Want to make a celeb shake from fear? Say this word: cancellation.
It’s the dreaded state many have found themselves in. Many have been caught saying insensitive or racist things, while one celeb was even called out for pretending to be a different heritage…
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For more, here are 8+ Celebrities Who Were The Targets Of Cancel Culture.
1. Ellen DeGeneres
The talk show host, known for telling fans to “be kind,” found herself entangled in controversy in 2020.
In addition to articles that alledged a toxic work environment on her show, she was accused of being mean herself.
This stemmed from a Twitter thread of “Ellen DeGeneres is mean” that began trending.
“Working for her, I was instructed that I can’t look her in the eye and never ever say hi to her first. ‘But don’t worry, she definitely won’t be saying hi to you in the first place.’ She creates the most toxic environment for her staff,” this person wrote .
2. J.K. Rowling
In 2020, the Harry Potter author found herself under fire for the controversial comments she made about transgender issues.
She made an argument for not erasing the concept of biological sex — something that caused stars like Daniel Radcliffe to criticize her opinion.
3. Sinead O’Conner
The singer’s career has never been the same ever since she tore up a picture of Pope John II.
This was during her 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live where she sang a cover of Bob Marley’s “War”.
“Fight the real enemy,” she had said.
Later, the singer explained that the stunt came from the church’s many years of sexual abuse allegations.
While the incident tarnished the star’s career, she stands by what she did and has said that she has no regrets.
4. Lea Michele
The push for Lea’s cancelation all started when her former Glee co-star pointed out the hypocrisy of Lea supporting the Black Lives movement.
“LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET,” she wrote.
Ware’s confession caused many more co-stars to come forward with their Lea stories.
Dabier Snell, who appeared in a 2014 episode, tweeted that Lea wouldn’t let him sit at the table with other cast members because Lea said “I didn’t belong there.”
Eventually, the actress came forward with a statement.
Since she was pregnant at the time, she also said that she hopes her child can learn from her mistakes.
“I will be better in the future from this experience.” Looks like no one is welcoming her with open arms, though…
5. Shane Dawson
He went from one of the biggest YouTube stars to one of the most controversial.
His downhill started when beauty influencer Tati Westbrook claimed that Dawson and Jeffree Star manipulated her to turn again James Charles.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Soon after, angry YouTube fans dug out “receipts” of Dawson making racist remarks and inappropriate comments about children.
One of these incidents involved the time he pretended to masturbate to a poster of then-11-year-old Willow Smith.
6. Jackyln Hill
The beauty guru’s career never recovered after fans found several issues with her cosmetics line.
People found things such as hair, a gritty texture, black holes, and more in her lipsticks. Some also accused her of selling expired products.
This led the YouTuber to release a video where she apologized and explained the reasons for all of the issues.
The heat even caused Jacyln to delete her social media for a while.
While she’s back making videos, she’s keeping a much lower profile than before.
7. Jeffree Star
The beauty guru must have nine lives. After all, he’s been canceled soo many times.
Most recently, he was dragged by fans for releasing a “Cremated” eyeshadow palette during the middle of a pandemic. People found it in poor taste since people were dying from COVID-19.
8. Armie Hammer
The Call Me By Your Name actor found himself in deep scandal when screenshots leaked of NSFW DMs discussing cannibalism between himself and multiple women.
These texts took place while he was still married to Elizabeth Chambers.
The controversy caused him to drop out of his new film, *Shotgun Wedding* opposite Jennifer Lopez.
While the actor denied the claims, more accusations have come to light.
Controversy continues to surround him nearly every week since this all came out. No one really knows what to expect next.
9. Jenna Marbles
The YouTuber announced that she would be leaving YouTube after she was criticized over several past videos that fans claimed contained racist and insensitive content.
This included the time she did “blackface” for a 2011 video imitating Nicki Minaj.
After a tearful apology, she disappeared.
Jenna said that her intention was never to offend anyone, that the whole reason for starting the channel was to spread laughter and positivity.
Jenna concluded by stating that if anyone, at any time, was ever offended by her content — that she was sorry beyond repair.
10. Hilaria Baldwin
At the end of 2020, Alec Baldwin’s wife came under fire for pretending to be Spanish.
It all started when a viral Twitter trend called out all the times she pretended to have an accent, despite being raised in Boston by American parents.
After the controversy started, Hilaria took to Instagram to share that she grew up spending time in Spain.
“We celebrate both cultures in our home ― Alec and I are raising our children bilingual, just as I was raised,” she said in the video.
11. Eminem
Eminem is one of the more recent victims of cancel culture. His Gen Z followers were calling for Marshall’s head regarding what they deemed to be homophobic and misogynistic lyrics.
In response to all the hate, Eminem released ” I’m Tone Deaf .”
12. Gabi Demartino
The video that Gabi is referring to is an old family home video. In the clip, a young toddler version of Gabi can be seen flashing the camera.
Many were quick to point out that Gabi’s video could be seen as distributing child pornography.
13. Kirstie Alley
Kirstie received heavy backlash for a series of tweets wherein she was not only supporting but celebrating the actions of former President Donald Trump.
The former Cheers star defended herself by claiming that she supported Trump precisely because he was not a politician.
14. Bryan Adams
At the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown crisis, Bryan posted this Instagram video that had fans and critics everywhere calling for his head.
The comments (which are still posted on his page) were considered to be not only insensitive but also incredibly racist as well.
15. Chris Pratt
Many fans were likely unaware that Chris Pratt is an extremely religious person.
Social media began calling for his cancelation when it was discovered that Pratt was a congregant of Hillsong Church ; an organization that has historically been anti-LGBTQ
16. Brendan Fraser
Have you ever wondered why we don’t hear from Brendan Fraser anymore? It’s largely because Brendan was a victim of sexual assault (pre #MeToo Movement).
He spoke out after being groped by the President of the HFPA and was blackballed by the industry shortly thereafter.
17. Janet Jackson
After Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl Halftime Show, the media showed up to her door with torches and pitchforks.
Her music was pulled from the regular rotation of several major radio stations and she was also banned from attending the Grammy Awards.
18. The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks)
At the very height of post 9/11 paranoia, The Chicks issued a public statement condemning the actions of then-President George W. Bush .
In the days that followed, the band’s tour was cancelled, they were dropped from their label and eventually had to rename their group.
20. Lizzo
Twitter was calling for the cancelation of Lizzo after a video of her attempting to grope Harry Styles began making rounds on the internet.
Lizzo and Harry have a well-documented friendship with one another, so this was likely an overreaction.
21. Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett weighed in on whether or not actors should be able to portray characters of a different race/sex/sexual orientation.
The Black Widow star asserted that as an actor, she felt entitled to portray whomever she so chose. Unfortunately, the internet wasn’t as forward-thinking.
22. R. Kelly
For years, rumors swirled that renowned R&B singer R. Kelly had a predilection for young women.
Thanks largely in part to the documentary series Surviving R. Kelly , R. Kelly has faded into obscurity and faces criminal and civil charges.
23. Mel Gibson
Throughout most of the ’90s, Mel Gibson was considered to be one of the most revered leading men in Hollywood.
His reputation took a turn for the worse after an anti-Semitic rant was captured on film and released to the media.
24. Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr is considered a pioneer in sitcom comedy, as well as an early feminist.
Her reputation became tarnished beyond all repair after she began tweeting incredibly racist and insensitive comments toward former President Barack Obama. Shortly after, she was fired from her own show.
25. Matt Damon
Unfortunately for Matt Damon, he doesn’t seem to know when to keep his mouth shut.
Twitter was calling for Matt’s cancelation after Matt appeared to be defending and rationalizing the actions of Harvey Weinstein in the media.
26. Jimmy Fallon
The internet is like an elephant: it doesn’t forget.
When old videos of Jimmy donning Blackface for a skit began to surface, the outcry was severe. Many were calling for him to be swiftly removed as the host of The Tonight Show .
