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Some TV shows launch careers — but others bring them crashing down. Join us as we count down the actors whose careers were derailed by the very shows that made them famous! From salary disputes and on-set conflicts to controversial exits and typecasting, these stories prove that Hollywood can be ruthless. Which actor do you think was treated most unfairly? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00Words can kill. I lost everything. Reputation. Everything.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the actors who ended up trapped
00:10or with their careers derailed by the very TV shows that made them famous.
00:13We're focusing on the show or production being responsible,
00:16rather than the actor's personal scandals.
00:18It was just, it was a tough time in my life.
00:23Number 10. Sarah Jessica Parker, and just like that.
00:27Carrie Bradshaw always was a polarizing character,
00:30even as far back as her time on Sex and the City.
00:41However, the negative buzz intensified within Just Like That,
00:45making her previous criticism feel trivial in comparison.
00:48Many viewers saw the show as little more than a hate watch,
00:51tuning in not out of loyalty, but out of rejection of its writing and character choices.
00:55What in tarnation was that video thing?
00:58It's bad, right?
01:00I wouldn't say it was good.
01:02The backlash stemmed from the show's uneven handling of contemporary themes
01:05and simplified portrayal of the current social climate.
01:08As a result, Parker found herself as the main target of the audience's ire.
01:12Even the series finale's attempts to turn things around backfired,
01:16culminating in a widely panned ending that the actress also found herself being blamed for.
01:23Number 9. Pamela Bellwood, Dynasty
01:26Although soap operas have loyal fanbases,
01:29actors can be locked into a narrow niche if they play their roles too well.
01:32Do I seem to be gloating, Claudia?
01:34I'm not very good at reading your looks.
01:36I'm sure you spoke the truth as you saw it,
01:38but there's always more than one side to the truth.
01:41Pamela Bellwood made a name for herself as Claudia Blystel Carrington.
01:44However, the character became infamous for her emotionally extreme storylines,
01:49constantly centered around institutionalization, meltdowns, or volatile behavior.
01:54Liars.
01:58Liars.
01:59Eventually, Bellwood found herself typecast as theatrical and melodramatic in the acting industry.
02:05The actress ultimately stepped away from the screen on her own terms to become a full-time mother.
02:10Still, her later televised roles were essentially variations of Claudia's unstable persona,
02:15and it was clear her image had become permanently tied to her most well-known performance.
02:19I feel so alone.
02:22You're not alone.
02:24I just feel very empty.
02:27And frightened.
02:29I don't know what to do.
02:31Number 8. Ruby Rose, Batwoman
02:33A major prospect in the 2010s,
02:36Ruby Rose's casting as Batwoman was seen as confirmation of her rise to leading star status.
02:41You take after your cousin, your female Bruce Wayne.
02:44But unlike him, you actually have a shot at making something of your life.
02:48However, she would leave the show after a solitary season.
02:52Speculation about her departure quickly heated up,
02:54causing Rose to deactivate her social media.
02:56She would later cite the physical demands of the role
02:59and concerns about the production environment,
03:01while Warner Bros. released a statement saying she was not brought back
03:04because of multiple complaints about her workplace behavior.
03:06I do really feel like it was right for the show to pass the mantle onto someone else now.
03:12The media firestorm prompted Rose to temporarily step back from the spotlight.
03:16Although she's since returned to the screen,
03:18the lingering association with the Batwoman controversy
03:20has continued to weigh on her once fast-rising career.
03:24Number 7. Aaron Moran, Joanie Loves Chachi
03:27Widely known as Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days,
03:30Moran was a series regular until the spin-off,
03:33Joanie Loves Chachi, a move she was unhappy with.
03:36That's right, you told me about that.
03:37That's a shame.
03:39A disastrous time slot change led to its cancellation
03:42only a year after its premiere, permanently stalling her momentum.
03:46While her image was strongly linked to her teenage sitcom persona,
03:49Moran was reportedly pressured by producers to change her on-screen perception,
03:53saying,
03:53they suddenly wanted me to lose weight and become this sexy thing.
03:56Now, this is getting a little out of hand.
03:59The actress was relegated to minor roles for the remainder of her career.
04:02In 2011, she joined a breach of contract lawsuit against CBS,
04:06which was ultimately settled.
04:08Although Moran seems like a star from a long-ago era,
04:10the actress was just 56 when she passed away in 2017.
04:13She may have had a charmed early life,
04:16but her later years were plagued by hardship.
04:18Number 6. Nicolette Sheridan, Desperate Housewives.
04:22After getting success with Knott's Landing,
04:25Nicolette Sheridan achieved mainstream recognition
04:27as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives.
04:29I hope I'm not interrupting.
04:32You must be Mike Delfino.
04:34Hi, I'm Edie.
04:35Britt, I live over there.
04:39Welcome to Wisteria Lane.
04:41Her role proved so popular
04:43that Sheridan was upgraded from a recurring spot
04:45to a main cast member,
04:47even securing a Golden Globe nomination.
04:49However, this goodwill came crashing down
04:51when her character was abruptly killed off.
04:54Moments before the ambulance finally arrived,
04:56I heard someone whisper.
04:58Don't worry, Edie.
05:00You're gonna get through this.
05:01You're gonna be just fine.
05:04Susan Meyer, wrong again.
05:07A prolonged legal battle between Sheridan,
05:09the show's creator, and the network followed,
05:12including contested allegations of wrongful termination,
05:15emotional distress, and on-set mistreatment.
05:17Regardless of the outcome,
05:19the conflict appeared to stall her career for good.
05:21In the aftermath,
05:22the actress's on-screen appearances
05:24have been increasingly limited,
05:25apart from occasional TV film roles
05:27and a brief stint on the Dynasty reboot.
05:29Oh, my God.
05:32That's my mother.
05:39Sorry I'm late.
05:42Traffic was a bitch.
05:43Number 5.
05:45Cindy Williams,
05:46Laverne and Shirley
05:47Another Happy Days spinoff
05:49that ended in acrimonious circumstances.
05:51Laverne and Shirley was a success in its own right,
05:53peaking as the top-rated show on TV.
05:55There's two people are staring at us.
05:57They're just admiring our lovely dresses.
06:00And yet,
06:01Cindy Williams didn't benefit from the success she contributed to.
06:04During her pregnancy,
06:05Williams stated production failed to accommodate her,
06:08reportedly refusing to sign a new contract
06:10upon learning she was scheduled to work,
06:12even on her due date.
06:13No one knew really what to do,
06:14and there became conflicts,
06:16and of course,
06:17my priority was my child,
06:19so I did.
06:20I left the show,
06:21and it was happily so,
06:23to have my baby.
06:25The actress ultimately parted ways with the series,
06:27filing a $20 million lawsuit
06:29that was settled out of court.
06:30Although she remained a screen presence
06:32for decades afterward,
06:33Williams never regained the same visibility
06:35or mainstream success
06:36as her time on Laverne and Shirley.
06:38It would also be many years
06:39before she would reconcile with co-star Penny Marshall.
06:42You have a history with each other
06:43that you don't have,
06:45I mean,
06:45it's very unique.
06:48Number 4.
06:48Lisa Bonet,
06:50A Different World
06:51While young audiences today recognize her
06:53as the mother of actress Zoe Kravitz,
06:55whom she shares with ex-husband Lenny Kravitz,
06:58Lisa Bonet was once on a path to super stardom.
07:00I know,
07:01but how can I decide?
07:02This is the most important decision
07:03I've ever had to make in my life.
07:05After gaining widespread popularity
07:07as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show,
07:09Bonet received her own spin-off,
07:11A Different World.
07:12However,
07:13her real-life pregnancy proved to be a turning point,
07:15as series creator Bill Cosby
07:17was reportedly reluctant
07:18to portray her pregnancy on screen.
07:20I did the other show
07:22and then, uh...
07:23The other show was, uh...
07:24A Different World.
07:25A Different World, right.
07:26And then I got pregnant
07:29and I took a little time off,
07:31which was actually great.
07:32Because of this,
07:33her character was written out of her own show.
07:36Bonet later returned for a guest appearance
07:37before also being let go from The Cosby Show
07:40due to creative differences.
07:41Oh, no,
07:42if Dad sees that,
07:43he's gonna want an electric sander.
07:44You're right,
07:45and he's gonna bring it in here
07:45and try to sand everything inside.
07:47You rip this page out and burn it.
07:48In the decades since,
07:50her roles have remained sparse,
07:51and as of writing,
07:52the actress hasn't appeared on screen since 2016.
07:56Number 3.
07:56Suzanne Somers,
07:58Three's Company.
07:59Among the earliest stars
08:00to challenge pay disparity in the industry,
08:03Suzanne Somers left her star-making role
08:05after a highly controversial salary dispute.
08:07And they said,
08:08we are gonna hang a nun in the marketplace,
08:10and Suzanne Somers is it.
08:12In the show's fifth season,
08:14the actress demanded equal pay
08:15with co-star John Ritter.
08:17When ABC refused,
08:18Somers' role was reduced
08:19to one-minute appearances
08:20filmed separately from the main cast
08:22before her contract was terminated.
08:24He said,
08:24you're out.
08:25I said,
08:25I'm out.
08:26I'm out?
08:27He said,
08:27yeah,
08:28he said,
08:28they were gonna fire you when I walked in.
08:29He said,
08:30there was no negotiation.
08:31As a result,
08:32Somers' mainstream career
08:33effectively evaporated during the 80s.
08:35It wasn't until step-by-step in the 90s
08:37that she returned to the broad TV exposure.
08:40Her relationships with Ritter and DeWitt
08:41were also strained.
08:43She reconciled with Ritter shortly before his death
08:45and made up with DeWitt in 2012.
09:00Number two,
09:01Valerie Harper.
09:02Valerie,
09:03aka The Hogan Family.
09:05It isn't every day
09:06a series continues
09:07after removing the star
09:08it was built around,
09:09but that's what happened
09:10with Valerie Harper.
09:11I've never been to
09:12a Northwestern football game before.
09:14What's it like?
09:15They lose.
09:16Originally the titular character
09:18and main focus of Valerie,
09:20the actress walked out of the show
09:21after a highly publicized pay dispute.
09:23Though she won her lawsuit
09:25against Laura Marr Productions,
09:26Harper's time
09:27as a prominent TV name
09:28never returned.
09:29I think they thought
09:30they could do it
09:31and I would skulk away.
09:33I don't think
09:34that Laura Marr and NBC
09:36thought we would fight it.
09:38Meanwhile,
09:39Valerie continued for four more seasons
09:41without Harper,
09:42rebranded as The Hogan Family.
09:43A multi-time Emmy Award winner
09:45for roles in
09:46The Mary Tyler Moore Show
09:47and Rhoda,
09:48the actress's scattered appearances
09:49over the next three decades
09:51are impossible to overlook.
09:53You just do the best you know how
09:54and lay it out there.
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10:12Number one,
10:13Janet Hubert,
10:14The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
10:16One of the most famous recastings
10:18in TV history,
10:19Janet Hubert's exit
10:20from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
10:21permanently cast her
10:22as the original Aunt Viv.
10:24Everybody calm down,
10:25false alarms happen all the time.
10:28The actress departed
10:29after a series
10:29of reported contract disputes,
10:31behind-the-scenes tensions,
10:33and creative disagreements.
10:34Speaking to Atlanta's
10:35V-103 radio station
10:37at the time,
10:38Will Smith claimed
10:38that Hubert wanted the show
10:39to be the Aunt Viv of Bel-Air show,
10:42igniting a feud
10:42that lasted nearly 27 years.
10:44I think Will simply needed to win.
10:46While the sitcom
10:47remained a cultural staple
10:48without her,
10:49Hubert's only regular roles afterward
10:51were on soap operas
10:52One Life to Live
10:53and General Hospital.
10:55It wasn't until the show's
10:5630-year reunion
10:57that she and Smith
10:58finally reconciled,
10:59with the latter calling
11:00his past behavior immature
11:01and apologizing to Hubert.
11:03I mean you.
11:09Which actor do you think
11:10was treated unfairly?
11:11Let us know in the comments.
11:13we've got this.
11:14tenemos film,
11:15father G cartoons,
11:16who ought to be
11:18in the comments.
11:19We'll see you next time.
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