Top 10 Impressive Celebrity Comebacks of the Last Decade
These celebrity comeback stories will put a smile on your face. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most prominent celebrities who experienced setbacks in their careers but successfully rebounded at some point in the past decade.
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00:00 The author was just trying to save us from his own sad story.
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most prominent celebrities
00:11 who experienced setbacks in their careers, but successfully rebounded at some point in the past decade.
00:16 Never saw this coming.
00:17 Either did I.
00:19 Number 10. Jennifer Coolidge
00:22 I'm taking the dog, dumbass!
00:25 After years playing minor roles in comedy movies and TV shows,
00:29 Jennifer Coolidge got her breakthrough portraying Stifler's mom in the American Pie film franchise.
00:34 She continued to enjoy success in the comedy genre, with notable roles in Legally Blonde and A Cinderella Story.
00:40 People go to school to get smarter so that they can get a job.
00:46 You already have a job, so it's like skipping a step.
00:50 However, after narrowly missing out on a lead role in Desperate Housewives, Coolidge's stardom waned.
00:55 Although she played a supporting role in the CBS sitcom Two Broke Girls,
00:59 her immense potential remained largely untapped.
01:02 But then came a little project called The White Lotus.
01:05 The HBO anthology series propelled Coolidge back into the spotlight in her 60s
01:09 and earned her several prestigious accolades, including her first Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award.
01:15 Please! These gays, they're trying to murder me!
01:19 Number 9. Natasha Lyonne
01:21 Natasha Lyonne started acting as a child and gained fame in the late 90s and early 2000s through various teen comedies.
01:28 This included films like the popular American Pie series, as well as the indie classic But I'm a Cheerleader.
01:33 Jesus! Why are you here? I came to get you.
01:38 However, her career suffered a setback in 2001 when she was arrested for driving under the influence.
01:43 That kicked off a string of controversies and legal problems related to substance use disorder.
01:48 About a decade later, Lyonne's fortunes began to change when she landed a role on the Netflix series Orange is the New Black.
01:54 You use people and you throw them away. That's your thing. Now I know.
02:00 Hey, so-so, it's not my thing, alright? I look out for my friends, you just don't happen to be one of them.
02:07 This marked a turning point, paving the way for her involvement in a slew of successful comedy dramas like Russian Doll and Poker Face.
02:14 - You ate someone's bacon. - They were ignoring me.
02:17 You are the worst waitress I've ever had and I ran a cracker barrel in the green zone.
02:22 That last part was unnecessary, but thank you for your service.
02:26 Number 8. K. Hui Kwan.
02:28 At the age of 12, K. Hui Kwan won the role of a lifetime starring opposite Harrison Ford
02:33 as short round in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
02:37 What we do, Dr. Jones?
02:39 [music]
02:47 What do you think?
02:50 I think that somebody believes the good luck brought from this village.
02:54 He quickly followed this up with a part as one of the titular kids in 1985's The Goonies.
02:59 Don't you guys remember from the attic, the news article?
03:02 See, they said the last guy who went looking for the witch stuff, he said he went in, but he never came back out.
03:08 See, that was back in 1935.
03:10 Oh, God, if he didn't make it out and he was supposed to be next, what about us guys?
03:15 Despite this promising start, Kwan faced challenges securing acting work in the US.
03:19 This led him to transition into roles as a stunt choreographer and assistant director.
03:24 Inspired by the success of Crazy Rich Asians, Kwan returned to acting after a 19-year hiatus
03:29 and soon landed a significant role as Waymond in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
03:34 When I saw so many, the entire cast made up of Asian actors, and I go, "Wow, I wish I was up there with them."
03:42 Seriously, and so the idea of getting back into acting, that's where it started.
03:47 His performance received universal acclaim and ultimately earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
03:52 Number 7, Michael Keaton.
03:55 I want you to tell all your friends about me.
03:56 What are you?
03:59 I'm Batman.
04:00 The plot of 2014's Birdman closely mirrored the life of its lead actor, Michael Keaton.
04:04 Like the character Rigan Thompson, Keaton initially gained recognition by portraying a superhero in a film franchise,
04:10 but later experienced a decline in his career.
04:12 Who is this guy who used to be Birdman?
04:15 Are you okay?
04:18 Great.
04:20 Oh, you're such a doll. Thank you. You're so sweet.
04:22 - Thanks. - Handsome.
04:23 - Thanks. - Thanks, sir.
04:25 In Keaton's case, this downturn began in the early 2000s with a string of supporting roles in moderately successful films.
04:31 By the early 2010s, Keaton was in dire need of a career revival, which fittingly came in Birdman,
04:37 a film that seemed to parallel his own life.
04:39 It garnered numerous award nominations for Keaton, setting the stage for roles in subsequent projects like
04:44 Spotlight, Spider-Man Homecoming, and the Hulu miniseries Dope Sick, which won him his first Emmy Award.
04:50 I'm seeing this doctor and I'm on this new medication and it's really helped me.
04:54 I haven't relapsed in a year and my mind is coming back like it used to be.
04:59 Number 6, Kesha.
05:01 ♪ Tick-tock on the clock but the party don't stop no ♪
05:05 ♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa, oh ♪
05:07 In the early 2010s, Kesha dominated dance floors around the world with hit songs like
05:11 TikTok, We Are Who We Are, and Timber.
05:14 ♪ It's going down, I'm yelling Timber ♪
05:18 To the outside world, her life seemed glamorous as her career flourished.
05:22 However, behind the scenes, she grappled with personal challenges including an eating disorder
05:26 and an allegedly exploitative relationship with producer Dr. Luke.
05:30 This led to her filing a lawsuit against him for sexual assault, which dragged on for months
05:34 only to be dismissed in 2016.
05:36 After a four-year hiatus, Kesha made a triumphant return with her 2017 single, Praying, which
05:41 seemingly addressed the aforementioned lawsuit.
05:44 The song earned Kesha a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance and became a
05:48 rallying anthem for the Me Too movement.
05:50 ♪ I hope you're somewhere praying, praying ♪
05:56 ♪ I hope your soul is changing ♪
06:00 Number 5.
06:01 Eddie Murphy
06:02 Oh, thank you.
06:03 Look at this.
06:03 This is great.
06:04 Thank you, guys.
06:05 Eddie Murphy was undoubtedly one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s.
06:09 After rising to prominence on Saturday Night Live, Murphy transitioned to the big screen,
06:13 where he scored huge box office hits with films like the Beverly Hills Cop franchise
06:17 and Coming to America.
06:19 Are you saying that no matter what I tell you to do, you will do?
06:23 Yes, your highness.
06:24 Anything I say, you'll do?
06:26 Yes, your highness.
06:27 Bark like a dog.
06:30 However, by the late 2000s, his career waned following a string of movies that were met
06:34 with either critical or commercial failure.
06:37 After years away from the spotlight, Murphy made a successful comeback with 2019's Dolomite
06:42 Is My Name.
06:43 I just want to say to all you Bahari brothers that I am ecstatic.
06:47 Anything y'all want me to do, man, whatever it takes to make this record go up the charts,
06:51 I'm ready to do it.
06:52 That year, he also returned to the stage that made his career for the first time since 1984.
06:56 For hosting the December 21, 2019 episode of Saturday Night Live,
07:00 Murphy won his first ever Emmy Award.
07:03 Number 4.
07:04 Winona Ryder
07:05 In the late 80s and 90s, Winona Ryder was Hollywood's "it girl," known for her
07:09 versatile roles spanning horror, comedy, action, and drama.
07:13 Her name's Beetlejuice.
07:15 Die, isn't it twice?
07:16 Just say it once more, come on.
07:17 Then came the infamous shoplifting incident.
07:19 In December 2001, Ryder was arrested after stealing over $5,000 worth of clothes and
07:25 was later convicted of grand theft and shoplifting.
07:27 Things took a turn for the worse the following year when she appeared in the critically panned
07:31 Mr. Deeds.
07:32 What are you staying here for?
07:33 I have a spare bedroom.
07:35 We tried that once, remember?
07:37 I woke up and you were standing over my bed, breathing heavily.
07:41 By all indications, Ryder's career was on its way to an early grave.
07:45 Fortunately, it was resurrected in 2016 with her portrayal of Joyce Byers on the popular
07:50 Netflix series Stranger Things.
07:52 Her performance on the show earned her a Golden Globes nomination, her first in over two decades.
07:57 No, it is not the electricity, Jonathan.
07:59 Something is going on here.
08:01 Number 3.
08:02 Keanu Reeves
08:04 Making one comeback as a Hollywood actor is challenging enough, but Keanu Reeves managed
08:08 to achieve the remarkable feat twice.
08:10 After a career lull, Reeves experienced an initial resurgence in 1999 with The Matrix,
08:15 which cemented him as one of Hollywood's biggest action heroes.
08:18 What are you doing?
08:19 I'm going in.
08:20 No, you're not.
08:21 I have to.
08:23 Neo Morpheus sacrificed himself so that we could get you out.
08:27 There is no way that you're going back in.
08:29 Morpheus did what he did because he believed that I'm something I'm not.
08:33 From there, things only seemed to go downhill.
08:35 His career trajectory took a downturn in the late 2000s and early 2010s,
08:39 marked by a string of mostly unsuccessful films.
08:42 Reeves was able to reclaim the spotlight in 2014 with John Wick,
08:46 and launched a highly successful franchise in the process.
08:49 What do you think you're going to do with all of that?
08:52 This.
08:52 Since then, he has returned to the Matrix universe for resurrections,
09:02 and lent his voice to the Toy Story franchise, all while remaining as lovable as ever.
09:07 Who's the greatest of the great white Norse?
09:09 Kaboom!
09:10 Who's the most spectacular daredevil Canada has ever seen?
09:13 Duke Kaboom!
09:14 Can you do the jump?
09:16 Yes, I Canada!
09:18 Number 2.
09:19 Brendan Fraser
09:20 I'll be seeing you again.
09:23 Winning an Oscar after a lengthy career decline is a pipe dream for many Hollywood actors,
09:28 but that dream came true for Brendan Fraser in 2023.
09:31 Fraser had broken out in the early 90s with projects like Encino Man and School Ties.
09:36 I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts.
09:43 He went on to attain leading man status with The Mummy trilogy.
09:46 But late 2000s, Fraser all but disappeared, mostly due to a series of personal issues,
09:51 including divorce, health problems, and an alleged sexual assault by the then-president
09:55 of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
09:57 In 2022, he portrayed the lead character in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale.
10:02 These assignments don't matter.
10:05 This course doesn't matter.
10:07 College doesn't matter.
10:10 These amazing, honest things that you wrote,
10:15 they matter.
10:20 The film breathed new life into his career, earning him heartwarming ovations around the
10:24 world and the Academy Award for Best Actor.
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10:42 Number 1.
10:44 Britney Spears
10:46 As one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century, Britney Spears' personal life
10:50 has been extensively covered by the media.
11:00 In the mid-to-late 2000s, Spears experienced a series of personal issues that led to the
11:05 implementation of a conservatorship, partly overseen by her father.
11:09 This arrangement lasted for 13 years until it was terminated in November 2021 following
11:14 a legal dispute and the #FreeBritney movement.
11:17 With her newfound freedom, Spears returned to the music scene, teaming up with Elton
11:25 John to release the hit single "Hold Me Closer."
11:28 Additionally, she signed a $15 million book deal, producing the 2023 best-selling memoir
11:34 "The Woman in Me," in which she candidly shared her personal challenges and her new
11:38 lease on life.
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11:44 We'll see you next time.
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