These actors burnt wayyyy too many bridges. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for beloved actors who were well-respected for their craft until a scandal came to light that turned public opinion against them.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 "What the hell were you thinking?"
00:02 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for beloved actors who were
00:05 well-respected for their craft, until a scandal came to light that turned public opinion against
00:10 them.
00:11 "I've heard about you, and you'll be caught soon, I know you will."
00:16 James Corden
00:17 At one point, James Corden was a respected actor and creator with work on Gavin and Stacey
00:21 in a league of their own.
00:22 But when the Brit moved across the pond to take on The Late Late Show with James Corden…
00:25 "I'm the insider!"
00:31 …it wasn't long until he began falling foul of people.
00:33 In 2022, Corden was accused of abusive behavior at the New York restaurant Balthazar when
00:37 staff apparently made his wife's meal incorrectly.
00:40 This earned the host a ban from the eatery, which was rescinded when Corden apologized.
00:43 However, he then flip-flopped on his responsibility, causing the ban to be reinstated.
00:48 "I've been walking around thinking I haven't done anything wrong."
00:51 This incident also brought to light other alleged Corden incidents that further tarnished
00:55 his reputation.
00:56 "The restaurant manager and the server, they were lovely.
00:58 They were lovely.
00:59 They brought out four glasses of champagne as an apology, but we were like, 'That's
01:03 not necessary, we don't need it.'
01:04 We'd had a great time, even for me.
01:06 It was too early to start drinking."
01:08 Lea Michele
01:09 "Mr. Schuster, do you have any idea how ridiculous it is to give the lead solo and
01:13 sit down and rock on the boat to a boy in a wheelchair?"
01:16 Whether she was releasing her own music or starring in Glee, Scream Queens, or popular
01:19 stage productions, Lea Michele was lapping up nominations and awards all over the place.
01:24 The sky really seemed the limit for her.
01:25 But then 2020 happened.
01:27 That year, Michele posted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on social media.
01:31 In response, several former Glee co-stars came forward to shine a light on her hypocrisy
01:35 and terrible behavior behind the scenes.
01:37 On top of microaggressions, Michele was accused of racist behavior and being rude to various
01:42 people on set.
01:43 "I just got you on the cover of New York Magazine!"
01:45 "In the background.
01:46 You were practically glowing about it."
01:48 "That's because I accomplished something.
01:49 It had nothing to do with you."
01:51 "No, see, it actually has everything to do with me."
01:53 This included apparently calling background performers "cockroaches."
01:56 While Michele apologized, it was too late.
01:58 "You get great grades.
01:59 You're a fantastic singer."
02:01 "Everybody hates me."
02:02 Brands and fans left the actor in droves.
02:05 Armie Hammer
02:06 "Is there any way to make this a fair fight?
02:09 Jump out and swim."
02:11 After roles in The Social Network, The Man from Uncle, and Call Me By Your Name, Armie
02:15 Hammer appeared to be on the cusp of superstardom.
02:17 "So what do you do around here?"
02:20 "Read books.
02:21 Transcribe music."
02:22 "Swim at the river?
02:24 Go out at night?"
02:26 "Sounds fun."
02:30 After all, he was cast as a lead in 2022's Death on the Nile.
02:33 However, the publicity for that film was wrecked once the scandal about Hammer came out in
02:37 2021.
02:38 "That was naughty of me.
02:39 Hello.
02:40 I hope you don't mind I took the liberty."
02:45 The actor was accused of both physical and emotional abusive behavior with ex-partners.
02:49 Film companies, fans, agencies, and brands dropped the actor all at once.
02:53 "Were you surprised when you saw what was going on with him?"
02:56 "To be honest with you, I wasn't shocked because it was multi-generational, just awful
03:03 behavior."
03:04 He's pretty much vanished from the public eye since, but did go on to admit to being
03:07 emotionally abusive in his relationships.
03:09 "We'll speak soon?"
03:13 Amber Heard
03:14 "We should turn back.
03:15 We can still warn the surface, try and prepare them for what's coming."
03:18 "Turn back?"
03:19 With the end of their marriage, the accusations of abuse in the numerous court cases, neither
03:23 party came out of this debacle looking especially favorable.
03:26 However, it's safe to say Amber Heard was not the winner of the court of public opinion.
03:30 She was accused of abusive behavior and having marital affairs.
03:33 Social media was rife with people mocking the Aquaman performer and her legal team during
03:37 the infamous 2022 defamation trial.
03:39 The jury sided with Depp by awarding him $15 million, while Heard was awarded $2 million.
03:44 "Do you find that Mr. Depp has proven all the elements of defamation?
03:49 Answer, yes."
03:50 And this only made it worse for her.
03:52 Afterwards, she moved to Spain to escape the scrutiny.
03:55 However, the public condemnation returned during the release of 2023's Aquaman and the
03:59 Lost Kingdom.
04:00 "I don't care what one thinks about me, or what judgments you want to make about what
04:05 happened in the privacy of my own home and my marriage behind closed doors."
04:08 Kevin Spacey
04:09 After receiving two Oscar awards, Kevin Spacey ushered in the Netflix original era with his
04:25 Golden Globe-winning role in House of Cards.
04:27 "I need somebody I can talk to."
04:29 "We're talking.
04:30 Tell me what we're talking about."
04:32 Every project he was on seemed to often become a critical hit.
04:35 Then, in 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of assaulting him when he was a teenager.
04:39 "Spacey made sexual advances toward him after a party when they were both on Broadway.
04:44 Spacey was 26."
04:46 Spacey's response didn't help when he claimed he didn't remember the encounter, apologized
04:49 for it happening, and then came out as gay, which drew the ire of many.
04:53 When the allegations came to light, Spacey was dropped by House of Cards.
04:56 "I've led a very long, very successful career avoiding this sort of intrigue with the press.
05:01 I can't see any advantage in starting now."
05:03 "But is there any disadvantage?"
05:04 Yet he continued parodying his character in strange annual YouTube videos.
05:08 The actor has faced several court cases with further allegations.
05:11 However, they have ended in Spacey's favor.
05:13 "After that, my guess is you'll never hear from him again."
05:17 Michael Richards
05:25 "I'm out."
05:26 Due to his role as Kramer on Seinfeld, Michael Richards was awarded the Primetime Emmy for
05:32 Outstanding Supporting Character in a Comedy Series on three occasions.
05:35 "I used to feel good all the time."
05:39 Once the sitcom ended, he dabbled in TV a little while longer before focusing on his
05:43 stand-up routine.
05:44 In 2006, he was at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, California, where it all came crumbling
05:48 down.
05:49 Richards was recorded going on a vile, slur-filled rant at hecklers.
05:52 Afterward, he appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to apologize.
05:55 "I'm really busted up over this, and I'm very, very sorry to those people in the audience,
06:04 the blacks, the Hispanics, the whites, everyone that was there that took the brunt of that
06:08 anger and hate and rage."
06:12 Suffice to say, this was not really the sort of apology people were looking for.
06:16 Richards retired from stand-up and has rarely appeared in film and TV since.
06:19 "But no, no, I, I, I, I, I, I, I busted up after that event seven years ago.
06:27 It broke me down."
06:28 Ezra Miller
06:29 "I just need one more gig, and I'm gonna pay for my own tuition."
06:32 "You can't."
06:33 "Like I always said I would."
06:34 "You're doing this to yourself.
06:35 Okay, I really don't want to talk about this again."
06:37 There probably isn't an actor who has had as many legal run-ins in such a short amount
06:40 of time as Ezra Miller.
06:42 After being cast in the Fantastic Beasts series and as The Flash in the DCEU, they became
06:47 a household name.
06:49 "Oh my God!
06:52 Flash!"
06:53 "Hi."
06:54 "I love you!"
06:55 "Thank you!
06:56 You seem very nice also."
06:57 "Oh my God!"
06:58 Then, 2020 rolled around and a video surfaced of Miller attacking a woman at a bar in Iceland.
07:03 This was unfortunately only the beginning.
07:05 "I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior.
07:10 I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe, and productive
07:15 stage in my life."
07:16 They have been accused of harassing people, theft, assault, and grooming, among some other
07:20 odd and heinous behavior.
07:22 In January of 2023, Miller pleaded guilty to misdemeanor unlawful trespass.
07:27 Roseanne Barr
07:28 As the lead of Roseanne, actor and comedian Roseanne Barr played a vital role in turning
07:32 the show's first run into a critical success, securing many awards along the way.
07:36 "What happened?"
07:37 "I thought you were dead."
07:39 "I'm sleeping.
07:40 Why does everybody always think I'm dead?"
07:44 In 2018, the show was revived after 20 years.
07:47 However, not long after, Barr messed up massively.
07:49 "Why'd you find out about me?"
07:51 After several of her controversial comments came to light, Barr made a racist tweet about
07:55 former political advisor Valerie Jarrett.
07:57 While Barr apologized and tried to backtrack, it was too late.
08:00 "VC pulled the plug on the show, saying Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant,
08:06 and inconsistent with our values, and we've decided to cancel her show."
08:10 Roseanne was canceled and replaced by The Conners, without Barr.
08:13 "I know Roseanne would want me to step in and watch over the family."
08:16 "No, it'd kill her."
08:19 She has, despite all this, continued airing unpleasant thoughts and conspiracies, even
08:23 doing controversial comedy routines.
08:25 "I try to be even more offensive."
08:28 Danny Masterson
08:29 Before 2017, if you were to ask fans who their favorite character on That '70s Show was,
08:34 many would immediately say "hi."
08:36 "You missed your shift at the photo hut.
08:38 You better have a damn good excuse."
08:40 "I got busted."
08:43 Nowadays, it's less so after what his actor did came to light.
08:46 In 2017, several women filed sexual assault charges against the actor, who denied the
08:50 accusations.
08:51 "One of them called the actor, quote, 'pathetic, disturbed, and completely violent,' unquote."
08:57 After a fourth allegation, however, Netflix fired Masterson, who was a producer and actor,
09:01 on the ranch.
09:02 He was also dropped by his talent agency.
09:04 In 2023, at the retrial, he was found guilty on two of the three charges, with the remaining
09:08 count resulting in a hung jury.
09:10 Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for his horrific crimes.
09:14 "You don't want a hug, do you?"
09:17 "God, no."
09:18 "Good.
09:19 Because you're not getting one."
09:20 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
09:24 about our latest videos.
09:25 You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
09:29 If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
09:35 Bill Cosby
09:36 "Under control.
09:37 So, no problem."
09:38 "No problem, right.
09:39 How do you expect to get into college with grades like this?"
09:44 "No problem.
09:45 See, I'm not going to college."
09:48 "Damn right."
09:49 With the title of America's Dad, Bill Cosby was the biggest name in TV history, mostly
09:53 known for his work on The Cosby Show.
09:55 However, there were rumors that the actor was responsible for a host of grim crime.
09:59 Yet there was little traction to them.
10:01 "Hello, my dear.
10:03 Mm.
10:04 Right."
10:05 But that all changed in 2015 when more and more victims began to come forward and the
10:11 media ran their stories.
10:12 "I never saw any drugs, but I would wake up completely confused."
10:19 In 2018, after over a decade of accusations, Cosby was charged with three counts of assault
10:23 and sentenced to three to ten years in jail.
10:26 However, in 2021, Cosby's conviction was overturned after it was discovered that his due process
10:30 rights had been violated.
10:32 Regardless, this hasn't repaired Cosby's image, especially as he's faced civil cases for assault
10:36 since.
10:37 "Who's in trouble now?"
10:39 Which actor has done the opposite of those in this video and gained more respect the
10:42 longer they've been around?
10:43 Let us know your opinions in the comments below.
10:45 "You're only doing this to me because I'm the lead of Funny Girl and you're just the
10:49 lowly understudy."
10:52 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
10:56 to be notified about our latest videos.
10:58 Thanks for watching!
11:08 [Music]