The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Trigger warning: domestic violence

Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscars selfie made way for a haunting aftermath, as a decade later, the fortunes of celebrities featured in the infamous pictures, such as Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, and others, took a sinister turn. Some may go as far as to speculate that the star-studded snap was cursed.

In 2014, Ellen took the unforgettable yet ill-fated selfie at the 86th Academy Awards, herding popular Hollywood stars together. Since then, so many of the featured celebrities have seen their fortunes take a turn for the worse.

The picture included Ellen, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Peter Nyong’o, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, and Lupita Nyong’o. Eight out of the 12 famous personas went on to have notable instances of negative turns in their careers or personal lives.

Ellen DeGeneres’ infamous 2014 Oscars selfie sparked a haunting aftermath

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: EllenDeGeneres

Ellen was dubbed “the meanest person alive”

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: ellendegeneres

Starting with Ellen, who was “knocked off her Queen of Daytime perch” after allegations were made in a 2020 BuzzFeed article accusing the comic of lording over a “toxic workplace environment.”

A resulting thread on X (at the time known as Twitter) went on to dub the 66-year-old host “the meanest person alive,” The New York Post reported.

Moreover, an Ellen DeGeneres Show source told The Post in 2020: “The stories are all true!” Subsequently, the show, which had been on for 19 years, ended in 2022.

Julia was seemingly spared from the cursed

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: juliaroberts

Kevin was accused of sexual assault

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: Kevin Spacey Talks

In 2017, Kevin Spacey was reportedly instantly fired from his Netflix series House of Cards after actor Anthony Rapp had accused him of a sexual assault years earlier when he was a teen, as per The Post.

The 64-year-old Oscar-winner went on to face a series of similar charges in the US and the UK, all of which he was acquitted of or have been dropped. Nevertheless, his career has never recovered.

In 2016, the once beloved “Brangelina” couple broke up, with Angelina initiating a divorce from Brad in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.

Bradley kept on being nominated for Oscars without winning any

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: Variety

Channing got divorced

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: TheEllenShow

The former couple’s separation unleashed a slew of allegations and disputes over custody of their six children and division of assets, including a French vineyard they co-owned.

Additionally, a court filing from Angelina alleged that on a 2016 flight, Brad grabbed her by the head and shook her, then he choked one of their children and struck another when they tried to defend her, AP News reported.

In the same theme, Page Six reported in 2023 that Meryl and her husband of 45 years, Don Gummer, had been separated since at least 2017.

Jennifer was also seemingly sparred

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: Peter White/Getty Images

Meryl separated from her husband of 45 years

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: Leon Bennett/GA/The Hollywood Reporter

Additionally, Channing and Jenna Dewan divorced in November 2019.

In 2014, Bradley was nominated for his second Oscar for his role in American Hustle. However, he has since been nominated for 10 more Oscars and has never won one.

Meanwhile, Jared has gone on to star in the unpopular Suicide Squad, amongst a handful of other movies.

“Brangelina” faced a terrible faith

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Lupita’s life seemingly evolved favorably

The DeGeneres Curse: 10 Years After The Viral Oscars Selfie, Stars’ Careers And Lives Are Impacted

Image credits: lupitanyongo

More so, the 52-year-old actor saw accusations of questionable behaviors with underage fans resurface since a 2005 article for The Post alleged that he had invited minors to performances by his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars.

In 2018, actor Dylan Sprouse wrote on X: Yo @JaredLeto, now that you’ve slid into the DM’s of every female model aged 18-25, what would you say your success rate is?”

As for Peter Nyong’o, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, and Lupita Nyong’o, their personal and professional life have evolved favorably. For now…