Reid secured her breakout role in the 1999 film ‘American Pie,’ capturing the attention of everyone in the country. However, just as quick as Reid propelled into the spotlight, it seemed to all vanish. Anytime Reid’s name appeared in the headline of the media, it was for all the wrong reasons — transforming her image from the ‘girl-next-door’ to a full-blown party animal. The publicity of Reid’s clubbing lifestyle eventually led to her E! show, ‘Taradise,’ which unfortunately flopped and made things worse for her image. Despite a hint at a comeback, people are still remembering the moments Reid spent in the spotlight over a decade ago, and what exactly happened that made her career fizzle out in the first place.
Here are 6 reasons why Tara Reid disappeared from Hollywood:
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1. There was controversy surrounding Tara Reid’s plastic surgery.
Reid claims the breast implants and liposuction surgeries that left her disfigured had a role in damaging her career. According to CBS News, she explained the damage caused by her plastic surgeries, saying, “My stomach became the most ripply, bulgy thing. I had a hernia, this huge bump next to my belly button. As a result, I couldn’t wear a bikini. I lost a lot of work.” Not only did Reid lose out on booking roles, but her wardrobe malfunction at Diddy’s 35th birthday party in 2004 resulted in her plastic surgery going viral, leaving the actress feeling “devastated.” “When I realized it, I cried and begged the photographers not to print it, but it was everywhere … I was on the websites as having the ugliest boobs in the world,” she told People.
2. Tara Reid was coined a “party girl.”
According to Entertainment Tonight, Reid opened up about being misjudged as a party girl and bullied in Hollywood. “I didn’t work for a while. That was really frustrating,” Reid said. “[It bothered me] that [people thought] I was just a party girl and thought I wasn’t anything else because that wasn’t true…It didn’t make sense to get punished for having fun.” In an interview with Buzzfeed, the ‘Sharknado" actress clarified that much of what was said about her in the media was never the reality, but simply a perception. “They all were in jail, they all did f**king sex tapes, crazy sht,” Reid said, referring to some of her peers, like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. She said she never got in trouble on movie sets and was always on time. (The only story about her being late to a set is from 2018 when she was removed from a flight for causing a “disturbance,” making her three hours late to filming 5th Borough.) “There’s nothing like that about me,” she said. RELATED: ‘The Goal Was To Make Me Feel Crazy & I’m Not’ — How Mental Health Is Weaponized Against Women Like Britney
3. She was nominated for several worst actress nominations.
Reid routinely struggled to be taken seriously as an actress, which was only made worse when the roles she did land were subsequently nominated for ‘Worst Actress.’ After her success in ‘American Pie’ dwindled, Reid was nominated for several Razzle awards, according to The Things. The Razzies, or Golden Raspberry Awards, are parody awards handed out to actors and films for their failures and shortcomings. Reid’s first two nominations were for Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Screen Couple for her role in 2003’s ‘My Boss’s Daughter.’ Reid was again nominated for Worst Actress for her role in the 2005 horror film ‘Alone in the Dark.’ The movie also won her a Stinker Award for Worst Actress, which was the only award she has ever won, aside from one Young Hollywood Award for Best Ensemble Cast for ‘American Pie,’ according to Suggest.
4. Reid admitted her reality show was a mistake.
In 2005, Reid was hired as the new host of E!’s ‘Wild On’, a travel show that pretty much took her her party antics on the road, from England to Croatia, according to Entertainment Weekly. After filming was done, the name of the show changed from ‘Wild On’ to ‘Taradise.’ Unfortunately, the show was canceled after one season, with Reid telling US Weekly, according to CBS News, that it was “probably the stupidest thing I ever did… I didn’t know it was going to ruin my career.” RELATED: 20 Celebs Who Lost It All (And Went Broke)
5. People accused Reid of engaging in fake romantic relationships for publicity.
According to Nicki Swift, Tara Reid got married to Zack Kehayov just hours after getting engaged. The couple was vacationing in Greece in 2011 when Reid tweeted that she’d just gotten engaged, and just hours later followed up by revealing that she’d gotten married in Greece. Reid had previously been engaged to entrepreneur Michael Axtmann in 2010, but just four months after their engagement and one month before their wedding, she called it off without any explanation, according to People. The actress also revealed to TMZ that her marriage to Kehayov wasn’t real either, and never actually happened while walking out of LAX in October 2011. In 2016, Reid got into another fake relationship in an effort to save her career. Reid appeared on ‘Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars’ with her “boyfriend” Dean May, and revealed to People that the two weren’t really a couple. “Part of the reason we did the show is because [May] owes money and taxes and he could use the money and he wouldn’t mind the fame… so I wanted to do the show for him.”
6. Tara Reid didn’t stay sober after rehab.
In 2008, Reid attempted to turn around her life by checking into a rehab center for celebrities called Promises. After successfully completing a 60-day program, Reid told In-Touch, “I didn’t like the person I was. I was sad and conflicted. I went there by myself. I put myself there. It was the greatest decision I ever made. Rehab saved my life.” However, it seemed her sobriety journey came to an abrupt ending after TMZ caught the actress leaving a club clearly intoxicated.
Despite her career taking a backseat, Reid still maintains her position in the spotlight thanks to social media.
In a 2021interview with Entertainment Tonight, Reid confirmed that ‘American Pie 5’ might be in the works and is excited to reconnect with her old castmates. “We have to get all the actors and at the same time to get our schedules together…” Reid said. “We all stay in touch in different ways… When you grow up with someone and you get your first breaks with someone, you can never forget that.” She’s also working behind the scenes as a producer in the upcoming film ‘Masha’s Mushroom,’ a thriller that stars Reid, Vivica A. Fox, Billy Zane, and Beverly D’Angelo. Whether there’s a comeback in the works or she’s found contentment as an influencer on social media, the world is bound to see more of Reid in the near future. RELATED: 8 Movie And TV Scenes Actors Regret Filming Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.
