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Fame can be fleeting, and public opinion even more so! Join us as we count down our picks for the celebrities who went from beloved to despised. From sexual misconduct allegations to racist comments, offensive behavior to criminal convictions, these stars' reputations took dramatic nosedives. Who do you think has fallen furthest from grace?
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00:00This was a very long sentencing hearing witch. Sean Combs himself, once larger than life, was left begging for mercy.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks from the most shocking cases of famous people falling out of favor with the public.
00:14So in 2017, when everything happened and I lost everything, I remember I said to Evan,
00:20I don't know who I am without my work. I don't know acting is all I've ever, ever known.
00:28Number 20. James Corden
00:31The Englishman, who co-created Gavin and Stacey, enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood as a talk show host.
00:38I really couldn't be more honored to be stood here talking to you now, and believe me, however shocked you are that I am doing this job, you will never be as shocked as I am.
00:48His program, The Late Late Show with James Corden, became known for unique segments like Carpool Karaoke and Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts.
00:56Unfortunately, his own behavior brought him down.
00:59He once joked about Harvey Weinstein at the 2017 Amphar Gala, receiving heavy backlash.
01:05Then, there was the time he got banned from a New York food joint because of his allegedly abusive behavior toward his server.
01:11Of course, we can't forget how he ticked off Patrick Stewart at the 2010 Glamour Awards,
01:14and the accusation that he stole a Ricky Gervais joke.
01:17But when you come up and present an award, just f***ing get on with it.
01:21There we go!
01:23All of this eventually led to the man being cancelled.
01:27Number 19. Jennifer Lawrence
01:29The Hunger Games star was once an It Girl.
01:31Can you name five Jennifer Lawrence movies?
01:35What?
01:36Fans loved her, critics lauded her, and she even won an Oscar at the age of 22.
01:41Her candor, sense of humor, and endearing quirks made her seem authentic and relatable.
01:46When she tripped at the 85th Academy Awards, it cemented her girl-next-door image.
01:51However, when she fell again at the 2014 Oscars, she was labeled an attention seeker.
01:56Things started to go downhill from there.
01:58Her friendship with convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein was widely criticized in light of his crimes.
02:03She was accused of romancing her Passenger's co-star Chris Pratt while he was married to Anna Faris.
02:08Her relationship with the much older Darren Aronofsky was also considered problematic.
02:13Eventually, the J-Law fever passed.
02:16I am annoying, and I am okay with that.
02:19And I don't want anybody to say anything.
02:22Number 18. Katy Perry
02:24This pop star's fall from grace seemingly happened all of a sudden, but not without reason.
02:29This is my job. This is my purpose.
02:31I feel like I was born to be an ambassador of love and joy and light, and to give all that, and to evolve, and maybe evolve in the spotlight so I can be an example of that.
02:44Following her exit from American Idol, fans were excited for more music from her.
02:48However, when they found out her comeback single, Woman's World, was co-written and co-produced by Dr. Luke, a.k.a. the man whom Kesha sued for indecent assault, they turned on her.
02:58After her album, 143, came out, it was widely considered a flop.
03:02With the addition of her controversial trip to space, courtesy of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, public tolerance finally ran out.
03:09And these are all of my astronaut girly friends.
03:15We are the Taken Up Space crew.
03:20Number 17. James Franco
03:22With his golden boy looks, acting talent, and knack for comedy, this star reached dizzying heights of success.
03:29It's a shame that he chose to misuse his influence.
03:31One of the things that I've learned is that this is a conversation that obviously needs to be had.
03:38There are people, women and others, who have not been a part of this conversation.
03:43And I truly believe, and why I was wearing the pin, is that they need to be a part of this conversation.
03:50He was accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
03:53Many of them were his students, who claimed he exploited and defrauded them.
03:57If that wasn't bad enough, he was even involved with a minor.
04:00In addition, actress Busy Phillips claimed in her memoir, this will only hurt a little,
04:04that Franco was violent toward her once during their time on Freaks and Geeks together.
04:08The actor has tried to make a comeback, but the reception hasn't been particularly warm.
04:12I suppose, at the time, my thinking was, if it's consensual, okay.
04:21Number 16. Adam Sandler
04:23The Happy Gilmore star is one of the most prominent names in comedy,
04:27but he has long been associated with questionable stuff.
04:30It's about time.
04:31Hey, it is about time. I mean, I just couldn't get the ball in the hole.
04:34I wanted to, but I just couldn't do it.
04:36His casting team was once accused of sexism by actress and activist Rose McGowan
04:43after a script she received for an Adam Sandler movie allegedly encouraged cleavage exposure.
04:48He has faced allegations of cultural insensitivity, too.
04:51While working on Sandler's film, The Ridiculous Six,
04:54several actors reportedly walked off the set, offended by how it was portraying Native Americans.
04:59Though his movies remain commercially successful,
05:01critics have called them uninspired and repetitive in recent years.
05:04Sandler has also been criticized for casting his close friends in them.
05:07I know it's going to be a better day when they're there,
05:09and I also want them to have a great thing to do.
05:12I like seeing them kill and all that stuff.
05:14Naysayers have long claimed he's a sellout,
05:16and that reputation apparently hasn't left him yet.
05:19Number 15. Shia LaBeouf
05:21When he rose to fame as a Disney star and even Stevens,
05:24fans were in awe of his talent and potential.
05:27Oh, hi, Ren. Uh, could I ask you something? You just did. Bye.
05:31However, his career lost momentum when he got caught up in a series of scandals.
05:35Professionally, he was accused of plagiarism multiple times in his career.
05:39In his personal life, he was arrested twice for disorderly conduct.
05:43His ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, took him to court accusing him of sexual misconduct
05:48and emotional abuse, and singer Sia claimed he hurt her emotionally.
05:52Shia also struggled with alcohol use disorder.
05:54He was so drunk at a cabaret performance at Studio 54 once
05:58that he disrupted the show and was arrested.
06:00And the guy's like, what are you in here for?
06:02And I'm like, cabaret.
06:05Cabaret, honey.
06:06On top of all of this, LaBeouf has a history of racism.
06:09His reputation hasn't recovered yet.
06:11Number 14. Mel Gibson
06:13The Mad Max star has made such wildly out-of-pocket comments in his career
06:18that he was previously blacklisted in Hollywood.
06:20Make sure that you don't get out of line too much.
06:23It's a high-wire act.
06:27He once publicly voiced his homophobia in an interview with El Pais.
06:30In 2010, his private audio tapes were leaked,
06:33where he can be heard making misogynistic and racist remarks to his ex-girlfriend,
06:37Oksana Gregorieva, who accused him of domestic violence.
06:41When he was arrested for a DUI, he reportedly went on an anti-Semitic rant,
06:45and according to a nota writer, he allegedly called her an anti-Semitic slur.
06:48You do things that go against good judgment.
06:52If all this came out today, he would be cancelled seven ways to Sunday.
06:56Shockingly, he's still active in the entertainment industry.
06:59Number 13. Russell Brand
07:01The stand-up comedian and presenter made a successful transition to acting,
07:05but his controversies overshadowed his career.
07:08Russell Brand, the comedian and actor,
07:10was charged with five counts in relation to four alleged victims.
07:15He has reportedly been arrested several times,
07:17once for attacking a paparazzo, and other times for his substance use.
07:21However, the worst of his reported crimes has to be sexual assault.
07:25Multiple women have accused him of sexual misconduct over the years,
07:28including singer and actress Dani Minogue.
07:31What's worse is that one of his supposed victims was a minor.
07:34Allegations of emotional abuse have also been made against him.
07:38Brand, who has recently drawn attention as a polarizing conspiracy theorist and podcaster,
07:42is now facing legal action for his alleged wrongdoings.
07:46Hello there, you awakening wonders.
07:47We've never been able to trust the pharmaceutical industry,
07:50and now we have more information than ever that demonstrates that fact.
07:53Number 12. Ellen DeGeneres
07:55The famous comedian and talk show host went from America's sweetheart to a public villain.
08:01Her whole image was built around spreading happiness and being kind.
08:04It's a beautiful thing to have emotion.
08:06I'm happy that you're that happy.
08:07However, in 2020, several former staff members of The Ellen DeGeneres Show
08:12and one individual who was working on the program at the time
08:15claimed they had experienced a toxic work environment.
08:18The allegations, which were published on BuzzFeed,
08:20detailed instances of problematic behavior, including racism from upper management.
08:25Ellen was called out for her alleged lack of accountability
08:27regarding the treatment her employees were facing,
08:30especially at the hands of the show's executive producers.
08:33She even admitted on Today that she had no idea about it,
08:36which didn't exactly help her case.
08:38I had no idea, never saw anything that would even point to that.
08:43Ellen eventually concluded her iconic show.
08:46Number 11. Zachary Levi
08:48The Shazam actor's downfall happened because he didn't keep his questionable opinions to himself.
08:53I'm not voting for Donald Trump.
08:55I'm voting for Donald Trump and Bobby Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard and Vivek Ramaswamy
08:59and Elon Musk and J.D. Vance and everyone else that they're going to bring in in this team,
09:06this Avengers, this Voltron, whatever you want to call it.
09:09Levi, who's a vocal supporter of Donald Trump,
09:12even told Variety that some people in the entertainment industry
09:14are unwilling to work with him because of his beliefs.
09:17These beliefs include his comments about the COVID-19 vaccine.
09:20He claimed it contributed to the untimely death of Gavin Creel,
09:24who passed from cancer, and considered Pfizer,
09:27which made the vaccines, a global threat.
09:29Following these comments, actress Laura Benanti,
09:32Levi and Creel's She Loves Me co-star,
09:34claimed he was a mansplainer and an energy vampire.
09:37He also received backlash for his apparent annoyance with the SAG-Aphra strike,
09:41though he later clarified he wasn't against it.
09:43The controversy significantly disrupted his career.
09:46It's been a really heavy journey, I'm not gonna lie.
09:48Number 10. Ashton Kutcher
09:50This former teen heartthrob once had a reputation
09:53as a staunch human rights activist for his work with THORN,
09:56digital defenders of children.
09:58I started a foundation called THORN with my ex-wife,
10:02and we're building digital tools to fight human trafficking.
10:07This was an organization he co-founded with his ex-wife, Demi Moore,
10:10to prevent the exploitation of minors.
10:12However, he had to resign from his position as the board chair
10:15after people found out he supported disgraced actor Danny Masterson
10:19after he was convicted of sexual misconduct.
10:21The job star, along with his wife, Mila Kunis,
10:24wrote character letters to the judge asking for leniency.
10:27They were intended for the judge to reek,
10:29and not to undermine the testimony of the victims,
10:33or re-traumatize them in any way.
10:35We would never want to do that.
10:36This prompted massive backlash against the couple.
10:39Demi's memoir, Inside Out,
10:41where she says Ashton cheated on her
10:43and shamed her for her alcohol use disorder,
10:45did nothing good for his reputation either,
10:47and left fans disillusioned.
10:50Number 9. Gal Gadot
10:51This Israeli actress rose to fame for her extraordinary beauty,
10:55winning Miss Israel in 2004,
10:57and landing a star-making role as Wonder Woman
11:00in the 2017 movie of the same name.
11:02We cannot live without helping them.
11:04These people are dying.
11:05However, public opinion quickly turned on her
11:07when critics panned her for her questionable acting skills.
11:11Her political views, especially her support for Israel,
11:14earned her much criticism too.
11:16When Gal received her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2025,
11:19the ceremony was reportedly met with disruption
11:21by pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters.
11:24Speaking to Variety,
11:26Gadot said she was shocked by the public vitriol against her.
11:29Yes, I'm okay.
11:30I'm on the other side of it.
11:31Number 8.
11:32Lena Dunham
11:33The girl's creator's talent has been overshadowed
11:36by the countless controversies she has courted.
11:38Well, actress Lena Dunham is apologizing
11:40for saying on her podcast,
11:41quote,
11:42I wish I had had an abortion.
11:44She wrote in her book,
11:45Not That Kind of Girl,
11:46that one Barry from Oberlin College sexually assaulted her.
11:50A man matching her description of Barry then sued her,
11:52after which she clarified Barry was a pseudonym.
11:55In the same book,
11:56she wrote about her inappropriate encounters
11:58with her younger sibling, Cyrus, in their youth,
12:00raising eyebrows.
12:02Dunham also once defended Murray Miller,
12:04a writer on Girls,
12:05after he was accused of indecent assault by Aurora Perrineau.
12:08Her insensitive comments about pregnancy termination,
12:11framing it as an experience she wished she could have
12:13to empathize with women who have gone through it,
12:16landed her in hot water, too.
12:17I'm aware of the criticisms,
12:20and I'm able to live with them.
12:23Number seven, Amy Schumer.
12:25The Emmy-winning comedian has faced quite a diverse range of scandals.
12:28Her popularity started declining
12:30when she kept being accused of plagiarism.
12:32I, um, yeah, I'm being accused of stealing jokes,
12:36and I wanted to come and talk to you about it and clear my name,
12:41because I would never, ever do that, and I never have.
12:45Many of her jokes were said to be stolen from comedians,
12:48like Kathleen Madigan and Wendy Liebman.
12:50She's been criticized for making racist jokes,
12:53is often accused of being a fake feminist,
12:55and was called out by Ashley Graham
12:56for seemingly having double standards about body positivity.
12:59Her infamous parody of Beyoncé's Formation,
13:02with Goldie Hawn, Wanda Sykes, and John Cusack,
13:04was also slammed for appropriation.
13:06Well, some on social media accused Amy Schumer
13:08of cultural appropriation and insensitivity
13:11to the racial politics of the song.
13:14Yeah, and it wasn't too long until hashtag
13:15Amy Schumer gotta go party started trending on Twitter.
13:19More recently, Amy sparked outrage for her comments
13:22about the Israel-Hamas war,
13:23the kind of pregnant actress can't seem
13:25to get away from controversy.
13:27Number six, Lance Armstrong.
13:30Big Tex rose to dizzying heights of fame
13:32in professional road cycling.
13:33He went from survivor to victor
13:36in what was called at the time
13:37one of the most unbelievable comebacks in sports history.
13:41Armstrong wins the Tour de France.
13:43For seven straight years,
13:45he dominated arguably the hardest sporting event in the world.
13:48So, his fall from grace was just as staggering.
13:51Lance Armstrong, who once won the Tour de France,
13:53several times in a row,
13:55lost those titles and an Olympic bronze medal
13:57after he admitted to using performance-enhancing substances.
14:01It was also said that his team members
14:02allegedly faced pressure for him to use banned substances.
14:06Following the scandal,
14:07the LeBoss myth came crashing down,
14:09and Armstrong's career was basically over.
14:12He was barred from participating
14:13in any sanctioned bicycling events.
14:15Lance hasn't quit riding bikes,
14:16but his career these days is more focused
14:18on a media company called Waydo,
14:20which he founded.
14:21I think I'm going to do some indoor training today.
14:23George was trying to get me to go right up the pass.
14:25Number five, Roseanne Barr.
14:28She used to be a TV darling,
14:30but her own actions brought her down.
14:31You'd be surprised how things do actually work.
14:36Barr once did a distasteful Hitler-themed photo shoot,
14:39claiming it was satire.
14:40She has also been denounced
14:41for spreading conspiracy theories on X.
14:43In one, she claimed philanthropist George Saros
14:46was a Nazi collaborator.
14:48In another, she seemingly implied David Hogg,
14:51who survived the Parkland High School shooting,
14:53had thrown up a Nazi salute
14:54at a March for Our Lives rally.
14:56She was even sued for sharing the address
14:58of George Zimmerman's parents on X
15:00after their son took Trayvon Martin's life.
15:02The actress, who's famously pro-Donald Trump,
15:05also triggered outrage after making a racist post
15:08about Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett on the platform.
15:12That's what my tweet was about!
15:14I know, you've explained this literally 300 times.
15:16I thought the bitch was white!
15:19As a consequence, Roseanne was canceled.
15:22Number four, Kanye West.
15:24The hip-hop goat's apparent radicalization
15:26needs to be studied.
15:28It was crazy.
15:28It was like some Black Mirror episode.
15:32They wanted to do everything to prove to me
15:34that I didn't have a right to say anything out loud
15:38that went against people who owned the media,
15:42people who owned the music industry.
15:44Kanye West, who goes by Ye now,
15:47has made so many controversial statements
15:49in recent years that his views
15:50have a whole Wikipedia page of their own.
15:53From espousing anti-Semitic rhetoric
15:54to identifying as a Nazi,
15:56calling slavery a choice,
15:58and wearing a White Lives Matter shirt,
16:00Ye has done it all.
16:02In addition, he's also reportedly anti-vaccine
16:04and anti-abortion.
16:06That's not all.
16:07The rapper and Trump ally
16:08has seemingly supported
16:10extremely problematic individuals,
16:12including Sean Diddy Combs and Bill Cosby,
16:15both of whom have multiple
16:16sexual assault allegations against them.
16:18He has since apologized for his anti-Semitism,
16:21but the damage done to his reputation
16:22seems to be irreversible.
16:24As long as I breathe,
16:25I'm here for all of my artists,
16:28all of my peers, and all the people.
16:30Number three, Kevin Spacey.
16:32The usual suspect's actor
16:34was highly respected in his heyday.
16:36His empire came crashing down
16:38when several people,
16:39including actors Anthony Rapp
16:41and Roberto Cavazos,
16:43accused him of sexual misconduct.
16:45He denied the claims
16:46and was found not guilty,
16:47but his career never returned
16:48to its former glory.
16:49I accept my accountability.
16:52I think it's incredibly important.
16:55I am not going to be accountable
16:57for things I didn't do
16:58or that were exaggerated
16:59or greatly changed,
17:01but I absolutely believe
17:02that my role in it
17:04was my role in it.
17:06In 2024,
17:07he drew backlash
17:08for visiting the Gaza border
17:09alongside pro-Israel journalist
17:11Douglas Murray,
17:12reportedly to see a friend's daughter
17:13who was in the Israel Defense Forces.
17:15The following year,
17:16he was spotted alongside
17:17Bill Clinton
17:18and Ghislaine Maxwell
17:19in photographs released
17:21as part of the Epstein files
17:22detailing Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.
17:24In a 2024 interview
17:26with Piers Morgan,
17:27Spacey admitted to having
17:28no money and no home,
17:29but public sentiment against him
17:31hasn't changed much.
17:32How much money do you have?
17:36None.
17:39Really?
17:40Well, I mean, you know,
17:42you have some sense of legal bills.
17:44Yeah.
17:45I still owe a lot.
17:47Number two,
17:48Sean Combs.
17:49The rapper
17:50and Bad Boy Records founder
17:51has had numerous run-ins
17:53with the law
17:53throughout his career.
17:54Sean Combs' celebrity parties
17:56were legendary,
17:58lavish affairs.
18:01Glamorous spectacles
18:02for the elite,
18:04which,
18:04for this billionaire music mogul,
18:06had also served
18:07as window dressing
18:08to his allegedly
18:09dark,
18:11sinister world
18:11until
18:12the veil was lifted.
18:15However,
18:16nothing could bring
18:17Diddy down from his throne.
18:18That was until
18:19his ex-girlfriend,
18:20Cassie Ventura,
18:21sued him
18:21for alleged sexual assault.
18:23She also accused him
18:24of sex trafficking
18:25and being violent
18:26toward her.
18:27The case was settled,
18:28but it launched
18:28a series of sexual misconduct
18:30lawsuits against him.
18:31Some of his alleged victims
18:32were said to be minors.
18:34Sean Combs
18:34is huge,
18:36and
18:36for him
18:38to be charged
18:39with all of these
18:40charges
18:41and counts
18:42and women,
18:43I think,
18:44is
18:44really a pivotal case.
18:47Combs was ultimately
18:47found guilty
18:48of two counts
18:49of transportation
18:49to engage in prostitution,
18:51for which he is now
18:52in prison.
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19:08Number 1.
19:10Bill Cosby
19:11He was once called
19:12America's dad.
19:13You know,
19:14I was not rambling,
19:16and I think
19:17it's a very good way
19:18to tell that particular
19:19part of life.
19:20I mean,
19:20it worked on you.
19:22However,
19:22Bill Cosby's
19:23illustrious career
19:24went up in flames
19:25after comedian
19:26Hannibal Buress
19:27drew attention
19:27to the sexual assault
19:28allegations against him
19:30during a 2014
19:31stand-up act.
19:32Multiple women
19:33had accused Cosby
19:34of sexual assault
19:34by then,
19:35with the earliest
19:36allegation dating
19:37back to 1965,
19:38but these claims
19:39did not attract
19:39mainstream media attention.
19:41Once the accusations
19:42resurfaced in 2014,
19:44more women came forward,
19:45saying they were
19:46sexually assaulted
19:46by Cosby,
19:48shattering his
19:48spotless image.
19:49He went to prison
19:50for the aggravated
19:51sexual assault
19:52of Andrea Konstad,
19:53though his conviction
19:53was overturned
19:54due to a technicality.
19:55Now a free man,
19:56Bill Cosby didn't stay long
19:58at his Pennsylvania home,
20:00leaving today
20:01to reunite
20:01with his wife.
20:02He was spending
20:03the next months
20:04with her.
20:05They haven't seen
20:05each other
20:06in almost three years.
20:07He was also found
20:08liable for sexually
20:09assaulting a woman
20:10when she was a minor
20:10and was ordered
20:11to pay damages to her.
20:13Do you think
20:13any of these celebrities
20:14have redeemed themselves?
20:16Tell us in the comments.
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