Whether or not these stars will ever rise again remains to be seen. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at celebrities who faced the most backlash and overall dislike in 2023.
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00:00 I'm doing you the favor as legacy media giving you relevance by speaking to you.
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at celebrities who faced the most backlash and
00:09 overall dislike in 2023. Whether their star status will recover remains to be seen.
00:15 You became the bad guy. Look what Jada made him do.
00:19 Number 10. Justin Timberlake. Singer/actor Justin Timberlake was riding a high in 2023
00:29 until it all came crashing down. The star had just reunited with NSYNC at the MTV VMAs,
00:35 and his film Trolls Band Together was highly anticipated. I sure hope the answer is singing,
00:41 dancing, and hugging because that's all you know how to do. There was also word that a massive
00:45 world tour was in the works, but then Britney Spears dropped her memoir The Woman in Me.
00:51 In the book, Spears shared details on the pair's breakup and how Justin ended things over text
00:57 message. He initiated over text saying that she was devastated yet portrayed by the media as a
01:03 harlot who'd broken the heart of America's golden boy. She also claimed Timberlake was unfaithful
01:08 and vilified her. In one of the biggest bombshells, Britney detailed that after an unexpected pregnancy,
01:14 Justin insisted he wasn't ready for fatherhood, leading the pair to terminate the pregnancy,
01:19 something Spears says she may not have done if it was just her decision. He was allegedly at
01:24 Britney's side strumming his guitar, trying to comfort her as she cried on her bathroom floor.
01:29 Needless to say, Timberlake's public image took a major hit.
01:33 9. Justin Roiland
01:41 Turns out 2023 wasn't a good year for celebs named Justin.
01:45 Justin Roiland was a celebrated voice actor and co-creator of Rick and Morty.
01:50 There you are Morty, listen to me, I got an errand to run in a whole different dimension,
01:54 I need an extra pair of hands. Oh jeez Rick, what'd you do to Frank?
01:58 However, that admiration turned to disdain when it was revealed that Roiland was facing domestic
02:04 violence charges. It was also revealed that he hadn't really been involved in the production
02:08 of Rick and Morty in a very long time. Morty, say you'll marry me. What? Just say yes. Yes? Okay.
02:15 Fans weren't the only ones who soured on Roiland, as Adult Swim severed ties with him in
02:19 20th Television Animation, removed him from Solar Opposites, and Koala Man. Roiland's domestic
02:26 assault case was dismissed due to lack of evidence, but more allegations have since been levied
02:30 against him. And with a new voice actor taking on his roles on Rick and Morty, people have put
02:35 Roiland in their rear view, but not before blasting him online. God, how long do you take to die?
02:41 Goodbye, Morty.
02:43 8. Colleen Ballinger
02:48 Colleen Ballinger may forever be the example of how not to do an apology video.
02:52 While my team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say,
02:56 I recently realized that they never said that I couldn't sing.
03:00 But why did she need to apologize in the first place? The Miranda Sings star found herself in
03:05 hot water in 2020 after YouTuber Adam McIntyre accused Ballinger of inappropriate behavior
03:12 when he was younger.
03:13 So a lot of people are saying some things about me that aren't quite true.
03:16 Doesn't matter if it's true though, just as long as it's entertaining.
03:20 The scandal blew over but reignited in June of 2023 when YouTuber Cody Tyler Dahl came forward
03:28 to back up McIntyre's claims. Accusations against Ballinger grew to a long list that
03:33 included grooming and racial insensitivity.
03:36 I haven't done that for years, you see, because I changed my behavior and I took accountability.
03:43 As noted, Ballinger responded to all the hate with a tone-deaf apology video
03:47 where she played a ukulele. Did we mention she didn't actually apologize in the video either?
03:52 Number 7. Drew Barrymore
04:08 Once dubbed Hollywood's Queen of Nice, Drew Barrymore had a rough end to 2023.
04:13 The backlash stemmed from a controversial decision Drew made to bring her talk show,
04:18 The Drew Barrymore Show, back to air weeks before the official close of the writers' strike.
04:22 I think we should roll a certain clip. Get off the furniture!
04:27 The decision to continue filming while her writers were still on picket lines
04:31 brought about fierce condemnation from industry colleagues and fans alike.
04:35 She attempted to defend her decision to bring the series back without union writers,
04:39 but that did not help matters. Like, at all.
04:42 There's just nothing I can do that will make this okay for those it is not okay with.
04:52 She later apologized and put the show's return on hold, but by then,
04:56 the damage had already been done.
04:59 Barrymore was within SAG-AFTRA strike guidelines to keep production running on her talk show,
05:04 but anyone writing for the show would be crossing the writers' guild picket line.
05:07 Number 6. Elon Musk
05:11 Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has always been an enigmatic and polarizing figure,
05:17 but 2023 seemed to tip the public's perception of Musk firmly in the dislike column.
05:22 Proclaiming, "The bird is freed." Elon Musk carried a kitchen sink into Twitter HQ this week,
05:28 tweeting, "Let that sink in."
05:30 The biggest issue stems from Elon's near-complete obliteration of Twitter.
05:34 Following his purchase of the social media site, Musk slashed the 75,000-member staff by 75 percent
05:41 and brought back banned users, along with an influx of hate speech and misinformation.
05:52 He also began charging users for the coveted blue checkmark and gave the whole thing a
05:57 corporate rebrand under the name "X." To say people were unimpressed would be just a wee
06:03 bit of an understatement.
06:04 Number 5. Lizzo
06:10 Like many on this list, Lizzo began the year on a high note. The singer won an impressive
06:17 four Grammy Awards and was inspiring big girls everywhere with her smash Amazon reality show.
06:23 However, Lizzo's reputation took a big hit when three of her former backup dancers took
06:28 aim at the star. They accused Lizzo of weight-shaming, discrimination,
06:36 and various forms of harassment and hostile working environments. Lizzo did all she could
06:41 to deny the claims, but the public wasn't entirely swayed, ultimately feeling duped by her empowering
06:47 on-screen persona. We're not sure how much jazz flute playing will be able to fix this one.
06:59 Number 4. Jonathan Majors
07:02 Already a respected actor, 2023 was on track to be the year Jonathan Majors broke out into
07:12 the A-list. After all, he had starring roles in films like Creed III and the much-buzzed-about
07:18 Magazine Dreams. His biggest achievement, of course, was playing Kang the Conqueror in the MCU.
07:24 Majors' It status all but diminished when the actor was arrested for allegedly hitting his
07:39 ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabari, in New York. Jabari herself would later be arrested for suspicion of
07:46 assault and criminal mischief. As for Majors, the folks at Marvel are reportedly rethinking
07:51 their plans for Kang in future films. The actor also lost his talent representation,
08:02 not to mention a massive amount of fan support.
08:05 Number 3. Andrew Tate Controversial influencer Andrew Tate started
08:10 his 2023 in the worst way, in prison. Along with his brother, Tate was sentenced to a Romanian jail
08:17 after a sex trafficking and organized crime arrest in late 2022. While in his cell, the ex-kickboxer
08:24 complained about the "hellish conditions" he endured.
08:28 However, he got very little sympathy from the public. Released in August on house arrest,
08:44 Tate again complained about his treatment in prison every chance he got, to which he,
08:49 once again, got very little sympathy for.
08:52 When I was in jail, I did 7,417 push-ups.
08:55 I would like to get to 10,000 before the end of the weekend.
09:01 Tate's public persona was so ripe for ridicule that the folks at South Park spoofed him in an
09:06 episode of the long-running adult animated series, as a toxic masculinity coach.
09:19 Number 2. Jada Pinkett Smith 2023 saw Jada Pinkett Smith become the poster child for TMI.
09:26 I don't want to share all of this and not also share some breadcrumbs along the way.
09:36 Her revelation-heavy memoir, Worthy, not to mention subsequent media tour,
09:41 only seemed to fuel the public's dislike for her. Over the course of the year,
09:45 Jada dropped major bombs about her marriage to Will Smith.
09:48 As it turns out, the couple separated in 2016.
10:00 Pinkett Smith even went on to say that the late Tupac Shakur was the true love of her life.
10:05 She also shared that Chris Rock once asked her on a date.
10:20 By the end of the year, people grew tired of Jada's seemingly non-stop parade of revelations,
10:31 and her name became an instant eye-roll to many.
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10:48 Number 1. Danny Masterson
11:00 There's no question that Danny Masterson's That '70s Show character, Stephen Hyde,
11:05 was a fan favorite. In turn, many grew fond of Masterson, despite a lackluster post-70s show
11:11 career. However, all that admiration would be gone by the end of 2023. In 2017, the actor was accused
11:19 of multiple assault allegations. Following bitter court proceedings, Masterson was eventually found
11:25 guilty in May 2023 and was ultimately sentenced to 30 years to life. Let's just say the disturbing
11:37 details of the case left his reputation unsalvageable. Heck, his downfall almost
11:43 sunk Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis' public status as well.
11:47 The actors were criticized for calling their former co-star a role model,
11:50 among other things, and the consensus is that that video didn't help.
11:55 What celebrity had you shaking your head in 2023? Let's chat in the comments.
12:00 "There's no way I ain't getting laid off for the show tonight."
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12:12 [Music]