Top 20 Celebs Who Keep Getting Cancelled

This late-night personality has based much of his schtick on being light-hearted and inoffensive, marking it all the more jarring whenever he finds himself at the center of controversy. In 2000, Fallon infamously impersonated Chris Rock on “SNL.” While not exactly PC, this was before social media took off. It wasn’t until the sketch resurfaced in 2020 that #JimmyFallonIsOverParty made the rounds. Fallon reflected on this as a “terrible,” “unquestionably offensive decision.” With Rock standing up for Fallon, all seemed to be forgiven until 2023. Rolling Stone published an article claiming that Jallon’s “Tonight Show” created a toxic work environment based on the stories of 16 workers. Fallon again apologized, expressing embarrassment. Some are ready to forgive Fallon while others wish Conan would come back.

This singer came under fire multiple times in 2012. Many felt her album cover for “Blue Jeans” romanticized domestic violence. She was also accused of cultural appropriation for wearing a Native American headdress in the video video for “Ride.” Del Rey’s views on feminism and race came to a head in 2020 when she wrote on Instagram, “I’m fed up with female writers and alt singers saying that I glamorize abuse.” She also implied that there was a double standard, comparing herself to several other singers who touch upon similar themes - some being women of color. This sparked yet another scandal, to which Del Rey responded, “don’t ever ever ever ever bro- call me racist,” accusing her critics of trying to start “a race war.”

Just because someone is spreading hate doesn’t give somebody else the right to send equally insensitive comments back. Tyra Sanchez learned this hard way in 2016, several years after winning “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” When Sanchez became the target of a mean-spirited tweet, he suggested that the writer take their own life. This unleashed a swarm of backlash, but Sanchez refused to apologize. RuPaul stood by Sanchez as some demanded that their title be revoked. However, Sanchez was banned from DragCon LA 2018 for making perceived threats online. Since then, Sanchez was arrested for vandalizing the side of a building in 2020. Three years later, he was apprehended two more times, once for reportedly threatening a cop and again for publicly protesting with a sex toy.

Even in death, a celebrity can face comebacks and cancellations. Nobody better exemplifies this than The King of Pop. Michael Jackson had proven polarizing since 1993 and tensions reached their apex with his 2005 trial. Four years after being acquitted, the world was shocked to hear of Jackson’s sudden passing. Reflecting on his contributions to music, various fans came to separate the artist from the art. That was until 2019 when the documentary “Leaving Neverland” came out, reminding everyone of the allegations. This prompted more people to turn on Jackson with “The Simpsons” burying the classic episode “Stark Raving Dad.” With “MJ the Musical” being a Broadway smash and Janet Jackson defending her brother in another documentary, though, this cancellation might not be permanent either.

When “Girls” premiered on HBO in 2013, Lena Dunham seemed poised to become the voice of her generation. The more people heard, however, the less they wanted to follow Dunham on social media. Arguably the most infamous moment came in 2014 when Dunham shared a graphic childhood anecdote about her and her sibling. Over the years, Dunham has made several other statements that she’d come to regret, most notably comparing the holocaust to Bill Cosby, painting Odell Beckham Jr. in an unflattering light, and wishing that she knew what it was like to terminate a pregnancy. Dunham would apologize for all of the above, but she lost more fans upon defending “Girls” writer/producer Murray Miller amid predatory allegations.

One’s a boxer, the other’s a wrestler, and both should probably just stay off social media. Thousands called for older brother Logan to leave YouTube after he posted an insensitive video of a dead man on his trip to Japan. While this act had the most repercussions, Logan has found other ways to get into trouble, making negative comments about gay people and supporting scams like “CryptoZoo.” Jake is no stranger to scam allegations either, although those don’t even scratch the surface of his cancelations. Jake has thrown a massive pandemic party, attended a Scottsdale mall riot, and faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. We’re not sure who would win in a fight, but the real question is which Paul will get canceled next.

Some of this comedian’s cancellations predate social media as we now know it, her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” causing an uproar in 1990. That was fairly innocent compared to the 2009 Hitler photoshoot that Barr participated in for a parody magazine. While that was meant to be satirical, it was no laughing matter when Barr started spreading conspiracy theories about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. Despite all of this, people were ready to welcome Barr back into their homes with the “Roseanne” revival that same year. Shortly after the season ended, though, the Conners decided that they didn’t need Roseanne when Barr made a racist comment about Valerie Jarrett. Barr left the spotlight, but she still resurfaces to spread conspiracies.

There was a time when it looked like Ezra Miller might be the next big thing in Hollywood, especially after being cast as the DCEU’s Barry Allen. As “The Flash” movie’s production slowly moved to the finish line, Miller gained a dubious reputation. Miller’s history of legal problems actually goes back to 2011 when they were caught with marijuana, receiving two disorderly conduct citations. This was a small boo-boo compared to a 2020 video seemingly depicting Miller attacking a woman in Iceland. Things remained quiet on the Miller front until 2022 when it felt like they were being canceled every other week, be it for their multiple arrests in Hawaii, grooming allegations, endangering a family on a farm full of guns, or committing burglary.

For a lot of people, Chris Brown’s music is an afterthought compared to his problematic relationship with Rihanna. While the 2009 domestic violence case sparked the most backlash, it’s hardly the only time that Brown has been canceled. In 2013, Brown had 1,000 hours of community service added to his probation after a hit-and-run incident. Although Brown avoided incarceration, he found himself in police custody three months later after attacking a man seeking a photo. Brown jumped between jail and rehab, receiving Bipolar II and PTSD diagnoses. In the years that followed, Brown was accused of pulling a gun on one woman and sexually assaulting another. Those cases didn’t go anywhere, but social media hasn’t let Brown off the hook for his past deeds.

It’s been argued that Azealia Banks is better known for her beefs than for her songs, clashing with the likes of Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea, and Nicki Minaj, to name a few. The beef that perhaps ignited the most outrage was with Zayn Malik of One Direction. On social media, Banks made comments about the British singer that were seen as racist and homophobic. Banks would apologize, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Twitter from suspending her account. She eventually found her way back on the platform, but Banks got kicked off again after making transphobic statements in 2020. Beyond these offensive tweets, Banks has also divided followers on Instagram with bigoted remarks about the Irish and videos depicting deceased animals.

He was once among the most beloved voices in pop culture, but the tides started to shift for Whedon in 2017 when his unproduced “Wonder Woman” script was leaked online. Some found his screenplay “sexist,” but since the film never got made, people didn’t dwell on it. Whedon found himself back in the hot seat, however, after taking over the “Justice League” reshoots. About three years later, actor Ray Fisher accused Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” behavior. Fellow “Justice League” actors Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot also spoke out against Whedon, while WarnerMedia launched an investigation. The controversy didn’t end with the “Justice League” cast, as Amber Benson, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Charisma Carpenter of “Buffy” fame have since recounted their allegedly toxic experiences with Whedon as well.

Jeffree Star broke out as a singer and fashion designer on MySpace, demonstrating how social media can provide a gateway to immense success. At the same time, social media has also been the forum for some of Star's biggest controversies. In addition to posting a long list of tweets labeled as offensive, the YouTube star has also been accused of much bad behavior and trying to pay off his accusers. Thus, Star keeps popping up in the news feeds for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps the most infamous story involved rival beauty vlogger James Charles. According to internet personality Tati Westbrook, Star “used, coerced and manipulated” her into making a video that portrayed Charles in a deeply negative light. Westbrook brought similar allegations against YouTuber Shane Dawson. Speaking of which...

The controversy involving Tati Westbrook and James Charles sparked just one of the cancelations that Dawson has faced. Around the same time, older videos where Dawson used offensive makeup and vulgar language started making the rounds. In response to all the negative press, Dawson posted an apology video entitled “Taking Accountability.” The video triggered a negative response from Jaden Smith about the portrayal of his sister, Willow, in one of the resurfaced clips. Family matriarch Jada Pinkett Smith wasn’t pleased with Dawson either, tweeting to him, “I’m done with the excuses.” Shortly after the Smiths jumped on the cancel bandwagon, Dawson’s books were removed from Target’s inventory, while YouTube suspended his ability to monetize on his channels.

Cats may have nine lives, but there are only so many cancelations a celebrity can endure. Back in the day, this rapper posted a number of tweets directed at the gay community that have been called insensitive. When they resurfaced years later, Dojo Cat apologized for the tweets, which have since been deleted. She seemed to overcome this cancelation with the success of her second studio album, “Hot Pink.” 2020 did Doja Cat few favors, however. Not long after she downplayed the severity of COVID-19 on Instagram, the internet revisited one of her old songs that mocked victims of police violence. Doja Cat was also accused of partaking in an offensive chatroom, although it was later reported that she didn’t say anything offensive on the site.

This former child star’s public image has been a series of ups and downs. The first major media blowout came in 2008 when he received a DUI. LaBeouf was arrested again in 2014 for disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and harassment at a performance of “Cabaret.” And that same year, LaBeouf addressed accusations of film plagiarism. In 2017, LeBeouf got in trouble with the law once more, leading to a year of probation. LeBeouf appeared to be making a comeback with acclaimed performances in “The Peanut Butter Falcon” and the semi-autobiographical “Honey Boy.” But the canceling started all over again in 2020, as LeBeouf faced more legal troubles, as well as accusations of abuse.

Gee, where do we even begin? The internet is constantly fluctuating between idolizing and canceling the Kardashian-Jenner clan. While there are far too many scandals to discuss them all, some resulted in bigger backlashes than others. In 2017, Pepsi removed an ad featuring Kendall Jenner that was accused of “trivializing” the Black Lives Matter movement. Two years later, Kim’s shapewear brand Kimono was accused of cultural appropriation, causing her to change the name to Skims. Most recently, Kendall landed in hot water for throwing a massive, maskless birthday party during the pandemic. Despite constantly being at the root of controversy, the family always seems to bounce back from cancelation. Even when “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” ended, another “Kardashian” show premiered a year later.

Well, Kanye is still technically part of the Kardashian-Jenner family in early 2021. Even so, West is truly his own entity. While not the first time he got into trouble, his notorious confrontation with Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs is what originally made Kanye synonymous with “canceled.” West stirred up more controversy when he threw his support behind Donald Trump, although he rescinded that support upon announcing his own 2020 bid for president. Despite previously suggesting that slavery was a “choice” in 2018, West upset many on the campaign trail when he stated Harriet Tubman “never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people.” West didn’t win, but he seems content on making “KANYE 2024” happen, cancelations be damned.

If there’s one person who audiences liked a lot more before they got a Twitter account, it’s J. K. Rowling. For a period, Rowling’s biggest Twitter offense was retroactively canonizing details about “Harry Potter.” What got her canceled the first time, though, was siding with researcher Maya Forstater, whose job contract wasn’t renewed due to her statements about the transgender community. Rowling was canceled again less than a year later when she commented on the term “people who menstruate.” Even as several “Wizarding World” actors condemned Rowling’s comments, she managed to get herself canceled a third time with a 3,600-word piece defending her views. Rowling has also signed an open letter against “cancel culture,” although some feel that she’s missed the point… repeatedly.

While Gibson was accused of homophobia in the ‘90s, his career didn’t suffer any significant blows throughout that decade. Even as “The Passion of the Christ” generated controversy in 2004, Gibson remained a respected member of the Hollywood elite. That image was shattered two years later when Gibson reportedly made anti-semitic remarks during an arrest. Although many were ready to cancel him for good, Gibson’s acting career started to see a resurgence in 2010 with “Edge of Darkness.” That same year, however, a phone recording surfaced of Gibson speaking horribly to ex-partner Oksana Grigorieva. Despite these two highly publicized cancelations, Gibson has since seen some success, even scoring a Best Director Oscar nomination. His days as a bankable leading man are likely over, though.

Long before “cancel culture” was even a phrase, R. Kelly had already been canceled quite a few times. What with his illegal marriage to Aaliyah and multitude of other accusations, we can only imagine how Twitter would’ve reacted to Kelly in the ‘90s and early 2000s, had it existed then. Much later, the singer faced his most severe cancelation with the rise of the #MuteRKelly movement, and the release of the docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” in 2019. While Kelly had been at the center of numerous controversies for almost twenty-five years, this public airing appeared to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. And it wasn’t just the public that canceled Kelly again: In 2022, he was sentenced to 31 years on six counts.

Some celebrities get canceled once and learn their lesson. Others just disappear. Do you think these cancellations were warranted? Let us know in the comments.