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Building up a career can take years of hard effort, sometimes without a guarantee. It can take money and resources to get qualifications and education. So one would think that a person who made it would never do anything to jeopardize it. Well, think again.
Someone asked “Who ruined their entire career in the dumbest way possible?” and people online cracked their knuckles and got to sharing. So get comfortable as you read through folk’s misfortune, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own examples to the comments down below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Prince Andrew
He had the opportunity to do nothing or anything with his life and either way he'd still have been wealthy and lived an extremely comfortable life. All he had to do to secure the most comfortable life ever was to not be a a freaking pervert.
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#2
A couple years ago I would have said 'anyone who was found on Epstein's list', but alas, they all seem to be doing really well unfortunately.
#3
You guys are all talking celebrities and social media scandals.
William Kampiles had always wanted to be spy and he was lucky enough to end up working for the CIA after college. Unfortunately, his job was not being a spy, it turns out that takes training. His job was boring and he didn't have time for training, so he hatched a plan.
He would steal a spy satellite manual from the CIA and quit his job. He would then fly to Greece, walk into the Soviet embassy and sell that manual. Now here comes the brilliant part: he would then call the CIA and let them know he had done this so they would be impressed and give him a job as double agent.
For some reason, the US government was not impressed and sent him to prison instead.
#4
A woman I went to grad school with...she had just landed a job doing data analysis for this organization when covid lockdowns started.
She got drunk and started DMing Asian students from our University (some who graduated with us and some still finishing their degrees) telling them to go back to China, along with other much worse stuff I won't repeat.
They took screenshots and emailed them to the director of our graduate program as well as the organization where she worked. In less than 24 hours, she lost her job and all ties to our graduate institution, and gained significant infamy in the field.
#6
Probably John Edwards. He was running for president and had an affair and fathered a child out of wedlock while his wife was passing of cancer. Ruined his reputation and political career.
#7
Jussie Smollett.
He was already on a popular show, he had already made it as an actor. Faking a hate crime to try to increase his popularity and show salary?
Just dumb.
#8
That lady from Smallville, Allison Mack. Decided to take a promising and active acting career, into feeding a crazed lunatic cult leader a steady diet of girls for him to use and hurt.
T'Mar of Vulcan 7 hours ago
She was part of the whole thing, but cults like that definitely brainwash you. It's why there are people who "deprogram" cult members. What I'll never understand is how everyone in NXIVM kept telling all the recruits that Raniere the perv was "the smartest man in the world" - and people believed them!! What kind of person doesn't check out whether that's true or not? To me, that was the sin - if they'd only realized that the so-called "smartest man in the world" had already had an MLM shut down and rebranded, and thus was maybe not so smart, they wouldn't have been suked in by all the "intensives" offered by those scammers.
#9
Terry Kath, guitar player for Chicago. Playing with a weapon that he thought was unloaded he put it up to his head and pulled the trigger.
#10
Ezra Miller
At the height of his career he groomed a twelve year old girl, strangled some woman at a night club, lots of weird incidents where he was either arrested or accused of doing shady things, and claiming he was a Messiah, to just name a few of the career ending things he did.
#11
Gerald Irving Ratner. He was formerly chief executive of the British jewellery company Ratner Group. Ratner achieved notoriety after making a speech in 1991 where he jokingly denigrated his company's products as "total trash", leading to the company's near-collapse and his exit from the business in 1993. The notorious speech led to the creation of the phrase "doing a Ratner", meaning to make ruinous comments about your company or products.
John Monteith 9 hours ago
He did what he thought was a jokey speech. Including from memory. People ask how we can sell a crystal decanter and 4 glasses for £5. It’s because they are c**p. Also. We sell earring for the same price that marks and Spencer sells a prawn sandwich. The difference. Their prawn sandwich will last longer. the company had to rebrand. And the p***k is still doing ok
#12
I used to work with some guys in the Oil & Gas industry. They were actually really great to work with, and generally fun. They made very good money (especially since most of them had no formal education past high school) and bought houses, cars, trucks, toys, etc...
They got busted for falsifying expense reports.
Like they would go to a restaurant, and buy gift cards for that restaurant, and then expense it and then pocket the money. I can't imagine that they each maybe netted less than $2-3k on the "enterprise".
So, they went from being some of the top earners in the small-ish oil and gas tech company (that was a subsidiary of a very large company) to out on the street and probably branded a bit around the industry. All for like less than one week's worth of pay.
Mavis 9 hours ago (edited)
I worked with a guy in a government job, nice pay, great conditions, very secure job. He was a very smart guy who was going places. Anyway he must have had a brain freeze or something because he stole $15,000 from government funds. He got caught, got the sack, went to trial and sent jail for 12 months. Screwed his whole life for nothing.
#13
Anthony Weiner.
Up and coming young Democrat married to Hillary Clinton’s right hand woman.
Dumb photos and stupid scandals. Idiot.
#14
Late to the party, but anyway:
I work for a major retailer. Screw it, I work for Nike.
One of our department managers went all in for the job. He was already a sneakerhead when he got hired, literally has a Swoosh (the Nike logo) tattooed ON HIS NECK and quit his university degree when he was offered a promotion.
He was promising, great feedback, well liked.
Then he stole from the company. Stupid way, freaking obvious. Was fired immediately, sued and is now unemployed, without a degree but has a criminal record.
#15
D4VD.
NetworkEcstatic:
Never even heard of this dude until my sister sent me an article saying a body had been found in his tesla. She was all... "this is terrible. He's on tour, I love him who would do this." I responded with...he did. I guarantee it. No one breaks into your tesla to hide a body.
#16
O.J. Simpson. Remember when he ended those folks?
Stephanie Did It 15 hours ago
Oh yes, the guy who didn't do it, but who wrote a book explaining how he did it?
#17
Kristi Noem went from being a governor of a state where she could have ruled forever to running an agency where she lasted for, what, a year?
#18
Will Smith ruined his big Oscar win by slapping Chris Rock over a joke about his wife's hair.
Phantom Phoenix 12 hours ago (edited)
The joke that he was laughing along with until she deªth-glared at him and tightened the vice she kept his balls in? Edit: I was worried BP would censor balls... forgot about deªth being something we have to pretend isn't a thing
#19
Lots of people these days who go online and post themselves doing something stupid in their work uniform or saying something horribly offensive.
#20
Bill Burr. All this eat the rich, be principled grandstanding. Then turns around, takes a bunch of Saudi government money and got extremely weird and combative with his fans.
#21
I second every answer here and then add Ned Fulmer. TL;DR version is he was a member of a successful quartet called the Try Guys and was marketing himself as this vanilla 'Wife Guy', even turned the births of his kids into videos and content. Turns out he'd been having an affair with one of his film editors who also did content, they are even in videos together. Try Guy fans saw them out together and outed him on social media. He threw away his marriage, his career, and his self-respect.
Also adding Chud the Builder, because he truly thought he would get away with doing what he did in front of a courthouse with no consequences. Now hes facing a 1.25 million bond and becoming the face of FAFO: Racist Edition. EDIT: Grifter may fit him better.
#22
All those nurses who complained about fluids being left behind at Gynecologist office then posted selfies with the paper. I hope all of them got their license stripped and can never work in the medical field again.
#24
Remember that guy who posted on Reddit many years ago about how he was at a work conference at a hotel (fairly senior fellow IIRC) and harassed a guest (not affiliated with his work) at the hotel pool, and she reported it to the hotel staff, who reported it to his boss, who fired him?
#25
The woman, Gina Carano, on Mandalorian who torpedoed her career because she bought into antivax/antimask grift is a recent example.
She could have spun that into something huge and had dependable lifetime income from the convention circuit if nothing else.
#26
Ashton Kutcher choosing to defend his criminal friend after the trial.
#27
Natalia Kills (Teddy Sinclair). She was a judge on X Factor NZ and accused a contestant of copying her husbands look. The look in question was a suit and a standard hair cut
#28
Lance Armstrong going in Oprah
Loosey Goosey 16 hours ago
I'd say it was the years of cheating that ruined his career, not confessing to it on Oprah.
#29
Many, many decades ago my father decided that shagging his big boss's wife was a really good idea.
He got fired and blacklisted all over the Pacific Northwest.
We all had to move across the country to be able to find a job again.
#31
George Lazenby - Had he not been such an insufferable jerk to everyone involved in the production, he could've been James Bond for more than just one movie.
#32
Every celebrity who decided "you know what this situation needs? A ukulele apology video."
#33
The Moody Mayor
Cincinnati was once so morally conservative that adult entertainment had no foothold there when a certain young man became its mayor. One night, he was in the mood. So he found an establishment where agreeable young ladies entertain visiting gentlemen for a fee.
Had there been such places in town, most likely he'd have been comped, and no one would have said a word. As it was, he had to visit a neighboring town, where no one felt the need to offer him any favors. So he paid for his entertainment - with a personal check.
Had it been entirely a moral failing, he might have survived it. But voters had thought the young man to be one of their best and brightest. But after this, voters realized that he was as dumb as anyone in town.
Luckily for Jerry Springer, neither stupidity nor notoriety are any problem in the entertainment industry.
Norm Gilmore 13 hours ago (edited)
Ruined? They thought he was so dumb they voted him back in again. And again. And again. Wikipedia-Springer was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in 1971.[15] On April 29, 1974, Springer resigned from the council after admitting to soliciting a prostitute.[15][21] He ran for the office in 1975, winning by a landslide.[22][23] He was reelected in 1977 and 1979.[24]
#34
Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens place kicker. Arguably one of the best kickers all time, possibly a future hall of fame. Lost his job and ruined his reputation trying to get handjobs from multiple massage clinics.
Big Chungus 5 hours ago
This one was hard to see. I had him on my ff team forever and he was amazing. S***s that he is such a s****y person
#35
I'd say Conor McGregor (UFC fighter, billionaire). After consuming stimulants for years, attacking people and after he hurt that woman, lost the trial in the worst way and was found guilty yet didn't face prison. He's hated in Ireland after trying to run for president there.
But he is coming back, president supports him and people don't care about all his crimes.
#36
In the sports world at least, Wander Franco. He got charged with having intercourse with a 17 y/o in his home country after just agreeing to a nine figure contract with the Rays. Believe he lost the chance at almost all of that money and went to jail.
More depressing one but Jose Fernandez. Elite pitcher for the Miami Marlins passed at the age of 24 due to driving a boat drunk and on stimulants.
#37
Howard Dean, even though it wasn't really deserved
Panda McPandaface 6 hours ago
I had no idea who this was and OP did not do anyone outside the US the courtesy of enlightening us. For anyone else who doesn't know, a US politicaian who made a stupid speech and lost - nothing offensive, just stupid. It's a really boring story.
What do you think ?
BrunoVI 17 hours ago (edited)
Woman at my old job tried to be an influencer, but bought all her lingerie -- thousands of dollars worth -- on the company card. I think her plan was to pay it all back with her influencer earnings before anyone noticed. Another guy decided to save money on getting an apartment by living in his office... which wasn't even a private office. He had his laundry stashed in the filing cabinets and his sleeping bag in his desk. The crazy thing is I think the company would've let him get away with it but he didn't have any place to stay so he had to move back in with his parents in another state. (I had a wife and kid and he had already proven himself a grifter so I couldn't do anything for him.)
MechtildFenn 1 hour ago
M𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 $𝟐𝟕𝐤 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.. 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍-------- ➤➤➤➤𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐀𝐭𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝟏.𝐂𝐨𝐦
Load More Replies... Chich the witch 37 minutes ago
Remote worksite and people were cycling in/out. The big boss was up inspecting and offered to take some of them out next day with him rather than wait for a later flight as his charter had room. Couple of guys then decide its a good time to get hammered, sleep in, have the boss wait for hours because nobody could find them. Quick way to loose a high paying job.
BrunoVI 17 hours ago (edited)
Woman at my old job tried to be an influencer, but bought all her lingerie -- thousands of dollars worth -- on the company card. I think her plan was to pay it all back with her influencer earnings before anyone noticed. Another guy decided to save money on getting an apartment by living in his office... which wasn't even a private office. He had his laundry stashed in the filing cabinets and his sleeping bag in his desk. The crazy thing is I think the company would've let him get away with it but he didn't have any place to stay so he had to move back in with his parents in another state. (I had a wife and kid and he had already proven himself a grifter so I couldn't do anything for him.)
MechtildFenn 1 hour ago
M𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 $𝟐𝟕𝐤 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.. 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍-------- ➤➤➤➤𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐀𝐭𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝟏.𝐂𝐨𝐦
Load More Replies... Chich the witch 37 minutes ago
Remote worksite and people were cycling in/out. The big boss was up inspecting and offered to take some of them out next day with him rather than wait for a later flight as his charter had room. Couple of guys then decide its a good time to get hammered, sleep in, have the boss wait for hours because nobody could find them. Quick way to loose a high paying job.
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