30 Celebs Who Lost Everything After Being Exposed as Bullies

For years, the entertainment industry often shielded successful people, even if they acted badly behind the scenes. But now, thanks to social media and investigative reporting, victims are able to share their stories of harassment and intimidation. As a result, many previously untouchable celebrities have seen their careers fall apart after being credibly accused of bullying and abuse. People are no longer willing to ignore bad behavior just because they enjoy an artist’s work. This list details the stories of famous people who faced serious career setbacks when their harmful actions were revealed.

Ellen DeGeneres

The talk show host became incredibly successful by promoting a message of kindness. However, that positive image was shattered when employees on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ spoke out about a harsh and negative workplace, alleging racism and bullying. Former staff said they faced consequences, like being fired, for taking time off for medical reasons or family emergencies. While DeGeneres issued an apology on air, the show’s ratings dropped dramatically, and it ultimately ended after a long run, as the host found it difficult to rebuild her reputation.

Lea Michele

Lea Michele, known for her role on ‘Glee,’ quickly faced backlash after publicly supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Former colleague Samantha Ware responded by alleging Michele made her time on the show deeply unpleasant with repeated, hurtful actions. Other cast and industry peers then shared similar experiences of Michele behaving badly and feeling entitled while working on different projects. As a result, HelloFresh immediately ended their business relationship with her. Michele took a break from public life before trying to return to Broadway.

Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen was once popular for being down-to-earth online and having a funny personality. However, her public image suffered when Courtney Stodden shared messages Teigen sent encouraging self-harm. Old, hurtful tweets targeting women and young people also came to light. Teigen apologized publicly and left her job on the show ‘Never Have I Ever.’ As a result, stores like Target and Macy’s stopped selling her cookware line.

Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon, once celebrated for his feminist portrayal of characters in shows like ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and his work on big superhero films, faced serious accusations that damaged his career. Actor Ray Fisher publicly claimed Whedon acted abusively and unprofessionally during the making of ‘Justice League.’ These claims were supported by Gal Gadot, a star of ‘Wonder Woman,’ and Charisma Carpenter, from ‘Buffy,’ who both shared their own negative experiences working with him. He was accused of fostering a toxic work environment and intimidating those who disagreed with him. As a result, Whedon has largely disappeared from major Hollywood productions.

Scott Rudin

This highly successful producer, famous for supporting many award-winning films and plays, was revealed to have a history of abusive behavior towards his staff. A recent report detailed decades of alleged physical and emotional abuse, including instances of him throwing objects and damaging equipment when employees disappointed him. Following widespread criticism within the entertainment industry, Rudin announced he was stepping away from his Broadway shows and future films, essentially ending his career after years of rumors about his harsh management style.

Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase was one of the original cast members on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and a popular film actor in the 1980s. However, his reputation for being challenging to work with followed him for years and ultimately hindered his attempts to revive his career. While on the show ‘Community,’ Chase was accused of using racist language and causing problems on set. Both Donald Glover and the show’s creator, Dan Harmon, publicly discussed the difficulties they experienced working with him. He was later removed from the show and hasn’t had many prominent roles since.

James Corden

Late-night host James Corden faced major public backlash after being banned from the popular New York City restaurant Balthazar. Restaurateur Keith McNally claimed Corden was the rudest customer in the restaurant’s history, reportedly yelling at staff over a small mistake with his wife’s meal and asking for complimentary drinks. Corden discussed the situation on his show, ‘The Late Late Show,’ but the incident hurt his reputation as a friendly personality. He later ended his talk show and returned to the UK.

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne left ‘The Talk’ after a tense argument on air with Sheryl Underwood. The disagreement started when Osbourne was questioned about her support for Piers Morgan and his controversial statements about Meghan Markle. After the show aired, former coworkers accused Osbourne of making prejudiced remarks behind the scenes. CBS investigated and concluded her actions didn’t meet their standards for a respectful work environment. Osbourne then left the show, stating she was subsequently excluded from opportunities in American television.

Dan Schneider

Dan Schneider, the creator of popular shows like ‘iCarly’ and ‘Drake & Josh,’ was a major figure at Nickelodeon for many years. However, the network unexpectedly fired him after reports surfaced about his angry outbursts and harsh language. A documentary called ‘Quiet on Set’ later revealed claims of a deeply problematic work environment filled with sexism and unacceptable behavior towards young people. Former child actors and crew members shared stories of frequently disregarded boundaries. While Schneider has tried to address the accusations, his career in children’s television is essentially over.

Armie Hammer

Armie Hammer was quickly becoming a major star after his performance in ‘Call Me by Your Name’. However, his career fell apart when alleged disturbing text messages were made public. Following the leak, several women accused him of sexual violence and emotional abuse. As a result, he was dropped by his talent agency and lost roles in projects like ‘Shotgun Wedding’. While he denies any criminal behavior, he is currently unable to work in mainstream film and television.

Marilyn Manson

Singer Marilyn Manson faced numerous accusations of abuse beginning with actress Evan Rachel Wood publicly identifying him as her abuser and alleging he groomed her as a teen. Several other women then came forward with similar stories of emotional manipulation and physical violence. As these allegations became widely known, his record label and booking agent severed ties with him. Manson is now facing lawsuits and has largely disappeared from the music scene.

Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey, a two-time Oscar winner, lost his role in ‘House of Cards’ after actor Anthony Rapp publicly accused him of making a sexual advance when Rapp was just fourteen years old. This led to multiple other men sharing accusations of harassment and assault against Spacey. Director Ridley Scott replaced Spacey with Christopher Plummer in the film ‘All the Money in the World,’ requiring costly reshoots. Spacey then faced legal issues in both the UK and the US, effectively ending his career. While he was found not guilty in some criminal cases, he remains ostracized within the Hollywood community.

Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Barr’s popular sitcom, ‘Roseanne,’ was brought back with high ratings and positive reviews. However, a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to President Obama, quickly led to its downfall. Despite the show’s financial success, ABC immediately canceled it. They later continued the series as ‘The Conners,’ writing Barr’s character off the show. While Barr claimed she was affected by sleep medication at the time, this explanation wasn’t enough to save her career.

T.J. Miller

Before abruptly leaving the HBO show ‘Silicon Valley,’ the comedian was gaining popularity. His co-star, Alice Wetterlund, later said he was a bully who created a hostile work environment. He also faced accusations of sexual assault dating back to his college days and was reportedly involved in a fake bomb threat on a train. These issues resulted in him being removed from the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ films and future ‘Deadpool’ movies. Since then, he’s had difficulty finding consistent work in mainstream entertainment.

Shia LaBeouf

Once a popular child actor, Shia LaBeouf became a well-regarded adult performer before being accused of abuse by musician FKA Twigs. She sued him, alleging sexual battery and significant emotional harm during their relationship. LaBeouf acknowledged a pattern of hurting loved ones and entered treatment. As a result, Netflix removed him from consideration in their awards campaign for the movie ‘Pieces of a Woman.’ Since then, he’s worked infrequently, primarily on independent projects, while dealing with ongoing legal challenges.

Kanye West

The artist, known for both his music and fashion designs, quickly created a highly successful brand, largely through a partnership with Adidas. However, his career and reputation suffered greatly after he made antisemitic statements and publicly harassed his former wife, Kim Kardashian. He also used social media to attack those who criticized him, including editors at Vogue and others in the fashion industry. As a result, both Adidas and Balenciaga ended their business relationships with him, causing a significant drop in his wealth. While he still releases music, he is no longer a prominent figure in the corporate or fashion worlds.

Azealia Banks

The rapper initially gained fame with her song ‘212’, but soon became more recognized for her public disagreements than her music. She repeatedly used social media to make offensive and hateful statements, targeting figures like Zayn Malik and Sarah Palin. This led to multiple suspensions of her Twitter account for violating rules against harassment. There were also incidents, such as Russell Crowe removing her from a party after reports of threats and disruptive behavior. These ongoing conflicts have unfortunately overshadowed her talent as a musician and hindered her career.

Shane Dawson

This creator became famous on YouTube through documentaries and comedy sketches, gaining a large following. However, past videos containing racist imagery and offensive jokes about children reappeared, causing widespread criticism. As a result, YouTube stopped allowing him to earn money from his channels, and retailers like Target and Morphe removed his products. After a break, his recent videos haven’t been as popular or influential as his earlier work.

Jeffree Star

The popular beauty entrepreneur faced major backlash during a scandal called “Dramageddon.” He was accused of racism and bullying other influencers, including James Charles. As a result, Morphe stopped working with him and removed his cosmetics from their stores. Videos revealed he had been working to discredit other beauty creators. Though he still has dedicated fans, he’s largely left the Los Angeles beauty world behind and now lives on a ranch in Wyoming.

David Dobrik

David Dobrik, known for his popular and energetic video pranks, faced significant backlash after a former collaborator accused him of sexual assault during a video shoot. A dangerous stunt also left a friend, Jeff Wittek, with serious injuries. As a result, major sponsors like DoorDash and SeatGeek cut ties with Dobrik. He resigned from his position at his company, Dispo, and stopped posting new videos for several months.

Jeremy Clarkson

The presenter, famous for hosting the hugely popular show ‘Top Gear’, lost his job at the BBC after getting into a physical fight with a producer over a disagreement about food. Even though the show made a lot of money, the network chose not to keep him on staff. He later joined Amazon Prime with his former colleagues, but the incident continues to affect his reputation. Recently, he received criticism again for writing a controversial newspaper article about Meghan Markle.

Isaiah Washington

Isaiah Washington was a prominent actor on the early seasons of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ but his career stalled after a controversy. He was fired from the show for using an offensive, anti-gay slur during an argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey, and then repeated the slur publicly at the Golden Globes. This incident caused a significant discussion about homophobia in Hollywood and halted his rise to major stardom. While he’s continued to work on various projects, he hasn’t returned to being a leading actor.

Thomas Gibson

Thomas Gibson was a regular on the TV show ‘Criminal Minds’ for more than ten years. However, he was fired after physically assaulting a writer during an argument about the show’s direction. This wasn’t the first time his temper had caused problems; he’d previously completed anger management after an incident involving a producer. Following his dismissal in 2016, the show quickly removed his character without giving him a chance to say goodbye, and he hasn’t had many acting roles since.

Charlie Sheen

During his time on ‘Two and a Half Men’, the actor was the highest-earning star on TV. However, after making a series of strange public statements and insulting the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre, production was stopped and he was ultimately fired. He then went on a peculiar tour, claiming victory as his personal life fell apart. This very public struggle became a media sensation, eclipsing his work as an actor. While he later said he was sorry, his career never quite returned to its former heights.

Matt Lauer

As a long-time viewer of morning television, it was shocking to see Matt Lauer, who’d been a part of the ‘Today’ show for over two decades, suddenly fired by NBC. It turned out a coworker had reported some really troubling behavior, and details quickly emerged about a pattern of abuse of power – apparently, he even had a button under his desk to lock the door. While he disputed some of the specifics, Lauer acknowledged the stories had enough truth to them that he needed to apologize. Since then, he’s completely disappeared from television, and honestly, it’s been a really unsettling situation to follow.

Bill O’Reilly

For years, the political commentator hosted Fox News’ most popular show. However, his time there ended when it was discovered he and the network had paid millions to settle harassment lawsuits. Once these details became public, advertisers quickly pulled their support from his show. Despite consistently high ratings, Fox News ultimately fired him. He then shifted to podcasting and online broadcasting, losing the large audience he’d built on cable television.

Columbus Short

The actor became well-known for his role as Harrison Wright on the popular show ‘Scandal’. However, after accusations of domestic violence and involvement in a bar fight, his character was removed from the series. He later acknowledged that problems with substance abuse played a part in his aggressive actions and ultimately led to setbacks in his career. He faced legal penalties, including probation and time in jail, as a result of his behavior. Since leaving ‘Scandal’, his acting work has been infrequent and hasn’t received much attention.

Chris Noth

Chris Noth, known for his role in ‘Sex and the City’, was experiencing a career resurgence with ‘And Just Like That’ and ‘The Equalizer’ when allegations of sexual assault surfaced. Shortly after the premiere of the ‘Sex and the City’ reboot, two women came forward with accusations to The Hollywood Reporter. As a result, Noth’s character was written off ‘And Just Like That’ in the season finale, and he was fired from his role on ‘The Equalizer’. He also lost a lucrative twelve million dollar endorsement deal with his tequila brand.

Ezra Miller

Ezra Miller was expected to be a major star in the DC movie universe as The Flash. However, several incidents caused concern at the studio, beginning with arrests in Hawaii for disruptive behavior and harassment. Videos then emerged appearing to show Miller assaulting someone in Iceland. More serious accusations followed, including claims of inappropriate relationships with underage individuals and creating a controlling environment on a Vermont farm. While Miller sought help for mental health challenges, the controversy significantly impacted the release of their standalone film.

Jonathan Majors

I was really excited about this actor; he seemed destined to become a major villain in the Marvel universe. But things took a dark turn. He was arrested in New York for assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend, and unfortunately, a jury found him guilty on those charges. The fallout was immediate – Marvel dropped him from all upcoming movies, and his team, including his management and PR firm, quickly cut ties. It’s a sad situation, and a promising career seems to have come to a very abrupt end.

Tell us in the comments which of these celebrity downfalls surprised you the most.

2025-11-25 06:18