Celebs Who Haven't Accepted Their Fame Has Faded In The 2020s

When someone enters the public eye through the arts, sports, or another aspect of popular culture, it's not uncommon for fame to follow. Celebrities engender a great deal of adulation from their fans, which seems to be a two-way street. The fans come to love a celebrity, and that love helps fuel the celeb's ego and drive to produce more content.

This isn't always a good thing because it's not uncommon for fame to go to a person's head. When this happens, a celebrity can find themselves in all sorts of trouble. Whether they act out in unusual ways, become impossible to work with, or produce too much the public doesn't like, their fame can fade. Some celebrities who were once famous ended up squandering their fame.

While it may be obvious to everyone else, a celebrity whose popularity has diminished isn't the same person they once were — at least, not in the public's opinion. Occasionally, a celebrity doesn't get the memo that their fame has faded, and they keep trying to rekindle the fire of their fans' adulation. These celebrities all saw their fame fade in the 2020s, but it seems they haven't realized it.

John Travolta is one of those actors who's had to reinvent himself to regain popularity more than once throughout his career. He was a smash hit in the '70s but saw his fame begin to fade in the '80s via a string of flops. It wasn't until he starred in "Pulp Fiction" that people began to take notice once more, and Travolta's fame shot to new heights.

Then Travolta made "Battlefield Earth," killing off a great deal of popularity he'd acquired. He continued this trend with a string of terrible films that almost nobody bothered to watch. This effectively placed Travolta in familiar territory because it's precisely what happened to his career in the '80s. Despite this, Travolta continues to work in Hollywood.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, and he should keep working. The problem is that he keeps churning out one flop after another, so it might be time to choose better projects. He looked to turn things around with "Gotti" in 2018, but that movie bombed, and he followed it with eight projects in the 2020s (so far), all of which are forgettable. Perhaps another hit will turn things around, but that seems unlikely.

Caitlyn Jenner transitioned in 2015, and she quickly became an icon for trans rights. She landed her own reality TV show called "I Am Cait," which chronicled her transition, and it's hard to argue she isn't the most famous trans woman on the planet. However, despite her status as a high-profile trans woman, Jenner has come under fire by LGBTQ+ advocates for her stated views on transgender issues.

When Jenner ran for governor, an LGBTQ+-rights group spoke out on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Make no mistake: we can't wait to elect a #trans governor of California," tweeted the group, Equality California. "But @Caitlyn_Jenner spent years telling the #LGBTQ+ community to trust Donald Trump. We saw how that turned out. Now she wants us to trust her? Hard pass" (via AP News).

Conservatism in America isn't particularly accepting of LGBTQ+ issues, and Jenner has proven herself to be a staunch conservative. This creates a conflict of ideologies few can support in the community. Jenner was immediately famous for her transition, but her failure to promote trans rights reduced her fame and made her a pariah.

Actor Roseanne Barr has always been a polarizing figure, from the time she "sang" the National Anthem to the time she inexplicably dressed up as Hitler. Through it all, Barr has been largely unapologetic over her actions, which worked for her. "Roseanne" was a hit series that found new life years after it ended, but Barr screwed that up and killed her career.

While riding high with her show back on the air and doing incredibly well, Barr said something so offensive that she was immediately canceled. In May 2018, Barr tweeted that Valerie Jarrett, a Black woman, was the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes. The backlash was immediate, and Barr did issue an apology, but her show was canceled.

The series returned in a retooled version called "The Connors," which became another hit, but Barr wasn't involved as they killed her character off. Barr has tried to rekindle her fame since the scandal by becoming a staunch supporter of conservatism and former president Donald Trump. Barr effectively lost her audience and sought a new one in conservative circles, but her fame has, perhaps rightfully, passed her by.

Iggy Azalea shot to fame after releasing a couple of songs on YouTube soon after moving to the United States in 2011. She released her debut mixtape, "Ignorant Art," in 2011, scoring a recording contract with Grand Hustle. Her debut studio album, "The New Classic," dropped in 2014, and before long, Azalea reached the top of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Azalea was on her way to becoming the next big thing, gaining fame and fortune as her career picked up steam. She followed her debut album with a slew of singles. It took several years, but Azalea began working on her second album, "Digital Distortion," but it was canceled before completion. She got into a much-publicized feud with rapper Azealia Banks — and had dustups with other musicians like Halsey — over the years as they accused Azalea of cultural appropriation.

Azalea dropped her third album in 2021 but announced she wasn't finishing her fourth album, seemingly calling it quits on her recording career. For the most part, Azalea squandered her fame before prematurely ending her career. She pops up every so often in the news but isn't anywhere near her previous level of fame.

There's no denying that Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is one of the most significant hip-hop artists of his generation. Ye's work has been incredibly important to the genre, and he's been lauded for his achievements, having won 24 Grammy Awards as of 2024. However, while Ye knows how to handle things in the recording booth, he's not as well suited for public interaction.

Ye is almost always frowning in public, and he rarely laughs. More than that, Ye's behavior over the past decade or so has gotten increasingly unusual. He leaned hard into conservatism by supporting former president Donald Trump, and even launched a presidential campaign as a spoiler candidate for the 2020 election.

Ye has also promoted the "White Lives Matter" movement, denied the Holocaust, and praised Adolf Hitler. That's just a small sampling of Ye's antagonizing behavior, which hasn't been well received. Ye isn't in the habit of apologizing, and he's taken a lot of heat for his comments. These days, Ye is more famous for his outlandish and offensive behavior, which has effectively made him into a social pariah.

Hulk Hogan has had a long and storied career beginning in the 1970s. Throughout the '80s, Hogan gained widespread fame as a professional wrestler, and he's probably the most recognized wrestler of his era. Hogan has also had a scandal-ridden career that's landed him in trouble numerous times, but he continued to work in the public eye.

In addition to wrestling, Hogan got into acting and worked on various video games and movies. Still, over time, Hogan's star began to fade. In 2015, a racism scandal got his WWE contract canceled, but he returned a few years later. Regardless, the scandal marred his public image, and the Hulkster mostly faded from the public eye.

Hogan is a conservative, and he's also a supporter of former president Donald Trump. While he's entitled to his opinion, Hogan's support was on major display at the Republican National Convention in 2024, which further alienated him from any liberal fans. Soon after, a Hulk Hogan biopic headed by director Todd Phillips and starring Chris Hemsworth was canceled, further pushing Hogan out of the spotlight despite his attempts to forestall that from happening.

Actor Ashley Greene found fame playing Alice Cullen in the "Twilight" film franchise, making her an instant star. Instead of parlaying that level of fame into a wider career, however, Greene has struggled to remain relevant. From 2008 to 2012, the "Twilight" films increased Greene's desirability, but issues with on-set drama and contract and pay disputes made it difficult for Greene to find good work in Hollywood.

To Greene's credit, she hasn't retired nor stepped away from the limelight. Unfortunately, her work throughout the 2020s amounts to little more than a slew of forgettable bombs. That hasn't helped Green remain in the public eye, and in 2023, she started doing voice-over work on "Max & Me," so she's diversified her career of late.

Still, Greene hasn't retired from acting and continues to find work — just not as high-profile as the role that made her famous. In 2020, Greene starred in a Hallmark Christmas movie, but it wasn't one of the channel's greatest, and few people saw it. Greene may be trying to hold onto her early fame or working the jobs she can get. Whatever the case, Greene's fame has dwindled to becoming almost nonexistent.

Katy Perry shot to international superstardom to become one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. She's influenced pop music through her inimitable style and was named the "Queen of Camp" by Rolling Stone. Perry has sold tens of millions of albums worldwide, so there's no denying her fame or impact on popular culture. Perry also worked in television, serving as a judge on "American Idol."

There's no denying Perry is famous, but her fame has decreased in recent years. She continues to record, but that has caused some problems where her latest song is concerned. Perry released the song "Woman's World" in 2024, and unfortunately, it was met with far more criticism than praise.

Critics decried the music video, specifically calling out the overt sexualization of Perry and women in general. Perry has never shied away from her own sexualization in public, but the video doubles down with every woman depicted. The track wasn't well received and suggests Perry's artistry and fame have diminished. Perry remains in the public eye, though she's no longer considered trendy.

J.K. Rowling became an international sensation through her "Harry Potter" book series which made her a billionaire. Millions of people around the world love her work, but not as many are enamored with the author. Rowling may have written one of the most impactful novels of the past few decades, but she's also incredibly anti-trans.

Rowling's comments about trans people on X, formerly known as Twitter, have brought a great deal of criticism from members of the community and beyond. As a result, Rowling has become persona non grata. People find it difficult to enjoy her work knowing that the person who wrote it holds opinions seemingly at odds with everything in "Harry Potter."

Rowling's anti-trans comments, as well as those in opposition to female boxer Imane Khelif, have landed her in hot water. Rowling was one of many people who called Khelif's gender into question with hateful comments. Khelif named Rowling in a cyberbullying lawsuit. These days. Rowling is less known for her work than she is for her controversial speech, making her famous for all the wrong reasons.

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Steven Seagal was easily one of the most popular action superstars of the 1980s into the 1990s. His calm demeanor and fierce fighting style made him iconic in films like "Under Siege," "Above the Law," and "Hard to Kill." Seagal continued working, though the past couple of decades haven't been kind, as all of his films have bombed.

It's uncanny how terrible his movies have been of late, and for the most part, Seagal stopped working in 2019. He does have a couple of projects in the works, but that's not why he pops up in the news every so often. Seagal has spent the 2020s supporting Vladimir Putin, and he's been incredibly public about how much he adores the Russian president.

Russia's actions in Ukraine have made the country public enemy number one for most free-thinking people. Seagal, on the other hand, has put all his fame into supporting Putin. He received Russian and Serbian citizenship and utterly tainted his legacy over his stance. These days, he's more famous in Russia than in the United States, which is largely embarrassed by his actions.

Rob Schneider attained superstardom on "Saturday Night Live," and like many who appeared on the show, he parlayed his fame into a film career. Schneider has appeared in numerous films, supporting other SNL alums like Adam Sandler in his movies as well as leading his own. Schneider starred in several high-profile projects like "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" and "The Hot Chick."

Schneider's work dried up over the past decade or so, and he branched out into other areas, including standup. He switched from the Democratic to the Republican party in 2013 and became a staunch supporter of conservative policies. Schneider further alienated himself from his fans by coming out as anti-vax.

He's been booed off stage during a performance in 2024 after launching into anti-trans, anti-women, and anti-vax territory. Perhaps in an attempt to remain relevant, Schneider publicly boycotted the 2024 Paris Olympics over the controversial opening ceremony. Ultimately, Schneider killed his own fame by whittling away at the support he had via his outlandish, hateful, and anti-woke speech.

Kid Rock's professional singing career began in the 1990s with the release of his debut album "Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast." He continued releasing music while developing his style that blends hip-hop, rock, and country music. His 1999 album "Cowboy" was particularly transformative of the genre.

Throughout his career, Rock has been an outspoken conservative, which isn't unusual for someone in performing country music. While that's not his primary genre, it's definitely an influence that can be seen in his work. Still, conservatism in the United States of late can be divisive, and Rock's political leanings haven't helped boost his career beyond a particular fanbase.

Rock supports former president Donald Trump and performed at the 2024 Republican National Convention. Trump is divisive, so Rock's support of him has alienated a large portion of his fanbase, and Rock has leaned heavily into the MAGA movement. He's still famous, but his widespread name recognition has been dwindling for years, and his conservatism hasn't helped improve things in this regard. He's also come under fire for using racial slurs and other controversies haven't improved his image.

Lindsay Lohan had a stellar career as a child star, but like many young actors, her transition into adulthood didn't go well. Lohan's teenage years were mired in substance abuse scandals, arrests, and bad behavior in courts. Lohan found sobriety in 2014 and relocated to the United Arab Emirates.

Since then, Lohan has stayed out of the public eye, but she returned to working in film in 2021. Her attempt at a comeback succeeded with "Falling for Christmas, which was well received. In 2022, she got married and gave birth to her first child, a son named Luai, in 2023. Despite her success with the Christmas film, Lohan's work hasn't been as popular as her early films "Mean Girls" and "Freaky Friday."

Lohan will reprise her role in the 2025 sequel to "Freaky Friday," so she may find the same level of fame moving forward. Until then, Lohan's fame is seemingly stagnant. She's no longer the international superstar she once was, but thankfully she's also not the troubled teen who struggled with personal issues that bled into her professional life.

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Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comics of all time. His eponymous series from the 1990s made him incredibly wealthy, and it solidified Seinfeld as a leading comic of his generation. Seinfeld refused to continue the series beyond the ninth season, choosing instead to try new things in entertainment like his hit series, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."

Seinfeld also launched a stand-up tour and continued to hone his skills as an entertainer. His first big foray into feature films was "Bee Movie," which he starred in, co-wrote, and produced. In 2024, Seinfeld directed, co-wrote, produced, and starred in "Unfrosted" for Netflix, which fell flat with critics and audiences.

Seinfeld didn't help his career or public image when he came out against political correctness in comedy, enamoring himself to the conservatives while alienating him from liberals. This hasn't helped his career or image with a good chunk of the population, reducing Seinfeld's fame and people's opinions of the comedian. Seinfeld may still be famous, but less so for his work than his comments, which is the opposite of what he likely wants.