Top 20 Celebs Who Ruined Their Careers in 2020
#20: Lea Michele
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In May 2020, Lea Michele tweeted her support for the Black Lives Matter movement, but the tweet became a lightning rod for controversy when her former “Glee” co-star Samantha Ware replied to the post. Ware said that Michele had insulted her, targeted her, and threatened to get Ware fired off the show. Shortly after these accusations became public, many other actors and actresses told their own stories about Michele’s bad behavior on the hit musical series, as well as other productions. As the controversy continued, food delivery company HelloFresh severed their ties with Michele. The actress eventually issued an apology on Instagram for her past behavior. But, in an interview with Variety shortly after the blowup, Ware questioned whether Michele had truly learned from her mistakes.
#19: Myka Stauffer
Vlogger Myka Stauffer amassed a large YouTube following with her family-friendly videos. A mother of four, Stauffer welcomed a fifth child into her family when they adopted little Huxley from China. In 2017, the video where they took Huxley home attracted over 5 million views. The Stauffers didn’t realize until later, however, that Huxley had autism. Although Stauffer described Huxley as “forever family,” they decided to “rehome” him with those who could better accommodate his “special needs.” Stauffer came under fire on social media, with some speculating that she merely adopted Huxley for publicity. Stauffer denied these allegations, claiming that any money made from videos featuring Huxley went towards his care. Nevertheless, Stauffer acknowledged that she had been “naive, foolish and arrogant” throughout Huxley’s adoption.
#18: Ryan Haywood
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In 2011, Ryan Haywood landed a full-time gig with Rooster Teeth. Over the course of nine years, he etched out a prominent place at the video production company, especially within the gameplay division, Achievement Hunter. It was game over for Haywood in 2020, however, as he faced allegations of sexual misconduct. Haywood was accused of sending explicit photos of himself to Tessa Graves, an underage fan. He supposedly thought Graves was 18 at the time when she was actually 17. Shortly after word got out, Haywood tweeted, “I made mistakes and will be leaving RT to focus on rebuilding my family and life.” Adam Kovic, another Rooster Teeth employee who had explicit photographs leaked, was asked to leave around the same time as well.
#17: Victoria Fuller
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Victoria Fuller rose to mainstream attention in 2020 as the third-place contestant on “The Bachelor” Season 24. After winning a group date challenge, Fuller was set to appear on the cover of a digital Cosmopolitan issue. The magazine pulled the cover upon learning that Fuller had modeled clothing with the tagline “WLM”. The same business also sold apparel with the slogan “White Lives Matter” - reportedly referencing white marlin, which are classed as vulnerable. Cosmopolitan saw Fuller’s involvement as wildly inappropriate. “Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand,” wrote editor-in-chief Jessica Pels, who expressed support for Black Lives Matter. Fuller apologized for her actions, writing, “It was never my intention to add fuel to the racial fire in this country.”
#16: Doja Cat
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Shortly after Doja Cat’s single “Say So” trended up to the top of the charts in May 2020, #dojacatisoverparty started trending on twitter. The hashtag picked up traction after rumors and questionable videos suggested that Doja Cat made appearances in racist chat rooms. Twitter users also alleged that the title of her “Dindu Nuffin” song was a racist reference meant to mock African-Americans who experienced police brutality. While Doja Cat apologized for using the term, she said it was never meant to reference current events. She also denied taking part in any racist conversations or associating with white supremacists.
#15: Terry Crews
In addition to bringing the laughs on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Terry Crews has used his platform to fight against discrimination and abuse. It thus came as a surprise when Crews didn’t rush to the defense of his “America’s Got Talent” co-star, Gabrielle Union. Union exited the talent competition show after judging for one season, describing the workplace environment as “toxic” and “racist.” She expressed further disappointment that Crews, the host of “AGT,” didn’t back her up. Crews claims that Union’s experience on “AGT” wasn’t the same as his own. However, he has repeatedly apologized to her on Twitter, writing, “it was never my intention to invalidate your experience — but that is what I did.” Regardless, Union and many others still feel Crews could’ve done more.
#14: Hartley Sawyer
Team Flash might have to save the day without the Elongated Man next season. Hartley Sawyer played the stretchy superhero in seasons four through six of “The Flash”. But before he put on the mask, the actor joked about racism, sexism, assault, and other taboo subjects on Twitter. When these tweets re-emerged in 2020, Sawyer was fired from his role on “The Flash”. After he apologized for his actions, both his former showrunner Eric Wallace and co-star Grant Gustin expressed their anger and disappointment at his distasteful tweets.
#13: Lana Del Rey
Singer Lana Del Rey felt her songs were constantly being criticized for “glamorizing abuse”. So in May 2020, she took to Instagram to defend her works. Del Rey started the post by claiming artists like Nikki Minaj, Beyonce, Cardi B, and more were able to sing about sexuality without being called out. Fans felt Del Rey needlessly criticized her fellow female artists while ignoring the fact that they have received backlash in the past. They also felt like she was specifically targeting women of color in her complaint. Unlike other celebrities, Del Rey skipped the apologies and started defending herself against angry fans. Although her Instagram post was meant to reduce criticism coming her way, she may have drawn more critics against her.
#12: Morgan Wallen
“Saturday Night Live” returned for its 46th season in October 2020, albeit with some strict safety guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Morgan Wallen was set to be the musical guest for episode 2, but “SNL” canceled his appearance after troubling videos of him surfaced online. Shot about a week before he was scheduled to perform, the country music singer was seen at a bar without a mask. Not only did Wallen fail to social distance, but the footage showed him partying and making out with multiple women that night. “SNL” thus replaced Wallen with Jack White at the last minute. Although Wallen claims that he didn’t test positive for COVID, he acknowledged that he made an irresponsible decision, and respected “SNL’s” call.
#11: Sherry Pie
Born Joey Gugliemelli, Sherry Pie was a contestant on Season 12 of “Rupaul’s Drag Race.” Although she ultimately placed fourth and won two challenges, Sherry Pie was disqualified before the season even finished airing. Ben Shimkus, who attended SUNY Cortland with Sherry, accused her of catfishing him back in the day. Allegedly posing as a casting director named Allison Mossey, Sherry had Shimkus perform “sexual and awkward” acts on video for a fake audition. After Shimkus shared his story on Facebook, four additional men spoke out against Sherry with similar accounts. Sherry would apologize on social media for the “trauma and pain” she caused, but that wasn’t enough to get her invited back for the show’s finale or reunion.
#10: Jeffree Star & Shane Dawson
YouTube sensations Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson are known for their controversial behavior and feuds, but 2020 took things to a whole new level. Controversial content from both creators resurfaced that year, including screenshots of an old Jeffree Star Cosmetics website featuring Nazi imagery, as well as old Shane Dawson videos with blackface and racial slurs. Dawson was also called out by Jada and Jaden Smith for making inappropriate sexual remarks about Willow Smith when she was only 11 years old. As a result, Shane’s YouTube channel was demonetized and he lost other business deals, while Jeffree remained silent. If the past has taught us anything, however, it’s that this Dramageddon is far from over.
#9: Jeffrey Toobin
If we ever did a list of awkward Zoom calls, Jeffrey Toobin would likely come in first. This lawyer turned writer is best known for his coverage of the O. J. Simpson trial. He’s written numerous pieces for the New Yorker since 1993, but his 27-years with the magazine came to an end in 2020. Toobin was let go after accidentally exposing himself on a Zoom call with the New Yorker and WNYC. During the video call, Toobin… well, let’s just say that he wasn’t master of his domain. Apologizing to his wife, family, friends, and co-workers in a statement, Toobin said that he “made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing [he] was off-camera.” Following an investigation, Toobin announced on Twitter that he had been fired.
#8: Ice Cube
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Ice Cube’s history of anti-Semitic statements can be traced back to 1991’s “No Vaseline.” It was in 2020, though, that the rapper’s controversial accusations really landed him in hot water. On Twitter, Ice Cube shared a series of images and conspiracy theories that defamed people of the Jewish faith. An especially distasteful photo depicted anti-Semitic caricatures playing Monopoly on top of black people. Another referenced the Black Cube of Saturn, which can be interpreted in several deeply offensive ways. Although Ice Cube says he’s not “anti anybody,” he stands by his comments, stating, “I believe in actual facts and I stand on the TRUTH alone.” Aside from damaging his own career, Ice Cube’s claims have added to the growing tire fire of misinformation online.
#7: Four Members of the “Vanderpump Rules” Cast
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Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules” reality show may have set the record for the most cast members fired in 2020. Max Boyens lost his job after screenshots of various racist tweets emerged. Brett Caprioni was dropped for repeatedly dropping racial slurs in his tweets. But Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Dout’s actions may have been the most dangerous. In 2020, a story re-emerged of the incident where they called the police on their African-American co-star Faith Stowers for a crime she didn’t commit. Although all four of the fired reality stars apologized, neither the network nor the fans seemed ready to forgive them. Between the bad press and the loss of so many cast members, some fans are ready for Bravo to cancel “Vanderpump Rules” altogether.
#6: Ellen DeGeneres
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The voice behind “Finding Nemo’s” Dory can't seem to stop swimming into controversy in 2020. When Ellen joked that quarantining herself in her mansion was like being in jail, she was called out for not recognizing her privilege. Shortly after she made this joke, numerous people shared stories about Ellen being mean and disrespectful to her guests and staff. But the biggest controversy revolved around her show’s production. Several members of her television crew had their pay reduced and saw their roles replaced by freelancers when Ellen’s show moved to a virtual format. Amidst all the controversy, Ellen won a Daytime Emmy Award for the best daytime talk show in 2020, but even so with some, her reputation has taken a hit.
#5: Johnny Depp & Amber Heard
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Divorcing in 2017, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp have both accused each other of abuse. A 2018 article that described Depp as a “wife-beater” resulted in a lawsuit against The Sun newspaper. Depp ultimately lost the lawsuit in 2020 with the court ruling, “the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp have been proved to the civil standard.” Shortly after, it was announced that Depp would be replaced as Gellert Grindelwald in future “Fantastic Beasts” films. Heard has received backlash as well with an online petition calling for her to be removed from the “Aquaman” sequel. Despite massive public scrutiny, Heard is set to return as Mera, although federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani believes Depp’s career “may never recover.”
#4: Chris D’Elia
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During his tenure on Netflix’s “You”, Chris D’Elia played a predatory comedian. In 2020, a number of Twitter users claimed that art may have imitated his real-life behavior. Multiple women accused D’Elia of asking them to meet privately, send explicit photos or do both while they were under the age of 18. While D’Elia has strongly denied all the accusations against him, he also apologized for how he’s behaved with his “lifestyle”. Although he has yet to be charged with a crime as of early July 2020, he still faced consequences: D’Elia was fired from his talent agency, had his comedy special removed from Comedy Central, and had his episode of “Workaholics” taken off of multiple streaming services.
#3: Tory Lanez
In July 2020, Tory Lanez was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon in his car. Following initial reports that she cut her foot on glass, fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion claimed that she was shot by Lanez and needed surgery. “I didn’t tell the police what happened immediately right there because I didn’t want to die,” Stallion stated. Lanez responded to these accusations with his fifth studio album, “Daystar,” which came out less than two months later. Many of the songs addressed the alleged shooting, with Lanez claiming that Stallion tried to frame him. He’s since been charged with multiple felony counts and been ordered to surrender any guns he owns,
#2: Prince Andrew
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If there’s one person you don’t want to be associated with these days, it’s the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. During an interview on BBC’s Newsnight in 2019, Prince Andrew, Duke of York looked back on his longtime friendship with Epstein. Andrew also denied having intercourse with sex trafficking victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre in 2001 when she was 17. The interview was generally met with a negative reception from the press, the public, and Buckingham Palace. Later that year, Queen Elizabeth II approved of the decision to have her son “step back from public duties for the foreseeable future.” In May 2020, news broke that Andrew would permanently resign and that the royal family had “no plans to review” his place in the monarchy. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions. Vanessa Hudgens For Disturbing Coronavirus Comments Abby Lee Miller For Allegations of Toxic, Biased Behavior Peter Hunziker For a Racist, Sexist Instagram Post Dee Nguyen For Tweets about Black Lives Matter Sia For Casting Maddie Ziegler as a Character with Autism
#1: J. K. Rowling
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A series of statements made by “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling in June 2020 had some fans calling her Voldemort - or, more specifically a TERF, which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist. Following up her earlier Twitter history on the subject of transgender women, she released an online essay explaining her views. Although Rowling’s post discussed many topics, her opinions on biology and gender, as well as “concerns” with people who identify as women using female bathrooms and spaces, drew the most criticism. The author’s statements inspired Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Stephen King and many other celebrities to voice their support of trans people. Her words also caused multiple authors to resign from the same literary agency as her.
