The chances of these celebrities bouncing back are slim to none. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the celebrities who were once well-liked or significant contributors to their craft until their careers were rocked by scandal.
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00:00 I need somebody I can talk to.
00:02 We're talking.
00:03 Tell me what we're talking about.
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo!
00:07 And today we're counting down our picks for the celebrities who were once well-liked or
00:11 significant contributors to their craft until their careers were rocked by scandal.
00:17 I was there from day one.
00:18 We were all petrified of her.
00:20 She was not nice.
00:23 Number 10.
00:24 Lance Armstrong.
00:26 This didn't get much more revered and respected than Lance Armstrong.
00:30 Armstrong wins the Tour de France.
00:32 For seven straight years, he dominated arguably the hardest sporting event in the world.
00:36 The name and cycling, Armstrong broke through the niche sport to become a national hero,
00:42 a reputation that was bolstered by seven straight Tour de France wins.
00:47 But his legacy crumbled after the United States Anti-Doping Agency uncovered widespread use
00:52 of performance-enhancing drugs.
00:54 I couldn't just lay down.
00:56 There was no difference between attacking in the mountains or attacking at the press
01:00 conference.
01:01 Not only did Armstrong take these substances himself, he also oversaw, in the words of
01:07 USADA, the most sophisticated, doping program that sport has ever seen.
01:13 Never should have taken it on, especially knowing that most of what they said was true.
01:19 So yeah, that was pretty much it for him.
01:22 Armstrong has since said goodbye to several of his titles and faded into sports infamy.
01:27 People ask me a lot, "How you doing?"
01:29 And I tell them, I say, "Well, I've been better, but I've also been worse."
01:33 Number 9.
01:34 Amber Heard.
01:36 The Depp vs. Heard story is a twisty one.
01:39 First it was Johnny Depp who was the public villain, even losing his role as Grindelwald
01:44 in the Fantastic Beasts series.
01:46 He claims he didn't strike her, but again, that's not the basis for our emotion.
01:51 The public perception later began to shift and Amber Heard became a main target.
01:55 The ex-partners sued and counter-sued each other in court, leading to the infamous Depp
02:00 vs. Heard trial of 2022.
02:03 It was a PR nightmare for the once-respected actress, as social media viciously mocked
02:08 and ridiculed her.
02:10 This perception was not aided by the verdict, with the jury finding Heard liable of defamation
02:15 and awarding Depp $15 million in damages.
02:18 "As against Amber Heard, we the jury award compensatory damages in the amount of $10
02:25 million."
02:26 Depp was also found liable for one matter of defamation, with Heard earning $2 million.
02:31 "As against John C. Depp II, we the jury award compensatory damages in the amount of
02:38 $2 million."
02:40 Both appealed, but eventually settled.
02:42 Number 8.
02:43 Matt Lauer.
02:44 In some ways, Matt Lauer was the last vestige of a bygone age.
02:49 "We're very excited to be celebrating you, Matt.
02:51 And Al and I were lucky enough to be here when it all started in 1997."
02:57 Today, most people get their news through social media or phone notifications.
03:02 It seems like the age of the news anchor is largely over, and perhaps it went out with
03:07 Lauer.
03:08 He hosted Today for 20 years starting in 1997, but the #MeToo movement eventually led to
03:14 disturbing discoveries.
03:15 Indeed, Lauer's firing was revealed on November 29, 2017, with the chairman of NBC explaining
03:22 that Lauer had been accused of sexual harassment.
03:25 More victims then came forward, sharing similar stories.
03:28 However, journalist Ronan Farrow claims in his book Catch and Kill that NBC was well
03:33 aware of Lauer's criminal behavior before his termination.
03:37 "The evidence in this book, the documentation and paper trail of settlements, reveals that
03:42 there were multiple arrangements to keep women quiet who had allegations against Matt Lauer
03:48 years before this one that got him fired."
03:51 7.
03:52 J.K.
03:53 Rowling Despite the controversy, Harry Potter isn't
03:56 going anywhere.
03:57 It's still a cultural phenomenon, and HBO announced that they were adapting the novels
04:01 into a television series.
04:03 But this is a modern example of a problematic name being uttered in hushed tones.
04:08 Rowling's opinions on sex and gender, specifically those on transgender individuals, have elicited
04:15 enormous backlash in recent years.
04:17 Many within the wizarding world, including past actors and various fansites, have condemned
04:22 Rowling's viewpoints, as have many experts in the field.
04:26 She has been called transphobic and a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, and some activists have
04:32 even burned Harry Potter books in retaliation.
04:35 Others, however, continue to find solace in the franchise while still condemning the author.
04:41 "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."
04:44 6.
04:45 Paula Deen There are few Southern chefs as big as Paula
04:50 Deen.
04:51 "I have a fabulous healthy bean dip with sun-dried tomatoes."
04:56 A Daytime Emmy winner, Deen was a successful chef and media personality who made flavorful
05:02 dishes heavy on the butter and grease.
05:04 They weren't necessarily the healthiest meals in the world, but they exemplified Southern
05:09 comfort.
05:10 However, the chef faced a massive career setback in 2013 when she was accused of racial and
05:15 sexual discrimination.
05:16 "The pain has been tremendous that I have caused to myself and to others."
05:22 It wasn't the lawsuit itself that got Deen into trouble, but the deposition in which
05:26 she admitted to using a racist slur in the past.
05:29 "According to the deposition, Deen was asked, 'Have you ever used the n-word yourself?'
05:33 To which she replies, 'Yes, of course.'
05:36 When asked for context, she said it was in a conversation with her husband."
05:39 Virtually every business partner of Deen's dropped her as a client and she quickly faded
05:44 from public consciousness.
05:45 "I think it's a learning lesson for her and it's a learning lesson for the people that
05:48 do forgive.
05:49 So, I would forgive her."
05:52 5.
05:53 Kevin Spacey It's amazing how quickly Kevin Spacey fell
05:56 from grace.
05:57 On October 28, 2017, he was a beloved Oscar-winning actor whose name guaranteed a critical darling.
06:05 And the next day, he was an ostracized celebrity who was widely hated.
06:10 That was the result of actor Anthony Rapp accusing Spacey of assaulting him in 1986.
06:15 This accusation opened the floodgates and over a dozen victims came forth to share their
06:19 stories about being abused and assaulted.
06:30 He was instantly dropped from numerous projects, including the hit Netflix show, House of Cards.
06:35 Charges were also filed, but Spacey was ultimately acquitted.
06:38 Still, there's arguably a dark cloud over his name now.
06:42 4.
06:43 Ellen DeGeneres There's no denying that Ellen DeGeneres became
06:47 a shining figure in the history of television.
06:50 "Susan, I'm gay."
06:53 1997's The Puppy episode from Ellen is a landmark hour, featuring the character coming out as
06:58 a lesbian, with the actress also doing the same around that time.
07:02 She would later find great success in the talk show industry with The Ellen DeGeneres
07:06 Show, running nearly 20 seasons between 2003 and 2022.
07:12 But in July of 2020, BuzzFeed News published the accounts of former employees who accused
07:17 DeGeneres of creating a hostile work environment.
07:20 This included a history of racism.
07:22 "I learned that things happened here that never should have happened.
07:25 I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected."
07:30 While DeGeneres attempted to apologize during the 18th season premiere, it wasn't enough
07:34 to save her reputation.
07:36 "Bony, liar, hypocrite.
07:39 That's my reaction."
07:40 She chose to end her show just a few years later.
07:43 Number 3.
07:44 Michael Richards Few other shows dominated the 90s quite like
07:48 Seinfeld.
07:49 And few dominated Seinfeld more than Michael Richards.
07:53 While the sitcom was named after its lead actor and character, it was often Kramer who
07:57 stole the show with his wacky antics.
07:59 "You're still feeling good all the time, huh?"
08:05 Richards received five straight Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
08:09 and won three of them.
08:11 It seemed like a legacy that would never be tarnished.
08:14 That is until November 17th, 2006 when he was infamously captured on video making a
08:20 racist tirade at the Hollywood Laugh Factory.
08:23 It absolutely shattered his reputation and effectively ended his career in comedy.
08:28 "I'm really busted up over this and I'm very, very sorry to those people in the audience.
08:36 The blacks, the Hispanics, the whites, everyone that was there that took the brunt of that
08:40 anger and hate and rage."
08:44 Number 2.
08:45 Roseanne Barr Despite being a cultural juggernaut, Seinfeld
08:49 did have its share of competition and Roseanne was among it.
08:53 "Why'd you find out about me?"
08:55 A widely beloved show, it received praise for its working class themes and Barr won
09:00 the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy in 1993.
09:04 The sitcom came to an end in 1997, but remained in the cultural consciousness, leading to
09:10 a revival 21 years later.
09:12 But just nine episodes aired before it was swiftly cancelled, later being reworked as
09:16 The Conners.
09:17 "This would have sold like hotcakes if only you hadn't killed off the most interesting
09:21 character."
09:22 This wasn't due to low ratings, but Barr making a racist remark on Twitter.
09:26 The president of ABC called it "abhorrent and repugnant," a sentiment that pretty much
09:31 everyone agreed with.
09:32 "ABC pulled the plug on the show saying Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent,
09:37 repugnant, and inconsistent with our values and we've decided to cancel her show."
09:42 Needless to say, Barr wasn't a part of The Conners.
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10:10 1.
10:12 Bill Cosby While a popular figure throughout the 60s
10:16 and 70s, Cosby earned national renown for playing Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show.
10:21 Both the sitcom and the role were groundbreaking, and Cosby became known as "America's Dad"
10:26 for his endless warmth and lovability.
10:29 But this veneer was hiding a very dark underbelly.
10:32 "Who's in trouble now?"
10:36 Cosby's history with sexual assault became more widely known in 2014, when numerous women
10:42 accused the comedian of sexual assault.
10:44 "I never saw any drugs, but I would wake up completely confused."
10:51 An accuser named Jewel Allison stated, "He got away with it because he was hiding behind
10:56 the image of Cliff Huxtable."
10:57 Though a conviction occurred in 2018, it was overturned about three years later.
11:02 Not because the court was now claiming Cosby was innocent, but rather for violation of
11:07 due process.
11:08 Do you think any of these celebrities will make a comeback?
11:11 Let us know in the comments below!
11:36 (upbeat music)