Signs That A Star's 15 Minutes Of Fame Are Ending

Not everyone has what it takes to be a beloved celebrity with decades worth of fame. Some celebs are in the spotlight for a short amount of time and then their 15 minutes of fame are up. But what exactly does that mean? What are the signs a star is about to fade from public view?

Sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing — even high visibility. It doesn't matter how red-hot a celebrity is, there comes a point for some where they're just everywhere. They're all over social media, TV, with multiple projects they can't stop talking about. This leads to overexposure, which is when a star is so visible it causes members of the public to grow weary.

One prime example of this would be the Kardashian-Jenner Klan, and Kim in particular. Thanks to a series of well-known reality TV shows and constant social media presence, the Kardashian-Jenner women are everywhere. The consequence of this level of overexposure is it can lead to major backlash. This was more than apparent in October 2016 when Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint. Instead of an outpouring of sympathy, members of the public went as far as to accuse the Kardashian family of staging the entire incident for publicity.

Once a star hits that phase of their career, unless they willingly lay low for a while to give the public a rest, they may find themselves forced out of the spotlight, just because the public has had enough.

Have you ever noticed a tone shift when it comes to how certain celebrities are reported? In the beginning, members of the press may have nothing but nice things to say about a star. Then, they are suddenly forever associated with a major scandal or embarrassing moment. It's important to never underestimate the power the media has in shaping public opinion. When the media begins to report someone in a bad light, it can actually cause the public to lose sympathy or interest.

We saw this with pop group One Direction, whose massive fame made them a primary target of scandals prior to Zayn Malik leaving the group, including repeated accusations of drug use by members.

Although Malik claims he left One Direction due to a desire to experiment musically, it's hard to argue that the constant, and increasingly negative, media attention surrounding One Direction wasn't a factor. After all, Malik does struggle with anxiety-related issues, something that could be made worse by endless media attention and related pressures.

When the public decides they're over a celebrity, the downfall can be swift and brutal. There are literally instances where a star was beloved at the beginning of the week and hated by the weekend.

This was quite literally the case for Ashlee Simpson, the younger sister of pop singer Jessica Simpson. Ashlee was somewhat of an underdog from the beginning, viewed as the less pretty (and not necessarily as musically gifted) Simpson sister. However, sympathy can only take you so far when you get busted faking it. In the above video, you can see a news clip of Ashlee Simpson's Saturday Night Live performance, during which she was caught lip-syncing to her hit song "Pieces of Me."

Not only did Ashlee Simpson become a laughing stock overnight, but future performances weren't greeted with much enthusiasm by the public. Watch this cringe-worthy clip of Ashlee Simpson getting booed off stage during a halftime performance at the 2005 Orange Bowl

Not every artist aimed at young audiences has a smooth transition to a more grown-up career. Teen-friendly celebrities are often in a difficult position, as their fame often relies on a very fickle market. By the time the celebrity's target audience outgrows them, the next generation of listeners may not be interested. At the same time, their teen-friendly gimmick might have put more mature members of the public off of them completely. As such, it's quite common for teen stars to be popular during a certain window of time, but as pop culture trends change, they're unable to keep up.

It happens all the time. A star has a string of music or box office hits and seems momentarily untouchable. Then suddenly their project flops. And so does the next project. And the one after that. Audiences don't turn up. Albums don't sell. These disappointments typically mean the star is on the decline, with members of the public losing interest in them fast. Sometimes an image or medium change can add more minutes to the clock. Otherwise, this is typically the beginning of the end.

Sam Worthington was a break-out star thanks to the the record-breaking Avatar. However, Clash of the Titans received a rather lukewarm reception at the domestic box office (it performed much better abroad), and Man on a Ledge was an outright flop. Although Worthington has three Avatar sequels to look forward to, we're going to go out on a limb (or rather ledge) and guess fans aren't anticipating the projects due to his presence.

It's almost a kiss of death to be declared the "It Girl" or "It Boy" of the moment, as such a declaration often means the star is little more than a trend. As we all know, trends are subject to change without warning.

We've had a slew of "It Girls" over the years: Keri Russell, Gretchen Mol, Zooey Deschanel, Lupita Nyong'o, Lindsay Lohan, and Kerry Washington just to name a few. Some of these stars are still relevant, others have fizzled out in spectacular fashion. Though for the most part, it's felt that once someone is called an "It Girl" or "It Boy," it's only a matter of time before the public loses interest and a new "It" celebrity arrives on the scene.

This might surprise you, but that big award could spell the end of certain star's career. For instance, some believe that there's a Grammy curse tied to winning "Best New Artist." In his 1997 article for the Associated Press, writer Larry McShane justified his belief in the curse by stating that, "Of the 36 honorees, 21 never returned to the winner's circle." While it's not true for every music artist (just ask Adele), there does seem to be the heightened likelihood that once you nab that particular music award, you'll be somewhat anonymous in just a few short years — if not sooner.

While the Grammy curse is speculative, there's actually reason to believe the "Oscar Curse" exists, especially if you're a woman. As Vanity Fair notes, "Marisa Tomei, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Hudson, and Renée Zellweger won for breakout performances, then struggled to maintain their newfound Oscar cred. Marcia Gay Harden, who won Best Supporting Actress in 2000 for Pollack, even called her Oscar 'disastrous' for her career." Gender and racial inequality seem to be to blame for this alleged curse.

In any case, these awards represent instances where being rewarded for your hard work can usher in the demise of your fame.

Breaking up may be hard to do, but even harder to cope with might be lost celebrity in the wake of a relationship's demise. This is something that many coupled stars struggle with, particularly those whose romantic connections are about as famous as they are — if not more so. There are instances of celebrities parting ways and then one or both of the pairing suffering a loss of popularity as a result.

It's interesting to note that actor Ryan Philippe's career prospects took a downward turn beginning with his divorce from then "America's Sweetheart" Reese Witherspoon. Actress Kristen Stewart also suffered in the eyes of the public thanks to her cheating scandal. A scandal which, thanks to her associated with the widely-panned Twilight series, would make it that much harder for the actress to be taken seriously.

While some celebrities may suffer the consequences of overexposure, others may experience the complete opposite problem: underexposure. Not every star's fall from grace is immediate. There are those who become less and less visible or in demand over time, until one day you look up and wonder what happened to them. If you notice a celebrity isn't as visible as they once were, and there's no stated reason for this (health, tiredness, etc.), then that's probably what's happening.