In particular, following the protests of George Floyd in 2020 several celebrities’ offensive views and actions came into the spotlight. Brands and endorsements severed ties with the supposed racist celebrities. The #metoo movement also gave room for women and men to come forward with their experiences of sexual assault and domestic violence. Although celebrities have been accused of rape in the past, as evident with Chris Brown in the early 2000s and Michael Jackson’s child abuse allegations throughout his career, this movement allowed survivors to see real tangible change throughout the industry. Here is a list of 11 controversial celebrities who faced consequences for their past actions.
1. Chrissy Teigen: Dropped by Target, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s for cyberbullying.
Photo: Tinseltown | Shutterstock The model and entrepreneur has been known to be outspoken and candid on Twitter. However, it caused her to lose multiple brand deals when it came out she bullied a 16-year-old girl in 2011. According to Outsider, fellow model Courtney Stodden came forward with DMs and several tweets from Teigen such as “I hate you,” “my Friday fantasy: you. Dirt nap” and “go. To sleep. Forever.” — in regards to Stodden’s marriage to 51-year-old Doug Hutchison. Teigen issued a public apology on Twitter in May 2021 and said, “And I am so sorry I let you guys down. I will forever work on being better than I was 10 years ago, 1 year ago, 6 months ago.” However, brands such as Target, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s stopped selling her cookware line, Cravings by Chrissy Teigen. — chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 12, 2021
2. Addison Rae: “Fired” from being UFC correspondent.
Photo: Ga Fullner | Shutterstock Influencer Addison Rae faced serious backlash when she posted two photos insinuating she was a UFC correspondent according to Buzzfeed News. Rae had captioned the tweet “I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this moment.” The famous TikToker briefly studied sports journalism at Louisiana State University before pursuing social media. — Addison Rae (@whoisaddison) July 10, 2021 However, several people such as Victor Jahaj said, “This is disrespectful to all the people who go to college and work their asses off for jobs like this and sometimes don’t even get them but because Addison has clout she gets them over QUALIFIED sports journalists.” Following the controversy, Rae tweeted, “nvm y’all got me fired” But according to Insider, “Addison did some interviews with us for UFC 264. However, she is not a full-time employee with UFC.”
3. Armie Hammer: Fired from all films after several rape allegations.
Photo: DFree | Shutterstock The American actor was the subject of several rape and sexual assault allegations in January 2021. According to Variety the allegations surfaced on the anonymous Instagram account, House of Effie and detailed conversations around rape fantasies, cannibalism, and more. The woman behind the account came forward in a March 2021 press conference and began the LAPD investigation. Since the news broke, WME agency and several movies such as “Billion Dollar Sky”, “Shotgun Wedding” and “The Offer” have all severed ties with Hammer.
4. David Dobrik: Dropped by several major endorsements following sexual assault claim.
Photo: Kathy Hutchins | Shutterstock The famous YouTuber known for his fast-paced vlogs and prank videos was dropped by multiple sponsors after it was revealed vlog squad member, Dom Zeglaitis, allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in 2018. According to NBC News, the woman claimed Dobrik had filmed as she was being sexually assaulted by Zeglaitis, and said she was too intoxicated to give consent. Dobrik was then dropped from endorsements with companies such as HelloFresh, DoorDash, and SeatGeek. A DoorDash spokesperson told NBC News, “This horrific misconduct is incongruous with DoorDash’s values and does not represent the communities we strive to create. Our thoughts are with all those impacted.” Dobrik posted an apology video in March 2021, and said “There’s also been moments where I’ve looked back on videos, and I realize that these don’t represent me anymore, and they’re hurtful to other people, and I don’t want them up because I’ve grown as a content creator and as a person, and I don’t agree with some of the videos I’ve posted.” He also says he fully believes the woman. RELATED: Jamie Lynn Spears Says She Sought Emancipation From Her Parents During Britney Spears’s Public Breakdown
5. Victoria Fuller: Pulled from Cosmopolitan cover after wearing ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt.
Photo: vlfuller | Instagram The former Bachelor contestant appeared on Peter Weber’s season where she won a chance to be featured on a digital cover of Cosmopolitan. However, the magazine decided not to run their cover when photos surfaced of Fuller modeling in a “WLM” hat for the company “We Love Marlins” according to US Magazine. The company also sold White Lives Matter t-shirts and used the confederate flag design. — Lauren Zima (@laurenzima) February 4, 2020 Fuller later apologized on her Instagram stories and said, “I want to say that I unequivocally reject the beliefs of the white lives matter movement or any propaganda that supports racism of any kind. I would like to specifically apologize to people of color that are affected by racism daily. It was never my intention to add fuel to the racial fire in this country” according to USA Today.
6. Abby Lee Miller: Dropped by Lifetime network for racist comments.
Photo: Kathy Hutchins | Shutterstock The strict dance teacher from Dance Moms will no longer be involved in the tv series and anything involving the tv network. Her scheduled series, “Abby’s Virtual Dance-Off” was canceled in 2020 after former cast members came forward with their experiences. According to Yahoo News, Camille Bridges said Abby had repeatedly been racist to her Black daughter Camryn while they were on the show. Camille told E! News, “[Abby] tried to spin Camryn as being the poor one and there on scholarship. I shut that down immediately. She loves appropriating our culture and never appreciating it. She did not give black choreographers on the show acknowledgment of their work. She continuously put Camryn in afros.” Mother Adriana Smith, also spoke out on Instagram claiming Abby had said, “I know you grew up in the HOOD with only a box of 8 crayons, but I grew up in the Country Club with a box of 64 – don’t be stupid.” Abby also reportedly told her 7-year-old daughter she was there because they needed a “sprinkle of color.” The dancer teacher then posted an Instagram apology in response and claimed racism can come from ignorance.
7. Peter Hunziker (“Below Deck Mediterranean”): Fired because of racist posts.
Photo: PeterHunz | Instagram Peter Hunziker who previously appeared on Below Deck Mediterranean as a deckhand, was fired after allegedly racist posts, according to Distractify. According to Daily Mail, the post was a “reposted meme that depicted shocking racist and degrading sexual imagery that showed a naked Black woman in shackles." Bravo posted an announcement on Instagram saying they were firing Hunziker and said, “Bravo and 51 Minds are editing the show to minimize his appearance for subsequent episodes.” Bravo had also fired other reality stars such as Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute from Vanderpump Rules after they wrongfully called the police on former Black castmate Faith Stowers several times regarding robbery in the area.
8. Janet Jackson: Music blacklisted from MTV
Photo: Everett Collection | Shutterstock During the SuperBowl Halftime show in 2004 Timberlake tugged on Jackson’s outfit which left her chest exposed. According to USA Today, the incident negatively affected her career and she was forced to publicly apologize for the incident. The event was blamed on MTV who produced the show and from then on Jackson’s music was basically removed from MTV and VH1 according to Insider. After the release of “Framing Britney Spears”, which reassessed her career while under her 13-year conservatorship, including Spears’ public breakdown 15 years ago, many fans have commented on Justin Timberlake’s internalized misogyny towards her and Janet Jackson. Timberlake and Spears had dated from 1999 to 2002. Soon after Timberlake released his hit single “Cry Me A River” which many speculated was about Spears’ alleged infidelity. According to USA Today, Timberlake apologized for his misogyny and not speaking up in regards to Spears and Janet Jackson. In Timberlake’s public apology he said, “I understand that I fell short in these moments, and in many others and benefitted from a system that condones misogyny and racism.” RELATED: 20 Longest Celebrity Marriages & Relationships In Hollywood
9. Kylie Jenner: Dropped from Forbes billionaire list.
Photo: Kathy Hutchins | Shutterstock The youngest of the Kardashian/Jenner family has faced backlash after she was listed on the Forbes billionaire list — making her the youngest self-made billionaire. However, reports have claimed that she falsified documents according to The Richest. “Coty’s chief financial officer tells Forbes that after evaluating the numbers submitted to them, and being told that sales were up 40% from 2018, their calculations indicated ‘the business only generated about $125 million that year, nowhere near the $360 million the Jenners had led Forbes to believe”’ The Richest reported. Forbes officially removed Kylie Jenner from the list she had previously been on top of following the release of this information. However, her sister Kim Kardashian has since been named in the list.
10. Nick Cannon: Fired from Wild’N’Out for anti-Semitic comments.
Photo: DFree | Shutterstock The tv show host was fired from his long-running comedy show Wild’N’Out after saying anti-Semitic comments on his podcast Cannon’s Class. According to NPR, Cannon interviewed Richard Griffin, who was kicked out of the group Public Enemy after he claimed that Jews were responsible “for the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe.” During the podcast, Cannon asked why ‘“we give so much power to the ’theys,’ and ’theys’ turn into illuminati, the Zionists, the Rothschilds,’ — referring to the wealthy Jewish family often used as a dog whistle for anti-Semitism” NPR reported. In a since-deleted Facebook post Cannon wrote, “I must apologize to my Jewish Brothers and Sisters for putting them in such a painful position, which was never my intention, but I know this whole situation has hurt many people and together we will make it right.” Cannon is still the host of the TV show The Masked Singer.
11. Jeffree Star: Dropped by Morphe after racist tweets resurfaced.
Photo: Tinseltown | Shutterstock The controversial beauty YouTuber has been dropped from the makeup brand Morphe which he has done several collaborations with and held his cosmetics line according to The Verge. This decision came after several racially incentive tweets resurfaced from the influencer and claims he manipulated fellow YouTuber Tati Westbrook. In 2019, Tati Westbrook had posted a YouTube video alleging that James Charles tried to come on to a straight man. However, Westbrook later revealed Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson manipulated and gaslighted her into making the video exposing her former friend. Morphe tweeted on July 10, 2020 saying, “Today we’ve made the decision to cease all commercial activity related to Jeffree Star and affiliated products. We expect this to conclude within the coming weeks. As we look to the future, we will continue to share updates on what lies ahead for the Morphe brand.” Following, an announcement was made on the Jeffree Star Cosmetics account reading, “We are shocked and extremely saddened by the decision of our former partner Morphe Brushes on parting ways with our brand and Jeffree.” — Morphe (@MorpheBrushes) July 10, 2020 RELATED: Fans Concerned After Ezra Miller Posts About KKK, Jihadists & Gets Videoed Allegedly Choking A Fan Sydney Taylor is a writer who focuses on News and Entertainment topics.
