Actors At Their Weakest Career Point Right Now

We'd be lying if we said we don't have an appetite for drama, but there's a difference between obsessively binging a campy TV show and witnessing your favorite stars' dirtiest laundry being aired online. Some controversies, despite their severity, become mere drama du jour (remember the short-lived drama that ensued from Kim Kardashian's dramatic weight loss? Or Ariana Grande's "Asian-fishing" debate that got little coverage?) Others metastasize into trending topics so memorable that they dismantle someone's celebrity. 

Over the years, especially during the pandemic when cancel culture was all the rage, chances are that at least one of your favorite celebrities has been canceled. Ellen DeGeneres signed off from her wildly popular show after a series of allegations that she fostered a toxic workplace environment, per The Guardian. Actor Ashley Judd was blacklisted in the wake of her abuse allegations against the disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. Even before the wave of cancellations hit, if you remember, Winona Ryder basically disappeared from Hollywood after her infamous shoplifting scandal became tabloid fodder. These are but a notable few on the list of many other stars who suffered major career blows in the wake of scandals. Here, we have rounded up a list of stars who are at their weakest career points right now for some scandalous reason or the other. 

On October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin inadvertently took someone's life. According to BBC, the actor and producer fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when he fired a prop gun on the set of the movie "Rust." Deadline reported that Hutchins was taken to a hospital in Albuquerque, NM, where she took her last breath. The stray bullet also injured director Joel Souza, who recovered in a local hospital.

The producers of "Rust" were accused of a willful violation of safety protocols, an allegation that they vehemently denied, per BBC. Speaking to ABC News about the incident, Baldwin said the gun wasn't supposed to be loaded, saying, "Someone is ​responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me." He also assured that he would do anything to mitigate such risks in the future. In October 2022, Baldwin shared he reached a settlement over the shooting case and maintained that it was a "terrible accident" (via BBC).

The fateful incident severely damaged Baldwin's career. In an interview with CNN, Baldwin said he had lost five projects in the wake of the accidental shooting. He also said that if it wasn't for his wife's support, he would've probably given up everything. "If I didn't have her, I probably would have quit, retired, gone off, you know sold everything I owned, got a house in the middle of nowhere, and just you know did find something else to do, sell real estate," he said. 

From the moment Amber Heard claimed that Johnny Depp had been abusive towards her throughout their relationship, Depp's life went in a downward spiral. He was labeled a "wife-beater" and, in his own words, he lost "nothing less than everything" even after winning the $50 million lawsuit against Heard (via The Independent). 

It'd be difficult, even for an actor of Depp's caliber and sway, to bounce back from the public unfolding of such a case given its magnitude. His brand was irrevocably damaged and studios flinched at the idea of working with him again. According to his talent manager Jack Whigham, Depp lost his iconic "Pirates of the Caribbean" role following the release of Heard's op-ed and lost a reported $22.5 million (via The New York Times). According to Time, Depp has lost nearly $40 million since then. 

Warner Bros., despite initially abiding by its decision to continue its association with Depp, ultimately axed the actor from its "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. In a post announcing his exit on Instagram, the actor extended his appreciation to his supporters and further wrote, "My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time." 

In August 2022, Ezra Miller, who is one of the most famous nonbinary actors in Hollywood, gave a statement to Variety saying that they were sorry to have caused distress with his questionable behavior. "Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment," they said. Miller's apology seemingly meant to cover all grounds — over the course of three years since 2020, he had been accused of choking a fan, grooming an underaged girl, harassing people, forming a sex cult, and injuring a woman among other bizarre tales of his exploits. 

As a consequence, Miller's future with Warner Brothers and DC was jeopardized. Deadline reported that the actor was unlikely to be assigned further DC projects. However, the studio only cut ties with him partially since he still appears as Barry Allen in "The Flash." Whether or not the character will be written off or recast from future films is yet to be seen. 

Even TIFF had enough of the bad press surrounding Miller. He was omitted from the official announcement from the cast list of "Daliland," which premiered during the closing fest of the Toronto International Film Festival, per The Hollywood Reporter. He played the young Salvador Dalí in the movie.

"The Wonder Years" fans might remember the ingenuous, goody two shoes Kevin Arnold, a lovable character portrayed by a young Fred Savage in 1988. A reboot of the hit show aired in September 2022 featuring a middle-class Black family with Savage as the executive producer and director, USA Today reported. In a shocking turn of events, the former child actor was fired from the set on the grounds that he had mistreated and even abused women in the past. 

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Savage was given the boot from the show after six women on the production crew came forward to voice their concerns over his objectionable conduct. After further investigation, the actor was dismissed. In a statement to the outlet, the actor said it was "devastating" to learn that he had failed to create a safe work environment for anyone he has worked with. "While there are some incidents being reported that absolutely did not and could not have happened, any one person who feels hurt or offended by my actions is one person too many," he added. 

Sources who reached out to The Hollywood Reporter described him as controlling, manipulative, and erratic. While the accusations against him came as a shock, it wasn't the first time the actor came under fire for his lewd and lascivious acts. In 1993, the Los Angeles Times reported that Monique Long, a costume designer for "The Wonder Years," had accused Savage and co-star, Jason Hervey, of physically and verbally harassing her. 

In December 2017, CNN reported that Danny Masterson, who found fame playing Stephen Hyde on "That 70s Show," was fired from the Netflix series "The Ranch" after he was accused of raping a woman. Masterson told CNN that he was disappointed in the production company for their decision and claimed to be innocent, saying, "I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused."

Nearly three years later, Masterson was charged with three counts of rape, Variety reported. He allegedly forced himself on three Scientologist women between 2001 and 2003. A month later, another unnamed woman came forward to accuse him of raping her in the early 2000s, per The Huffington Post. If convicted, Masterson could face 45 years in prison. 

The Los Angeles County district attorney initially claimed there was "compelling evidence" against the actor, per The Huffington Post. Jurors working on the trial said they were deadlocked in November 2022 after an inconclusive vote, and the case would resume after the Thanksgiving holiday (via AP News). In December 2022, a judge declared a mistrial amid claims that the Church of Scientology had become a de facto defendant in the case, per The Guardian. Masterson asked for the case to be dismissed in early January 2023, per The Hollywood Reporter. 

Former MMA fighter and actor Gina Carano has had her fair share of controversies over the years. She's known for being outspoken, a trait that hasn't always served her. In 2020, the "The Mandalorian" actor found herself in hot water after she was accused of sharing transphobic posts on the internet, The Independent reported. She ruffled many feathers after she added the words "beep/bop/boop" to her Twitter profile as a response to a request to add her pronouns in her bio. 

Another controversy followed in early 2021 when Carano shared a post on social media that likened being Jewish during the Holocaust to being a republican in today's environment, the New York Post reported. She was subsequently fired from the "Star Wars" spinoff "The Mandalorian" over the post. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Lucasfilm revealed it had no plans to rehire her in the future, adding, "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable." Carano was also dropped by UTA, her agency. 

A source told The Hollywood Reporter that the production company did not make the decision out of the blue. "They have been looking for a reason to fire her for two months, and today was the final straw," they said. 

In March 2021, journalist Yashar Ali published a story accusing "The Talk" host Sharon Osbourne of making racist and homophobic remarks about her former colleagues on the show. According to Ali, multiple sources including former co-host Leah Remini claimed Osbourne would refer to her former co-host Julie Chen as "wonton" and "slanty eyes." Osbourne would also allegedly verbally harass lesbian co-host and executive producer Sara Gilbert. 

Osbourne's spokesperson Howard Bragman denied all accusations against her, saying, "For 11 years Sharon has been kind, collegial and friendly with her hosts as evidenced by throwing them parties, inviting them to her home in the UK and other gestures of kindness too many to name" (via CNN).

Amid the scandal, Osbourne was fired from "The Talk," Deadline reported. CBS released a statement saying her actions went against their values and added, "We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts." Osbourne was the last remaining original host of The Talk" and had co-hosted the show since 2010.