Thousands of artists around the world can only dream of reaching the kind of fame where people know their name, look forward to their next album, or buy tickets to see their latest film. Unfortunately, some celebrities failed to appreciate just how privileged they were and fell from grace for various reasons.

In some cases, stars were solely responsible for their own “cancelation,” like Kanye West, who reportedly lost a billion dollars due to his hateful remarks about Black and Jewish communities. In other instances, former child stars faded into obscurity after their fortunes were mismanaged by their parents.

On Reddit, one user asked, “Which celebrity had everything but then lost it all?” Here are some of the most interesting responses, along with the reasons for these A-listers losing their money, respect, or both.

#1 Kanye West

“He was the most wealthy rapper in history, and he still might be, but his ego got the best of him and now he’s just crazy.”

Kanye, who has legally changed his name to Ye, has been involved in numerous controversies over the past years. The rapper infamously claimed that slavery was a “choice,” wore a Klan hood and “White Lives Matter” T-shirt, and made a series of antisemitic remarks, including releasing a song that glorified Adolf Hitler.

This behavior escalated in 2022 and became increasingly difficult for brands to ignore. That year, Gap announced the end of their billion-dollar Yeezy Gap collaboration after just two years, despite it being planned as a ten-year partnership. 

He was also dropped by Adidas, one of his biggest partners and the producers of his famous Yeezy sneakers.

Image credits: Scott Dudelson / Getty Images

#2 OJ Simpson

“I still remember being a teenager and watching that white Bronco live on TV. Crazy stuff.”

The NFL star stood trial and was acquitted of the m*rders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994. Three years after his acquittal, he was found liable for the homicides in a civil suit from the victims’ families.

In 2007, OJ was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with armed robbery and k*dnapping. He was sentenced to 33 years’ imprisonment with a minimum of nine years without parole, and was released in 2017.

The football player lost his life following a battle with cancer in April 2024. He was 76.

Image credits: Jason Bean-Pool / Getty Images

#3 Ellen Degeneres

“I mean she is still filthy rich but she lost her reputation for being kind to one another really fast.”

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended in 2022 after nineteen successful seasons. Two years earlier, BuzzFeed published a report in which eleven employees of the show alleged mistreatment, including instances of racial microaggressions and being penalized for taking medical leave.

Ellen apologized to her staff but attributed the decision to end the show to no longer enjoying it and not feeling creatively “challenged” by the experience.

The comedian moved to the UK following the 2024 US presidential elections and announced her retirement from the entertainment industry.

Image credits: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images

#4 Will Smith

“On a night that should’ve been his crowning achievement he slapped Chris Rock over a joke towards his wife who doesn’t even respect him as a man.”

The actor had viewers doing a double take when he unexpectedly stood up from his seat and smacked Oscars presenter Chris Rock across the face for making a joke about his wife’s shaved head. Will then returned to his seat and shouted profanity twice at Chris.

Later in the ceremony, he won an Oscar for his performance in the sports drama King Richard.

In the years since, Will has issued a number of apologies, calling his behavior “unacceptable” and saying that violence “in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive.” He has also resigned from the Academy and has been banned from attending any Academy events or programs for ten years.

After the scandal, the star released his fifth studio album, Based on a True Story, marking his return to music after 20 years.

Image credits: Mike Coppola / Getty Images

#5 Armie Hammer

“Went from Hollywood star to selling timeshares in the Caribbean.”

In 2021, Armie, who starred alongside Timothée Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name, was accused of ab*sing three women, including his ex-girlfriend, Paige Lorenze. The accusations led to the actor being dropped from his talent agency, publicist, and several future projects.

Armie has not been charged in the case and has denied any wrongdoing, stating that the allegations were “outrageous” and that his relations had been “completely consensual.”

One of the women who claimed he r*ped her in 2017 shared screenshots of texts allegedly sent by the actor, which included one where he appeared to declare himself a cannibal.

After the scandal erupted, Armie worked a short-term job selling timeshares in the Cayman Islands and also as a school greenskeeper and an apartment block manager.

The star is set to make his acting comeback with two movies, Frontier Crucible and Citizen Vigilante, which don’t have a stellar cast like his previous projects.

Image credits: Todd Williamson / Getty Images

#6 Amber Heard

“A bombshell who had Hollywood by storm. Women wanted to be her and men wanted to date her until she pooped in Johnny Depp’s bed.”

In 2022, Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for defamation over an op-ed she published in the Washington Post titled “I spoke up against s*xual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

In the piece, Amber referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic ab*se,” though she didn’t name her ex directly.

The world watched as the two actors exchanged accusations of assault during a six-week televised trial, which concluded with the jury largely ruling in Johnny’s favor and awarding him over $15 million in damages.

After losing the trial, the Aquaman actress relocated to Madrid, Spain, where she lives with her three children.

Image credits: Elisabetta A. Villa / Getty Images

#7 R. Kelly

“R Kelly messed up his entire career.”

Known as the King of R&B, Robert Sylvester Kelly has released 18 studio albums, won three Grammys, and collaborated with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Céline Dion, among other world-famous musicians.

In 2002, the hip-hop star was prosecuted on ch*ld p*rn*graphy charges, leading to a controversial trial that ended with his acquittal in 2008 on all charges.

A new investigation in 2019 resulted in multiple indictments and Kelly’s arrest. He is now serving a 31-year combined sentence at FCI Butner Medium I in North Carolina for child s*xual ab*se.

Image credits: Noam Galai / Getty Images

#8 Jonathan Majors

“He was in a Marvel film, a Rocky film, an Oscar-bait film (not released), a Super Bowl commercial, and a speaker at the Oscars in the span of probably two months. He had it all, and it’s so disappointing.”

Jonathan received an Emmy nomination for his role in the HBO horror show Lovecraft Country, starred in Creed III, and portrayed Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

But it all went downhill after he was arrested for physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. The actor was dropped from numerous Hollywood projects and is currently serving a 52-week in-person domestic violence intervention program.

Image credits: Robin L Marshall / Getty Images

#9 Danny Masterson

“I loved Hyde on That ’70s Show, but when I learnt about the accusations, I was horror struck.”

Danny was convicted of r*pe and sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2022. He was accused of s*xually assaulting three women at his Hollywood Hills home in 2001 and 2003. Two of the women claimed that he had taken them to his room after giving them drinks and they were unable to give their consent.

The actor pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed that he only had consensual relations with the women. 

The women who testified were members of the Church of Scientology, like Danny, and alleged that the group threatened to excommunicate them if they reported the incidents. 

The 49-year-old is serving his sentence at the California Men’s Colony state prison.

Image credits: Allen Berezovsky / Getty Images

#10 Kevin Spacey

“Can’t even watch something with him in it without my brain wandering off to all the stories and I lose focus and desire to continue watching it.”

In 2017, the House of Cards actor faced several allegations of s*xual misconduct, prompting criminal investigations over the following two years. Kevin has always denied the accusations and was either not charged or the charges against him were dropped.

One of the men sued the actor over claims he suffered “psychiatric damage” after being s*xually assaulted by the actor.

In February this year, actor Ruari Cannon sued him for s*xual misconduct. Ruari also sued two organizations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London, where Kevin was the artistic director between 2003 and 2015.

Image credits: Maryland GovPics / Flickr

#11 Charlie Sheen

“Charlie Sheen imploded pretty spectacularly.”

In 2010, Charlie—whose real name is Carlos Irwin Estévez—was the highest-paid actor on TV, earning $1.8 million per episode of Two and a Half Men. His work on the sitcom earned him many Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations. 

A year later, however, CBS and Warner Bros. terminated the actor’s Two and a Half Men contract following problems stemming from his substance dependence and offensive comments made about the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre.

In 2010, police removed Charlie from his suite at the Plaza Hotel after he reportedly caused $7,000 in damages. The father of five reportedly admitted to NYPD authorities that he had been drinking and using illegal substances.

Following the scandal, the 59-year-old starred in the films Machete Kills and 9/11. His last role was on the 2023 HBO comedy series Bookie, where he appeared as himself in three episodes.

Image credits: Robert Voets / Getty Images

#12 Lance Armstrong

“Was an inspiration for winning multiple Tour de France titles and being a cancer survivor. Later, was stripped of his titles after it was found that he was doping.”

Cyclist Lance Armstrong won the prestigious Tour de France race seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005. However, his once-glorious public image quickly faded after an investigation revealed that he had used performance-enhancing substances to achieve his results.

After years of denial, Lance admitted to doping during a 2013 interview with Oprah, disclosing that he had used testosterone, blood transfusions, and Human Growth Hormone (HGH), among other substances and methods. 

“This story was so perfect for so long. […] But that was a mythic, perfect story—and it wasn’t true,” the Texas-born athlete confessed. “I will spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust and apologize to people.”

The 53-year-old has been banned from professional cycling for life.

Image credits: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images

#13 Mickey Rourke

“Mickey Rourke was pretty much the next James Dean of the ’80s. Seems like a cool and interesting guy, but he could have been royalty if not for a couple of bad decisions.”

Mickey’s film career spans more than four decades, during which he won a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA. His acting credits include Diner, Rumble Fish, The Pope of Greenwich Village, and Johnny Handsome.

After a series of commercial failures, the star left acting to pursue one of his passions from his youth: professional boxing. He eventually returned to acting in the late 1990s, starring in films like Man on Fire, The Wrestler, and Sin City.

Mickey has a long-standing reputation for provocative behavior and public feuds, including when he publicly insulted Tom Cruise over Tom’s remarks about psychiatric medication. In 2007, he was arrested in Miami Beach for driving under the influence on a motor scooter.

He has also faced allegations of spousal ab*se. In 1997, his then‑wife Carré Otis filed a report claiming he slapped, pushed, and kicked her in a publicist’s office. 

More recently, he was evicted from the UK Celebrity Big Brother house after making homophobic remarks toward JoJo Siwa.

Image credits: Steve Granitz / Getty Images

#14 Marion Jones

“She was a legit superstar athlete, especially at the 2000 Olympics, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and she just seems completely forgotten now.”

Marion won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney for track-and-field events. However, she was later stripped of her medals after admitting to lying to federal investigators about her use of performance-enhancing substances.

In 2008, Marion was sentenced to six months in jail for her involvement in a check fraud case and her use of illicit substances. Following the scandal, she appeared in the reality show Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, but was medically withdrawn during the third episode.

Image credits: Pool JO SYDNEY 2000 / Getty Images

#15 Jackie Coogan

“The California law protecting child actors is named after him.”

Jackie began his career as a child actor in silent films. His breakout role was in Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 movie The Kid.

He later took legal action against his mother and stepfather for mismanaging his film earnings, leading to the creation of California’s first law protecting child performers’ income — the California Child Actor’s Bill, now known as the “Coogan Act.”

It’s believed that Jackie made the modern equivalent of $90 million as a child star, but his family spent his fortune on expensive cars, diamond jewelry, fur coats, and other luxuries. After paying his legal expenses, Jackie was left with $2 million as an adult.

Image credits: Nicholas DeSciose / Getty Images

#16 Aaron Hernandez

“He might have looked like he had everything going for him but he was badly brain damaged the entire time.”

Aaron played for the New England Patriots in the NFL until he was arrested and convicted of the homicide of semi-professional player Odin Lloyd in 2013.

The athlete was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. He was also indicted and later acquitted of the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.

Days after being acquitted, Aaron was found lifeless in his jail cell after taking his own life. He was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease, leading to speculation over how the condition may have affected his actions.

Image credits: Jim Davis / Getty Images

#17 Oscar Pistorius

“He was an international inspiration to people with disabilities. Then, he was a m*rderer.”
 
The South African sprinter competed at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. His career ended in 2015 when he was arrested for the homicide of his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was a legal assistant and model.

Oscar claimed he had mistaken Reeva for an intruder when he fatally shot her.

The 38-year-old was released on parole in January 2024 after serving 8.5 years in prison, in addition to seven months of house arrest.

Image credits: Bryn Lennon / Getty Images

#18 Gary Coleman

“Most of his money was stolen by his parents. He was working as a security guard at one point before his de*th to pay the bills.”

When he turned 18, Gary Coleman found his accounts nearly empty, leading him to sue his parents and ex-manager. 

Gary accused his parents of misappropriating the multimillion-dollar fortune he had generated while working as a child star on the popular sitcom Diff’rent Strokes.

While he was awarded $1.3 million, the late actor filed for bankruptcy in 1999, ten years after the trial, after a series of bad investments, legal fees, and medical bills for his lifelong kidney condition. He passed away in 2010, aged 42, after falling down the stairs at his home and hitting his head, possibly after a seizure.

Image credits: Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

#19 Amanda Bynes

“She’s mentally ill and doesn’t have anyone to get her the help she obviously needs.”

The former Nickelodeon star retired from acting in 2010. She told Paper Magazine that she wanted to quit because she was struggling with “self-esteem issues” and “couldn’t stand” to watch her own work.

In the years that followed, she experienced substance dependence issues and legal troubles, which led to an eight-year conservatorship from 2013 to 2022. The 39-year-old is now focused on her career in fashion design.

In 2023, Amanda was temporarily placed in a mental health facility after calling the police and saying that she had thoughts of self-harm.

Image credits: Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images

#20 Aaron Carter

“As a kid his ‘career’ was just a gimmick for the record company to capitalize on his older brother’s fame and sadly it was all downhill from there.”

Aaron began performing on stage at age 7 and released his debut album in 1997. During the late ’90s and early noughties, the younger brother of the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter sold millions of copies of his four albums.

As he grew older, Aaron faced a number of struggles, checking in to rehab numerous times and filing a bankruptcy petition in 2013 over millions in debt.

In 2022, he lost his life aged 34. The autopsy revealed that he drowned due to the effects of sedatives he had taken and compressed gas he had inhaled.

Image credits: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

#21 Whitney Houston

“She was battling add*ction and BECAUSE of that, her income and career suffered greatly. Sad, she was amazingly talented.”

The singer tragically lost her life at 48 from accidental drowning. In 2012, she was found unresponsive in a Beverly Hilton hotel bathtub. Her autopsy showed that she had illegal substances in her system.

Whitney, who won six Grammys and sold more than 170 million records, told Oprah that by 1996 “[doing dr*gs] was an everyday thing … I wasn’t happy by that point in time. I was losing myself.”

A close family friend told People that the talented star would hide her struggles to focus on her public image as a successful pop star. “Someone may look good on the outside, sturdy and strong . . . [but] on the inside, you have someone who had insecurities and family issues and emotional personal issues and struggles.”

Though she entered rehab multiple times throughout her life, the musician struggled with her dependency until it ultimately took her life. Her passing coincided with the 54th Grammy Awards, which included a tribute to Whitney.

Image credits: PH2 Mark Kettenhofen / Wikipedia

#22 Gia Carangi

“From being a supermodel, to a street walker, and finally dy*ng of AIDS.”

Model Gia Carangi dazzled on the covers of the world’s most important fashion magazines at age 17, but her substance dependence issues ultimately led to her demise at the age of 26.

After the passing of her agent Wilhelmina Cooper from breast cancer in 1980 and the departure of her partner Sandy Linter, Gia turned to illicit substances she found in New York’s most exclusive nightclubs.

The model began losing job after job. She was even fired from the Ford Models agency and at one point began selling her body to buy more substances.

Her mother rescued her and took her to her native Philadelphia, where she was hospitalized for pneumonia. Doctors discovered she had contracted HIV, and her condition quickly worsened. Gia passed away on November 18, 1986.

Image credits: carangi / Instagram

#23 Corey Haim

“Had millions, but bad spending habits, a dr*g habit, and terrible decision-making and contract agreements left him destitute and living with his mother at the end of his short life.”

Corey Haim was a teen heartthrob in the 1980s, starring in films like Silver Bullet, Murphy’s Romance, and The Lost Boys. 

The Canadian actor had difficulty breaking away from the trauma of finding fame at such a young age and struggled with substance dependence issues, in addition to facing financial difficulties. By late July 2008, Corey had become destitute and homeless in Los Angeles. 

In 2010, he lost his life to pneumonia at age 36.

Image credits: Ron Galella Collection / Getty Images

#24 MC Hammer

“To this day, he’s still used as a warning to up and coming music artists.”

Stanley Kirk Burrell, better known as MC Hammer, was a cultural phenomenon, producing hits like 2 Legit 2 Quit, U Can’t Touch This, and Addams Groove. In the early ’90s, he won three Grammys, appeared in movies and TV shows, and inspired fashion trends.

It’s believed the musician made nearly $70 million at the height of his career. By 1996, his excessive spending would land him in bankruptcy. His debt ultimately reached $13 million.

“Some people ask me sometimes, would I go back and change things? They are flabbergasted by my answer. My real, true answer is I wouldn’t change one thing,” MC Hammer said. 

“I really believe in the butterfly effect. Meaning that if I change one thing, everything else changes. I lose the kids I have now. I lose the relationships I have now. I lose the peace I have now. So I’m very happy with my decision.”

Image credits: Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

#25 Sinead O’connor

“It’s like she was cursed, her whole life is such a sad story.”

Sinéad’s song Nothing Compares 2 U was named top world single of the year at the Billboard Music Awards in 1990.

The Irish singer told Oprah that she had attempted to take her own life on her 33rd birthday, December 8, 1999, and that she had later been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

In 2015, Sinéad accused a hospital of causing her “surgical menopause” for refusing to administer hormone replacement therapy following her hysterectomy surgery, saying the absence of HRT affected her mental health. The following year, she went to rehab to treat her dependence on cannabis.

The Grammy-winning star spoke openly about her mental health struggles, saying in 2017 that a psychiatrist was “keeping her alive.”

Sinéad was found lifeless in her South London flat in 2023 at the age of 56. An official postmortem concluded that she passed away of natural causes.

Image credits: Bryan Ledgard

from Bored Panda https://ift.tt/8iDqpKG
via IFTTT source site : boredpanda