Yahoo Lifestyle 23 Celebrities Who Were Totally F*cked Over By Hollywood And Deserve A Huge Apology
In Hollywood, dreams can come to life just as quickly as they can be shattered. Some stars ride the wave of success to new heights while others are cast aside the moment they become inconvenient.
This harsh reality has defined Hollywood for decades. Some people are blackballed, others are underpaid, and many are thrown under the bus in ways that still leave a lasting sting.
The powerful are often protected while true talent is cast aside. Nowhere is this more evident than with Harvey Weinstein, who spent decades getting away with predatory behavior. Those who dared speak out faced brutal consequences for their careers; they were blacklisted and even pushed out of the industry without a word.
Redditors came together in a viral thread where they discussed the celebrities who were totally screwed over by the industry. And honestly, some of these people deserve a huge apology. Below are 24 shocking and heartbreaking examples of celebrities who were entirely f*cked over by Hollywood.
Note: Responses have been edited and condensed for clarity. Some responses were also pulled from this Reddit post.
1."Mira Sorvino. Several directors admitted to blacklisting her at Weinstein’s request when she rejected his advances."
2."Amanda Bynes and any child actor on Nickelodeon."
3."Sinead O'Connor. She tried to bring attention to child sexual abuse and coverups by the Catholic church. She was right. But she was vilified and her career was destroyed."
4."No one has been done more dirty by Hollywood than Britney Spears. The tabloids quite literally led to her conservatorship by her family. Could you imagine not being able to make your own decisions for years all because you had postpartum depression?! Nearly every new mother experiences postpartum depression!"
"Fuck, I had postpartum depression and shaved my head too, but I didn’t have my autonomy stripped from me because of it."
5."Fatty Arbuckle. His career was destroyed for the sake of expediency. He was falsely accused of raping and accidentally killing a young actress at a party in 1921. He was tried three times, the first two hung juries, the third an acquittal."
"The scandal wrecked Arbuckle's career, and the powers that be decided that Arbuckle would have to be sacrificed rather than face the wrath of moral objectors. He never worked again as an actor."
6."For those who aren't familiar, adults turned Judy Garland into a prescription drug addict while she was a child star. Her mother had her on both amphetamines and sleeping pills before she turned 10. Then, MGM studio executives turned up the pressure. They also hooked her on tobacco cigarettes and gave her an eating disorder. She died of an accidental overdose in her 40s."
7."Rose McGowan for being vocal about Weinstein."
8."Birds actress Tippi Hedren refused to have sex with Alfred Hitchcock. Due to a contract with him, she couldn't work elsewhere for a couple of years."
9."Lana Turner. The studio that controlled her contract forced her to have an abortion she didn't want."
"The procedure was done in her hotel room with no medicine or painkillers, with her mother's hand held over her mouth to muffle the screams. Then they took the cost of it out of her paycheck."
10."Paul Leroy Robeson was an amazing football player and actor and trailblazer for the civil rights movement, but being associated with civil rights put him under the microscope and supporting leftist activists ended his career during the Red Scare. So sad. Luckily, he got to see his career somewhat rehabbed before he died."
11."Winona Ryder got screwed over pretty badly. She was a box office darling but got caught doing the worst thing you can do, apparently, in Hollywood. That is shoplifting."
12."Jake Lloyd. He was seven years old and ridiculed for a terrible movie that wasn’t of his making. Did his acting suck? Who knows. Lucas even made Liam Neeson and Natalie Portman come off as wooden."
"Then, he was cast aside. The kid went through hell with interviews and promotion, all to be ridiculed and thrown away.
Poor guy."
13."Marilyn Monroe. Not only did she get abused by Hollywood big shots but also hooked on drugs. Murdered (considered a suicide) and then gets displayed as a dumb blonde when she was pretty damn smart, and that’s why they considered her a threat."
14."Courtney Love got blacklisted for telling the truth about Harvey Weinstein."
15."Brendan Fraser went from A-list heartthrob to never being cast in movies because he spoke out about being sexually assaulted."
16."I think I recall reading that Richard Gere was basically blackballed due to speaking out about China's treatment of Tibetan Buddhists. From what I remember, Hollywood was trying to get more into the Chinese market, but the Chinese government said they wouldn't allow any movie studio pictures to be shown that employed him. Chinese investors wouldn't invest in any project he was involved with either. Effectively killed his career."
17."Nathan Forrest Winters when he played in Clownhouse. Poor kid was sexually assulted by the director. Then, still forced to finish post-production on the movie by Francis Coppola, and then was blacklisted and never worked again."
18."Janet Jackson was a victim of Les Moonves. Add actress Sarah Joy Brown to that list of Moonves's victims. He has a long list. He was the Weinstein of CBS."
Gilbert Carrasquillo / GC Images via Getty Images, Lilly Lawrence / WireImage via Getty Images
19."Ashley Judd. Hugely successful, highly talented actress who turned down Harvey Wienerstain and had her career come to a crashing halt because she was said to be 'difficult to work with,' meaning she wouldn't suck producer dick."
20."Corey Feldman. He had a run of hits and solid movies back in the day. As soon as he stepped up and advocated for his wellbeing, his career was destroyed (the same thing happened to Brendan Fraser)."
21."Corey Haim was the first that came to mind. I'm sure there are other better choices, but that's my go-to."
22."My vote is for Rita Hayworth. Not only did they change her name, but also her ethnicity. She was beautiful before the makeover and after. But she was their commodity."
23."The Three Stooges were lied to about their popularity and the income of their films by the studio in the early years of their contracts at Columbia. They had their contracts extended only at the last minute each year and were criminally underpaid for how popular they were during this time."
Who else do you think got royally screwed over by Hollywood? Let us know in the comment section below.
H/T: r/AskReddit & r/moviecritic
