This celebrity pratfall are schoolbook examples of what not to do on societal media .
Some might still abide by the saying: all publicity is good publicity but that proverb needs a bit of adjusting in the social media era. Celebrities, specifically, find themselves facing the wrath of public opinion because they went mask off on Twitter or Instagram. Ultimately, it led to the downfall of plenty of celebrities.
These 19 celebrities met their downfall after taking self-inflicted L’s on the timeline.
2.Kathy Griffinwas one of Donald Trump’s most vocal opponents during his presidential campaign in the mid-2010s. After he took office, she shared a photo of herself posing with afake severed headof the then-president, leading to widespread backlash. She faced condemnation across the board from Democrats and Republicans, lost endorsements, and faced a potential investigation by the Secret Service. She apologized later, yet it took a while for her career to recover.
3.Harry Potterauthor J.K. Rowling disappointed a legion of fans after addressing transgender issues in a way that was deemed by many to be inappropriate andtransphobic. It led to significant backlash fromday-one Harry Potter fans, as well asthe castof its highly successful films. Unfortunately, this rhetoric has become the cornerstone of her social media platforms.
5.Roseanne Barr’s eponymous television show made its comeback in 2018, but it didn’t take long for the show and its star to get canceled. She sparked outrage aftera racist tweetwhere she compared former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape. That same day, the reboot ofRoseannewastaken off the air.
6.Star ofHigh School MusicalVanessa Hudgens leaped on social media amid the pandemic, where shedownplayed the death toll and the severity of the virus. It didn’t take long for her to face pushback from the public, and even afterapologizing, her career seems to have taken a hit.
8.Iggy Azalea still has some grip on pop culture, but the Australian-born rapper has been shunned from the hip-hop community for most of her career. Though she’s consistently faced accusations of appropriation in the past, several tweets surfaced in 2015 that were deemed homophobic and racist. She later pulled out from anLGBTQ+ event in Pittsburgh. Iggy hasn’t released much music since, and it appears that she’s retired from the industry.
9.Perez Hilton never had the greatest reputation, especially among Hollywood stars who faced his wrath in the early parts of his blogging career. However, in 2010, he found himself in hot water aftersharing a photoof a then-17-year-old Miley Cyrus hopping out of a car, allegedly without underwear. He swiftly denied that the photo he shared was explicit in any way. The damage had been done and his name just hasn’t held the same weight since.
10.Gilbert Gottfried had several brushes with cancel culture in his lifetime. However, his joke about thetsunamiin Japan that claimed thousands of lives took a serious toll on his career. The comedian quickly lost his gig voicing the Aflac Duck.
11.Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher tarnished their reputation after sending a letter of leniency to a judge on behalf of Danny Masterson, theirThat 70’s Showco-star who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 30 years in prison. What’s worse is that both of them served on the board of Thorn, an organization dedicated to combatting child abuse and trafficking.
12.Gleestar Lea Michele’s attempt at showing solidarity during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 was later considered by many as virtue signaling after her formerGleeco-star Samantha Wareaccused herof making her life a “living hell” on the show’s set. Hello Freshnixedtheir partnership with her, clearly stating that they do “not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind.” And while Michele attempted to apologize, it fell flat in the eyes of many people online.
13.YouTuber and streamer PewDiePie was, at one point, one of the biggest content creators to emerge from the gaming world. At the top of 2017, he faced scrutiny after a video of him using the N-word and making antisemitic remarks surfaced online. In quick succession, Disney dropped him, as did Google’s Preferred advertising program, and his YouTube Red Series was canceled,WSJreported. He apologized for the use of racial slurs yet attempted to defend the antisemitic remarks, which he claimed were taken out of context. PewDiePie has bounced back from the incident, though his career certainly isn’t as it once was.
14.Azalea Banks has had a number of run-ins with cancel culture over the years due to her provocative commentary but her tirade against Zayn Malik ultimately landed her in serious hot water. After dishing out some derogatory terms andreferringto him as a “curry-scented b*tch,” she wasdroppedby herbooking agencyin the UK and axed from a UK music festival.
15.Kyrie Irving gotdroppedfrom Nike, had his Instagram account suspended, and was suspended from the Nets after sharing a link to a documentary that many deemed antisemitic. He later apologized, though his reputation took a pretty big hit off-court.
16.Since fall 2023, Sean “Diddy” Combs has been the subject of many controversies andlawsuitsrelated to sexual misconduct and abuse. After settling his lawsuit with ex-girlfriend Cassie, a video emerged online of the music mogul assaulting her at a hotel – months after denying that he ever abused her. He issuedan apologyafterwards that made matters worse, and his career has basically been on ice ever since.
18.2015 Playmate of the Year Dani Mathers not only faced the wrath of Twitter but was hit with misdemeanor charges after sharing a nude photo on Snapchat of an L.A. Fitness member in what appeared to many as an attempt to body-shame the 71-year-old woman, according toCNN. Though she claimed that the photo was supposed to be sent to a friend, it didn’t take long for authorities to find her and Twitter users to drag her. She pleaded no contest to misdemeanor invasion of privacy and was sentenced to three years probation and community service.
