Top 10 British Celebs That America Sent Back

Top-10-British-Celebs-That-America-Sent-Back

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at instances of British celebrities moving across the pond to broaden their careers, only to ultimately be rejected by American audiences - sometimes after some initial success.

#10: Lenny Henry

As a legend in the UK comedy scene, it’s a surprise for the British audience that Lenny Henry didn’t get big over in the States. But he tried to get in there in 1991 by starring in the film “True Identity.” Henry played a guy who pretended to be white to escape the mob. Unsurprisingly, it was a box office flop. Yet behind the scenes, Henry, who lost weight for the role, was regularly demanded to lose more by producers. As such, this wrecked his confidence, and he hasn’t starred in a live-action cinematic film since. There were rumors that Henry had signed a multi-picture deal before “True Identity” was released. If true, the mediocre response to the movie seemingly destroyed that deal.

#9: Jeremy Kyle

For years, the UK audience couldn’t escape Jeremy Kyle as his self-titled talk show dominated daytime TV. With “The Oprah Winfrey Show” coming to an end in 2011, the US was looking for a new, similar program to take over. Kyle’s show was syndicated nationwide as a hopeful replacement. Yet by the end of 2012, Debmar-Mercury released a statement that Kyle’s US attempt was canceled due to low ratings. The final episode of “The Jeremy Kyle Show” aired in 2013. From there, the host returned to Blighty and picked up where he left off with his original show. Well, until 2019, that is, when a scandal involving the passing of a guest caused the show to be canceled.

#8: Martine McCutcheon

When she was 12 years old, Martine McCutcheon appeared in a Kool-Aid commercial in the US. It would be years before she gave America another shot. In the meantime, McCutcheon made her name as a soap star in “Eastenders,” as a theater actor, and as a musician. But it was the success from 2003’s “Love Actually” which catapulted her back into American consideration. She arrived in Los Angeles to audition for roles and get a record deal. McCutcheon stated that she was told she was “England's answer to Jennifer Lopez.” Instead, she was dropped by her agency after reportedly causing a scene at Elton John’s post-Oscars party. McCutcheon claimed it was due to the “cut-throat business in Hollywood.”

#7: Adele Silva

With several spells at “Emmerdale” that began in 1993, Adele Silva was one of the UK’s biggest soap stars. In 2007, she left the Dales to pursue other projects. This eventually took her to the States to see what work she could get there. But it wasn’t the work Silva was probably hoping for. She was photographed working as a shop assistant for a Ted Baker store in Los Angeles, and she'd reportedly set up a dog-walking business, too. However, in 2015, Silva claimed she didn’t go to crack Hollywood but rather to travel. After returning to the UK, she popped up in “Emmerdale” briefly and appeared in a few other projects. In 2023, Silva announced her retirement from acting to become a teacher.

#6: Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams burst onto the music scene as part of Take That, then became one of the biggest pop stars in the UK when he became a solo act. His albums and singles regularly topped the charts. With that popularity, in 1999 Williams attempted to launch an American career by appearing on talk shows and performing stateside. But the US audience didn’t latch onto his music as much as he'd hoped, so he focused his energies elsewhere. Because of constant UK press scrutiny, Williams moved to Los Angeles to live in relative anonymity before eventually returning to the UK. However, Williams has spoken about his regrets at not making more of an effort to tackle the American market.

#5: Ant & Dec

If you were to ask Brits who the best TV presenters are, most would state “Ant and Dec.” The Newcastle duo of Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly first jumped on the scene as actors, then musicians as PJ & Duncan, and finally as record-breaking hosts. After that success, in 2008, America came calling with a rebrand of “Wanna Bet?” However, six episodes in, it was canned due to low ratings. Ant and Dec blamed the lack of support from ABC on the failure. Years later, the US was interested in their own version of “Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.” However, NBC seemingly didn’t want the duo. Instead, they created “Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris,” which was canned after one season.

#4: Cheryl

Cheryl rose to fame in the UK pop scene as a member of Girls Aloud, which had one top 10 hit after another. With that popularity, she juggled a solo career alongside being a judge on “The X Factor.” In 2011, Simon Cowell took his show Stateside and brought Cheryl to reprise her judging role. However, after filming one episode, she was dropped. Reportedly, Cheryl struggled to mesh with her US co-workers, and there were concerns her strong Newcastle accent would be tricky for the American ear. To make it worse, she couldn’t return to the UK version as her role had already been filled. Cheryl filed a $2.3 million lawsuit against the US producers for loss of earnings that was settled in 2013.

#3: Russell Brand

After rising up in the stand-up comedy scene, Russell Brand began transitioning into films. In 2008, he was part of the well-received “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” yet Brand was annoyed he wasn’t more popular in the States. And his UK popularity wasn’t helped by a controversial practical joke on Andrew Sachs on Brand’s radio show. Brand kept getting acting gigs for a while, such as 2010’s “Get Him to the Greek” and 2011’s “Arthur.” But Brand’s quirky and abrasive nature, as demonstrated during his interview on “Morning Joe” in 2013 and various arrests, began to grate on the US and the high-quality roles dried up. In recent years, Brand has become a conspiracy theorist and has been accused of assault several times.

#2: James Corden

After hitting the big time with “Gavin & Stacey” in the UK, James Corden was seemingly everywhere. In 2015, the US came calling and offered him “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” But eventually, Americans began to get annoyed by him. On top of criticism for singing over the musicians in “Carpool Karaoke,” interrupting guests in interviews, and questionable film roles, Corden’s career spiraled in 2022 after he was banned by the New York restaurant Balthazar after being rude to their staff. The controversy and the flip-flopping on an apology didn’t put Corden in a good light, especially when other bad PR stories came out. As such, it’s no surprise Corden’s stint as a US TV host ended in 2023.

#1: Piers Morgan

After his success on “The Celebrity Apprentice” and judging on “America’s Got Talent,” the American career of Piers Morgan seemed to be on the up. After all, his UK one wasn’t in a good place after being fired as editor for the Daily Mirror. With his stock rising, Morgan took over Larry King’s spot on CNN and hosted “Piers Morgan Live" in 2011. While it started off well, the show began a downward spiral. Morgan’s controversial journalistic style was even mocked several times on “Saturday Night Live.” His approach to the firearm debate also inspired a petition asking for Morgan to be deported. In 2014, Morgan held his last show as he was dropped due to low ratings.


Who’s the most beloved British celebrity in the United States? Idris Elba? Tom Holland? Tracey Ullman? Hugh Laurie? John Oliver? Or someone else? Let us know below!