Yahoo Lifestyle "Now I Realize He Just Uses Sick People For His Own Profit": 23 Celebrities Who Lost All Their Fans In Record Time
A while back, Reddit user MatsGry asked, "What celebrity have you lost all respect for? Why?" and people had a lot to say. Here are some celebrities people used to love but now have wholly turned against.
1."Joe Rogan. He genuinely used to have interesting guests and ask interesting questions on his show. He's now just a conspiracy theorist with one of the biggest platforms. It's disgraceful, really."
"Even when he does have an interesting guest on now, he finds a way to turn most of the podcast into a discussion about cancel culture and social media and other bullshit I don't care about instead of actually getting in-depth into the stuff the guest does."
"Ever since he moved to Spotify, he has gone completely off the trails. It baffles me that someone who frequently talks about the dangers of echo chambers in news media managed to turn his own podcast into one — inviting the same experts over and over again and only inviting those he thinks will confirm and share his own personal viewpoint."
2."Chevy Chase. I wasn't a die-hard fan, but I used to respect him a whole lot more for the work he put in and the things he made. ... It came out that he's more like Ellen DeGeneres, where he's pretty toxic, and there are a lot of anecdotal stories of him just being a dick. I still appreciate what he did, but he definitely got knocked down a few pegs in my books."
Some more info: In 2012, reports claimed that Chase had left the show Community after using a racial slur on set. According to costar Donald Glover, Chase often would make racist jokes to him on set or rib him with comments like "People think you're funnier because you're Black." Chase acknowledged that he "could have said" the remark but insisted it was just a misinterpreted joke. He later framed his departure from the show as mutual, saying he left because he "honestly felt the show wasn't funny enough."
3."Jenny McCarthy's 'vaccines cause autism' platform contributed to many anti-vax followers who didn't give their kids life-saving modern medicine. She was really popular in the mid-'90s and was later a regular talk-show guest. Fuck Jenny McCarthy."
4."Neil Degrasse Tyson when I found out about accusations of sexual misconduct."
"He comes across as an arrogant douche as well."
Some more info: Tyson denied the misconduct allegations. He did not face charges, but the American Museum of Natural History in NYC, which employs him, did investigate him and ultimately allowed him to keep his job.
5."Grimes. She's just become a cringey and pretentious person ever since getting involved with Elon Musk, as well as having some extremely hypocritical views about politics."
"But the things that made me lose respect for her most are:
Hanging out maskless at a party with Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and Dave Chapelle, of all people, and getting COVID-19 and talking about how peaceful having COVID-19 was while having access to the best healthcare money can buy. Meanwhile, people like myself have to go to work every day to make a living and take all the precautions to avoid getting COVID-19.
That cringey 'Is he hot or...' TikTok video with the robot dog.
Being silent on the Texas abortion law while living in Austin, TX, with Musk.
And yeah, I know she 'broke up' with Musk, but she's still a terrible person."
6."Alec Baldwin. I mean, I knew he was an asshole before what happened on the set of Rust. But even more so now with the way he's handled it all. The fact that other actors are calling him out on his shit — it's karmic. I used to like him in 30 Rock, but now his shows are unwatchable."
7."Dr Phil. Now I realize he just uses sick people for his own profit. He brought the creator of Bumfights on the show and kicked him off after showing up dressed as Dr Phil. The guy said he and Dr Phil did the exact same thing; Phil just hid it better. After seeing that clip, I have no respect for Dr Phil."
8."J.K. Rowling. When a bunch of kids who grew up on your books tell you that your stance on an issue is causing pain and suffering to a section of society that's already marginalized, you don't fucking double down on your position. Heck, I'm a POC cis straight woman who's lived in a bubble as far as knowing about the struggles others face in their day-to-day lives. But even I know that treating everybody with kindness and respect is how you act. You learn that shit from the little bunny (Thumper?) in Bambi, FFS. So yeah, she was a massive disappointment."
Some more info: Rowling has come under fire in the last few years for a series of anti-trans comments — which she has continually doubled down on.
9."Aaron Rodgers. I used to think he was always the smartest guy in the room, that the Packers were holding him back, that he could do no wrong, and that he was one of the best NFL players in the world. He may still be one of the best players, but everything that happened around his vaccination status came off to me as complete 'white male entitlement' and 'rules for thee, not for me.' Especially how he came back and said 'the woke mob' was after him. I now see him as an absolute child, and I feel bad that the Packers have had to put up with a grown child."
Some more info: After Rodgers contracted COVID despite having told the press he'd been immunized, it came out that Rodgers had never actually been vaccinated and had broken the NFL's COVID protocols. It turned out he'd been referring to homeopathic treatment, and he later said he regretted using the word "immunized." However, he said he was allergic to an ingredient in Modern and Pfizer's vaccines, and that he was concerned about the effects of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, and that if he could go back, he would've been more open about that. "If I could do it again, I would have said [in August], f--- the appeal. I'm just going to tell them I'm allergic to PEG, I'm not getting Johnson & Johnson, I'm not going to be vaxxed."
10."Joss Whedon. He was a hugely influential voice in my formative years. A man I looked up to when I had none in my real life. I even met him, and he was everything I had dreamed he would be. To say I was devastated is an understatement."
"It's doubly ironic because he was always held up as a feminist and writer of strong women."
Some more info: Whedon was accused of a slew of problematic remarks and abusive behavior towards actors and writers on his projects, which ultimately tanked his decades-long career. He's denied many of the more serious claims of misconduct, saying he never physically harmed or intentionally humiliated anyone.
11."When the breakup between him and Britney happened, he told a radio show he was being interviewed on that he did, in fact, have sex with her. Then he did the music video for 'Cry Me a River' with a Britney lookalike and alluded to her cheating on him, even though he was also [according to Britney] cheating; he just didn't get caught and publicly shamed."
12."James Corden. I used to be a real big fan of him and his old Gavin and Stacy stuff. ... And then the stories of how he treats people ... started to roll out, and I'm like fuck this guy."
13."Kylie Jenner for [allegedly] not paying her factory workers at all." [Editor's note: Jenner denied this.]
She also filmed the ambulance struggling to get through the crowd at Astroworld and posted it on her IG ... despite what went down."
"She also set up a GoFundMe page for her makeup artist's surgery. Sounds nice until you remember she could pay for it, and it wouldn't do anything to her."
Some more info: Jenner later claimed her former makeup artist "isn't my makeup artist, and unfortunately, we don't have a personal relationship anymore," calling the "narrative that I've asked fans for money" false. She claimed she saw a post about the GoFundMe on social media, saw it was set at 10k, and donated 5k so that the goal would be reached. She said she added the link "on my stories to gain more awareness if anyone also felt compelled to share or donate."
14."Ellen DeGeneres. Man, I remember how awesome I thought Ellen's Energy Adventure was, and she's also the voice of Dory, and she just seemed so nice, but it turns out she's a massive asshole."
"I remember watching the special where a woman who had recently come out was in tears thanking Ellen for making it a little easier for her to be herself. Fast forward to now...so disappointing how she's acting."
"Ellen DeGeneres. She ... practically bullied Taylor Swift on live TV, she outed Mariah Carey's pregnancy — need I go on? She treats her guests like trash."
15."Charlie Sheen. The guy is a self-centered asshole. Had an entire show around him and was thrown out after turning on everyone, then some other network just gave him a vehicle show where he barely showed any work ethic, and when his co-star called him out on that, he [allegedly] had HER fired! Stop rewarding people for being assholes!"
"He had a few sexual partners while having HIV and didn't tell them. Also, his domestic abuse."
Some more info: Sheen's Anger Management co-star, Selma Blair, said Sheen fired her in a text filled with expletives after she questioned his work ethic. Sheen claimed Blair was let go because the show "was not about our relationship, and the problem was too many people were still excited about the Two and a Half Men character and thought the Anger Management character was a little dull."
Sheen has HIV and has said there were a "couple of times" he didn't tell sexual partners "because the last 25 times I'd told somebody, they used it against me, and they used my medical condition for their own folly and financial gain." However, he said they hadn't had unprotected sex and that "no one has been infected by me."
Finally, back in 2010, Sheen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault against his then-wife.
16."I got pretty into the TV show Glee in 2020, and I didn't know most of the cast beforehand, so It's not like I was a fan of anyone, but after I heard about Lea Michele's ugly behavior, I was truly appalled. I don't know how anyone can support her. In a nutshell, she disrespected a ton of people she has worked with."
"She [allegedly] threatened to fire people, belittled the staff, called them cockroaches, and told a coworker she would 'shit in her wig,' among other nasty things. Shame, since she's a talented singer."
Some more info: After Samantha Ware's accusations about the wig comment and other "traumatic microaggressions," Lea apologized, saying, "While I don't remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or color of their skin, that's not really the point. What matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people. Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused. We all can grow and change and I have definitely used these past several months to reflect on my own shortcomings."
17."Wendy Williams. She is just an ugly person on the inside in general. ... She outed Method Man's wife for having cancer."
"She mocked Joaquin Phoenix’s upper lip. ... She's a garbage person."
"She blamed her son for walking in on her giving her husband a blowjob in their living room. And she didn't stop giving her husband the blowjob even though she knew her son was in the room."
18."Shia LaBeouf. I was one of the holdouts who argued he was misunderstood as an artist and a person. As soon as the FKA Twigs story came out, I couldn't bring myself to continue being a fan. The dude needs help, and if we're being real, he probably needs to do time."
Some more info: In 2020, ex-girlfriend FKA twigs accused LaBeouf of sexual assault, battery, and infliction of emotional distress. She sued him in a lawsuit that also claimed he had knowingly given her an STD. Other past girlfriends echoed FKA twigs's claims with stories of similar behavior. LaBeouf originally claimed that “many of these allegations are not true," though in 2022, he acknowledged, "I hurt that woman. And in the process of doing that, I hurt many other people, and many other people before that woman." Twigs' suit has yet to go to trial.
19."Chrissy Teigen was an advocate for being kind to people online and then had been cyberbullying Courtney Stodden, amongst others."
20."Travis Scott — he was a bystander to the deaths of a bunch of his own fans. I just can't support someone that apathetic to the deaths of his own supporters."
Some more info: Ten died and hundreds were injured after a crowd at Scott's concert became overly packed. Much later, Scott called it "devastating," saying "those fans were like my family." However, he came under fire directly after the incident, when it was reported he'd attended a party afterward, though sources said he didn't yet know the severity of the incident and left when he found out. Scott did not face charges over the concert.
21."Mark Wahlberg."
"For me, it was the shouting of 'Kill the n*****, kill the n*****' while pelting the rocks at fourth graders that bothered me."
"He also said, 'If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry.' About the 9/11 attacks."
Some more info: When Wahlberg was 15, he was found guilty of violating civil rights after reportedly chasing and throwing rocks at Black children with his friends, yelling, "Kill the n*****s." Then, when he was 17, he attacked two Vietnamese-Americans, one of whom was a veteran. According to officers, he knocked one out and punched the other while calling them racial slurs. He was high on PCP at the time. Wahlberg claimed the latter attacks had nothing to do with race, but as he had previously been found guilty of violating civil rights for the former attacks, he was found in contempt of court. He was sentenced to two years in prison but only served under two months.
After becoming famous, Wahlberg sought a pardon for the attack that landed him in jail, writing, "I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims. Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others." While he eventually dropped the pardon bid, he claimed in 2020 that he really had changed, "I took it upon myself to own up to my mistakes and go against the grain and not be a part of the gang anymore – to say that I was going to go and do my own thing."
One of the men Wahlberg attacked, Johnny Trinh, supported Wahlberg in receiving a pardon, saying, "He was young and reckless, but I forgive him now. Everyone deserves another chance." In contrast, one of the young children Wahlberg harassed, Kristyn Atwood, said, "I don't really care who he is. It doesn't make him any exception. If you're a racist, you're always going to be a racist. And for him to want to erase it, I just think it's wrong."
As for Wahlberg's remarks on 9/11, he later apologized, calling his comments "ridiculous ... irresponsible ... [and] insensitive."
22."Eric Clapton. Massive talent. Even more massive racist asshole."
"I recently found out about Eric Clapton suing a little old widow (4k in legal fees) for her attempting to sell her late husband's old bootleg DVD of one of his old concerts for $11 online. Fuck that guy."
Some more info: In 1976, Clapton asked "foreigners" at his concert to raise their hands, then asked them to leave, going on a racist rant that included sentiments like "England is for white people." He later apologized for his racist remarks.
As for the lawsuit over the bootleg, Clapton's team called articles on the matter "often misleading" and stated, “When the full facts of this particular case came to light and it was clear the individual is not the type of person Eric Clapton or his record company wish to target, Eric Clapton decided not to take any further action and does not intend to collect the costs awarded to him by the court."
23.And finally..."Everyone who signed the 2009 Roman Polanski petition."
Theo Wargo / Getty Images, Ian Gavan / Getty Images, Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images, Pablo Cuadra / WireImage via Getty Images
"I just today found out about the 2009 Polanski petition and the 100 celebrities that signed it — so all of them."
Some more info: Out of those who signed, Quentin Tarantino and Natalie Portman have apologized.
What celebrity have you lost all respect for? Let us know in the comments.
Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.
