, bejeweled vest, spats, and a wave to hundreds of fans,
04:52 Michael Jackson came to court determined to be found not guilty."
04:56 Four years after being acquitted, the world was shocked to hear of Jackson's sudden
05:01 passing.
05:02 Reflecting on his contributions to music, various fans came to separate the artist from
05:07 the art.
05:08 That was until 2019, when the documentary Leaving Neverland came out, reminding everyone
05:14 of the allegations.
05:16 This prompted more people to turn on Jackson, with The Simpsons burying the classic episode
05:21 Stark Raving Dad.
05:22 "Well of course I've heard of you.
05:24 I mean you'd have to be living under a rock not to know.
05:27 What'd you say your name was?"
05:28 "Michael Jackson."
05:29 "Doesn't ring a bell."
05:30 "Well have you heard of MTV?"
05:31 "Nope."
05:32 "I beat it."
05:33 "You beat it."
05:34 "Thriller."
05:35 "What was that last one?"
05:36 "Thriller."
05:37 "Nope."
05:38 With MJ the Musical being a Broadway smash, and Janet Jackson defending her brother in
05:40 another documentary though, this cancellation might not be permanent either.
05:45 Number 16.
05:46 Lena Dunham.
05:48 When Girls premiered on HBO in 2013, Lena Dunham seemed poised to become the voice of
05:53 her generation.
05:54 "I don't want to freak you out, but I think that I may be the voice of my generation.
06:03 Or at least a voice of a generation."
06:08 The more people heard, however, the less they wanted to follow Dunham on social media.
06:13 Arguably the most infamous moment came in 2014, when Dunham shared a graphic childhood
06:18 anecdote about her and her sibling.
06:21 Over the years, Dunham has made several other statements that she'd come to regret, most
06:26 notably comparing the Holocaust to Bill Cosby, painting Odell Beckham Jr. in an unflattering
06:32 light, and wishing that she knew what it was like to terminate a pregnancy.
06:36 Dunham would apologize for all of the above, but she lost more fans upon defending Girls
06:41 writer-producer Murray Miller amid predatory allegations.
06:44 "She's getting a lot of criticism right now because she's been very outspoken before
06:49 with believing victims, and now in the case that involves her friend, she's saying that
06:54 we shouldn't take the victim at her word."
06:55 Number 15.
06:56 Jake and Logan Paul.
06:58 One's a boxer, the other's a wrestler, and both should probably just stay off social
07:03 media.
07:04 Thousands called for older brother Logan to leave YouTube after he posted an insensitive
07:09 video of a dead man on his trip to Japan.
07:12 "I've never been hated by the whole world, and it's been something to definitely overcome.
07:22 I will think twice in the future about what I post."
07:25 While this act had the most repercussions, Logan has found other ways to get into trouble,
07:30 making negative comments about gay people and supporting scams like CryptoZoo.
07:35 Jake is no stranger to scam allegations either, although those don't even scratch the surface
07:40 of his cancellations.
07:42 Jake has thrown a massive pandemic party, attended a Scottsdale mall riot, and faced
07:47 multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.
07:50 "It's devastating to be accused of such a thing."
07:54 "You can correct me if I'm wrong, but nothing's come from it legally."
07:56 "Of course not.
07:59 Of course not."
08:01 We're not sure who would win in a fight, but the real question is which Paul will get
08:05 cancelled next.
08:07 Number 14.
08:08 Rosa and Bar.
08:10 Some of this comedian's cancellations predate social media as we now know it.
08:14 Her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner causing an uproar in 1990.
08:25 That was fairly innocent compared to the 2009 Hitler photo shoot that Bar participated in
08:30 for a parody magazine.
08:32 While that was meant to be satirical, it was no laughing matter when Bar started spreading
08:37 conspiracy theories about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018.
08:43 Despite all of this, people were ready to welcome Bar back into their homes with the
08:47 Roseanne revival that same year.
08:49 "Dad, will you tell her how stupid she's being?"
08:52 "It's never worked out for me."
08:55 Shortly after the season ended, though, the Conners decided that they didn't need Roseanne
08:59 when Bar made a racist comment about Valerie Jarrett.
09:03 Bar left the spotlight, but she still resurfaces to spread conspiracies.
09:08 Number 13.
09:09 Ezra Miller.
09:11 There was a time when it looked like Ezra Miller might be the next big thing in Hollywood,
09:15 especially after being cast as the DCEU's Barry Allen.
09:29 As the Flash movies' production slowly moved to the finish line, Miller gained a dubious
09:34 reputation.
09:35 Miller's history of legal problems actually goes back to 2011 when they were caught with
09:40 marijuana, receiving two disorderly conduct citations.
09:45 This was a small boo-boo compared to a 2020 video seemingly depicting Miller attacking
09:50 a woman in Iceland.
09:52 Things remained quiet on the Miller front until 2022, when it felt like they were being
09:56 canceled every other week, be it for their multiple arrests in Hawaii, grooming allegations,
10:02 endangering a family on a farm full of guns, or committing burglary.
10:06 Number 12.
10:08 Chris Brown.
10:09 For a lot of people, Chris Brown's music is an afterthought compared to his problematic
10:13 relationship with Rihanna.
10:26 While the 2009 domestic violence case sparked the most backlash, it's hardly the only
10:31 time that Brown has been canceled.
10:34 In 2013, Brown had 1,000 hours of community service added to his probation after a hit-and-run
10:41 incident.
10:42 Although Brown avoided incarceration, he found himself in police custody three months
10:47 later after attacking a man seeking a photo.
10:51 Brown jumped between jail and rehab, receiving Bipolar II and PTSD diagnoses.
10:58 In the years that followed, Brown was accused of pulling a gun on one woman and sexually
11:03 assaulting another.
11:04 Those cases didn't go anywhere, but social media hasn't let Brown off the hook for
11:09 his past deeds.
11:20 Number 11.
11:21 Azealia Banks.
11:22 It's been argued that Azealia Banks is better known for her beefs than for her songs,
11:27 clashing with the likes of Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea, and Nicki Minaj, to name a few.
11:38 The beef that perhaps ignited the most outrage was with Zayn Malik of One Direction.
11:44 On social media, Banks made comments about the British singer that were seen as racist
11:48 and homophobic.
11:50 Banks would later apologize, but it wasn't enough to prevent Twitter from suspending
11:54 her account.
12:04 She eventually found her way back on the platform, but Banks got kicked off again after making
12:09 transphobic statements in 2020.
12:12 Beyond these offensive tweets, Banks has also divided followers on Instagram with bigoted
12:17 remarks about the Irish and videos depicting deceased animals.
12:22 Number 10.
12:23 Joss Whedon.
12:24 He was once among the most beloved voices in pop culture, but the tides started to shift
12:28 for Whedon in 2017 when his unproduced Wonder Woman script was leaked online.
12:34 Some found his screenplay sexist, but since the film never got made, people didn't dwell
12:39 on it.
12:47 Whedon found himself back in the hot seat, however, after taking over the Justice League
12:51 reshoots.
12:54 About three years later, actor Ray Fisher accused Whedon of quote "gross, abusive,
13:00 unprofessional and completely unacceptable behavior."
13:03 Fellow Justice League actors Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot also spoke out against Whedon while
13:09 WarnerMedia launched an investigation.
13:11 The corporation said in a statement at the time, quote, "remedial action has been taken,"
13:17 adding "there are still conversations that need to be had and resolutions that need to
13:21 be found."
13:22 The controversy didn't end with the Justice League cast, as Amber Benson, Michelle Trachtenberg,
13:28 and Charisma Carpenter of Buffy fame have since recounted their allegedly toxic experiences
13:33 with Whedon as well.
13:37 Jeffree Star broke out as a singer and fashion designer on MySpace, demonstrating how social
13:42 media can provide a gateway to immense success.
13:51 At the same time, social media has also been the forum for some of Star's biggest controversies.
13:57 In addition to posting a long list of tweets labeled as offensive, the YouTube star has
14:01 also been accused of much bad behavior and trying to pay off his accusers.
14:19 That star keeps popping up in the news feeds for all the wrong reasons.
14:23 Perhaps the most infamous story involved rival beauty vlogger James Charles.
14:33 According to internet personality Tati Westbrook, Star, quote, "used, coerced, and manipulated
14:39 her into making a video that portrayed Charles in a deeply negative light."
14:43 Westbrook brought similar allegations against YouTuber Shane Dawson.
14:47 Speaking of which…
14:49 #8 Shane Dawson The controversy involving Tati Westbrook and
14:53 James Charles sparked just one of the cancellations that Dawson has faced.
15:04 Around the same time, older videos where Dawson used offensive makeup and vulgar language
15:09 started making the rounds.
15:10 In response to all the negative press, Dawson posted an apology video entitled "Taking
15:16 Accountability."
15:32 The video triggered a negative response from Jaden Smith about the portrayal of his sister
15:36 Willow in one of the resurfaced clips.
15:39 Family matriarch Jada Pinkett Smith wasn't pleased with Dawson either, tweeting to him,
15:44 "I'm done with the excuses."
15:46 Shortly after the Smiths jumped on the cancel bandwagon, Dawson's books were removed from
15:50 Target's inventory while YouTube suspended his ability to monetize on his channels.
15:56 #7 Doja Cat Cats may have nine lives, but there are only
15:59 so many cancellations a celebrity can endure.
16:02 Back in the day, this rapper posted a number of tweets directed at the gay community that
16:06 have been called insensitive.
16:08 When they resurfaced years later, Doja Cat apologized for the tweets, which have since
16:13 been deleted.
16:14 She seemed to overcome this cancellation with the success of her second studio album, Hot
16:18 Pink.
16:19 2020 did Doja Cat few favors, however.
16:26 Not long after she downplayed the severity of COVID-19 on Instagram, the internet revisited
16:31 one of her old songs that mocked victims of police violence.
16:35 Doja Cat was also accused of partaking in an offensive chat room, although it was later
16:39 reported that she didn't say anything offensive on the site.
16:46 #6 Shia LaBeouf This former child star's public image has
17:06 been a series of ups and downs.
17:08 The first major media blowout came in 2008 when he received a DUI.
17:13 LaBeouf was arrested again in 2014 for disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and harassment
17:19 at a performance of Cabaret.
17:35 In that same year, LaBeouf addressed accusations of film plagiarism.
17:39 In 2017, LaBeouf got in trouble with the law once more, leading to a year of probation.
17:52 LaBeouf appeared to be making a comeback with acclaimed performances in The Peanut Butter
17:56 Falcon and The Semi-Autobiographical Honey Boy.
17:59 But the canceling started all over again in 2020 as LaBeouf faced more legal troubles
18:04 as well as accusations of mistreatment.
18:11 #5 The Kardashians and Jenners Where do we even begin?
18:30 The internet is constantly fluctuating between idolizing and canceling the Kardashian-Jenner
18:35 clan.
18:36 While there are far too many scandals to discuss them all, some resulted in bigger backlashes
18:40 than others.
18:41 In 2017, Pepsi removed an ad featuring Kendall Jenner that was accused of trivializing the
18:47 Black Lives Matter movement.
18:48 Two years later, Kim's shapewear brand, Kimono, was accused of cultural appropriation,
18:53 causing her to change the name to Skims.
19:12 Most recently, Kendall landed in hot water for throwing a massive, maskless birthday
19:16 party during the pandemic.
19:24 Despite constantly being at the root of controversy, the family always seems to bounce back from
19:29 cancellation.
19:30 Even when Keeping Up With The Kardashians ended, another Kardashian show premiered a
19:35 year later.
19:38 #4 Kanye West Kanye was technically part of the Kardashian-Jenner
19:49 family up until his divorce from Kim in 2022.
19:54 Even so, West is truly his own entity.
19:56 Kim Kardashian and Kanye West appear to be headed for a split.
20:01 And now a source tells ET that the reality star has considered divorcing the rapper and
20:07 that their marriage counseling hasn't made much headway.
20:10 While not the first time he got in trouble, his notorious confrontation with Taylor Swift
20:14 at the 2009 VMAs is what originally made Kanye synonymous with "cancelled."
20:35 West stirred up more controversy when he threw his support behind Donald Trump, although
20:39 he rescinded that support upon announcing his own 2020 bid for president.
20:56 Despite previously suggesting that slavery was, quote, "a choice" in 2018, West upset
21:02 many on the campaign trail when he stated Harriet Tubman, quote, "never actually freed
21:08 the slaves.
21:09 She just had them work for other white people."
21:11 West didn't win, but that didn't stop him from trying to make Kanye 2024 happen
21:16 for some time.
21:17 Though Ye's mental health issues shouldn't be discounted, he has continued his controversial
21:23 behavior.
21:24 Cancellations be damned.
21:25 #3 JK Rowling If there's one person who audiences liked
21:30 a lot more before they got a Twitter account, it's JK Rowling.
21:33 For a period, Rowling's biggest Twitter offense was retroactively canonizing details
21:38 about Harry Potter.
21:39 What got her cancelled the first time, though, was siding with researcher Maya Forstater,
21:44 whose job contract wasn't renewed due to her statements about the transgender community.
21:49 Rowling was cancelled again less than a year later when she commented on the term "people
21:53 who menstruate."
21:54 "I'm sure there used to be a word for those people.
21:56 Someone help me out.
21:57 Wumbin?
21:58 Wimpund?
21:59 Wumud?"
22:00 she wrote.
22:01 Even as several Wizarding World actors condemned Rowling's comments, she managed to get herself
22:05 cancelled a third time, with a 3,600-word piece defending her views.
22:10 "With her words, she has moved masses of people across the world and has become one
22:15 of the most influential writers of the modern age.
22:19 Now she has taken pen to paper to make startling and deeply personal revelations about her
22:25 own life."
22:26 Rowling has also signed an open letter against cancel culture, although some feel that she's
22:31 missed the point repeatedly.
22:32 "To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished
22:37 or diminished, pronounced Radcliffe, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have
22:43 caused you."
22:44 2.
22:45 Mel Gibson
22:47 While Gibson was accused of homophobia in the late '90s, his career didn't suffer
22:51 any significant blows throughout that decade.
22:54 Even as the Passion of the Christ generated controversy in 2004, Gibson remained a respected
22:59 member of the Hollywood elite.
23:04 That image was shattered two years later, when Gibson reportedly made anti-Semitic remarks
23:09 during an arrest.
23:10 "The devout Catholic wrote, 'I am not a bigot.
23:13 Hatred of any kind goes against my faith,' and asked the Jewish community to help in
23:17 his journey through recovery from alcoholism."
23:20 Although many were ready to cancel him for good, Gibson's acting career started to
23:24 see a resurgence in 2010 with Edge of Darkness.
23:28 That same year, however, a phone recording surfaced of Gibson speaking horribly to ex-partner
23:33 Oksana Grigorieva.
23:40 Despite these two highly publicized cancellations, Gibson has since seen some success, even scoring
23:45 a Best Director Oscar nomination.
23:48 His days as a bankable leading man are likely over, though.
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24:07 1.
24:08 R. Kelly
24:14 Long before "cancel culture" was even a phrase, R. Kelly had already been canceled
24:18 quite a few times.
24:20 What with his illegal marriage to Aaliyah and a multitude of other accusations, we can
24:24 only imagine how much Twitter would have reacted to Kelly in the 90s and early 2000s had it
24:29 existed then.
24:37 Much later, the singer faced his most severe cancellation with the rise of the hashtag
24:41 #MuteRKelly movement and the release of the docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly" in 2019.
24:55 While Kelly had been at the center of numerous controversies for almost 25 years, this public
25:00 airing appeared to be the last straw that broke the camel's back.
25:19 And it wasn't just the public that canceled Kelly again.
25:23 In 2022, he was sentenced to 31 years on six counts.
25:28 Some celebrities get canceled once and learn their lesson, others just disappear.
25:33 Do you think these cancellations were warranted?
25:36 Let us know in the comments.
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