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Fame doesn't always fade the same way everywhere. Join us as we count down celebrities who, despite major scandals and career-ending backlash in the United States, have managed to remain surprisingly popular or professionally active in other parts of the world. Which of these controversial stars do you think deserves a second chance — and which ones definitely don't? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00Why do you support Vladimir Putin, Mr. Seagal?
00:03I can't answer questions that stupid.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at celebrities who,
00:08despite major scandals or career-ending backlash,
00:11remain surprisingly popular or active in other countries.
00:14It's going to be a wonderful evening of songs and stories,
00:17and I look forward to seeing you all there.
00:20R. Kelly
00:21I did you wrong, I admit I did.
00:26Even after the widespread condemnation that followed years of allegations
00:29and his eventual convictions in the United States for racketeering and trafficking-related charges,
00:34R. Kelly's music continues to see pockets of popularity abroad.
00:37Arrested in 2019,
00:39His bodyguard handed me his phone number and said,
00:41R. Kelly, we'd like you to call him.
00:43Kelly would eventually receive a 30-year federal prison sentence,
00:46followed by an additional 20-year sentence in a separate federal case.
00:50But even with no possibility of performing internationally due to his incarceration,
00:54his catalog still retains measurable streaming traction in parts of West Africa,
00:57the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.
01:00Yep, local radio stations still include R. Kelly's early 2000s hits in rotation,
01:05even as he's been largely scrubbed from mainstream American pop culture.
01:08My body's telling me it hurts.
01:12Mel Gibson
01:12Mel Gibson's fall from grace in Hollywood,
01:15stemming from anti-Semitic remarks and widely reported abusive behavior,
01:18drastically changed his image in North America.
01:21Are those anti-Semitic words?
01:22Oh, yeah.
01:24Yeah.
01:25Absolutely.
01:25Sounds horrible.
01:26And I'm ashamed of that.
01:28That came out of my mouth.
01:29That I'm not that.
01:30That's not who I am, you know.
01:32Yet internationally,
01:33especially in Latin America,
01:35Eastern Europe,
01:36and Australia,
01:37Gibson has remained a bankable
01:38and even celebrated star.
01:40Films he has directed or appeared in following his reputational downturn
01:43have performed respectably well overseas.
01:45Because of this,
01:47he continues to receive financing from production companies outside the U.S.
01:51Plus,
01:51his earlier works,
01:52particularly Braveheart,
01:54have retained a devoted following in regions where his scandals received less sustained media coverage,
01:58allowing his career to stay resilient.
02:00This as he makes slow efforts to rehabilitate his domestic standing.
02:04Chris Brown
02:10R&B artist Chris Brown's career in the United States has long carried the shadow of his 2009 assault case
02:16involving Rihanna,
02:17along with later controversies that kept him a lightning rod for criticism.
02:21However,
02:21Brown remains extraordinarily successful in Europe,
02:24where his albums and tours continue to draw impressively massive audiences.
02:28Countries like the U.K. and Germany consistently place his singles on their charts.
02:32Ladies love me,
02:34I'm on my cool day.
02:35And he has maintained strong sales in France and the Netherlands.
02:39Brown's dance-driven R&B sound,
02:41along with high-budget international tours,
02:43has helped him secure worldwide fandom,
02:45even as American discourse remains divided or critical of him.
02:52Alberto Del Rio
02:53After a series of serious allegations,
02:55including accusations of domestic violence and misconduct,
02:58Alberto Del Rio's standing in mainstream American professional wrestling
03:02fell dramatically.
03:03Chaquan's bond was set at $50,000,
03:05but he has since bailed out.
03:07Once a top-tier star,
03:09Del Rio's U.S. career all but vanished following his string of controversies.
03:12Yet in Mexico,
03:13where he hails from a famous lucha libre family,
03:16he continues to find opportunities and main event acclaim.
03:19Wrestling under the name Alberto Alpatron,
03:21he has been a figure in several promotions,
03:24leveraging his legacy in the wrestling community.
03:26While criticism remains strong among American fans,
03:28and major promotions like the WWE have distanced themselves from him,
03:32Del Rio's name still carries significant weight across the border.
03:36Steven Seagal
03:36Yeah, that's me.
03:37That's you.
03:38Why do I got a warrant for them?
03:39Assault.
03:41Aggravated assault.
03:42Few action stars have had his controversial fall from grace as Steven Seagal.
03:46Over the past decade,
03:47his reputation in the West has been marred by sexual misconduct allegations
03:51and multiple legal controversies.
03:53What does it take to change the essence of a man?
03:56He also shares outspoken political positions,
03:58including close ties to Russia.
04:00Ironically,
04:01these very connections help to maintain prominence overseas.
04:04Granted Russian citizenship in 2016,
04:07Seagal frequently appears on Russian state television,
04:10sometimes acting as a cultural envoy or guest at official events.
04:13Why do you support Vladimir Putin, Mr. Seagal?
04:16I can't answer questions that stupid.
04:19Yeah, sorry.
04:20Why is it a stupid question?
04:21It's just an open question.
04:23I think it's pretty stupid.
04:24And I think you know the answer.
04:26Meanwhile,
04:27his 1990s martial arts persona
04:28has retained cold appeal in Eastern Europe,
04:31Serbia,
04:31and parts of Asia,
04:32where his older action films are still celebrated,
04:35even amid ongoing global criticism.
04:37How?
04:38We're not gonna make it!
04:41You are!
04:44Tekashi 69
04:45I know you don't like me.
04:46You wanna fight me.
04:48You don't want no problem that your party don't invite me.
04:50We guess you could say that Tekashi 69 turned scandal into global notoriety.
04:54You see,
04:55his U.S. career took a major hit due to criminal convictions,
04:58cooperation with federal prosecutors,
05:00and public feuds.
05:02But internationally,
05:03his profile skyrocketed.
05:05With American industry support largely gone,
05:07he found major success in Latin America and Eastern Europe.
05:11Collaborations with top Latin artists
05:13helped generate hundreds of millions of streams across Spanish-speaking markets.
05:16It seems his over-the-top persona and aggressive promotional style
05:19appeal to international audiences less concerned with U.S. controversies,
05:23allowing him to maintain a steady career high.
05:26Morrissey
05:26I'm so very second.
05:30Morrissey has never shied away from stirring controversy,
05:33and it has cost him dearly in the U.K. and parts of North America.
05:37I jumped up country boy
05:38Who never knew his place
05:40Over the years,
05:42his outspoken political comments,
05:44including repeated criticism of immigration policies
05:46and associations with far-right groups,
05:49have made him a polarizing figure.
05:52I'm so sorry
05:55However, in Mexico,
05:57Morrissey enjoys a fervent and almost cult-like following
06:00that stretches back to his days with the Smiths.
06:02His concerts regularly sell out in Mexico City,
06:05inspiring dedicated Mex-Rissy subcultures
06:08that celebrate his signature melancholic sound.
06:10Fans often embrace the emotional resonance of his music,
06:13choosing instead to separate the art from his controversies.
06:16What I can tolerate most music,
06:19there's some things I really can't stand.
06:20Like, like what?
06:21Well, I don't like rap,
06:23because the voice is always the same.
06:25Woody Allen
06:26Once celebrated as one of America's greatest auteurs,
06:29Woody Allen's reputation in the United States
06:31crumbled under scrutiny
06:32over long-standing abuse allegations
06:34involving his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow.
06:37I had many opportunities in the past.
06:39I could have quietly made a custody settlement with Mia
06:42in some way and done it in the future.
06:44I mean, you know, it's so insane.
06:45While he continues to deny any wrongdoing,
06:47Hollywood studios and distributors
06:49eventually distance themselves,
06:50quietly shelving projects and nixing collaborations.
06:54Across the Atlantic, however,
06:55Allen remains mostly embraced.
06:57In France, Spain, and Italy,
06:59his films still find critical acclaim
07:01and benefit from government-backed cultural support.
07:04European independent distributors
07:05continue to finance and release his work.
07:08Heck, his 2023 film even debuted
07:10at the Venice International Film Festival.
07:11Very lucky with my filmmaking,
07:13and I've had over my lifetime
07:16much undeserved praise
07:19and enormous amount of attention and respect.
07:23And so I have nothing but, you know, good fortune.
07:28Roman Polanski
07:29Roman Polanski remains one of Hollywood's
07:31most infamous and controversial figures,
07:34largely because of his 1977 sexual assault conviction
07:36and subsequent fleeing from the United States
07:39to avoid sentencing.
07:40Roman Polanski has been on the run since 1978,
07:43avoiding countries that might extradite him.
07:45He hasn't set foot on U.S. soil in 31 years.
07:49Though he is effectively barred from returning
07:51without facing arrest,
07:53Polanski continues to live
07:54and work openly in France,
07:56Switzerland,
07:57and Poland,
07:57where extradition protections shield him.
07:59His films still receive financing
08:01from European production companies,
08:02and several have been critically acclaimed abroad,
08:05earning multiple César awards in France.
08:07Despite sharply divided public opinion,
08:09he retains strong support
08:10within segments of the European film community,
08:13allowing him to direct high-profile projects
08:15well into recent years.
08:16I'm not going anywhere.
08:18Good.
08:19I'm not going anywhere either.
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08:36Kevin Spacey
08:38Once a celebrated, towering figure in Hollywood,
08:41Kevin Spacey's acting career came crashing down
08:43amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
08:45Spacey made sexual advances toward him
08:48after a party when they were both on Broadway.
08:50Spacey was 26.
08:52This led to the now infamous firing
08:53from Netflix's House of Cards
08:55and widespread industry blacklisting.
08:57Despite this,
08:58Spacey has quietly rebuilt a presence overseas,
09:01particularly in Italy, France, and the Middle East.
09:04Following his 2023 acquittal in a UK trial,
09:07several international filmmakers
09:08publicly expressed interest in casting him.
09:10He's since taken part
09:11in several foreign-financed films.
09:13Spacey has also staged public performances
09:15that drew curious crowds.
09:17The stage with my band
09:18to perform some of the most famous classic songs
09:21that have ever been done
09:22by Sinatra, Tony Bennett,
09:24Sammy Davis, Bobby Darin, and many others.
09:26While Hollywood doors largely remain closed,
09:29these pockets of international support
09:30have allowed him a limited professional revival.
09:33I know what you want.
09:34What do you think of these controversial celebrities
09:36who found second lives overseas?
09:38Let us know in the comments down below.
09:39We'll see you in the next video.
09:43We'll see you in the next video.
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