We're all guilty of making split second decisions that we later come to regret, but when you're in the business of show, those moments can be potentially career ending. Scandal is nothing new in Hollywood, though if you're an actor and your private transgressions happen to go public, then you better be prepared to look for a new line of work. While some disgraced stars manage to claw their way back into the limelight from a seemingly impossible position, for most, retiring from the public eye with whatever dignity remains intact is the only option.
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Actors that dabble in the minefield of stand-up comedy need to ensure that their routine isn't going to negatively impact their career on-screen, though one thing you can never fully predict is the influence of hecklers. When Seinfeld's Michael Richards found himself in a battle of wits with a member of his audience during a live show in 2006, he made a split second decision that destroyed his career in an instant. Richards responded to the man's criticism with a series of racial slurs, demanding that the African American customer be thrown out of the club.
A video of the incident soon found its way online, showing Richards stopping his show mid-monologue and turning on the audience member, telling him that "Fifty years ago they'd have you hanging upside down with a [expletive] fork up your [expletive]." There were audible gasps in the room as the incensed actor then repeatedly used the N-word, despite the man shouting back that the language was uncalled for. The comedian left the stage without finishing his routine.
Richards appeared via satellite on the Late Show with David Letterman to apologize for his outburst, telling the nation that he was "deeply sorry" about what happened and insisting that he wasn't actually a racist. It didn't do him any good, however, as his career since has been limited to the occasional token TV appearance.
When it comes to career-ending outbursts, 2006 was a popular year, since Mel Gibson also committed professional suicide in '06. The Australian was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after officers in Malibu caught him speeding with an open bottle of booze, though it wasn't him being busted for a DUI that made the headlines. After initially refusing arrest and unsuccessfully attempting to flee the scene, Gibson was cuffed and detained, and what he said in the back of the police car en route to the station still haunts him to this day.
The Lethal Weapon star repeatedly threatened his arresting officer, telling him that he owned Malibu and would spend every cent he had left on getting even with him. According to a transcript of the police report obtained by the LA Times, Gibson then "blurted out a barrage of anti-Semitic remarks about '[expletive] Jews.' Gibson yelled out, 'The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.' Gibson then asked, 'Are you a Jew?'"
Unlike Michael Richards, however, Gibson has refused to throw in the towel and is looking to make a comeback a decade after retiring from the public eye in disgrace. His violent daddy-daughter thriller Blood Father has been positively received by critics, and his return to the director's chair with so-called atonement piece Hacksaw Ridge has gone down equally well, getting a 10 minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.
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Tila 'Tequila' Nguyen began her questionable path to fame by becoming one of the earliest recognized social media celebrities, graduating from the most popular person on MySpace to one of the most unpopular personalities in recent history. MTV saw fit to capitalize on her online fan base by giving Tequila her own dating show, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila in 2007, and she made her first film appearance (as a Hooters Girl in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) that same year, though it all came crashing down after a bizarre post on her website.
The article, entitled Why I Sympathize with Hitler, caused widespread outrage. The Singapore-born celebrity wrote that she had "learned the truth about the war and what Hitler truly did," insisting that "he was not a bad person as they have made him out to be." On top of the inflammatory piece, Tequila posted photos of herself posing in front of a picture of Auschwitz dressed as a scantily clad Nazi.
Tequila attempted to get her career back on track in 2015 when she appeared as a housemate on the UK 's Celebrity Big Brother, though once show runners learned of Nazi sympathizing antics she was booted out of the house. The premature eviction didn't teach her a lesson, however. She was at it once again in 2016, launching a scathing attack on Jewish conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro, whom she said "should be gassed and sent back to Israel."
Being under the spotlight is nothing new for Lindsay Lohan, who began working as a child model when she was just three years old. She soon made inroads into the acting business, with her regular spot on soap opera Another World getting her noticed by Disney, who cast her in their surprisingly successful 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. The redheaded actress became a teen sensation in the years that followed, finding more success in 2003's Freaky Friday, 2004's Mean Girls and 2005's Herbie: Fully Loaded. But her hot streak would come to an abrupt halt early in 2007.
On May 26, Lohan was taken to the hospital in Beverly Hills after getting into a car accident. The actress had recently been discharged from the Wonderland Center rehab facility in Los Angeles for undisclosed problems, though the nature of these issues became all too clear when Lohan was charged with DUI, possession of cocaine and misdemeanor hit and run following the incident. If her career wasn't compromised on this occasion, then it certainly was when she was arrested on the same charges just two months later, days after another unsuccessful stint in rehab.
The severity of her downfall was highlighted by the critical response to her next film, the "incoherent and semi-vile" I Know Who Killed Me. Lohan plays opposite herself in the two main roles, and her double performance won her the Worst Screen Couple at he the 2008 Golden Raspberry Awards as well as Worst Actress. The film took home a record setting eight Razzies in total.
Sung Hyun-AhDating in Hollywood has never been straightforward, though it isn't just the actresses of Tinseltown who find their love lives under intense scrutiny. Former Miss Korea contestant Sung Hyun-Ah had a short relationship with a prominent Korean businessman, and that relationship ended up destroying her show business career. Sung soon herself embroiled in a prostitution scandal in 2013, indicted for allegedly accepting a payment of 50 million Won (approximately $44,000) from the businessman in exchange for three instances of sexual intercourse. The actress attempted to counter-sue, but the court dismissed her claims and found her guilty.
Sung took her case to the Supreme Court who, two years after her guilty verdict, overturned the decision and named her innocent of all charges relating to prostitution, though the damage was already done. The actress already had a reputation as a law breaker after being caught with ecstasy during a drug bust in 2002, and her lawyer confirmed that her career would be taking a backseat while she recovers from her ordeal:
"After Ms. Sung's first trial, she had felt wronged by so many things for a long time. She's been declared innocent now, but she's getting stung by attention still just because she's been in trial. Please refrain so that Ms. Sung can recover from defamation and make a recovery in society."
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January 15, 2017