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32 Of The Biggest Falls From Grace In Hollywood, According To This Viral Thread
The show business is brutal. One day you're a star, the next you're struggling to find a gig and desperately trying to stay relevant. And there are so many examples of the industry chewing up its talents!
To refresh their memory, Reddit user Conjobbed recently made a post on the platform, asking others, "Which actor [and] actress had the most depressing fall from grace?" People immediately started listing names.
Some of the mentioned celebrities lost their battles with addiction. Others committed despicable acts and have only themselves to blame. What's clear, though, is that there are plenty of ways for a career to end in Hollywood.
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#1
I don't think people growing up today realize how much of a father-figure Bill Cosby was to a huge number of us. He was nothing but wholesome in his presentation of himself.
For him to commit such ugly and awful things feels like a personal betrayal to all of us who grew up regarding him so highly.
What an a*****e.
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#2
Jake Lloyd. No one deserves that, much less a kid.
xolitaire 1 year ago
The Star Wars fandom is as awesome as it is toxic. They did the same thing to Hayden Christensen, to the point where he quit acting for years. They treated him as if it was his fault that George Lucas can't write dialogs worth a damn. And then it happened again to the actors of the new movies. These people will never be satisfied.
#3
O.J. Simpson. He wasn't primarily an actor certainly, but he did act (most notably in the Naked Gun movies and Roots). It's genuinely hard to explain to people who weren't alive at the height of his fame what a huge deal O.J. Simpson was, and how beloved he was, and how absolutely shocking it was when Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered and then he went on the lam in the Bronco. It was wild to live through it. The older I get, the more I realize just how young Nicole and Ron were, and how much life they had left to live.
Saint Tim the Godless 1 year ago (edited)
The OJ Simpson murder trial was muddied severely by the systemic, blatant racism in the LAPD. At the time a lot of people defended him just out of response to that - which is understandable - despite the evidence. 30 years later, it's pretty damn certain that he did it. Even though he didn't go to jail for murder, though, it's a stretch to say that OJ "got away with it".
#4
Mel Gibson spouting anti-semitic bile when he was arrested for a DUI
#5
Ellen DeGeneres. The infamous Queen of Nice. And a really great observational relatable comedian turning out to be not so nice, but rather cruel, manipulative, and just downright mean. Such a huge disappointment...
#6
Amanda Bynes's story breaks my heart. I loved All That, The Amanda Show, and What I Like About You growing up. She had such a natural sense of humor. It's sad seeing her struggle with her sobriety and mental health.
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago
No. This does not belong here - how can you say someone with mental health issues (and suffered, very publicly, the consequences) let you down - maybe a fall from grace - but still, no.
#7
Jussie Smollet - He was a rising star. I mean even people who didn't watch Empire kind of had an idea who he was (I have not watched Empire but their promos always featured him in flashy clothes and singing his heart out and I keep thinking man, this guy is a treat). Then he faked a hate crime and it was his downfall. It apparently cost him the show, endorsements backed out, etc. I'm still confused why he did it.
Jimmy Saville - Beloved by kids and grans all over the greater UK. He genuinely seemed like a great guy that takes care of sick people (like a caring uncle or something like that). And then he turned out to be a total monster who preyed on the sick children and teens who were in the hospitals he worked in. What's even more horrible is that this was kept from the public til he died.
#10
Kevin Spacey. He was considered the elite actor of his generation for years, then his bad behavior (and subsequent meltdown) made him a pariah.
General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
Found not guilty in New York, found not guilty on trial in London. What's left? https://www.npr.org/2023/07/26/1190185518/kevin-spacey-sexual-assault-trial-verdict-london
#11
Lindsay Lohan. She seems to be doing better now but her career could have been way better.
Nikki Sevven 1 year ago
My daughter was just the right age when Lohan starred in the remake of The Parent Trap. Lohan was brilliant in both roles, imo, and had a promising career ahead of her. Unfortunately, the world and the industry are not kind to child stars.
#12
Shia LaBeouf.
martymcmatrix 1 year ago
Call it method acting or not but shooting stray dogs with real guns in order to somehow groove into a role is just disgusting and unforgivable...
#13
A lot of child stars. But when you look into it, you’ll see why. Just read Jennette McCurdy’s book.
#14
It was before my time, but after watching a few documentaries, I can’t believe the utter tragedy that was Elvis Presley’s life.
#15
Chris Farley. The stereotypical shy, innocent, modest, and well-mannered Midwestern boy from a loving home by all counts. Fame ripped him apart. The worst part is the escort he was with the night of his death took photos of his body, not knowing he was dead, because she thought it was hilarious that he couldn't smoke as much crack and snort as much heroin as she could. It's disgusting, and when you hear Dave Chappelle talk about how Hollywood corrupts and ruins good people.... it makes a lot of sense.
#16
Ezra Miller.
Deborah Rubin 1 year ago
Please say who these people are! I have no idea who ths person is or what they did.
#17
I’m going to date myself, but Winona Ryder had a really rough period. Glad she came out of it though.
#18
Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Eighteen years clean, all ruined in seconds.
Jessica Bertram 1 year ago
this one broke my heart. but this wasn't his first time using after he fell off the wagon. he'd been using heroin for a while again, before he died. so talented, so tortured.
#19
Michael Richards. Kramer from Seinfeld.
It was just unfortunate.
#20
Whitney Houston
Jessica Bertram 1 year ago
this one hurt too. she was pushed into parts of fame she never wanted.
#21
Stephen Collins. Pretty spectacular downfall. I feel bad for his victims first and his castmates second. That show was the high point for almost all of their careers, and a child molester tarnished it.
#22
Judy Garland... Rest her talented, tortured soul...
#23
Louis CK really disappointed me. I know other stars have done worse, but the scandal really affected me for some reason
Sheena Campbell 1 year ago
I had so many issues with this. He asked. People said yes. I understand that what he asked wasn't "good," but we preach consent, so now should we all be scared if someone says yes? The whole situation is crappy.
#24
Will Smith
Sabrina Longo 1 year ago
The apology did him in for me. Saying the pressure to be the happy person everyone expects is hard. People working retail or waitressing smile while being yelled at. Yet they do it every day and go home to NOT millions of dollars, maids, and vacations. If Will doesn't like the job he can do what millions of people in minimum wage jobs CAN'T do...take his millions in savings and retire.
#25
Shelley Duvall.
She was a great actress and the series she created about fairytales was wonderful. Dr Phil exploited her mental illness.
Karma Black 1 year ago
And Kubrick contributed to her illness as well. He put EVERYONE working on The Shining through hell, but completely tortured poor Shelley.
#27
Charlie Chaplin. Greatest Actor of his time. The question of power is what you do when you have it. Chaplin choose to get political, to spread a message to the people. Those in power didn't like that. FBI got called in and he was forced into exile for being too political after being branded a communist at the height of the red scare. Hollywood let it happen and did nothing to defend him.
He received an honorary award at the Oscars in 1972, but it was to quiet Hollywood's guilt, instead of celebrate his art. All Entertainers exist to placate the masses. Bread and Circuses has been known since ancient Rome. If they go too far off script, the industry will disown them.
If you make it big, he's the example your managers and producers will put in front of you if you think about trying to do anything to change the status quo.
Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
...but don't paint him as a martyr either - too much abuse of others on his part for that.
#28
Sinéad O'Connor. The Catholic Church cult ruined her career.
#29
Avicii had a classic Icarus story. He got too big, too fast. He basically worked himself to death because he was so scared of disappointing people, didn't know how to turn down gigs or drugs, and probably knew the end was coming. He was 28 when he died
Lord Mysticlaw 1 year ago
Excuse me, I wouldn't call suicide "letting people down" or "a fall from grace". I'd call it heartbreaking and tragic.
#30
Aaron Carter. I remember the years leading up to his death his behavior was super erratic and was falling out of favor with the public. Then he got the weird face tattoo and it did him 0 favors as I think people used it as “proof” that he was “unwell”. Feel bad for the kid, he didn’t deserve to die so young and especially not the way he did. No one does.
#31
Anne Heche. Mental health crashing. Ran into a house in her car, left there, ran into another house, burned it down, died because the fire was so fierce, they couldn’t get her out.
Leo Domitrix 1 year ago
This is not a fall from grace. This is mental health. Don't confuse the two. On einvolves crime (see: Cosby, Spacey, LeBeouf) and one does not.
#32
Brendan Fraser (better now)
What do you think ?
Jiminy 1 year ago
This is a strange list with both perpetrators and victims on it. How do victims of abuse and exploitations let anyone down exactly?
Lord Mysticlaw 1 year ago
Yes, this list is just super upsetting to me. I can only assume a lot of contributors really didn't understand the question.
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Jiminy 1 year ago
This is a strange list with both perpetrators and victims on it. How do victims of abuse and exploitations let anyone down exactly?
Lord Mysticlaw 1 year ago
Yes, this list is just super upsetting to me. I can only assume a lot of contributors really didn't understand the question.
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