10 Times Celebs Came Back From Being Cancelled
#10: James Gunn
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After directing two intergalactic smash hits for Marvel, this creative became an in-demand star director. However, his career at Disney nearly crashed and burned after attention was brought to highly controversial jokes he had made in the past. The studio quickly moved to oust Gunn and relieved him of his directing duties for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Although he didn’t publicly contest the decision and apologized, many were vocal about his firing. Fans, news outlets, colleagues, and even the Guardians themselves all spoke up in support of the director. Gunn also met with Disney studios president Alan Horn to discuss what had happened. In the end, the director was welcomed back to finish his trilogy.
#9: Sarah Silverman
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During Sarah Silverman’s time on her self-titled Comedy Central show, she played a woman who decides to be Black for a day as part of a social experiment. The comedian also chose to use offensive make-up for the plot. While Silverman’s look in that episode was controversial when it first debuted, it temporarily derailed her career nearly a decade later. The comedian reported that she had lost out on a role in a movie after a representative saw the sketch. After Silverman expressed regret over the episode, she continued to book various roles in film and television. Although she’s still made a few boundary pushing jokes, her apology made it clear she wouldn’t participate in a similar sketch again.
#8: Kathy Griffin
After Donald Trump became president, Kathy Griffin posted a photo where she held a fake head of the politician. The implied violence and amount of blood in the image drew tons of criticism from both sides of the political aisle for its harsh nature. While Griffin quickly apologized for the mishap, her professional life suffered. She had to cut a comedy tour short and even had to answer questions from the Secret Service. After the wave of backlash, Griffin was able to sell out a new comedy tour in 2018. Although Griffin brought attention to the photo in 2020, she didn’t suffer nearly as much backlash and continued to work without interruption.
#7: Nick Cannon
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A 2020 podcast recording featured Cannon making several comments that many deemed insensitive and anti-Semitic. He also discussed offensive conspiracy theories that focused on Jewish people. When news of these recordings spread, Cannon was allowed to continue work on “The Masked Singer”. But his longtime producing partner ViacomCBS ended their relationship. This meant the star could no longer host his popular “Wild 'n Out” show. After the scandal broke, Cannon publicly apologized, met with rabbis and gave money to a Jewish organization. In 2021, ViacomCBS responded to his efforts by reinstating him as the host of “Wild 'n Out”.
#6: Kevin Hart
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Mere hours after Hart announced he was hosting the 2019 Oscars ceremony, homophobic posts he made in the past resurfaced. Initially, he made it clear that he was unwilling to make any apologies and gave up the hosting gig. But Hart followed that by making several posts and statements that expressed his remorse for hurting the LGBTQ+ community. Although he ultimately didn’t host the Oscars, the comedian was able to rebound. Since the tweets resurfaced, he’s made numerous tv appearances and headlined several major movies. Hart also gave viewers a closer look at the controversy behind the scenes with a Netflix series.
#5: Liam Neeson
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Before Liam Neeson’s vengeful thriller “Cold Pursuit” came out, he was asked about how he got into character. The actor then stated that he had a friend that said she was assaulted by a Black person. After Neeson heard the news, he walked the streets ready to hurt or even kill any Black person that approached him in a threatening way. This story sparked a ton of backlash and caused an event for “Cold Pursuit” to be canceled. Neeson went on to make several appearances on news outlets to state he no longer carried racist views. Although public opinion on his statements was divided, the actor kept being cast in projects. Neeson also addressed the comments again through a satirical cameo on the show “Atlanta”.
#4: Casey Affleck
Affleck’s Best Actor win at the 89th Academy Awards came after troubling reports from his past resurfaced. After working on 2010’s “I’m Still Here”, two of his coworkers accused him of harassment and misconduct. The details of the claims and the fact he settled the cases returned to headlines due to prominence of the “Me Too” movement in the late 2010s. Affleck further addressed the allegations by making another apology about his behaviour. Additionally, he decided to break tradition by not presenting the Academy Award to the best actress winner. Although Affleck’s reputation was tarnished in the court of public opinion, he was still cast in high profile movies like “Oppenheimer”.
#3: Louis C.K.
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In 2017, the New York Times released an article explaining why Louis C.K. was facing multiple allegations of harassment and misconduct. After admitting that the claims were accurate, the comedian faced numerous consequences. C.K. saw several projects cancelled and heard multiple colleagues publicly announce that they would no longer work with him. Although he initially stepped out of the public eye for a time, he returned to standup a year later. C.K.’s continued work on his material earned him a Grammy for his comedy album in 2021. However, the divided response to his award win showed that his public reputation had not yet recovered.
#2: Chris Brown
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The R&B star faced extreme scrutiny after multiple reports confirmed that he had assaulted his former partner Rihanna. In the wake of the shocking incident, he pleaded guilty to the attack and was required to perform community service. After Brown expressed remorse for his actions towards Rihanna, he returned to releasing songs and albums. His success stories were also reported alongside articles that he had threatened and assaulted other women. Amidst the controversy, Brown won an award for male R&B Artist at the AMA’s in 2022. Although some members of the crowd booed the decision, singer Kelly Rowland defended him. The conflicting reactions seem to reflect Brown still has detractors despite his success.
#1: Mel Gibson
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A pair of incidents that focused on Mel Gibson almost seemed to spell the end of his career. After saying anti-semetic comments in 2006, the public heard recordings of him making racist and violent statements to his partner in 2010. Both incidents made it difficult for Gibson to book major roles in any Hollywood project for a number of years. However, after appearing in “The Expendables 3” , the actor was widely celebrated for directing 2016’s “Hacksaw Ridge”. The award buzz the film received marked a turning point for Gibson. In the following years, he began to consistently appear in prominent roles and speak about plans for future directing projects. Gibson’s turbulent history hasn’t stopped his work from being widely accepted.
