- 7 months ago
From phoenix-like rises to spectacular falls from grace - join us as we explore the celebrities who soared back into the spotlight and those who crashed and burned trying! Our countdown includes stars who overcame personal demons and career setbacks to reclaim their former glory, alongside those whose comeback attempts went horribly wrong.
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00:00People keep asking if I'm back, and I haven't really had an answer.
00:05But now, yeah, I'm thinking I'm back!
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be taking a look at some of the greatest
00:13and absolute worst attempted celebrity comebacks ever attempted.
00:17You're gonna need stitches and antibiotics, and you're gonna have a hell of a scar.
00:21That's okay. Chicks take scars, right?
00:25Best, Jennifer Coolidge.
00:27I'm taking the dog.
00:29Dumbass!
00:30After years playing minor roles in comedy movies and TV shows,
00:34Jennifer Coolidge got her breakthrough portraying Stifler's mom in the American Pie film franchise.
00:40She continued to enjoy success in the comedy genre,
00:43with notable roles in Legally Blonde and A Cinderella Story.
00:47People go to school to get smarter so that they can get a job.
00:53You already have a job, so it's like skipping a step.
00:57However, after narrowly missing out on a lead role in Desperate Housewives,
01:01Coolidge's stardom waned.
01:03Although she played a supporting role in the CBS sitcom Two Broke Girls,
01:07her immense potential remained largely untapped.
01:10But then came a little project called The White Lotus.
01:13The HBO anthology series propelled Coolidge back into the spotlight in her 60s,
01:18and earned her several prestigious accolades, including her first Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award.
01:25Please! These gays! They're trying to murder me!
01:29Worst, Paris Hilton.
01:31Despite coming from an uber-successful and unfathomably rich family,
01:35Paris Hilton made a name for herself through modeling and reality TV.
01:38Will you ever worry me like that again?
01:40She notably starred on The Simple Life alongside Nicole Richie from 2003 to 2007.
01:47While her dumb blonde, spoiled persona was obviously played up for the camera,
01:51the show made her insanely famous. Most of that fame came at her own expense,
01:56but she clearly didn't care. And while she's still making bank through her numerous business
02:01ventures today, Hilton's public spotlight has faded. She's dabbled in DJing in recent years,
02:06and went back to reality TV with Viceland's Hollywood love story. But that came and went.
02:12She was also the subject of a YouTube original documentary titled This Is Paris in 2020.
02:18I like animals more than people.
02:20Best, Natasha Lyonne.
02:22Natasha Lyonne started acting as a child and gained fame in the late 90s and early 2000s
02:28through various teen comedies. This included films like the popular American Pie series,
02:33as well as the indie classic But I'm a Cheerleader.
02:36Jesus!
02:38Why are you here? I came to get you.
02:41However, her career suffered a setback in 2001,
02:44when she was arrested for driving under the influence.
02:47That kicked off a string of controversies and legal problems related to substance use disorder.
02:53About a decade later, Lyonne's fortunes began to change when she landed a role on the Netflix
02:58series Orange is the New Black.
03:00You use people and you throw them away.
03:03That's your thing. Now I know it.
03:06Hey, so-so, it's not my thing, all right? I look out for my friends, you just don't happen to be one of them.
03:12This marked a turning point, paving the way for her involvement in a slew of successful comedy dramas
03:17like Russian Doll and Poker Face.
03:20You ate someone's bacon.
03:21They were ignoring me.
03:23You are the worst waitress I've ever had, and I ran a cracker barrel in the green zone.
03:27That last part was unnecessary, but thank you for your service.
03:31Worst. Vanilla Ice
03:33Vanilla Ice became a worldwide megastar with Ice Ice Baby.
03:37The song was an enormous hit, peaking at number one in eight different countries,
03:41including the United States and Zimbabwe.
03:43In fact, it made history by becoming the first hip-hop single to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
03:49Check out the hook where my DJ reports it.
03:51Ice, Ice, Ice, Ice, Ice.
03:53Ice took a break from music in 1993, but when he returned, his subsequent records received little fanfare.
04:00He did find success with his DIY network show, The Vanilla Ice Project,
04:04thanks to his experience in home improvement.
04:06Some people got no reason.
04:09In 2011, he released his comeback album, WTF.
04:15Wisdom, Tenacity, and Focus.
04:17It was not a success, and Vanilla Ice hasn't charted on the Hot 100 as a lead artist
04:22since Cool as Ice hit number 81 in 1991.
04:25Only in Vegas, baby.
04:27Best.
04:28Ki Hui Kwan
04:29At the age of 12, Ki Hui Kwan won the role of a lifetime,
04:33starring opposite Harrison Ford as Short Round in Steven Spielberg's
04:37Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
04:39What do we do, Dr. Jones?
04:49What do you think?
04:52I think that somebody believes the good luck rock from this village.
04:56He quickly followed this up with a part as one of the titular kids in 1985's The Goonies.
05:01Don't you guys remember from the attic?
05:04The news article.
05:05See, they said the last guy who went looking for the witch stuff,
05:08he said he went in, but he never came back out.
05:10But see, that was like back in 1935.
05:13Oh, God.
05:14If he didn't make it out, and he was supposed to be an expert, what about us, guys?
05:18Despite this promising start, Kwan faced challenges securing acting work in the U.S.
05:23This led him to transition into roles as a stunt choreographer and assistant director.
05:28Inspired by the success of Crazy Rich Asians, Kwan returned to acting after a 19-year hiatus,
05:34and soon landed a significant role in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
05:38I saw so many, the entire cast made up of Asian actors, and I go, wow, I wish I was up there with them.
05:47Seriously.
05:48And so the idea of getting back into acting, that's where it started.
05:52His performance received universal acclaim,
05:54and ultimately earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
05:58Worst, Katherine Heigl.
06:00Another big 2000s star, Katherine Heigl first gained some fame in 1999,
06:05starring as Isabel Evans on the WB's Roswell.
06:08She rode this role to greater success,
06:10including her Emmy-winning performance on Grey's Anatomy and movies like Knocked Up and 27 Dresses.
06:16No, I just don't.
06:17That time would prove the height of her career.
06:20She's since starred in many movies, but none of them were very popular or that good.
06:24Most of Heigl's work can be found on television.
06:27The mid-to-late 2010s saw her star in State of Affairs, Doubt, and Suits.
06:32The first two were cancelled after just one season, and her role in Suits lasted two.
06:37I'm upset.
06:38Because if you have any issue with me, you should come to me and not go around me.
06:41Heigl is still receiving steady work, but the recent TV comeback fails to match her Grey's Anatomy heights.
06:48There is nothing to talk about, do you understand me?
06:51There is nothing to discuss.
06:54Best, Michael Keaton.
06:56I want you to tell all your friends about me.
06:58What are you?
06:58I'm Batman.
07:01The plot of 2014's Birdman closely mirrored the life of its lead actor, Michael Keaton.
07:07Like the character Riggan Thompson, Keaton initially gained recognition by portraying a superhero in a film franchise, but later experienced a decline in his career.
07:16Who was this guy?
07:17He used to be Birdman.
07:20Okay.
07:22Oh, great.
07:23All right.
07:23Oh, you're such a doll.
07:25You're so sweet.
07:26Thanks.
07:26Handsome.
07:27Thanks.
07:27Thanks, sir.
07:28In Keaton's case, this downturn began in the early 2000s with a string of supporting roles in moderately successful films.
07:36By the early 2010s, Keaton was in dire need of a career revival, which fittingly came in Birdman, a film that seemed to parallel his own life.
07:45It garnered numerous award nominations for Keaton, setting the stage for roles in subsequent projects like Spotlight, Spider-Man Homecoming, and the Hulu miniseries Dope Sick, which won him his first Emmy Award.
07:58I've seen this doctor, and I'm on this new medication, and it's really helped me.
08:02I haven't relapsed in a year, and my mind has come back like it used to be.
08:07Guns N' Roses
08:09This hard rock band was once one of the biggest in the world, with their first four studio albums reaching either number one or number two, and selling over five million copies each in the United States alone.
08:21Welcome to the jungle.
08:23We got fun and game.
08:24Things slowed down with 1993's The Spaghetti Incident, as it only reached number four, and ended the band's multi-platinum run.
08:33It would be 15 years until the band returned, and the results were underwhelming.
08:37On November 23rd, 2008, the world finally received Chinese Democracy, which received middling reviews and sold only one million copies.
08:47The long-awaited comeback was completely dead in the water.
08:50Luckily, both Slash and Duff McKagan saved the band by touring with Axl & Co. on the incredibly successful Not In This Lifetime tour.
08:59Best, Kesha
09:00In the early 2010s, Kesha dominated dance floors around the world with hit songs like TikTok, We Are Who We Are, and Timber.
09:14To the outside world, her life seemed glamorous as her career flourished.
09:22However, behind the scenes, she grappled with personal challenges, including an eating disorder and an allegedly exploitative relationship with producer Dr. Luke.
09:32This led to her filing a lawsuit against him for sexual assault, which dragged on for months, only to be dismissed in 2016.
09:39After a four-year hiatus, Kesha made a triumphant return with her 2017 single, Praying, which seemingly addressed the aforementioned lawsuit.
09:48The song earned Kesha a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance, and became a rallying anthem for the Me Too movement.
09:55I hope you're somewhere praying, praying, I hope your soul is changing.
10:06Worst, Lil' Kim
10:07This New York rapper got her start through the notorious B.I.G. by joining his group, Junior Mafia.
10:14This led to a highly successful solo career throughout the late 90s and 2000s, which included three top 10 albums.
10:212001 also saw her singing Lady Marmalade, the highly successful single for Moulin Rouge.
10:28But like Guns N' Roses, Lil' Kim took a major hiatus.
10:31There was a 14-year break between 2005's The Naked Truth and 2019's Nine, and the wait was not really worth it, according to most accounts.
10:41The album received mixed reviews from critics and performed poorly, failing to land on any major charts or generate any notable singles.
10:49Best, Eddie Murphy
10:51Eddie Murphy was undoubtedly one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s.
10:58After rising to prominence on SNL, Murphy transitioned to the big screen, where he scored huge box office hits with films like the Beverly Hills Cop franchise and Coming to America.
11:08Are you saying that no matter what I tell you to do, you will do?
11:13Yes, Your Highness.
11:15Anything I say, you'll do?
11:16Yes, Your Highness.
11:19Bark like a dog.
11:20However, by the late 2000s, his career waned following a string of movies that were met with either critical or commercial failure.
11:27After years away from the spotlight, Murphy made a successful comeback with 2019's Dolomite Is My Name.
11:33I just want to say to all you Bahari brothers that I am ecstatic.
11:37And anything y'all want me to do, man, whatever it takes to make this record go up the charts, I'm ready to do it.
11:42That year, he also returned to the stage that made his career, for the first time since 1984.
11:49For hosting the December 21st, 2019 episode of SNL, Murphy won his first ever Emmy Award.
11:56Worst, Tara Reid
11:57This American actress had quite a respectable movie career throughout the late 90s and early 2000s.
12:03She appeared as Bunny in The Big Lebowski and went on to star as Vicky in the American Pie franchise.
12:09I've had one.
12:11No.
12:12I think.
12:12Rounding out her filmography were works like Josie and the Pussycats, My Boss's Daughter, Van Wilder, and A Stint on Scrubs.
12:20Something happened around 2005 and Reid just disappeared.
12:24You know, you should always try to go to the bathroom before you leave the house, even if you don't have to.
12:29Not completely, as she was still in things, but the hits had certainly dried up.
12:34Reid then tried her hand at reality TV, including Celebrity Big Brother and her own show, Terradice,
12:40before settling on the B-movie-turned-Cult Sharknado series.
12:48Best, Winona Ryder
12:49In the late 80s and 90s, Winona Ryder was Hollywood's It Girl, known for her versatile roles spanning horror, comedy, action, and drama.
12:58Name's Beetlejuice.
12:59Ah, use it twice, just say it once more, come on.
13:01Then came the infamous shoplifting incident.
13:04In December 2001, Ryder was arrested after stealing over $5,000 worth of clothes,
13:10and was later convicted of grand theft and shoplifting.
13:13Things took a turn for the worse the following year, when she appeared in the critically panned Mr. Deeds.
13:18What are you staying here for? I have a spare bedroom.
13:21We tried that once, remember?
13:23I woke up and you were standing over my bed, breathing heavily.
13:27By all indications, Ryder's career was on its way to an early grave.
13:31Fortunately, it was resurrected in 2016, with her portrayal of Joyce Byers on the popular Netflix series Stranger Things.
13:39Her performance on the show earned her a Golden Globes nomination.
13:42Her first in over two decades.
13:44No, it is not the electricity, Jonathan. Something is going on here.
13:49Worst, Ellen DeGeneres.
13:51There was once a time when Ellen DeGeneres was the biggest name in entertainment.
13:55Her historic coming out as a lesbian both paved trails and ignited controversy,
14:00and her follow-up talk show proved enormously successful.
14:03And what have you just gotten this?
14:05While coming out nearly tanked her career, it was the talk show that ultimately did.
14:09In 2020, BuzzFeed reported through anonymous employees that working for Ellen was akin to hell on earth,
14:16complete with harassment and racist comments.
14:19Just one question. Just what else does he want to say?
14:22I don't know what you're telling him, but just ask him what I'm saying.
14:26Okay, sorry.
14:26While her show wasn't canceled, the 18th season premiere faced significant backlash.
14:32Outlets criticized her opening monologue, and the YouTube video's like-to-dislike ratio skews heavily towards the latter.
14:39It was also reported that the show's premiere week viewership was down 30% from last year.
14:44It's all love. That's all that's real is love.
14:46Absolutely.
14:47That's the truth.
14:48Best, Keanu Reeves.
14:49Making one comeback as a Hollywood actor is challenging enough,
14:53but Keanu Reeves managed to achieve the remarkable feat twice.
14:57After a career lull, Reeves experienced an initial resurgence in 1999 with The Matrix,
15:03which cemented him as one of Hollywood's biggest action heroes.
15:06What are you doing?
15:07I'm going in.
15:09No, you're not.
15:10I have to.
15:12Neomorpheus sacrificed himself so that we could get you out.
15:15There is no way that you're going back in.
15:17Morpheus did what he did because he believed that I'm something I'm not.
15:21From there, things only seemed to go downhill.
15:24His career trajectory took a downturn in the late 2000s and early 2010s,
15:28marked by a string of mostly unsuccessful films.
15:32Reeves was able to reclaim the spotlight in 2014 with John Wick
15:35and launched a highly successful franchise in the process.
15:39What do you think you're going to do with all of that?
15:42This.
15:47Since then, he's returned to the Matrix universe for Resurrections
15:53and lent his voice to the Toy Story franchise,
15:56all while remaining as lovable as ever.
15:58Who's the greatest of the great white North?
16:01Kaboom!
16:01Who's the most spectacular daredevil Canada has ever seen?
16:05Duke Kaboom!
16:07Can you do the jump?
16:08Yes, I can, I don't.
16:10Worst.
16:11Ja Rule.
16:11This rapper released a string of successful albums throughout the late 90s and early 2000s,
16:17six of which peaked within the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
16:20These include Rule 336 and Pain Is Love, both of which reached number one,
16:25and both of which were certified multi-platinum.
16:28However, Ja Rule has subsequently faced numerous legal issues throughout his career,
16:33including a two-year prison sentence in 2010
16:35and another 28-month sentence the following year.
16:38Here I am in a bad situation 10 years later after all the things I've done,
16:43all the success that I've had.
16:44He was released in 2013 and just three years later started the infamous Fyre Media Inc.
16:50It could have been a huge business and public comeback,
16:53but the Fyre Festival proved so disastrous that he faced a $100 million class action lawsuit instead.
17:00Biggest misconception about your involvement in Fyre Festival is that I committed a crime.
17:07Best, Brendan Fraser.
17:09I'll be seeing you again.
17:12Winning an Oscar after a lengthy career decline is a pipe dream for many Hollywood actors,
17:17but that dream came true for Brendan Fraser in 2023.
17:20Fraser had broken out in the early 90s with projects like Encino Man and School Ties.
17:25I'm too sexy on my shirt, too sexy on my shirt, so sexy it hurts.
17:33He went on to attain leading man status with the Mummy trilogy.
17:36By the late 2000s, Fraser all but disappeared,
17:39mostly due to a series of personal issues,
17:42including divorce, health problems,
17:44and an alleged sexual assault by the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
17:49In 2022, he portrayed the lead character in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale.
17:54These assignments don't matter.
17:58This course doesn't matter.
18:01College doesn't matter.
18:04These amazing, honest things that you wrote,
18:09they matter.
18:13The film breathed new life into his career,
18:15earning him heartwarming ovations around the world,
18:18and the Academy Award for Best Actor.
18:20Worst, Charlie Sheen.
18:23By 2010, Two and a Half Men was proving so popular
18:26that Charlie Sheen was earning nearly $2 million per episode.
18:30However, his personal life wasn't nearly as triumphant.
18:34Sheen was well known for his substance abuse and reckless behavior,
18:37especially with the latter allegedly aimed towards his then-wife,
18:41Brooke Muller,
18:41and the trashing of a hotel suite.
18:43Oh, gee, Charlie, that may not be the best idea.
18:47I don't recall asking for your opinion.
18:48He was eventually dismissed from Two and a Half Men,
18:50and while the resulting press put him in the news,
18:53the termination effectively killed his career.
18:55Sheen attempted a comeback with roles in Scary Movie 5
18:58and a show called Anger Management,
19:00and while the latter ran for 100 episodes,
19:03it received poor reviews.
19:04The comeback was a fail,
19:06and Sheen hasn't been seen in movies or TV since 2017.
19:09All right, let's just put this whole damn thing behind us.
19:13May the filth be with you.
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19:30Best, Britney Spears
19:32As one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century,
19:35Britney Spears' personal life has been extensively covered by the media.
19:39I miss American dreams since I was 17
19:43Don't matter if I step on the scene
19:45No, sneak away till the Philippines
19:48In the mid to late 2000s,
19:50Spears experienced a series of personal issues
19:52that led to the implementation of a conservatorship,
19:55partly overseen by her father.
19:57This arrangement lasted for 13 years
19:59until it was terminated in November 2021,
20:02following a legal dispute and the Free Britney movement.
20:05What do I want?
20:06Free Britney!
20:07What do we want it?
20:08Now!
20:09With her newfound freedom,
20:11Spears returned to the music scene,
20:12teaming up with Elton John to release the hit single,
20:15Hold Me Closer.
20:16Hold me close, I'm tired of dancing
20:19Count the headlines on the highway
20:27Additionally, she signed a $15 million book deal,
20:33producing the 2023 best-selling memoir,
20:35The Woman and Me,
20:36in which she candidly shared her personal challenges
20:39and her new lease on life.
20:40In many ways, Madonna did have a good effect on me.
20:44She told me I should be sure to take time out for my soul.
20:47Worst, Roseanne Barr
20:48Few comebacks have crashed and burned like this one.
20:52Barr's sitcom Roseanne was a huge hit throughout the 90s,
20:55remaining a top four show for six of its nine seasons.
20:58I'm sorry, what do you want me to do?
21:00Throw myself off a bridge?
21:01Yeah, and take your brother and sister with.
21:03It came to a controversial end in 1997
21:06with a divisive series finale.
21:08Luckily for fans, it was revived by ABC
21:11and brought back for a 10th season in 2018.
21:14It was actually a huge success,
21:16with the premiere episode generating
21:18nearly 20 million viewers.
21:20What happened?
21:21I thought you were dead.
21:22It lasted all of two months.
21:25Barr made a racist comment on Twitter,
21:27which she proceeded to blame on Ambien.
21:29The show was immediately canceled amidst the controversy,
21:32as was Barr herself.
21:34She once again faded into irrelevancy,
21:36and everyone else moved on to the Connors without her.
21:39I thought the bitch was white!
21:43God damn it!
21:44What celebrities do you think should attempt to make a comeback?
21:47Let us know in the comments.
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