These celebrities returned following tragic setbacks. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at celebrities that nearly lost it all, but still came out on top.
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00:00Girl, you lost a lot at once.
00:01I so did.
00:02Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at celebrities that nearly lost it all,
00:07but still came out on top.
00:09I'm just glad I'm sitting here and I wasn't part of the monologue.
00:13Winona Ryder.
00:15For a while, she was one of the coolest people in Hollywood.
00:18Aren't you scared?
00:19I'm not scared of sheets.
00:21Are you gross under there?
00:23Are you Night of the Living Dead under there?
00:25Like all bloody veins and pus?
00:28Her work in irreverent films like Beetlejuice and Heathers helped earn her credit in industry
00:33circles and among the general population.
00:35Dear diary, my teen angst bullshit has a body count.
00:41However, in 2001, Ryder was caught shoplifting from a high-end department store and was
00:46subsequently arrested.
00:48While she avoided jail time, she took a hiatus from her career for several years.
00:53She slowly re-entered the scene with small parts in indie movies, eventually making her
00:58mainstream return as Joyce in Stranger Things.
01:00Has this always been here?
01:02I don't know.
01:03Probably.
01:04I mean, I have two boys.
01:05Look at this place.
01:06The show's popularity helped introduce her to an entirely new generation, while cementing
01:11her previous legacy as one of Hollywood's brightest stars.
01:14My favorite part about playing Joyce is getting to watch these kids grow up.
01:21They started at the same age I was when I started, which is really interesting.
01:26Mickey Rourke
01:27His once-illustrious career set him up to be the envy of leading men everywhere.
01:32You know, I got plans.
01:36Always a dreamer, Abel.
01:40If you don't have good dreams, baby, you got nightmares.
01:42While Mickey Rourke's roles didn't always have the most screen time, he was still lauded
01:47for his performances.
01:49He had the potential to be huge, but his reported penchant for turning down parts and being
01:53difficult to work with led to his star beginning to fade.
01:57I mean, they're all the same, you know?
01:59Everybody's got an excuse.
02:00In the 90s, Rourke pivoted back to his original passion, boxing.
02:05Unfortunately, the sport ended up dealing him several injuries, causing him to undergo
02:10facial reconstructive surgery.
02:12When he returned to acting, most of his offers had dried up, leading him to believe he was
02:17a has-been.
02:18But his role in Sin City revitalized his once-fading relevance.
02:23Walk down the right-back alley in Sin City, and you could find anything.
02:29Demi Lovato
02:30When Demi first came up on Disney Channel with the likes of Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez,
02:35she probably could have been the network's biggest star.
02:38Gonna let the light shine on...
02:43Yeah, it's not really that good.
02:46Uh, what?
02:47That was totally good.
02:49Her powerful vocals helped her stand out, leading to several popular singles.
02:54Take me down into your paradise
02:58However, Lovato struggled with various mental health challenges and substance use issues.
03:04She was sober for several years before an overdose in 2018.
03:08She was hospitalized, prompting her to withdraw from fame while she recovered.
03:12The doctors told me that I had five to ten minutes, and if no one had found me,
03:21then I wouldn't be here.
03:23When she did return, she was in a much healthier place,
03:26showing that people shouldn't be defined by their worst moments.
03:35Stephen King
03:36It's safe to say Stephen King is one of the most well-known authors in modern history.
03:41I heard that you, uh, you hate Halloween.
03:45Well, okay, let me explain this, all right?
03:48He has penned countless works since beginning his career in the late 1960s,
03:53with many becoming instant classics within the horror genre.
03:56Do you want a balloon too, Georgie?
03:59I'm not supposed to take stuff from strangers.
04:03Oh, well I'm Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
04:07But he almost lost his life when he was hit by a car in 1999.
04:11His injuries were intense, nearly resulting in his leg being amputated.
04:16The accident ended up affecting him physically and mentally,
04:19and he struggled to start writing again.
04:21I did an interview with the Los Angeles Times, and I said,
04:24I'm thinking about retirement, because I was.
04:27With the help of his wife, King returned to the craft.
04:30He's released several more acclaimed works,
04:32and was even awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2014.
04:37Drew Barrymore
04:38Achieving fame at a young age might seem like a dream,
04:41but for many child performers, it turns out to be a nightmare.
04:49Drew Barrymore appeared in her first commercial at 11 months old
04:53and became one of America's biggest stars at 7,
04:56after appearing in E.T. the Extraterrestrial.
04:59She was introduced to the nightlife scene early on,
05:02resulting in her being admitted to a rehabilitation center at 13.
05:06You couldn't mess around in there, and if you did,
05:09you would get thrown either in the padded room
05:11or get put in stretcher restraints and tied up.
05:14Post-recovery, she's starred in several more films
05:17with varying levels of critical success.
05:19I told you not to hang up on me.
05:22What do you want?
05:23To talk.
05:24Well, dial someone else, okay?
05:26She found a new niche for herself in several rom-coms,
05:29which would help revitalize her on-screen career.
05:32Hey, you remember that story?
05:34I remember everything that you say.
05:36Shania Twain
05:37It's tough to see an icon stopped while they're at the top.
05:40For years, Shania Twain was unstoppable.
05:47She had multiple albums reach immense levels of critical and commercial success
05:52and was one of the biggest names in country music.
05:55So when she suddenly disappeared after 2002's Up, people were shocked.
06:06It wasn't until years later that she revealed her vocals had weakened
06:10following multiple medical conditions, including Lyme disease.
06:14She worked hard to heal, learning to sing with her new voice.
06:18And I'd lost my voice.
06:20I had to start over with my voice.
06:23She released her fifth album in 2017, 15 years after her last,
06:28and debuted a number one on the Billboard 200,
06:32proving that her new vocals wouldn't hold her back one bit.
06:36Kesha
06:41She may have gotten her start making fun music,
06:43but behind the scenes, things were allegedly everything but.
06:52Kesha took the world by storm with singles like TikTok becoming huge hits.
06:56But that era started to look different when she sued her long-time producer Dr. Luke in 2014.
07:03She accused him of abuse and employment discrimination,
07:06and their legal battle continued for several years.
07:09It's inhumane, everything about this trial, it's sickening, it's disgusting.
07:13Despite the circumstances, she persisted.
07:16The release of 2017's Praying marked a change in her music
07:20and in the way the case was perceived online.
07:23You brought the flames and you put me through hell.
07:26I had to learn how to fight for myself.
07:29She went on to redefine her sound and left her previous label,
07:33giving her true artistic freedom for the first time in her career.
07:43Brendan Fraser
07:44At his peak, no one could have predicted his career trajectory.
07:48I'll be seeing you again.
07:50Throughout the 90s and 2000s, Brendan Fraser seemed to be on top of the world.
07:55He had starred in several blockbuster hits and had effectively made his mark on Hollywood.
08:01Son, you want to take us hard? Starboard!
08:03What?
08:04That way!
08:05But an alleged sexual assault and other personal woes
08:09led to his withdrawal from the limelight due to his mental health.
08:13While he continued to act, the projects weren't as successful as his previous work.
08:18Things finally turned around for him in the 2020s.
08:21His leading role in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale
08:23was met with widespread acclaim and earned him his first Academy Award.
08:28I know this may sound silly, but it's important. I promise.
08:34After that, the renaissance was in full effect.
08:37I feel fortunate that for whatever it is that's happening right now,
08:41that it didn't happen 20, 25 years ago, because I would not have been licensed
08:45to operate that equipment at that time in my life. It would have been too much too soon.
08:51Vanessa Williams
08:52To achieve something so great only to have it ripped away afterwards
08:56is nothing short of devastating.
08:58And our new Miss America is Vanessa Williams, Miss New York!
09:03Vanessa Williams made history as the first black woman to win the Miss America title in 1983,
09:09paving the way for future generations.
09:11But she was later pressured into giving up the hard-earned title after intimate photos
09:16of her were released without her consent. Although it wasn't her fault, the damage was done.
09:21I do officially relinquish my title as Miss America 1984 to the Miss America patent.
09:27While the experience could have ended her career, it was clear she wasn't ready to give up.
09:33She pivoted to music, television, and film,
09:36leading to chart success and several Emmy nominations for her role in Ugly Betty.
09:40It'll be the greatest comeback since Jesus.
09:44And after 32 years, she finally received a long-overdue public apology in 2015.
09:51I want to apologize to you.
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10:09Robert Downey Jr.
10:12This actor's career really came full circle.
10:15Robert Downey Jr. was no stranger to critical success.
10:18I mean, can't you tell when I'm telling the truth?
10:24No. Trust was the first thing you ruined.
10:35Yeah.
10:36His initial run in the 1980s and 90s had a fair share of hits,
10:40and he even received an Oscar nomination for his work in 1992's Chaplin.
10:45As you've already said, Mr. Hoover, motion pictures are for the people.
10:50Unfortunately, a downward spiral would culminate in several drug-related arrests
10:55and even time served in prison. He suffered professional ramifications as a result,
11:01as people were wary to work with him.
11:03In all honesty, I never thought I'd see you again. I just thought,
11:05here's a lost human being. Obviously not. I was incorrect. My apologies for that.
11:10That's all right.
11:11After seeing some success in smaller films, he struck gold when he was cast as Iron Man.
11:17Yeah, I can fly.
11:18He became the centerpiece of a multi-billion dollar franchise.
11:22Things truly came full circle for him in 2024, when he won an Academy Award for Oppenheimer.
11:28Amateurs seek the sun, get eaten. Power stays in the shadows.
11:37Which celebrity were you happy to see back in the limelight? Let us know in the comments below.
11:46Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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