In the entertainment industry, reputation speaks just as loudly as acting chops do. You could be Hollywood’s top performer one day, only to have your entire legacy crumble the next, especially when the foundations of your perfect public life are exposed as rotten. Let’s take a quick look at 10 stars whose entire world came crashing down after people found out who they were when the cameras weren’t rolling.
10. Ezra Miller
Following a wild series of “misadventures” in Hawaii just before the release of The Flash, Ezra Miller’s reputation as the DC Universe’s quirky young lead evaporated before it could even materialize. Later accusations of grooming, assault, and even felony burglary further tarnished his rising career.
9. Lori Loughlin
Full House’s Aunt Becky was a beloved part of 90s pop culture, even coming back for the Netflix reboot in 2016. Loughlin came under fire due to her ties with the “Varsity Blues” college admission scandal. Her reputation was soiled, and Aunt Becky had to serve two months in a federal correctional institution.
8. Chris Noth
Just like Sex and the City itself, Chris Noth’s career was in the middle of a renaissance for And Just Like That… His character dies in the first episode, but any further scenes featuring Noth were swiftly scrapped due to multiple SA allegations and his crumbling public image.
7. Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.’s awkward genius turned him into an Emmy magnet. That all changed in 2017, when reports confirmed he would “pleasure himself” in front of female colleagues, completely shattering his everyman persona.
6. Jussie Smollett
Smollett’s role on Empire steadily turned him into a household name in some Hollywood circles. His rising career came to a screeching halt once he was involved in faking a hate crime in a misguided attempt to boost his career.
5. Kevin Spacey
Spacey had been a Hollywood headliner for three decades before his reputation was shattered. It all happened in 2017, when multiple accusations of sexual misconduct forced him out of the spotlight, and major projects like House of Cards were eventually scrapped as a result.
4. Danny Masterson
Everyone loved Hyde in That ’70s Show, so just imagine how shocked fans were in 2023 when the news broke of Danny Masterson’s conviction. It wasn’t a minor crime, either: he was found guilty of raping two women in the early 2000s, earning a 30-years-to-life sentence and erasing his family-friendly legacy.
3. T.J. Miller
Miller gained popularity thanks to HBO’s Silicon Valley and for playing Badger in the first two Deadpool films. His reputation crumbled due to multiple SA allegations from his college days, not to mention other weird controversies, like calling in a fake bomb threat.
2. Armie Hammer
From rising leading man to unconfirmed cannibal, Hammer’s fall from grace is nothing short of extraordinary. Creepy messages, cannibalistic fantasies, and rape accusations trapped his career in a horrid limbo, with little to no hope of coming back.
1. James Franco
Most people remember Franco for his lighthearted stoner comedies, but his funny guy persona came crumbling down following some serious sexual misconduct allegations made in 2018. Even former colleagues, like Seth Rogen, distanced themselves from Franco’s fallout.
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