There’s nothing the entertainment industry loves more than a bit of juicy drama. However, when things get too hot to handle, a “cancellation” might be in order. These 10 African American celebrities almost became pariahs, but through hard work—and a bit of sheer luck—they managed to avoid the cancel hammer.
Jamie Foxx
In 2023, a lawsuit appeared out of the blue, accusing Jamie Foxx of a sexual assault incident that took place in 2002. Foxx denies the claims vehemently; however, that same year, a sudden health scare takes him away from the public eye. Against all odds, Foxx returned to Hollywood with the aptly-titled Back in Action, and his IMDb shows some promising starring roles coming from him in the near future.
Tiffany Haddish
The comedian almost fell from grace in 2022, when she and Aries Spears were involved in a horrendous court case related to allegations of child sexual assault. The comedians allegedly coerced two minors into participating in a comedy skit. In September of the same year, the case was dismissed, and Haddish continued her career with renewed momentum.
Mo’Nique
After her Oscar-winning performance in Precious, Mo’Nique should have risen to the top. Instead, the actress found herself in a state of limbo. Mo’Nique claims that some “powerful figures” labeled her “Difficult to work with” after she refused to do promotional work for Precious for free. She made her long-awaited return to major projects around 2022, with roles in projects like BMF and a Netflix comedy special, Mo’Nique: My Name Is Mo’Nique.
Will Smith
The slap heard round the world would have been a death sentence for the career of almost any actor. Fortunately for Will Smith, you can’t just cancel the Fresh Prince. The media had a frenzy with the Oscar slap, discussing how Smith’s reaction was completely out of proportion, even if Chris Rock made tasteless jokes at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith.
Dave Chappelle
Outspoken and controversial, Chappelle was almost completely cancelled over his jokes about transgender people. The controversy led to the cancellation of live shows and the usual internet drama. Surprisingly, Chappelle bounced back with multiple Netflix specials and routinely sells out arenas, making one incredible comeback and using the near-cancellation experience as new material for his act.
Eddie Murphy
1997: Eddie Murphy had been married for four years to his first wife, Nicole Mitchell Murphy. Life seemed good for Murphy—until police stopped him at 4 a.m. in West Hollywood on May 2. He had just picked up Shalimar Seiuli, a transgender sex worker. Even though the media tried to turn the event into a major scandal, Murphy’s wife stood by him. A few years later, he was back at the top of the world with Shrek.
Kevin Hart
In 2018, Hart’s old tweets came back to haunt him after critics found the comedian used homophobic humor in his online posts quite frequently. The drama cost him his role as host of the Oscars. Just as quick as he fell, he was back on the saddle, with hits like Jumanji: The Next Level reigniting his career.
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