Famous actors and actresses have just about everything that anyone could ever want. These celebs have fame, fortune, and the support of millions of people from across the globe. What more can you ask for? However, things can get a little out of hand sometimes even for the rich and the famous. There are times when their decisions lead to the end of their formerly successful careers. There is a good chance that you have not seen the following stars for quite a while now. Are you curious to hear why things have turned out this way when they had such a strong start? In reality, there is a variety of reasons these people do not get to work on as many projects as they once did. Get ready because some of these controversies will make your jaw drop!
The Real Reason You No Longer See These Actors And Actresses In New Projects
Tobey Maguire
There was a time when everything was going right for Tobey Maguire. It went downhill for him when Spider-Man 3 flopped. This led to the cancellation of the next movie in the series. The actor also got bad press when it came to light that he was in an illegal poker club and behaved badly there.
Tobey Maguire
Cameron Diaz
In the ‘90s, Cameron Diaz earned the status of an “It” girl. While she had been a household name in her twenties and thirties, she has not starred in a movie since 2014. In 2013, she was one of the top-paid actresses over the age of 40 in Hollywood. Sadly, her movies started to get less successful as time went on. This is the reason she has since become semi-retired, but she has been working as a writer recently.
Cameron Diaz
Brendan Fraser
It is pretty sad that Brendan Fraser was hit with a series of bad luck that dampened his success. His body was a mess after all the stunts he did in The Mummy. On top of that, he had an expensive divorce. He also said that the President of the Hollywood Foreign Press sexually assaulted him. We can see why he fell into a deep depression and stepped away from the limelight.
Brendan Fraser
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Most folks remember Jennifer Love Hewitt for starring in The Ghost Whisperer. Even though she used to be a big star, she has not been in movies in 2012. There was a time when she was dubbed the Worst Reviewed Actress in Hollywood. She has also gotten a few nominations at the Razzies. Oops.
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Wesley Snipes
Things started to go downhill for Wesley Snipes after a series of bad movies. On top of that, he was also known to be difficult when he worked on Blade Trinity. The actor sued New Line Cinema and got a few misdemeanor charges as well. In the end, producers decided that he was not worth it.
Wesley Snipes
Jessica Biel
A lot of people will agree that Jessica Biel is gorgeous but not the best actress. She was eventually overshadowed when she tied the knot with the much better-known Justin Timberlake. Since then, she has not starred in a big movie. In any case, she has been focusing on her restaurant and family as of late.
Jessica Biel
Kevin Spacey
Once upon a time, Kevin Spacey was thought to be at the top of the Hollywood A-List. It all went wrong for him when an actor called Anthony Rapp said that the veteran actor made sexual advances on him when he was only 14 years old. We have hardly seen him since House of Cards fired him.
Kevin Spacey
Elisha Cuthbert
It goes without saying that Hollywood is a competitive place. Elisha Cuthbert could not hack it after starring in bad movies and TV shows. Once she was no longer deemed a bankable investment, she was made to leave the limelight. This is quite sad since she had been a hit among viewers in her early days.
Elisha Cuthbert
Seann William Scott
After Seann William Scott went to rehab for unknown reasons and starring in bad movies, the star faded from the scene. It must have been hard on his career once he grew too old for the Steve Stifler-type parts that he did after American Pie. He failed to find a niche once he aged out of them.
Seann William Scott
Vince Vaughn
In the past, Vince Vaughn was considered an A-list actor. This is no longer the case as casting directors no longer view him as a hot commodity. The actor has talked about the disillusionment that he has since gone through in the world of show business. It might not help that he has conservative political views.
Vince Vaughn
Jim Carrey
It is safe to say that Jim Carrey was one of the biggest stars of the ‘90s. Originally known for his comedy, he started to take on more serious roles in dramas. The actor is no longer the box office draw that he once was due to his method acting style and refusal to promote his projects. He is also an anti-vaxxer.
Jim Carrey
John Cusack
This is yet another actor who has grown out of the parts that made him such a big star in the first place. John Cusack is not shy at all about his political views, although it has since alienated his fans. He has once referred to Hollywood as “a whorehouse.” We can imagine that this did not please film studios.
John Cusack
Jessica Alba
How unfortunate is it that Jessica Alba starred in two of the least appreciated Marvel movies? We are, of course, talking about the two Fantastic Four movies that she starred in. The star has not landed a successful big role in the past. Despite all her talent, she has been edged out of the A list.
Jessica Alba
Rob Schneider
We have yet another actor who has expressed his anti-vaccination stance in the past. This has made Rob Schneider a huge gamble for casting directors, which is why you have not seen him on the big screen as of late. On top of that, he has appeared in a series of movies that bombed at the box office.
Rob Schneider
Taylor Lautner
In his youth, Taylor Lautner became known to many folks as Jacob Black. The actor has not been in a lot of films since then. It might have to do more with the behavior of dad and less with his acting chops. It is said that his dad caused problems on the set. Perhaps the actor wanted to focus on his family instead.
Taylor Lautner
Jay Mohr
Things looked like they were going well for Jay Mohr in the ‘90s. He killed it in Jerry Maguire, as well as his stints in Saturday Night Live. After this, however, he had fewer hits and more misses. He tried to make it big on the small screen, but his first two sitcoms did not live past the second season. The bad reviews pretty much ended his career. On top of that, his personal life got messy with not just divorce but also allegations of drug use.
Jay Mohr
Pauly Shore
In 1997, Pauly Shore saw his career go down the train after his two most movies flopped at the box office. Fox also pulled the plug on Pauly after five episodes. In the hope of improving the state of his career, he released a movie called Pauly Shore is Dead, but it did not help much.
Pauly Shore
Andy Dick
Aside from his driving under the influence and misdemeanor charges, Andy Dick has a couple of indecent behavior charges against him as well. What makes it even worse is that some of them were against minors. Yikes. He has spent a lot of time in rehab in an effort to get over his drug abuse problem.
Andy Dick
Dane Cook
In the 2000s, Dane Cook was a big star. With his comedy act, he used to be able to sell out stadiums! He also starred in films with the likes of Jessica Alba and Steve Carell. When Joe Rogan said that Cook stole his material, the tide turned against him. Others started thinking he was just a lucky pretty boy.
Dane Cook
Sarah Michelle Gellar
You probably think of Buffy the Vampire Slayer when you hear the name Sarah Michelle Gellar. Sadly, she failed to land a role as big as that one ever again. Her movie career did not take off either. In the end, she chose to just focus her time and attention on her kids and Foodstirs, her own food business.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Julia Stiles
This actress made it big when she starred in 10 Things I Hate About You. Julia Stiles was great in the teen flick, but her career did not take off as much as people thought it would. She appeared in a bunch of flops that forced her to leave the spotlight. She has been doing all right on the small screen recently, however.
Julia Stiles
Gary Busey
Over the course of his career, Gary Busey has made a name for himself thanks to his strange behavior. It has even overshadowed his acting chops. He wound up with a cracked skull after a motorbike accident. After the incident, he started to get agitated more easily and had less of a filter when he did interviews.
Gary Busey
Charlie Sheen
There was a studio exec who was quoted as calling Charlie Sheen “uninsurable.” This means that the actor is no longer the top choice when it comes to casting roles in TV shows and movies. He was axed from Two and a Half Men after asking for a raise of 50 percent and blasting the creator.
Charlie Sheen
Mel Gibson
You can call Mel Gibson an “It Man” in the acting industry. He is known for his work as both an actor and director in the show business. His downfall came with an anti-Semitic rant as he was getting arrested. There was an investigation on him for domestic violence. The controversies basically ended his career.
Mel Gibson
Lindsay Lohan
In the early days of her career, Lindsay Lohan won us over with her acting chops as seen in The Parent Trap. We can’t forget about Mean Girls either. Sadly, her career ended up down the drain due to all her jail time, DUIs, and rehab stints. Her substance abuse got the best of her.
Lindsay Lohan
Jim Caviezel
This heartthrob ruined his promising acting career when he took on the role of Jesus Christ in The Passion of Christ. As we all know, it was a project full of controversies. On top of that, Jim Caviezel was also a conservative Catholic, which is why he refused to take on love scenes in any of his projects.
Jim Caviezel
Roseanne Barr
Things were going great for ABC in 2018. The reboot of Roseanne had been doing the network wonders since it had the highest ratings in its lineup of new shows. This did not go on as it got the ax only two months later. Roseanne Barr was fired after she posted a racist remark on Twitter.
Roseanne Barr
Martin Lawrence
It looks like bad projects can really do a number on your career. Martin Lawrence can tell you all about this. He worked on more misses than hits over the course of his career. On top of that, his long-running show started to decline in the late ‘90s. We are sad to say that the Bad Boy did not recover from this.
Martin Lawrence
Scarlett Johansson
According to her, Scarlett Johansson was not cast for various roles as she was said to be “too sexy” for these parts. Did you know that she tried out to be a part of the 2012 movie adaptation of Les Miserables? This effort did not bear fruit as the part was eventually given to Anne Hathaway.
Scarlett Johansson
Snoop Dogg
We all know that Snoop Dogg is a legend in film, music, TV, and documentaries. Did you know that his career also involves video games? The rapper has been arrested a couple of times for possession of drugs with intent to sell. It is not hard to see why he has become difficult to market to audiences.
Snoop Dogg
Kirk Cameron
During his teenage years, Kirk Cameron spent a lot of time on the set of Growing Pains. He went on to change his career path because of his Christian views. Among other things, he believes that homosexuality is not natural. We are sure that his fans were disappointed to hear him say such a thing.
Kirk Cameron
Vanessa Williams
In the ‘80s, Vanessa Williams was handed a five-year blackout from the industry that caused her downfall. The beauty queen won the Miss America title in 1983. At the time, it felt like she was on her way to becoming the next big star. Sadly, this lovely lady lost the title when her nudes were leaked.
Vanessa Williams
Isaiah Washington
How did things go so wrong for Isaiah Washington? On the set of the hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, the actor used a homophobic slur that caused a scene among the cast members. He ended up using this slur once more at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards. He was fired from the show not long after this.
Isaiah Washington
Thora Birch
Even though Thora Birch made a name for herself by starring in Hocus Pocus, her career did not take off after the project. It was said that it had to do with her father, who was also her manager. The rumor goes that he made threats to her co-star when she was doing an off-Broadway show.
Thora Birch
Bill Cosby
There was a time when Bill Cosby was lovingly dubbed “America’s Dad.” We understand why everyone was so shocked to hear the truth about his behavior. A number of women stepped forward to accuse him of sexual assault. This led to one of the biggest trials ever. In 2018, he was convicted on the charges.
Bill Cosby
Tara Subkoff
In the 2000s, Tara Subkoff was called “difficult to work with” after she refused to go along with the “casting couch” style used by male-driven casting. Just so you know, it was the way that Harvey Weinstein did things before he was caught at long last. The star once said, “I’ve never been an ‘It’ girl.”
Tara Subkoff
Hayden Christensen
This promising young actor had been all set to be the next big star in the early 2000s. Sadly, this did not happen even though Hayden Christensen brought Anakin Skywalker to life. You see, the actor was used as the scapegoat for the failure of the prequel trilogy of the Star Wars saga. Too bad!
Hayden Christensen
Paula Deen
Did you know that Paula Deen has gone to court for the very racist comments she made to her staff? In case you missed it, the cooking show host worked on a plantation style wedding and used the N-word repeatedly. We are not shocked at all to hear that her staff members are not very fond of her.
Paula Deen
Raven-Symoné
That’s So Raven would not have been the same if it did not have Raven-Symoné in it. Years later, the former child star went on to land a gig on the talk show The View. Unfortunately for her, she has expressed views so controversial they have made it difficult for her to get other jobs.
Raven Symoné
Russell Crowe
The volatile temper of Russell Crowe has exploded on sets. This is the reason the actor has earned a pretty bad reputation. We can see why producers are hesitant to cast him in anything. Among other things, there were reports that the actor once threw a phone at a hotel clerk. He pled guilty to assault.
Russell Crowe
Stacey Dash
In 2008, Stacey Dash voted for Barack Obama during the presidential race. She went on to turn her back on him and even started to call for the abolition of Black History Month. The actress also took to Twitter to share her transphobic views. It is not surprising to hear that her career has since slowed down a lot.
Stacey Dash
Woody Allen
There has been a lot of scandal about director Woody Allen. While he has since been cleared of the molestation of Dylan Farrow, he is still a very controversial figure in the industry. This did not put an end to his career, but there are many people in the industry who would rather not work with him.
Woody Allen
Harvey Weinstein
We doubt that you missed all the allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The story broke in 2017, with a dozen women accusing him of rape, harassment, or sexual assault. There are now 87 people on the list of his victims. What makes us so sad is that he was the one behind the blacklisting of many stars here.
Harvey Weinstein
Ashley Judd
After Ashley Judd turned down the advances of Harvey Weinstein, he labeled the actress “a nightmare.” The producer went on to tell his business partners to avoid her. We are glad that she has since stepped forward to share her experience. It was very brave of her, and we can only hope she gets justice soon.
Ashley Judd
Rose McGowan
With the help of Rose McGowan, the truth about Harvey Weinstein came out. It is awful to hear that she is also a victim of sexual assault at his hands. They ended up settling out of court some time ago, but he still went on to do everything in his power to ruin her career in the world of show business.
Rose McGowan
Katherine Heigl
In the past, Katherine Heigl has spoken out about the projects she has starred in. In 2007, she starred in Knocked Up. The star had been vocal when it comes to her negative views about the flick. On top of that, she talked about her issues with Grey’s Anatomy before she left the show.
Katherine Heigl
Randy Quaid
Best known for starring in Independence Day, Randy Quaid assaulted one of the crew members while he was working on Lone Star Love. He had to pay a fine of $81,000 for it. In 2009, he and his wife got arrested for trying to pay their $10,000 hotel bill with a fake credit card. Oops.
Randy Quaid
Mo’nique
It is said that the Award-winning Precious actress got blacklisted due to the fact that she had not been interested in “playing the game.” According to the director of the said film, Mo’nique had a lot of demands that did not exactly align with the campaign for an Oscar. This led to the end of her career.
Mo’nique
Ashley Greene
When Ashley Greene landed a role in Twilight, it proved to be both a blessing and a curse. It made her a big star, but it was hard to get out of the box that she was put in. While the films had been a box office success, she got nominated for the Worst Supporting Actress category at the Razzies. Yikes.
Ashley Greene
Corey Feldman
It was brave of Corey Feldman to reveal that he had been a victim of a pedophile ring in the ‘80s. Sadly, people did not take him seriously. This caused him to turn to drugs to cope. Right now, he is working on a documentary about show business. Among other things, it will discuss the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Corey Feldman
Kevin Costner
There are two movies that brought the end of the A-list status that actor Kevin Costner used to have. His career would likely be better if he did not take on Waterworld and Postman. The former had been the costliest movie ever made back then, but it flopped hard at the box office.
Kevin Costner
Matthew Fox
When Lost was still on the air, it was one of the biggest TV shows around. Matthew Fox rose to stardom because of it, but he did not find much success when he tried to transition to the big screen. He was in World War Z, although he was mostly edited out of it. His personal life made it even worse. His former co-stars alleged that the star “beats women.” His DUIs had been the last straw.
Matthew Fox
Macaulay Culkin
Is there a more famous child star from the ‘90s than Macaulay Culkin? We doubt it. This is the person who starred in hit movies such as Home Alone and Uncle Buck. It is a different story when he grew older. He failed to snag serious roles, which caused his acting gigs to dry up.
Macaulay Culkin
Cee-Lo Green
In the mid-‘90s, Cee-Lo Green made it big in the music industry. His real claim to fame would be “F**k You,” which climbed to the second spot on the Billboard charts. Thanks to his fame, he even got a TV show of his own. In the end, however, his career stalled after his tweets about homophobia and rape.
Cee-Lo Green
Sondra Locke
Your personal life can make or break your Hollywood career. This is something that actress Sondra Locke knows better than most people. In 1989, she and Clint Eastwood had a nasty breakup. Studios ended up blacklisting her for it. Even though she is a talented woman, she did not fully bounce back from this.
Sondra Locke
Chris Owen
If you are a fan of the American Pie movies, you might know Chris Owen best for playing Chuck “The Sherminator” Sherman. The actor tried his best, but he failed to get out of the box that he was put in. There were photos of him working as a server at a sushi restaurant some time back.
Chris Owen
Billy Zane
Does it sound like a good idea to bring the villain to life in Titanic? You would think so, but Billy Zane found out that this was not the case. He did not land a major role even though he worked on a few TV shows and movies. The unfortunate thing is that hardly anyone took notice of him after the film.
Billy Zane
Tom Welling
We know that it is no longer easy to recognize Tom Welling as the guy from Smallville. He easily carried the TV show for more than a decade. There is no doubt that it was hard to do that for such a long time. He took a break from show business but failed to go back to the limelight after his hiatus.
Tom Welling
Andrew Dice Clay
In the ‘80s, Andrew Dice Clay was known for his crude style of standup comedy. The comedian snagged a couple of HBO specials and appeared in various movies and TV shows. In the ‘90s, he failed to keep the momentum going at the same rate. A couple of failed sitcoms brought an end to his movie career.
Andrew Dice Clay
Carrot Top
This comedian saw a lot of success during the early days of his career. Carrot Top was a riot with his props and unique humor. At the peak of his popularity, he got a botched plastic surgery procedure that gave him a pair of huge arms. He continues to do standup to this day, although he has not managed to really make it big after that fiasco.
Carrot Top
Natalie Maines
The Dixie Chicks had been a platinum-selling music act that could have gotten even bigger if it weren’t for the negative remarks they made about George Bush. This was not received well by the public. The country trio got banned by radio stations across the country. They started to get death threats as well. Even though Natalie Maines apologized for the statement, it was already too late by then.
Natalie Maines
Vanessa Lengies
By starring in a Nickelodeon show called Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Vanessa Lengies entered that competitive world of show business. Aside from that, she also lent her voice to Emily on an animated show called Arthur. Her real big break came in the form of a hostess character in Waiting. In 2017, she released a documentary of her own. The actress came out as bisexual and genderfluid in the project, but this made studios hesitant to cast her in their projects.
Vanessa Lengies
Charlie Chaplin
Do you want to learn more about the bad behavior of Charlie Chaplin? You can read The Charlie Chaplin Archives to find out more about his sexual relations with female minors. It turns out that the FBI had always been suspicious about the comedian and even tried to stop him from coming back to the United States even though they did not have evidence on hand at the time.
Charlie Chaplin
Tippi Hedren
We are sad to say that predatory studio higherups are nothing new in Hollywood. As a matter of fact, Tippi Hedren damaged her career when she rejected the advances of filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. He would not release her from her contract in the ‘60s, which caused her to lose two years of her acting career. We are glad that she managed to bounce back from this.
Tippi Hedren