There are plenty of people in the world who do things that are bad enough to warrant losing their job over, especially our public figures that are supposed to be like role models to the rest of the public. That being said, in the current climate, a lot of people are capable of being canceled for doing basically anything that upsets people whether it's warranted or not. Over on Reddit, u/Yung-Potter-XO asked, "Which celebrity got canceled and you genuinely felt bad for them?" and we collected the answers that people gave. Which of the following celebrities do you think shouldn't have gotten canceled?
Wynona Rider
There are many reasons why people get canceled. They are mainly for good reasons, but recently there have been all too many people who would use cancel culture to their advantage and get people taken out of the spotlight for minor infractions. "I think Wynona Rider got canceled from the spotlight for a long time (until Stranger Things) for some shoplifting.," said u/Littlebug0113. "Sure, it's s****y but we’re all human."
While she did break the law, the point here is that there are a lot of worse things that people can do. The problem is that even after people serve their time, the public refuses to accept that they still have human rights (which, by the way, don't disappear when you're arrested or charged).
Terry Crews
There have been a lot more cases these past few years of people coming out and talking about their experiences with sexual abuse. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is ready to accept yet that these things happen. u/AirGuitarMatt said, "Not completely gone, but Terry Crews has issues getting work because he spoke out about being sexually assaulted during the Me Too movent. People assumed a man his stature couldn't be assaulted and he gave names and people weren't very happy".
It doesn't matter how big and strong you are, people can still assault you and somehow get away with it. In Crews' case, he was literally with his wife, but political, racial, and hierarchical issues proved too much for him to stand up against the act because you can't fight these things with pure muscle.
Britney Spears
u/sovereignsekte said, "Britney Spears when she shaved her head and all that. I'm no fan of hers but she just seemed like someone who cracked under all the pressure and lost her s**t. Craig Ferguson did an absolutely amazing job talking about that and relating it to his own life. Major respect to him for that. Kind of long but worth watching." This case was a very hard one to watch.
Britney was and still is a beloved figure to many, and the pressure put on her by her parents (who arguably used her as a cash cow) was too much for her. Then she was ostracized because no one can help people who are mentally troubled.
Sinead O'Conner
u/MTGO_Duderino mentioned the time that Sinead O'Conner, "Spoke out against corruption and pedophilia in the catholic church very blatantly in an SNL act. Was completely removed from anything in the entertainment industry. Turns out instead of moral outrage people should have listened. I've seen in somewhat recent interviews that she is somewhat well adjusted despite it all. She knew it was going to cross a line when she did it, but she believes it pushed any investigation into such things forward and possibly gave people the courage to speak up."
It's understandable the outrage that it caused, but it's hard to deny that these are things that need to be addressed. As bad of an accusation as it was, these things do happen.
Jenna Marbles
u/TheDoctorsButtercup says "Jenna Marbles. Basically, people were angry at her old content that she made 10 years ago and while she's already apologized for her actions and addressed how she now understands why it's inappropriate, she felt that her presence on YT was causing more harm and it was too much to keep rehashing the same issue. She still streams with Julian all the time."
It wouldn't be the first time old content ruined a good YouTuber. Humour changes and becomes more sensitive over the years and certain things locked into history become easily available to the public.
Ashley Judd
One of the more unfortunate cases in recent years has been the women who have come out as being sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein. It spurred the most recent usage of the Me Too movement and fortunately was able to raise awareness of movie moguls' abilities to get away with disgusting crimes. It wasn't easy for anyone, and many people even received backlash from it. One such woman was Ashley Judd.
"Harvey Weinstein blacklisted her for years. She’s an incredible actress IMO," said u/call-me-mama-t. Unfortunately, despite being allowed to pursue her defamation claim against him, her sexual assault claim was dismissed.
Ke$ha
u/Radthereptile explains, "She isn’t full-on canceled but what Kesha went through was so messed up. Not only was she abused but her abuser was part of the record label and she wasn’t able to leave her contract." Because the statute of limitations ruined her chances of being able to press charges against Dr. Luke. Worse yet is that after tons of legal battles, Ke$ha is still under fire.
Recently, she was struck with a charge of defamation against Dr. Luke after evidence proved she made a false claim to Lady Gaga that he also raped Katy Perry. It almost seems her struggles will never end.
Ingrid Berman
"Ingrid Berman was unhappily married to a doctor, Peter Lindstrom, with whom she had one child, Pia," u/HarrietsDiary explains. "In the late 1940s, she had an affair with Italian director Roberto Rossellini. When news of the affair broke she lost all her contracts, her husband took her daughter, and the scandal was so intense US senators gave speeches condemning her on the Senate floor."
"Because of the fallout she wasn't allowed to see her daughter Pia for seven years, and didn't make a Hollywood movie for seven years as well (She returned in Anastasia)."
Corey Feldman
u/ForgettableUkraine says this "Truly breaks my heart. I had the chance to get to know him when I was a kid in 2000. He was pretty normal then. Because of what the industry did to him he always made sure that I was being taken care of on set and that I was protected from the same monstrosities. I think Haim dying really f****d him up again. I will always be so grateful for how he looked out for me and I hope he gets the help he needs."
After exposing the inner workings of Hollywood and the abuse of children that can happen there, Corey was left hung out to dry. Barbara Walters even accused Corey of damaging the entire industry. After everything, maybe it should be destroyed and built back up.
Hayden Christensen
Not everyone can make it big in Hollywood. Worse yet is when someone who has made it big in Hollywood and shows promise ends up in a string of bad roles that turn their promise into a detriment. u/TheMadPoet claims, "Hayden Christensen did nothing wrong. No actor should be maligned for decisions made by the writers and director." After his role in Star Wars: "Attack of the Clones", people were pretty hesitant about his film roles.
After this, it didn't do him any good that he ended up getting numerous Razzie awards for different roles. He was effectively kicked out of Hollywood and he went away to live on some farmland that he bought.
Liam Neeson
u/motherofhyrule says, "The man isn’t just an incredible actor he’s an amazing human being who gives selflessly and asks for nothing. But because he admitted to having a racially violent thought way back when, when he was much younger and much more naive, a thought he literally said he was ashamed he’d ever had in the first place, the piece of s**t journalist interviewing him twisted the narrative to make Liam look like a racist just to make a name for himself."
It's too true that all too often people take advantage of the naivety of some people. The truth is that everyone suffers from bad thoughts at some point in their life, but the minute you mention it, it no longer matters that you've learned and grown.
Megan Fox
u/ToxicFluffer says, "Megan Fox deserved better than the way media constantly sexualized her and ignored anything she had to say. She has numerous interviews trying to talk about being uncomfortably sexualized by Michael Bay when she was a teenager but the audience and interviewer would just cheer as if she wasn’t talking about predatory behavior. Megan Fox is so smart and eloquent NOT the bimbo Hollywood would have you believe."
These days, Megan Fox is still idolized as one of the most beautiful women alive today. The problem comes when it's not the person themselves trying to bring attention to their natural good looks and gets accosted all the time for it.
Rebecca Black
"Rebecca Black. Everyone was so mean over Friday. She was THIRTEEN and deserved better," says u/princess_persimmon. Do you remember when her song came out? To be fair, it really wasn't the best song and was pretty uninspired overall. Nobody liked it, and that was clear. Even the music video she made didn't do her justice, and she was made out to be some rich girl playing on a fantasy.
That being said, is there anything wrong with that? The girl wanted to try her hand at music, it was her dream. Then she finally did it and got nothing but criticism for it.
Lindsay Lohan
u/ian-quinn says, "Not too sure canceled is the right word for them but Lindsay Lohan. Phenomenal actress and started at a young age. Had really messed up parents, no guidance from anyone, and too much money." Like we said with Britney Spears, people are all too ready to abandon those who are mentally troubled. The minute a famous person becomes self-destructive, they are labeled terribly and nobody tries to help them.
Such was the case for Lindsay Lohan as well as many others. We see those famous people fall under pressure far too often and get caught up in all sorts of bad things. Lindsay Lohan was and probably still can be an incredible actress. We're still rooting for her.
Amanda Bynes
There has been no shortage of allegations against producers and directors for their abuse of actors and actresses. And why should there be? People need to feel safe enough to talk out about the bad people in higher positions. So when Amanda Bynes spoke out against Dan Schneider, it should have gone well for her, but it seems that wasn't the case.
However, there's plenty of evidence to support these claims, especially all the euphemisms, innuendos, and straight-up foot fetish he seems to include in every TV show and post he makes. u/actuallyboa explains, "If you look into the reality of how creepy and awful Dan Schneider was, it all starts to make sense".
Hana Kimura
"She was an Indonesian-Japanese wrestler who often played the heel, and she wanted to be an actress," explains u/himbologic. "When she was offered a chance to be in the reality show Terrace House, she jumped at it. As we all know, reality shows are scripted. In a scene, Hana (remember, a professional wrestler on a reality show) removed another contestant's hat and scolded him. Her Twitter and Instagram accounts were overrun with awful comments, racist criticisms, and death threats for weeks, but over time it tapered off."
"Part of a reality show producer's job is to know how the audience thinks of all of the stars," they continue. "The company monitors media coverage and social media trends. They knew. But right after quarantine started in Japan, they re-aired the episode. Hana lived alone. When the abuse began again, it must have seemed endless. She apologized on social media, took her kitten to the Stardom Wrestling office, and went home to kill herself. She was 22."
Al Franken
Although the #MeToo movement has been an incredibly helpful source of support for those who really need it, it has also changed the general atmosphere to that where certain people being accused of things cannot even defend themselves. Al Franken, a former senator of Minnesota had been accused of forcing kisses and touches and had to resign from his post within 3 weeks despite no investigations into the matter.
Many people argue that that's not fair, regardless of what actually happened. As u/Aqquila89 explained, "Several Democratic Senators told Jane Mayer in 2019 that they regretting forcing Franken to resign without an investigation. (He wanted to appear before the Senate Ethics Committee but he was not allowed)."
Ahmed Best
There are plenty of characters in film and television that people don't like. It's inevitable because you can't possibly please everyone. Despite that knowledge, people can't see to separate the actor from the role they played. For Ahmed Best, playing the most hated character in "Star Wars" by audiences and critics alike meant having all the anger from fans being directed at him. u/Pepe_CO mentioned that "Ahmed Best played JarJar Binks and nearly killed himself over how hated the character was."
Granted, the character does have a lot wrong with it, but can you really blame the actor, or is it the fault of the writers? Regardless, it should never come as far as this did.
Aziz Ansari
u/Fantine_33 argues, "Aziz Ansari definitely didn’t deserve the public shaming he received for what amounted to an awkward, bad date." If you're not sure what happened, simply put, Ansari was reported on by Babe.net with a story from someone who had gone on a date with him which ended with consensual, yet what his date referred to as feeling forced, sex. Ansari himself had a completely different take and felt both shocked and concerned about the whole situation.
The biggest problem was that this news site didn't look to others for supporting evidence of a repeating pattern, nor did they give Ansari the standard amount of time to respond (plus it was a Saturday of a holiday weekend). This could have easily been a misunderstanding but ended up with a pointed accusation of sexual assault.
Paul Reubens
u/dudcicle says, "As an 80s kid who loved PeeWee’s playhouse, remembering how my parents tried to explain Paul Rubens getting canceled is hilarious. My dad told me 'he took off his clothes in a movie theater' and kid me was like 'wow that’s really weird but I guess he is kind of crazy?'" Although he technically wasn't canceled--the show ended before this controversy--it sure did seem that way.
What really happened was that he got arrested for indecent exposure. The thing is, while still offensive, you have to take into account that what he did was in an adult theatre, watching adult movies. That definitely changes the context.
Howard Dean
Howard Dean, who was the governor of Vermont in 2004 when he delivered his infamous "I Have a Scream" speech while campaigning in the presidential election, inevitably lost many supporters when the media played back his speech which, due to his unidirectional microphone, sounded a whole lot different on-air than in person. u/NikeExchange explains, "He yelled in excitement at one of his political rallies in 2004. People thought he wasn’t fit to be president because of it."
The unfortunate thing about this is that it wasn't even that crazy. However, 2004 was a different tie than it is now. Still, Dean and his campaign staff have even admitted to probably not being able to win in the first place. However, it's undeniable that the scream lowered his chances further.
Johnny Depp
"As a male that was in a relationship with an abusive woman, this whole thing breaks my heart," says u/Berkutt22. "I know how hard it can be to come out about, and how hard it is to be believed at all. And then of course, as soon as someone starts to put pressure on the abuser, suddenly all these allegations start coming out about you, and none of them true or accurate, but because she's a woman, she must be the victim right?"
It's hard to say who the real victim is here. Amber Heard won the case in the UK, but there's still the case in the US set for April 2022. Many can argue that both are abusers. We'll just have to wait and see.
Monica Lewinsky
"Judging from her Twitter account, she seems like a lovely person. It's a shame. Dave Chappelle said it best. 'Who hasn't sucked a d**k they regretted?' and Bill was a charismatic dude too. Lots of people get into relationships with authority figures during lapses in judgment, but Monica has been the butt of a joke because of it for two decades because of her lapse in judgment."
When Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky's affair came out, it nearly ended her career forever. Yet, interestingly enough, it ended up for Clinton as little more than a joke. That's a double standard if you ask us.
Laura Dern
"Kind of a unique case but...When Laura Dern played Ellen’s girlfriend on the episode where she came out, she was blacklisted by the industry for nearly a decade. And some people would harass her to the point she needed protection in public. She says her manager warned her she wouldn’t get roles if she agreed to take the part on Ellen but did so anyway. She went from Jurassic Park and being in demand to nobody giving her a call."
"Obviously she’s recovered but we lost a decade of great Laura Dern performances because of studios' perception that she was canceled by public opinion for playing a gay role." We definitely don't miss the days where coming out was career-ending.
Brendan Fraser
u/PunkPizzaVoodoo says, "I dont know if he was 'canceled' but Hollywood did Brendan Fraser dirty. Glad to see him working again. I hear doom patrols are good. Edit:...He was blacklisted not canceled. I don't want to blur the lines between the two, I'm just not very hip." Unfortunately, Fraser accused Hollywood Foreign Press Association president, Philip Berk, of sexual assault in a time where such things didn't really do well for those of lower status.
He felt blacklisted for over a decade due to this controversy. Luckily, he's making a comeback in the new Martin Scorsese film, "Killers of the Flower Moon".
Elizabeth Olsen
It's common knowledge that people mourn in their own ways. It doesn't seem like the public cared about that, however, when Elizabeth Olsen didn't post about the death of Chadwick Boseman. As u/No-Ear_Spider-Man explained, "Her co-worker died and she didn't post to social media immediately as it was happening. So people bullied her off of her Social Media accounts. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. If you were part of that mess, you don't deserve to watch WandaVision or Doctor Strange 2"
As it turned out, the day after she deleted her Instagram, ABC aired "Chadwick Boseman – A Tribute for a King" in which she did pay her respects. She probably didn't post because she felt this would be more genuine.
Janet Jackson
u/BlackIsTheSoul said, "Janet Jackson after Nipplegate was a travesty in how she was treated like a pariah afterward. (I know, timing with Timberlake's apology and all). Just want to throw in here that I really don't care whether it was planned or not, I'm talking purely the reaction, which was incredibly stupid." Janet's music was eventually blacklisted from Viacom and its subsidiaries, and there were a lot of lawsuits thrown around.
The truth was that there was supposed to be a costume reveal, but the red lace bra that was set up to be revealed got pulled back, too, and Jackson's nipple, adorned with a nipple shield, was revealed instead.
Mira Sorvino
u/theghostofme says, "Mira Sorvino. She went from one of the most in-demand actresses after winning her Oscar, to being completely blacklisted because Weinstein was telling anyone who'd listen that she was a diva and impossible to work with. When Peter Jackson was still making LotR through Miramax, Weinstein told him not to hire Judd or Sorvino, and Jackson believed him. Even when the movies eventually moved to New Line Cinema, he still believed what Weinstein had told him, and wouldn't work with them."
Fortunately, "When #MeToo started snowballing, Jackson remembered what Weinstein had told him about the two and apologized to them for it." That still doesn't change what happened, but at least the mistake was acknowledged.
Dixie Chicks
America prides itself on many things, one of which is especially the right to freedom of speech. But even with the freedom to say the things you feel, that doesn't mean you're protected from the recoil of such statements. Dixie Chicks made a comment in one of her songs about George W. Bush and the imminent (at the time) invasion of Iraq, and it ended up damaging the sales of her music and concert tickets.
"This one still infuriates me," responds u/_PukyLover_. "how come they got banned from country music stations but Hank Williams Jr. didn't after all that racist garbage he spewed about president Obama, I still listen to classic country but people and the stations are hypocrites."
August Ames
According to u/weedmademan, August Ames was "A famous pornstar who committed suicide after being accused of homophobia because she didn't want to shoot a movie with an actor who had already made gay porn movies". She had been worried about potential STIs from the actor and took to Twitter to let her replacement know about the circumstances. While it could have been said better, no one deserves to be bullied into suicide or at all.
She was later found after hanging herself. Close friends of hers said that she had done so in response to the cyberbullying she faced. She was only 23 years old.
Dr. Matt Taylor
This person isn't exactly a celebrity, but, "The scientist who landed a probe on a comet, but was immediately ostracized because some people couldn't handle women in bikinis on his Hawaiian T-shirt (which was a gift from a female colleague to boot)," mentions u/DwightAllRight. Dr. Taylor was one of the physicists on the Rosetta probe, the first probe to ever land on an asteroid.
However, after Twitter users saw a picture of the shirt he wore to the event, they went off on him about the implicit sexism and a lot of hate was spread despite the amazing scientific achievement.
Lisa Bonet
Everyone wants to be in control of their life, but not everyone is going to be okay with that. "Bill Cosby put a scarlet letter on her after the movie 'Angel Heart', says u/kaiser-so-say. "The convicted rapist thought she 'sullied' the image of 'The Cosby Show' and 'Different World' and this affected her career going forward. Not saying she was an Oscar contender, but I remember being upset about how misogynistic the whole thing was."
Bonet just wanted to do her own thing and not be tied down to being a "Cosby Kid". Many fans thought her role was distasteful, but Sinbad reported that he was actually in support of it.