It sounds like you're discussing some of the most notorious celebrity scandals in recent memory. Each of these individuals faced significant backlash due to their actions or statements, which impacted their careers to varying degrees.
1. **Michael Richards**: Known for his role as Kramer on "Seinfeld," Richards faced severe criticism after a racist tirade during a stand-up comedy routine.
2. **Kanye West**: A controversial figure in both music and pop culture, Kanye has sparked numerous controversies over the years with his outspoken behavior and statements.
3. **Jared Fogle**: The former Subway spokesperson faced legal troubles related to child pornography and sexual abuse charges, which led to his downfall.
4. **Armie Hammer**: Allegations of sexual misconduct and disturbing messages shared online led to a significant decline in Hammer's career and public image.
5. **Roseanne Barr**: The star of "Roseanne" faced backlash and had her show canceled after making racially charged remarks on Twitter.
These scandals have certainly had a lasting impact on these celebrities' careers and public perceptions. While some individuals may attempt comebacks or image rehabilitation, the extent of their success often depends on public forgiveness and the nature of the controversies themselves.
1. **Michael Richards**: Known for his role as Kramer on "Seinfeld," Richards faced severe criticism after a racist tirade during a stand-up comedy routine.
2. **Kanye West**: A controversial figure in both music and pop culture, Kanye has sparked numerous controversies over the years with his outspoken behavior and statements.
3. **Jared Fogle**: The former Subway spokesperson faced legal troubles related to child pornography and sexual abuse charges, which led to his downfall.
4. **Armie Hammer**: Allegations of sexual misconduct and disturbing messages shared online led to a significant decline in Hammer's career and public image.
5. **Roseanne Barr**: The star of "Roseanne" faced backlash and had her show canceled after making racially charged remarks on Twitter.
These scandals have certainly had a lasting impact on these celebrities' careers and public perceptions. While some individuals may attempt comebacks or image rehabilitation, the extent of their success often depends on public forgiveness and the nature of the controversies themselves.
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00:00and I said I thought the shirt was a funny shirt. I thought the idea of me wearing it was funny.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 career finishing
00:14scandals. What made the dorky Jared Fogle such an appealing pitch man was that he seemed so
00:19normal. Turns out that was more of an act than anyone could have imagined.
00:23For this list, we'll be looking at the most infamous controversies that flushed a prominent
00:28celebrity's career down the drain. Which of these stars do you think we haven't seen the
00:33last of just yet? Let us know in the comments. 20. Milli Vanilli
00:41For a short period in the late 80s and early 90s,
00:44German-French duo Milli Vanilli were one of the biggest acts in pop music.
00:50They toured the world on the back of their hit debut album,
01:00released in the US as Girl You Know It's True, and won the Grammy for Best New Artist.
01:06But their newfound fame vanished almost as quickly as it emerged when it was revealed
01:24that the two didn't sing on any of their album's tracks. Instead, their producer Frank Farian had
01:31hired other vocalists to perform the songs, while Milli Vanilli only lip-synched. As a result,
01:37the duo were forced to return their Grammy to the Recording Academy,
01:41and were dropped by their label, Arista Records. 19. Jeffrey Jones
02:00With roles in iconic 80s movies like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Beetlejuice,
02:06Jeffrey Jones became one of the most revered character actors in Hollywood. His career
02:20continued to blossom throughout the 90s, but came to a screeching halt in 2002 when he made
02:27headlines for all the wrong reasons. Jones had been indicted for possession of explicit
02:33photographs involving a minor and pleaded no contest to the charges. Although he received
02:38no jail time, he was sentenced to five years probation and made to register as a sex offender.
02:45Since then, Jeffrey Jones has managed a few film and TV appearances, but his career
02:51has never remained the same. 18. Pete Rose
03:09As a Major League Baseball player, Pete Rose was outstanding. Among his plethora of accolades,
03:15Rose won Rookie of the Year, MVP, and three World Series rings. Following a phenomenal career as a
03:23player, Rose began managing the Cincinnati Reds, the same team with which he got his professional
03:29start. In 1988, evidence surfaced showing that Rose had bet on baseball games, including those
03:36of his own team, the Reds. Although he initially denied the claims, Rose agreed to a lifetime ban
03:56from the sport, eventually ruling himself ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
04:01After years of repeated denials, Rose published an autobiography in 2004 in which he publicly
04:08admitted to the gambling allegations. 17. Anthony Wiener
04:22Former New York Congressman Anthony Wiener earned national attention in 2010 after giving an
04:28impassioned speech on the House floor. About a year later, he found himself in the headlines again,
04:35this time for sending lewd photos of himself to a woman on Twitter who was not his wife.
04:41The ensuing controversy resulted in him resigning from Congress in June of 2011.
04:47Unfortunately, the distraction that I have created has made that impossible.
04:52So today I am announcing my resignation from Congress.
04:56Following an absence from the spotlight, Wiener resurfaced in 2013, announcing a bid for Mayor
05:01of New York City, but yet again, allegations of even more sexting ran his campaign into the ground.
05:08In 2017, Wiener faced criminal charges after it was revealed that he had exchanged explicit
05:15material with a minor. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison.
05:3116. Michael Richards As Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld, Michael Richards
05:37was beloved by millions of fans who, for years, closely associated him with the eccentric but
05:43lovable character. In 2006, that perception changed drastically when a recording of Richards'
06:00set at the Laugh Factory was released by TMZ. In the clip, Richards bursts into an expletive-riddled
06:07racist rant after he is heckled by some members of the audience. Days later, Richards made a
06:13virtual appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, in which he publicly apologized for
06:18his remarks. Many, including one of the affected audience members, were unconvinced by this apology.
06:32In 2007, Richards announced he was dropping his mic and retiring from stand-up comedy.
06:4315. Mark Salling Mark Salling rose to
06:51prominence playing football star and bad boy Noah Puckerman on the Fox musical series Glee.
07:06Salling lost significant favor in December 2015 when he was arrested based on the suspicion that
07:12he possessed explicit pictures and videos involving minors. This suspicion was later
07:18confirmed after police discovered the unsavory material on his computer and flash drives.
07:24He was brought up on criminal charges the following May and eventually pleaded guilty
07:28to the crime. In light of the scandal, the actor was fired from an upcoming project with
07:34filmmaker Adi Shankar. While awaiting sentencing, Salling took his own life in January of 2018.
07:4214. Paula Deen The one celebrity chef famous
07:46for her traditional Southern recipes, Paula Deen led a successful cooking empire, with multiple
07:52restaurants and TV shows. This empire began to crumble, however, when a former employee
08:06sued Deen for discrimination. The lawsuit brought with it a deposition,
08:11during which Deen admitted to having used racial slurs in the past.
08:22Once the transcript found its way to the public in 2013, Deen released multiple tearful apologies,
08:28pleading for forgiveness. That did little to stop her from losing several sponsors
08:33and her contract with the Food Network. Since then, the Georgia chef has attempted a comeback,
08:49opening even more restaurants and launching her own online food channel. However,
08:54she has yet to attain the same level of success.
08:5813. Jared Fogle Beginning in the early 2000s,
09:03Jared Fogle became a spokesperson for Subway restaurants after claiming that their meals
09:08played a part in his rapid weight loss. Fogle began appearing in a series of commercials for
09:20the company and reportedly contributed to significant growth in Subway's sales.
09:26Things took a shocking turn in 2015, however, when Fogle's home was raided and he was arrested
09:31as a result of a lengthy FBI investigation. Just hours after that raid, Subway suspended
09:46their relationship with Jared. Apparently, Fogle had engaged in inappropriate relationships and
09:51distributed obscene material involving minors. He pleaded guilty to multiple criminal charges
09:57and was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison.
10:1312. Stephen Collins For more than a decade, Stephen Collins
10:18led the TV series 7th Heaven, starring as Protestant minister Eric Camden. He made a
10:37number of appearances in films and TV shows afterwards, only to completely disappear from
10:42the screen in 2014. Collins had been embroiled in controversy that year when a tape recording
10:48leaked featuring a man who sounded like the actor admitting to assaulting a minor in the past.
10:55He eventually confessed to multiple crimes, disclosing that he had committed them in 1973,
11:151982, and 1994. Although he evaded prosecution reportedly due to the statute of limitations,
11:22Collins was fired from multiple Hollywood projects and has stayed away from the spotlight
11:27ever since. 11. Lance Armstrong
11:39Once widely regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time, Lance Armstrong brought
11:45global attention to the sport. Armstrong won several consecutive Tour de France titles,
11:58a feat made more impressive by the fact that he had beat cancer a few years prior. Despite
12:05all of that acclaim, Armstrong faced allegations of doping for years, which he continuously denied.
12:16It all came to a head in 2012 when the United States Anti-Doping Agency found him guilty of
12:33not only taking enhancement drugs, but also of running a doping syndicate. Armstrong was
12:39stripped of all his titles and received a lifetime ban from all sports under the World
12:45Anti-Doping Code. 10. Armie Hammer
13:00This actor was on the rise throughout the 2010s, starring in The Lone Ranger and The Man from Uncle
13:06before earning critical acclaim as Oliver in Call Me By Your Name. But everything collapsed
13:24in January of 2021. It was then that text messages that revealed Hammer's violent fantasies were made
13:30public. Other women also came forward with allegations of abuse, and the woman who leaked
13:43the original text accused Hammer of sexually assaulting her in 2017. The actor dropped out
13:50or was fired from a string of projects and moved to the Cayman Islands, where he reportedly worked
13:56as a timeshare salesman. 9. Charlie Sheen
14:12This actor enjoyed decades of success, with his mainstream popularity spanning back to the late
14:1880s. However, he underwent a very public downfall throughout the 2010s, owing mainly to his
14:35substance use disorder. Following a stint in rehab, Sheen was fired from Two and a Half Men for
14:41making offensive comments about his boss, Chuck Lorre. The termination resulted in a lot of
15:01publicity for the actor, as did his increasingly erratic behavior. He rode this publicity and found
15:07consistent work, including an FX sitcom called Anger Management that ran for 100 episodes.
15:17However, Sheen's star had undeniably faded, and he hasn't worked in TV or film since 2017.
15:258. Matt Lauer One of the most prominent American
15:30newsmen, Matt Lauer found great success co-hosting the NBC program Today. He lasted 20 years on the
15:37show, with his tenure spanning from 1997 to 2017. It was in that year that a fellow NBC employee
15:53reported that Lauer had repeatedly harassed her. Many other allegations were reported throughout
15:59the following years, and according to journalist Ronan Farrow, NBC was fully aware of Lauer's
16:06predatory behavior. They only acted following the public accusation and fired Lauer in November
16:262017. Lauer and his wife divorced in 2019, and Lauer has reportedly spent his time writing a
16:33tell-all book. 7. Roseanne Barr
16:49There once was a time when Roseanne Barr was the hottest name in television. Her eponymous sitcom
16:55was a huge success throughout the late 80s and 90s, running for 10 seasons and earning Barr an
17:01Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy. The show was revived in 2018, but it only lasted
17:14one season before Barr's controversial actions got it cancelled. On May 29th of that year,
17:21Barr wrote a racist tweet aimed at a government official, Valerie Jarrett.
17:36The reaction was swift and severe, with ABC cancelling the show that very same day.
17:42A spinoff titled The Conners was made without Barr, and she disappeared from the television
17:48landscape. 6. Bill O'Reilly
18:01One of the most popular conservative commentators, Bill O'Reilly was known for hosting The O'Reilly
18:07Factor on Fox News. It ran for 21 seasons between
18:181996 and 2017. While the program was an enormous success in the ratings,
18:24it came to a sudden end once settlements against O'Reilly were made known. The New York Times broke
18:30a story and revealed that O'Reilly had been the target of five sexual harassment lawsuits.
18:49Both he and Fox News paid millions in settlements. Advertisers dropped their support for The O'Reilly
18:54Factor once the news was made public, and Fox fired their most popular host. He then started
19:00hosting a podcast called No Spin News. 5. Jussie Smollett
19:09Beginning in 2015, ex-Child star Jussie Smollett began starring as Jamal Lyon on Fox's Empire.
19:19The show was an immediate success, garnering several Emmy nominations and being named one
19:34of the ten best shows of the year by the American Film Institute. On January 2019,
19:41Smollett fabricated a fake hate crime and was later sued by the city of Chicago.
19:48A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation tells NBC News that Chicago
19:52police are now looking into whether Empire actor Jussie Smollett actually paid two men to fake an
19:59attack against him. They had filed a lawsuit hoping to reclaim over $130,000 that they had spent
20:06fruitlessly investigating Smollett's tall tale. He was also fired from Empire and hasn't appeared
20:13on TV since. In December of 2021, Smollett was found guilty of five felony counts of disorderly
20:19conduct and sentenced to 150 days in county jail. 4. Kanye West
20:39Ever since making his debut as a recording artist in the early 2000s, Kanye West became
20:44one of the most influential figures of the 21st century in hip-hop and fashion. Throughout his
20:58career, West had been at the center of controversies more than a handful of times,
21:03but perhaps the most consequential came in 2022. The rapper was first criticized for wearing a
21:10White Lives Matter t-shirt at the Paris Fashion Week. Soon after, he tweeted anti-Semitic remarks
21:23when he was locked out of his Instagram account. West faced immediate backlash, resulting in the
21:29loss of his billionaire status and multiple business partnerships with companies like
21:34Balenciaga, Gap, and Adidas. Safe to say, his career will likely never remain the same.
21:493. R. Kelly A huge star of the 90s, R. Kelly is a multi-Grammy
21:56winner who has sold over 75 million records. However, he was also accused of misconduct and
22:11abuse for decades. He managed to evade consequences for this behavior until the release of the 2019
22:18Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which chronicles his history of allegations.
22:26After his release, Kelly was dropped by RCA Records and charged with new crimes. He was
22:45found guilty of racketeering and of violating the Mann Act, which concerns the transportation
22:51of women for illicit activities. He was subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison
22:57and faces another trial in 2023. 2. Harvey Weinstein
23:13This man was once a powerful figure in Hollywood. The co-founder of both Miramax and The Weinstein
23:26Company, Harvey Weinstein is the Oscar and Tony-winning producer behind works like Pulp
23:31Fiction, Good Will Hunting, and Shakespeare in Love. However, behind the scenes, he used his
23:38power and influence to sexually harass and assault women. Things came to a head in October of 2017
23:45when The New York Times and The New Yorker reported over a dozen allegations against him,
23:50sparking the hashtag MeToo movement. In total, over 80 women came forth accusing Weinstein
24:08and or assault, including popular actress Rose McGowan. Weinstein was
24:14charged and found guilty of two felonies and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
24:381. Bill Cosby
24:47While he had been a successful comedian since the 60s, Bill Cosby is mostly remembered for
24:52starring as Cliff Huxtable in the enormously popular The Cosby Show.
25:08While he was known as America's Dad throughout the 1980s, this changed dramatically in the 2010s.
25:17After comedian Hannibal Buress drew attention to allegations against Cosby in 2014,
25:23numerous women came forward with further accusations of sexual assault,
25:27dating all the way back to the mid-60s.
25:30This round started off, believe it or not, as a joke.
25:34Back on October 16th, comedian Hannibal Buress says something that goes viral.
25:39On September 25th, 2018, Cosby was sentenced to prison for aggravated indecent assault.
25:46He remained behind bars for nearly three years,
25:49but his conviction was overturned on June 30th, 2021.
25:53The Philadelphia Supreme Court threw out the conviction,
25:56saying Cosby's due process rights were violated.
25:59While Cosby was released from prison, his career is effectively over.
26:23you