Choosing acting as a career comes with the understanding that immense effort is needed to achieve fame. Even if an actor scores a hit with their debut role, there’s a long road ahead to sustain that success and reach the pinnacle of superstardom. Building a professional acting career can take years, whereas it takes far less to bring one crashing down.

Though it’s a rare occurrence, there are occasions when an actor’s actions or words are so damaging that they become unemployable. In some instances, their behavior is so appalling that the public decides to cancel them from the cultural landscape entirely. Once canceled, it’s difficult to recover since the public rarely forgives or forgets when an adored actor has done something heinous to earn their collective disdain.

While a series of unsuccessful projects can slowly erode an actor’s career, causing damage in such a swift and dramatic manner that it’s akin to an overnight downfall is uncommon. These actors were at the peak of their careers, experiencing rapid success, only to experience a decline that was equally public, swift, and catastrophic.

The following article includes mention of substance abuse, hate crimes, murder, sexual assault, and domestic abuse.

Emile Hirsch began acting as a child on television before making the jump to feature films. He appeared in “The Girl Next Door,” “Alpha Dog,” and “Speed Racer,” but he’s probably best known for his critically acclaimed performance in “Into the Wild” in 2007. Hirsch had impressive prospects in Hollywood, but his career forever changed direction at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

On January 25, 2015, per USA Today, Hirsch drunkenly assaulted Paramount executive Dani Bernfeld at the Tao nightclub in Park City, Utah. According to the victim, Hirsch “choked me up, threw me across the table, and I felt the front of my throat hit the back of my throat.” Hirsch pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, earning a 15-day stint in jail, a $4,750 fine, community service, and probation.

Hirsch later expressed regret over his actions, and while he continues to work, he rarely appears in any high-profile films or television series. Most of his projects are certified “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes, while few have broken $500,000 in earnings since the assault upended his career.

Throughout much of the 1980s, Jennifer Grey appeared in several high-profile films, including “Red Dawn,” “The Cotton Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and “Dirty Dancing,” which is Grey’s best-known role. While she’s never retired, you’ve likely wondered what happened to Grey after “Dirty Dancing,” because the actor effectively disappeared from the public’s attention and struggled to find noteworthy parts.

After playing the lead in a massive hit, Grey should have been ducking scripts left and right, but instead, she got a rhinoplasty. Grey had a prominent nose throughout her life, but after “Dirty Dancing,” her mother convinced her to do something about it. She went under the knife to smooth out her nose and give it a less pronounced shape. The two procedures she underwent succeeded in changing her nose, but they also killed her career.

She knew something was up when her friend Michael Douglas didn’t recognize her at a premiere. The actor fully believes that she lost her identity and career overnight because of her nose jobs. Grey hasn’t landed a major role in years, but she continues to work. She won “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010 and has continued to appear in various films and TV series since, most notably Jesse Eisenberg’s Oscar-winning 2024 film “A Real Pain.”

Roseanne Barr has always been a controversial comic who says whatever’s on her mind, and for the most part, it’s worked for her. She landed an incredibly successful eponymous series that ran from 1988 to 1997, with the show earning a revival that premiered in 2018 and tapped into fans’ nostalgia, while disregarding the original series’s problematic final season.

“Roseanne” was successful again, so ABC greenlit a second season that was canceled before shooting could commence, entirely due to Barr’s actions. On May 29, 2018, Barr tweeted a series of comments comparing an Black woman, Valerie Jarrett, to a character from the “Planet of the Apes” film franchise. This did not go over well with anyone, and Barr was quick to blame Ambien for her offensive tweets.

Eventually, Barr admitted on Fox News (via PBS) that “it cost me everything. I wish I worded it better.” Meanwhile, “Roseanne” was reconfigured as “The Conners,” though Barr’s character was killed off before the pilot episode. All told, “Roseanne” and “The Conners” have some excellent series finales, but Barr is only referenced in the final episode of “The Conners” when the family visits her grave.

From 2015 to 2019, Jussie Smollett became famous for playing Jamal Lyon on “Empire.” The actor had been working in Hollywood since his film debut in “The Mighty Ducks,” but it was “Empire” that made him a celebrity. Unfortunately, it’s also the last significant role he’s had since he falsely claimed to be the victim of a hate crime. 

On January 29, 2019, Smollett told the police he’d been physically attacked by two men yelling racial and homophobic slurs at him. The police investigated, spending over $130,000 in expenses along the way, only to discover that the assault was completely staged. 

Smollett was hit with multiple charges stemming from his hiring of two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, to pretend to attack him while screaming things like (via USA Today) “This is MAGA country.” Smollett was found guilty on five of six counts, earning a 150-day stay in the county jail, 30 months of probation, and fines and restitution in the amount of $145,000. The whole affair destroyed Smollett’s credibility and career — he’s had one credit since, a movie called “The Last Holiday.”

Lillo Brancato Jr. isn’t a name that is widely known to the world, but he’s been in plenty of popular films and television series. He launched his career via Robert De Niro’s directorial debut, “A Bronx Tale,” and continued acting in a variety of projects, including “Enemy of the State,” “The Sopranos,” and “The Adventures of Pluto Nash.” Brancato worked relatively consistently until December 10, 2005, when it all came crashing down.

On that evening, Brancato took part in a burglary alongside an accomplice that ended with the death of NYPD officer Daniel Enchautegui. Officer Enchautegui witnessed two men breaking into a neighbor’s home and attempted to stop them. One of the men turned and shot him in the chest, and Enchautegui returned fire, striking the man who shot him four times while two rounds were fired at Brancato.

Brancato received a 10-year sentence for his actions that evening. He took responsibility, noting his drug addiction that contributed to the burglary and murder. He was released, found sobriety, and now spends his days counseling other addicts and ex-cons as they strive to rebuild their lives. His acting career was effectively destroyed, but he’s done some minor work in short films in the years following his release.

Ja Rule began acting in 2000, following the release of his successful debut album in 1999. Rule had a couple of decent credits in 2000, but it was 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious” that set him up for acting success. He plays Edwin in the original film, but didn’t appear in any of the sequels.

That’s strange, seeing as the “Fast and Furious” franchise has been killing it with one sequel after another for decades. But Rule isn’t in the subsequent nine sequels because he’s one of the few actors who refused an opportunity in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Rule was supposed to appear in “2 Fast 2 Furious” but decided to walk during the negotiation phase over money.

At the time, Rule was one of the biggest rappers on the planet, and while he received $15,000 for the first film, he felt he was worth more than the $500,000 offered for the second. It wasn’t a great decision because, while he’s appeared in some films since, he never rose to superstar status. Rule’s departure opened the door for Ludacris, who’s been part of the franchise since bringing Tej to life in “2 Fast 2 Furious.”

Katherine Heigl was a rising star throughout the 2000s, with award-winning roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and in films like “27 Dresses.” It seemed her star couldn’t fade, but 2007 changed her career following some questionable comments and bad decisions regarding “Grey’s” and the film “Knocked Up.” While promoting the movie, which was a hit – earning nearly $220 million on a $30 million budget– Heigl put her foot in her mouth.

During an interview with Vanity Fair, Heigl called the movie “a little sexist” for how it painted women as “shrews, humorless, and uptight.” That same year, Heigl pulled herself from Emmy consideration, issuing a statement indicating she “did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant” it (via The New York Times). That’s a great way to anger your producers and writers, with things devolving for Heigl from there.

Heigl eventually left “Grey’s Anatomy” when her contract ended, and while she continued to work, her star fell far. Nowadays, Heigl is seemingly a pariah who doesn’t work outside of made-for-TV movies or minor roles in TV series. She hasn’t officially retired, but Heigl moved to Utah with her family in 2010, leaving Hollywood and much of her old life behind.

While her career began in mixed martial arts, Gina Carano eventually transitioned into acting. She had a great deal of early success in “Fast and Furious 6,” “Extraction,” and “Deadpool” before landing a recurring role in “The Mandalorian.” Carano plays Cara Dune in the show’s first two seasons, and the character was intended to lead her own series, called “Rangers of the New Republic,” before the project was scrapped.

The cancellation came about when Disney fired Carano from “The Mandalorian” and its planned spinoff, after Carano posted that disliking conservatives for their political views was similar to the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. This was apparently the last straw for Disney, following several other posts she made on social media, which the company warned her about on a number of occasions. Carano posted conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccines, her personal views on Black Lives Matter and transgender rights, her claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, and more.

With Disney considered a progressive, inclusive company, Carano’s opinions on these matters upset company executives. Her career has been stalled ever since. Rumors of Carano’s potential return to “Star Wars” were false, and she’s barely worked in the years since her termination. Carano has been in the news for suing the House of Mouse, with financial backing from Elon Musk, for wrongful termination and sex discrimination.

Cas Anvar has been acting since the early 1990s, but with all the movies and TV shows he’s been in over the years, it’s “The Expanse” that got him the most attention. Anvar played Alex Kamal in the show’s first five seasons, but didn’t return for the sixth and final season, as Kamal was surprisingly killed in the Season 5 finale.

In June 2020, dozens of allegations of sexual harassment and assault arose about Anvar. This led Alcon Entertainment, which produced “The Expanse,” to hire an investigator to determine the truth. In November of that year, Anvar was fired from “The Expanse,” and he’s barely worked in front of a camera since. This was a significant move, as Alex was a main character, and his death in Season 5’s finale didn’t align with the books.

Alcon Entertainment’s investigation must have found evidence of Anvar’s actions in relation to the allegations because it completely severed ties with the actor. While he lost his job and career relatively quickly, no official charges have arisen to date as a result of the allegations.

Though he was relatively new to acting, it didn’t take Blake Jenner long to make a name for himself on the small screen. Jenner played Ryder Lynn in “Glee,” which earned him a great deal of success. It also introduced him to Melissa Benoist, who played Marley Rose in the show. She’s probably best known these days for playing Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl, in “Supergirl,” where Jenner had a two-episode guest role.

The couple married, but in 2016, Benoist filed for divorce, which was finalized the following year. In 2019, Benoist shared her story about surviving domestic violence, and while she didn’t name her abuser, she and Jenner were married during the period she addressed. In October of the following year, Jenner admitted to injuring Benoist in 2015 via an Instagram post confirming he was the person Benoist didn’t name.

He took responsibility and admitted regret, while also claiming to have suffered abuse in the relationship as well. Jenner may have come clean to the public about what happened, but his career suffered regardless. He’s worked sporadically since, but his career and reputation have seemingly suffered irreparable harm as a result of the domestic violence he perpetrated during his marriage.

Michael Richards began acting in the 1980s, but it was his time on “Seinfeld,” playing Cosmo Kramer, that made him a star. Kramer was a standout character in a show chock-full of them, and that’s largely thanks to Richards’ impressive comedic timing and stage presence. “Seinfeld” kept Richards busy from 1989 to 1998, and when it went off the air, he tried to move in a few different directions in his career.

This included the short-lived “The Michael Richards Show” and a return to standup comedy at clubs in the United States. It was at one of these venues that Richards destroyed his career: In 2006, while performing at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California, Richards went off on a group of Black people in the audience who heckled him, unleashing a tirade of racist insults that were recorded and circulated rapidly online..

Richards apologized multiple times and tried to get on the other side of it, but the incident permanently marred his reputation and career. In the years since, Richards had very little work outside of projects with friends Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David.

Though she started acting as a child in 1989, it was 2001’s “Smallville” that made Allison Mack a star. She plays Chloe Sullivan throughout the series’ 10 seasons, and when “Smallville” went off the air in 2011, she jumped to “Wilfred.” Mack had other acting roles, but she’s best known for being one of the primary leaders of the sex cult NXIVM, which was run by Keith Raniere.

Mack joined in 2006, and in 2015, it’s believed that she became the second-in-command of the sub-group “Dominus Obsequious Sororium,” a secret women’s group within the main organization. Mack was arrested in April 2018, and while she initially faced 15 years to life for her involvement, she cooperated and pleaded guilty.

Mack was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison, though she served just shy of one year and 10 months before being released. While she’s unlikely to restart her career in the future, her time in front of the camera was over the moment she was arrested. Her involvement in recruiting women for the cult — which included branding them with Raniere’s initials and forcing them to have sex with him — made her an outcast.

Stephen Collins is one of those character actors who you’ve probably seen multiple times, even if you don’t know his name. He began acting in the ’70s and, in recent years, found his way onto the sets of “The Office,” “Scandal,” and “7th Heaven,” where he played Eric Camden, a reverend and dad.

He disappeared in 2014 and hasn’t acted since for the worst possible reason. In 2014, the NYPD began investigating Collins, who admitted to sexually abusing a minor on a tape they’d acquired. Allegations against Collins dated back nearly 20 years earlier, but he was never charged as the statute of limitations had passed.

In a 2014 interview with People magazine, Collins admitted to having “inappropriate sexual conduct with three female minors” between 1973 and 1994, which instantly shut down his career. Despite his admission, Collins has insisted he’s not a pedophile – which doesn’t align with what he’s said and done.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, or may be the victim of domestic violence, a hate crime, or sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below: