Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
“From A Good Actor To A Bunch Of Bad Movies And Then Alzheimer’s”: 25 Sad Celebrity Downfalls
For a celebrity, their image is vital. If a famous person's reputation is tarnished, they're less likely to get work or be popular. At least that's what we'd think. Surprisingly, people don't really care about celebrity scandals. 50% of Americans remain indifferent to celebrity controversies; in fact, 20% would consume more of their work despite the controversy.
However, while some scandals are earned and are a result of a celebrity miscalculating their star power, others are totally undeserved. For example, we reflect differently on Britney Spears' so-called meltdown in 2007. What back then looked like entertainment today seems like gross exploitation of a young woman during a vulnerable time.
People nowadays have more perspective and compassion for famous people. So, when one netizen asked, "What celebrity downfall did you actually feel bad for?" people named many celebs whose careers got derailed for no justifiable reason.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Monica Lewinsky. She was so, so young and Clinton used her. The girl was confiding in a woman who was *pretending* to be her friend to learn more so she could spill her guts to the world AND the whole world shamed Monica. The whole world laughed at Monica. She was 22.
As a young girl watching that happen to her made me mad in ways I wouldn’t learn how to voice until college. Bill Clinton and to a lesser extent Linda Tripp are literally walking garbage and I take comfort in the absolute confidence they are burning in hell at some point.
Jaya 2 weeks ago
It's insane how she was characterized as a huge slút (like cartoons of her between lots of pénis-microphones), because she had séx with 1 man. And HE was never characterized as a male slút. Even though he had séx with her and presumably also his wife, so if anyone is overly slútty, it would be him and not her. Was it bad of her to sleep with someone else's husband, of course. But he's the one who really cheated, and he wasn't dragged through the dirt nearly as much as her. And that's not even mentioning the difference in power (and life experience) between them. It was disgusting how the media and comedians treated her.
Skip Reynolds 2 weeks ago
She was young and reckless, played with fire. BFD. Her punishment has been VASTLY disproportionate to her "crime." I've always had nothing but pity for her. FWIW I'm male.
Load More Replies...
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 weeks ago
She said (in her book, maybe?) that she did flash him, so she felt some measure of responsibility. But he was the married one! He could have said no. He also slept with Elizabeth Gracen, who at the time was Miss Arkansas or something (she became an actress). People tried to claim he rap3d her, but she went public and said that wasn't true. Apparently he is really charming. Sandi Toksvig said she would - and she's a l3sbian!!!
Dragon Ashes 2 weeks ago
Bill Clinton is a horn dog. Everyone should know that.
Load More Replies...
Luke || Kira (he/she) 2 weeks ago
Good to see she OWNS it now, though. I've seen some thread that asked "What's the most high risk / low reward thing you've ever done?" and she just commented "👀"
Dona Laura 2 weeks ago
Despite the age difference, Bill and Monica were both adults who clearly had a consensual s****l relationship. Was it appropriate, considering the positions they held (especially Bill)? Clearly not. Is having an extramarital affair regrettable? Yes. But it seems to me that what happened belonged to the private sphere of both individuals, and to the Clinton marriage; the invasion of their privacy and the moral scrutiny carried out by the media and the American public are regrettable.
Christos Arvanitis 2 weeks ago
Power dynamics are by nature exploitive. Men like this lord over women in work environments and exploit women in these cases. That said, it wa a BS "scandal" brought about by s*****g New Gingrich... all the while he was cheating on his wife who had cancer.
Load More Replies...
BK BigFish 2 weeks ago
The woman is always punished more than the man. Also, Monica Lewinsky wasn't a celebrity who had a downfall, she was only famous because of this scandal.
Michael Danhauer 2 weeks ago
She was a celebrity before all that? And I have a hard time feeling sorry for anyone who helps commit adultery. If she was 22 she was old enough to say no. Not that she wasn't victimized, but she certainly made a choice to allow it.
Roberta Surprenant 2 weeks ago
I have been a 22 year old woman. I chose NOT to have affairs with married men. She didn't.
aubergine10003 2 weeks ago
I mean, she did actively go after him. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been on her radar at ALL. Not shaming her or defending him, but that part is factual.
Tori Whitby 2 weeks ago
How to tell the world you hate women without explicitly stating you hate women.
Load More Replies...
RELATED:
#2
Sinead O’Connor complained about the Catholic Church. Was boycotted by almost everyone. Ten years later the scandals she highlighted were headlines. Was still treated as a troublesome personality.
Marnie 2 weeks ago
Part of the problem here was that she ripped up the picture of the pope, but gave no explanation for it. If you're going to protest, you should make sure people know what you're protesting. I didn't hold it against her, but I never knew (until maybe a couple of years ago) why she did it. I think it was very unfair how she was treated, don't get me wrong.
#3
The hysteria of the arrest of George Michael from the bathroom incident in which he was arrested for a lewd act in '98 was awful. At a time when homosexuality was still illegal in the US, George Michael's career and personal life saw a significant decline and led to a bunch of arrests.
As someone also queer, it pained me to see him forced to come out publicly. He later described how deeply painful this was for him (because of course it was).
The media was just vicious, particularly in the UK. And there was a feeling with some fans of a sort of betrayal since their heartthrob was not straight.
(He turned it around, maybe not entirely, but he is a queer icon forever but it was clearly just so much hell for him.)
#5
I’m not sure if this counts, but Tina Turner’s issues being used as a joke to the point where she moved to Europe always broke my heart.
Gingersnap In Iowa 2 weeks ago
She was very talented. It's a shame that Ike treated her the way he did.
#6
Princess Diana. The relentless press harassment and defamatory stories made her life a misery. She was then viirtually Deified by them post-mortem.
Sadly it took until 2011 and the Leveson Enquiry before the Press were finally held to account.
meeeeeeeeeeee 2 weeks ago
They were crawling on top of the car wreck, snapping photos as she lay dying
#8
The way Wil Wheaton was treated because of his character on Star Trek and what his parents were doing with his money. I don't want to know what would have happened to his parents had Jonathan Frakes had found out about it when there was no grey in his beard, that was a man who was barely controlling himself when he was asked about the story of Wil Wheaton and his parents.
Ellinor she/they/elle 2 weeks ago
I like that this is talked about in The Big Bang Theory, I know it was played as jokes most of the times but it still had a serious undertone and the actor himself got to play himself talking about it.
#9
Here’s one that UK redditors may know, Lena Zavaroni. She was a Scottish child singer in the 1970s with one of the most amazing voices ever. She was discovered singing with her family in a pub I think when she was about 10, and was snapped up by a London manager who booked her in a ton of shows. The manager said she was fat and by 13 she ended up with anorexia. She also developed horrible, debilitating depression. Because of her health issues she was essentially done as a performer by her early 20s. Because her money was mismanaged and some other reasons she was basically destitute. When she was 35 she had a ‘medical procedure’ to help with her depression. The rumor has always been that she was so desperate to curb the depression that she had a lobotomy. While she was in the hospital she contracted pneumonia and it was fatal. Her manager used her, drove her to anorexia and never admitted any responsibility in the situation. It’s a really sad story.
#10
Elizabeth Berkley. She did everything asked of her. Directors, writers and producers - more often than not - require actresses to appear unclothed. And the public criticized only her. Yes - it is tacky, vulgar and tasteless to cash in on female body to sell tickets - but nobody is held responsible except the actress.
PenguinEmp 2 weeks ago
No her downfall was because she was in a terrible movie and couldn't get past it.
#11
Amy Winehouse. So much talent. She fell into the wrong crowd - had horrible parents who were enablers - we all watched her slowly die and nobody did anything to help her get better. The Press we’re awful ghouls too.
Shark Lady 2 weeks ago
Her father is suing some of her friends because they sold some of her memorabilia etc. He has made millions since her death.
#12
Anna Nicole Smith- always my answer
She was used and turned into a walking joke. She saw her son pass away and then she did to. Her life and how she was treated always make me sad to think about.
#13
This is from Old Hollywood. I've always felt that Fatty Arbuckle got a raw deal. There was no physical evidence, he was acquitted, and still lost his career Mind you, he was the 1st Hollywood star to sign a million dollar deal. The system that promoted him spat him back out when the waters looked a bit murky.
#14
Lindsay Lohan
She had some serious issues as a result of her upbringing (she’s since made peace and understanding with her family) but the media made it out like she was this terrible human being. Like in 2007 it was between her and Britney who the tabloids were going to attack next.
She’s since gotten clean, sober, dealt with her legal issues and got an understanding of her past (which is what you do) and has been acting again with a Freaky Friday sequel due if it’s not out already. She’s going to be 40 next year (I’m around her age and it doesn’t bother me) and honestly it’s glad she got it together before that milestone of an age.
#15
Philip Seymour Hoffman.
He was an incredible character actor who really seemed like one of the few people in Hollywood who had their life together. He was in his late 40s and wasn’t close to his peak.
And then he gave up years of sobriety at a wrap party for The Master and had a *single* drink. It kicked off a spiral that eventually destroyed him.
Rebecca Joan 2 weeks ago
Sadly, this just goes to show that as an attic there is no such thing as just one of anything if you’re a******d to it.
#16
Corey Haim. I grew up watching his movies and thought he was very talented. Hearing about everything he went through really broke my heart.
#17
I feel like what happened to Al Franken was taken a little too far.
BrownEyedGrrl 2 weeks ago
Me too. Yeah, he did a dumb thing, but it's a drop in the bucket compare to what SOME politicians have done.
#18
I have yet to see it.
Rosie O’Donnell. She spoke up against Trump back in the 90’s/00’s. There was time where people loved Trump and would laugh and agree when he made fun of Rosie.
She spoke out against the US forces and their involvement with innocent civilians in the Middle East.
Ok maybe you don’t like her comedy or you find her loud and annoying. But she didn’t deserve the public ridicule and hatred she deserved. .
Con O Cuinn 2 weeks ago
She also went on The View to broadcast her BS ill informed 9/11 conspiracy theories. Let's not canonise her just yet.
#19
Ellie Kemper getting backlash for participating in that weird antebellum daddy/daughter dance. It was obviously something she just did as a teenager to please her parents and her apology confirmed that for me.
#20
Milli Vanilli.
Simluvac:
I watched that bio movie about them 'Girl You Know It's True' I think 2 or 3 months ago and it was really good. I was about 10 when the lip synching was fully exposed and I fondly remember the scrutiny and backlash they got but because I was so young I never knew the logistics of the situation and didn't really know about Fab and Rob's lives. I knew they were the butts of many jokes ever since. The movie was really good and it didn't portray them as the absolute villains the public made them out to be. I felt really bad for them. If anyone is interested in checking it out it's currently streaming on Tubi. Again, it's a great watch.
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 weeks ago
Frank Farian, their producer, was the one behind it, and the one who should have been vilified. He did the same with Boney M - he sang a song and credited it to "Boney M", THEN found people to "be" the group. One member didn't sing at all and Bobby Farrell mimed to Farian's lyrics on the videos, but sang live at concerts. Yet nobody said they were terrible people. (In South Africa they still play Boney M's Christmas album every year.)
#21
Bruce Willis from a good actor to a bunch of bad movies and then Alzheimer’s.
Beak Hookage 2 weeks ago
I loved him in Death Becomes Her, playing against type as a hapless dork when most knew him as an action hero.
#22
Garrison Keillor. He didn't do *all that.* The biggest grievance towards him was that he accidentally touched a woman's bare back when he was trying to comfort her when she was crying. Yeah, it was probably weird, for both of them, and keeping his hands to himself probably would have been a better move. He's a tactile and extremely socially awkward, lumbering sort of fella. He was touching my jacket when I met him and I'm a dude. I'm not saying I love it, but Joe Biden has the same mannerisms and tendencies and he was our last president. All in all, Keillor meant a lot to a lot of people over the years (and still does) and it was unbecoming of all parties to completely crucify him the way they did.
Michael Largey 2 weeks ago
Keillor, by his own admission, did more than the OP has described. Speaking as a long-time - and current - admirer of Keillor.
#23
Aziz Ansari. Seemed like the dude got cancelled over being awkward/bad with women and having an awful date during the peak of MeToo and everyone acted like he was a predator.
#24
Bam Margera. His downfall is 100% self inflicted, but it was still sad to see mental illness take its toll. So glad to see that he seems to be doing better now.
#25
Lara Flynn Boyle.
AFAIK she was never cancelled. But it feels like for a period of time she was one of the most beautiful and famous actresses... and then one day she stopped working and started showing up in tabloids looking physically very different. I don't know what happened, if she had an illness or substance issue what.
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
persephone134 2 weeks ago
Why does the BP bot never automatically delete those posts beginning with "I get paid over...."?
Powerful Katrinka 2 weeks ago
This is a weird list. Developing a horrible disease like Bruce Willis isn’t a “downfall.” It’s a tragedy.
Emilu 2 weeks ago (edited)
Arguably it is a 'downfall', just not a self-inflicted one like a lot of the others. Regardless of that, I agree with you that it's a tragedy.
Load More Replies... 
Brian Droste 2 weeks ago
A lot of these people I don't know and have no idea what they did to deserve their downfall.
persephone134 2 weeks ago
Why does the BP bot never automatically delete those posts beginning with "I get paid over...."?
Powerful Katrinka 2 weeks ago
This is a weird list. Developing a horrible disease like Bruce Willis isn’t a “downfall.” It’s a tragedy.
Emilu 2 weeks ago (edited)
Arguably it is a 'downfall', just not a self-inflicted one like a lot of the others. Regardless of that, I agree with you that it's a tragedy.
Load More Replies... Brian Droste 2 weeks ago
A lot of these people I don't know and have no idea what they did to deserve their downfall.
You May Like 50 Underrated Movies Revealed for Your Cinematic Nights 50 Korean Movies You Should Add To Your Watchlist 61 Johnny Depp Movies To Rewatch And Rediscover
Linas Simonaitis
Linas Simonaitis
Linas Simonaitis
Related on Bored Panda
