Not every celebrity is born with a silver spoon in their mouth — some had to work 9-to-5 every day. For a few famous people who got fired, losing a job helped them see their true potential. However, being sacked from a job doesn’t always lead to greener pastures. Sometimes, getting fired from a job can lead to some hardships, which can be hard to overlook.
We tend to overlook the journey of famous people who struggled in life and focus more on their accomplishments. If history has anything to say to us, historical figures that changed the world learned from their mistakes and decided to reach for higher ambitions. A great leader is born when he learns his mistake and utilizes it. Julius Caesar, one of the most famous people in history, was practically fired from his inherited position. Yet he stood up and is known today as one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen.
It is not uncommon to get fired — what is important is the way we react to it. We have compiled a list of some of the most successful people who got fired for various reasons. If the reason was shocking to you, be sure to upvote it. If you have more to share about the listed person, leave a comment below.
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Liam Neeson
Before the days of him portraying Oscar Schindler and becoming a modern action movie hero of the 21st century, he was spending his days working as a teacher. He got fired from this job after he struck a 15-year-old student who pulled out a knife. After working in more odd jobs, Neeson started his journey to stardom.
Nikola Tesla
The industrial world we live in today wouldn’t be what it is if it weren't for Nikola Tesla, the father of modern electricity. His path to the figure we know today was bumpy, filled with firings and problems. In Slovenia, Nikola Tesla lost his position as a draftsman because of his compulsive card gambling and mental disorder.
Bill Hader
Bill Hader is not only a natural-born comedian but also a person who knows how to serve revenge to those who deserve it. While working as a ticket seller in an Arizona movie theater, he spoiled the ending of Titanic to some rude customers. After his boss had heard him do it, he got fired on the spot.
"He spoiled the ending to some customers who were unaware of the outcome of a well known, huge historical event". There, I fixed it.
Walt Disney
The giant that is Disney started with Walt Disney himself. His creativity is boundless, but before the creation of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney was fired a couple of times due to not being creative enough. The Kansas City Star newspaper fired him in the early 1920s because he lacked that much-needed creativity. Disney today is valued at around $59 billion, thanks a lot to Walt Disney.
Walt didn't own Disneyland, his wife did. Walt didn't go to war and the punishment for not going was that you weren't allowed to own property, so they put it in his wife's name instead. He was also, ironically, terrified of mice. I did several reports on him through the years and he still fascinates me.
Elvis Presley
It seems like the rock’n’roll king used his voice to deliver some of the best songs and spar with his old colleagues. Five weeks into working at the Loew's State Theater, a heated argument with a colleague got him fired. Rumor is that his colleague started it because he was jealous that a girl liked Elvis instead of him.
Hugh Jackman
The face behind Wolverine (and the only one, to be honest), Hugh Jackman was sailing some rocky seas before stardom shined upon him. While working in a 7-11, he was struggling to win over the manager working there, resulting in him getting fired. Ironically, in a couple or so years, he did gain a lot of fans from all around the world.
Lady Gaga
Who could have known that Lady Gaga would become one of the greatest pop culture icons in the world? Certainly not Def Jam Records. After she sent in an unfinished demo to the record label, they decided to drop her. She got her break into the industry in 2008 with the release of her hit song “Just Dance.”
Apparently She was bullied horribly in high school. Never give up. Also, the first record label for Taylor swift dropped her too, not great choices by these companies. Yikes.
Steve Jobs
If you want to talk about revolutions in the technological field, you can’t do it without mentioning Steve Jobs, the man behind the many Apple products we know and praise today. He created Apple in 1976, but in 1985, he was fired due to a growing rivalry in the market. In 1997 he was rehired as CEO of Apple and went on to create the iPhone, iPad, and other "i" products.
One of the best billionaires in my opinion (not like there’s any competition *cough* Elon Musk *cough*)
Colonel Sanders
The face of modern chicken takeout and KFC, Colonel Sanders didn’t start his fast-food journey until he was 62. Before becoming an icon, he lost quite a lot of job positions. While he might have had that bright and happy smile we all know him for, behind it hid a not-so-good temper, a tendency to lash out, and general insubordination.
Getting fired was nothing! "It was during this period that Sanders was involved in a shootout with Matt Stewart, a local competitor, over the repainting of a sign directing traffic to his station. Stewart killed a Shell employee who was with Sanders and was convicted of murder, eliminating Sanders' competition" and later "Sanders believed that his North Corbin restaurant would remain successful indefinitely, but at age 65 sold it after the new Interstate 75 reduced customer traffic. Left only with his savings and US$105 a month from Social Security (equivalent to $1,062 in 2021), Sanders decided to begin to franchise his chicken concept in earnest, and traveled the US looking for suitable restaurants. After closing the North Corbin site, Sanders and Claudia opened a new restaurant and company headquarters in Shelbyville in 1959. Often sleeping in the back of his car, Sanders visited restaurants, offered to cook his chicken" - Wikipedia
Mark Cuban
Who could have known that Mark Cuban, a simple salesman, would become a future owner of the Dallas Mavericks and one of the richest people in the world? While working as a salesperson for the Your Business Software company, selling PC software, he talked with a client about opening up a new shop, thus getting fired. He later started his own company with the help of his previous clients.
Madonna
The queen of pop herself was an odd-job worker too. She might be the material girl in the music clip we all love and like, but to one customer, she's remembered for an awkward situation she created. While working in a donut shop, she accidentally squirted some jelly onto a customer's face and got fired.
Truman Capote
While the public continues to undervalue art, many creative minds choose to remain together. Capote was dismissed from The New Yorker as a young copyboy when poet Robert Frost requested it out of sheer resentment. Truman Capote built his path to becoming one of America's finest authors despite Frost's interference.
Robert Redford
Robert Redford might be the silver screen actor we know today, but previously, he worked in an oil refinery in the sunny state of California. He was found asleep in an oil tank and later moved to wash bottles. After breaking more than a couple of them, Redford was fired and left to do what he loved the most — acting.
Oprah Winfrey
Handing out life lessons to the people who need them wasn’t always the thing that Oprah Winfrey did. Previously, she was a TV anchor for a Baltimore station, spreading news to people. The producers weren’t satisfied with her, saying she was “unfit for television news.” Not one to give up, she started The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow, the actress behind the chaotic Phoebe from Friends, was not always as renowned as she is today. Not yet a star, she was cast as a supporting actress in Frasier and was supposed to play Roz Doyle's character. Sadly (or happily), a few days before filming was supposed to start, the actress was recast, and she lost her place in the legendary series.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison wasn’t always the great inventor he is known as today. Before the lightbulb and the early version of the motion picture camera, he was a Western Union worker who was quite a workaholic. He got fired from the job when he accidentally spilled some sulfuric acid on the floor — a severe safety mistake.
Considering how lax safety standards used to be 100+ years ago getting fired for violating them seems quite an achievement. I looked it up: he worked night shifts to pursue his passions of reading and experimenting (which, of course, was not his actual job) - the latter led to the sulphuric acid incident. The stuff ran between the floorboards and onto his boss's desk below (according to wikipedia) and got him fired.
Julia Child
Before the days of cooking in front of the camera, showcasing French cuisine to millions of Americans, she worked as an advertising manager in New York. The reason for her firing? Gross insubordination. After the event, she fell in love with cooking and became one of the sweetest TV chefs ever.
Abraham Lincoln
While not officially fired, one of the greatest presidents in USA history, the face on a penny and Mount Rushmore, Abraham Lincoln, was demoted from his job before becoming a brilliant politician. While working in the army as a captain, he was demoted to the rank of private during the 1832 Black Hawk War.
First president to allow a black man in the White House. Mr Fredrick Douglas.
J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter wasn’t always in J. K. Rowling’s mind. Before the boy with a lightning scar came to reality, the author worked as a secretary. Since she is a writer, she wrote a lot of fictional material during her work, thus resulting in her getting fired and having to live on welfare. Everything changed when she sold Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Hillary Clinton
Before becoming a politician in the US political landscape and leaving a mark on the world, Clinton was a simple fish gutter. But, because of her natural over-curious personality and slow pace, she was fired from this summer job in Alaska. Luckily, after the 1969 summer in the state, Hillary Clinton went on to better work positions.
Julius Caesar
He came, he saw, he conquered. Julius might be one of the most feared historical figures, but he struggled before becoming the renowned figure we know today. Born to a high-born family, Julius Caesar lost his inherited position and a lot of political power after Sulla, a Roman general, won a civil war and targeted the old regime's allies.
Michael Bloomberg
A politician, businessman, and one of the wealthiest people in the world — Michael Bloomberg seems to have experienced everything and has some experience getting fired. While working for an investment bank, Salomon Brothers, a merger forced him out of a job. With $10 million in severance pay, Bloomberg went on to create his fortune.
A $10 million severance pay. These people live in another world.
Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour wasn’t always the creative director in the eyes of critics and writers. Before becoming editor-in-chief of Vogue, she worked for Harper's Bazaar magazine and got fired for having a strange, edgy style. She had to leave the junior fashion editor position for the more liberating Vogue magazine.
Kate Walsh
Who could have known that a runny nose could get a person sacked from a job? Kate Welsh was a hard-working 14-year-old teenager who worked in a Burger King. She got fired for the “valid” reason that she had a runny nose. It seems like a cold can ruin not only your health but also get you fired.
Lee Iacocca
Lee Iacocca might be the most creative person when it comes to cars. So it is strange why helping create the Mustang and putting a more aggressive face onto Ford got him fired. Because he had a different mindset than Ford Company’s then-CEO and chairman Ford Jr., he was fired and went on to work for Chrysler.
Howard Stern
Howard Stern developed his style in other radio stations and shows before creating his own. Because he jumped from one position to another, some companies had little trust in him. While working for WNBC, he got fired for “different” ideas that didn’t match up with the executives.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld wasn’t always the famous comedian he is known today. Before his days with Seinfeld, Jerry was just a struggling comedian and actor who had a small role in Benson, a 1980s show. But when the table reading came, he noticed that he was erased from the script, thus instantly ending his role in the series.
Bill Belichick
A quarterback is nothing without a good coach, and Bill Belichick might be one of the best. A New England Patriots coach, Belichick worked as a coach for other teams, one of them being the Cleveland Browns. He got fired after the Browns moved to Baltimore. His commitment to the Patriots led them to 5 Super Bowl victories.
