Top 10 Impressive Celebrity Comebacks of the Last Decade
#10: Jennifer Coolidge
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After years playing minor roles in comedy movies and TV shows, Jennifer Coolidge got her breakthrough portraying Stifler’s mom in the “American Pie” film franchise. She continued to enjoy success in the comedy genre, with notable roles in “Legally Blonde” and “A Cinderella Story”. However, after narrowly missing out on a lead role in “Desperate Housewives,” Coolidge’s stardom waned. Although she played a supporting role in the CBS sitcom “2 Broke Girls,” her immense potential remained largely untapped. But then came a little project called “The White Lotus”. The HBO anthology series propelled Coolidge back into the spotlight in her 60s, and earned her several prestigious accolades, including her first Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award.
#9: Natasha Lyonne
Natasha Lyonne started acting as a child and gained fame in the late ‘90s and early 2000s through various teen comedies. This included films like the popular “American Pie” series, as well as the indie classic “But I'm a Cheerleader”. However, her career suffered a setback in 2001, when she was arrested for driving under the influence. That kicked off a string of controversies and legal problems related to substance use disorder. About a decade later, Lyonne’s fortunes began to change when she landed a role on the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black”. This marked a turning point, paving the way for her involvement in a slew of successful comedy-dramas like “Russian Doll” and “Poker Face”.
#8: Ke Huy Quan
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At the age of 12, Ke Huy Quan won the role of a lifetime starring opposite Harrison Ford as Short Round in Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. He quickly followed this up with a part as one of the titular kids in 1985’s “The Goonies”. Despite this promising start, Quan faced challenges securing acting work in the U.S. This led him to transition into roles as a stunt choreographer and assistant director. Inspired by the success of “Crazy Rich Asians,” Quan returned to acting after a 19-year hiatus and soon landed a significant role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. His performance received universal acclaim and ultimately earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
#7: Michael Keaton
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The plot of 2014’s “Birdman” closely mirrored the life of its lead actor Michael Keaton. Like the character Riggan Thomson, Keaton initially gained recognition by portraying a superhero in a film franchise, but later experienced a decline in his career. In Keaton’s case, this downturn began in the early 2000s with a string of supporting roles in moderately successful films. By the early 2010s, Keaton was in dire need of a career revival, which fittingly came in “Birdman,” a film that seemed to parallel his own life. It garnered numerous award nominations for Keaton, setting the stage for roles in subsequent projects like “Spotlight,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and the Hulu miniseries “Dopesick,” which won him his first Emmy Award.
#6: Kesha
In the early 2010s, Kesha dominated dancefloors around the world with hit songs like “Tik Tok,” “We R Who We R” and “Timber”. To the outside world, her life seemed glamorous as her career flourished. However, behind the scenes, she grappled with personal challenges including an eating disorder and an allegedly exploitative relationship with producer Dr. Luke. This led to her filing a lawsuit against him for sexual assault, which dragged on for months only to be dismissed in 2016. After a four-year hiatus, Kesha made a triumphant return with her 2017 single “Praying,” which seemingly addressed the aforementioned lawsuit. The song earned Kesha a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance and became a rallying anthem for the MeToo movement.
#5: Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy was undoubtedly one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s. After rising to prominence on “Saturday Night Live,” Murphy transitioned to the big screen, where he scored huge box-office hits with films like the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise and “Coming to America”. However, by the late 2000s, his career waned following a string of movies that were met with either critical or commercial failure. After years away from the spotlight, Murphy made a successful comeback with 2019’s “Dolemite Is My Name”. That year, he also returned to the stage that made his career, for the first time since 1984. For hosting the December 21st 2019 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” Murphy won his first ever Emmy Award.
#4: Winona Ryder
In the late ‘80s and ‘90s, Winona Ryder was Hollywood’s “it girl,” known for her versatile roles spanning horror, comedy, action and drama. Then came the infamous shoplifting incident. In December 2001, Ryder was arrested after stealing over $5000 worth of clothes and was later convicted of grand theft and shoplifting. Things took a turn for the worse the following year when she appeared in the critically panned “Mr. Deeds”. By all indications, Ryder’s career was on its way to an early grave. Fortunately, it was resurrected in 2016, with her portrayal of Joyce Byers on the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things”. Her performance on the show earned her a Golden Globes nomination, her first in over two decades.
#3: Keanu Reeves
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Making one comeback as a Hollywood actor is challenging enough, but Keanu Reeves managed to achieve the remarkable feat twice. After a career lull, Reeves experienced an initial resurgence in 1999 with “The Matrix,” which cemented him as one of Hollywood’s biggest action heroes. From there, things only seemed to go downhill. His career trajectory took a downturn in the late 2000s and early 2010s, marked by a string of mostly unsuccessful films. Reeves was able to reclaim the spotlight in 2014 with “John Wick” and launched a highly successful franchise in the process. Since then, he has returned to “The Matrix” universe for “Resurrections” and lent his voice to the “Toy Story” franchise, all while remaining as lovable as ever.
#2: Brendan Fraser
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Winning an Oscar after a lengthy career decline is a pipe dream for many Hollywood actors, but that dream came true for Brendan Fraser in 2023. Fraser had broken out in the early ‘90s with projects like “Encino Man” and “School Ties”. He went on to attain leading man status with “The Mummy” trilogy. By the late 2000s, Fraser all but disappeared, mostly due to a series of personal issues, including divorce, health problems and an alleged sexual assault by the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. In 2022, he portrayed the lead character in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale”. The film breathed new life into his career, earning him heartwarming ovations around the world and the Academy Award for Best Actor.
#1: Britney Spears
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As one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century, Britney Spears’ personal life has been extensively covered by the media. In the mid to late 2000s, Spears experienced a series of personal issues that led to the implementation of a conservatorship, partly overseen by her father. This arrangement lasted for 13 years until it was terminated in November 2021, following a legal dispute and the #FreeBritney movement. With her newfound freedom, Spears returned to the music scene, teaming up with Elton John to release the hit single “Hold Me Closer”. Additionally, she signed a $15 million book deal, producing the 2023 best-selling memoir “The Woman in Me,” in which she candidly shared her personal challenges and her new lease on life.
What other celebrities would you like to see make a comeback in the next decade? Let us know in the comments below.
