Celebrities Whose Careers Were Damaged By A Regular Person

Hollywood has seen many careers destroyed over the years, but the usual culprits of these famous failures are bad ratings, high-profile divorces, or even the celebrities' own public behavior. And in the age of social media, it only takes one extremely ill-advised "hot take" to hit the brakes on even the most successful projects (Looking right at you, Roseanne). But sometimes, it's regular folks who blow the whistle on Hollywood's A-List, exposing the rest of the world to their shady off-screen antics. 

From the housekeeper who brought down the marriage of a Kennedy and an action star, to the journalist who felled a sandwich king, to the many, many brave women who joined their voices to the #MeToo chorus by sharing their allegations of sexual misconduct against some of Tinseltown's biggest names, these average Joes and Janes put some big dents in some big reputations. These are the celebrities whose careers were damaged by a regular person. 

Celebrity chef Paula Deen's multi-million dollar empire came crashing down in 2013 when one of her former employees sued Deen and her brother, Bubba, for racial discrimination and sexual harassment. In her lawsuit (per the New York Post), former Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House employee Lisa T. Jackson claimed, among other things, that Deen's brother, who co-owned the restaurant with Deen, made racist jokes, and implemented discriminatory practices against minority employees. Deen later confirmed, albeit vaguely, in a controversial deposition (per Eater) that she had also used racial slurs at various points in her life.

The discrimination portion of the lawsuit was eventually dismissed, but Deen's confession sparked intense backlash, leading her to lose, among other lucrative income streams, her Food Network shows, a book deal with Random House, and many brand endorsements. Deen attempted multiple comebacks, including a controversial stint on ABC's Dancing With the Stars in 2015. She was eliminated in week six.

As of this writing, Deen's endeavors include a fledgling restaurant chain and a TV show called Positively Paula — although the program is small beans compared to her heyday at the Food Network, during which she hosted four different shows. In fact, Positively Paula is such an underdog, the show's Facebook page actually issued a plea on March 14, 2019, asking fans to buy "from the online store" to "us produce new shows." Yeesh.

By the time 2005 rolled around, Russell Crowe had solidified his bad-boy image, which is why he didn't do himself any favors when he allegedly threw a telephone at a New York City hotel employee during a heated exchange. Crowe was arrested and initially slapped with felony charges, which could have "effectively ended his American film career," according to The New York Times. A plea deal got the charge reduced to a misdemeanor, but the hotel employee, Nestor Estrada, filed a civil suit against Crowe that supposedly settled out of court for an amount in the low six-figures.

While it's tough to pinpoint the exact influence the Estrada altercation had on Crowe's Oscar-winning career, his string of subsequent box office duds, like A Good Year (2006), Body of Lies (2008), and State of Play (2009), could offer some indication. In fact, since 2005, Crowe's only starring role to break the $100 million domestic box office mark was the biblical epic, Noah, which only did so just barely, and had a reported $125 million budget.

But perhaps the most tell-tale sign of how Crowe's attitude has affected his career came via conversations between his past collaborators and Variety. Nearly all eight former Crowe co-workers couched their praise for the star in what were essentially excuses for his difficult on-set behavior. L.A. Confidential director Curtis Hanson even mentioned how Crowe was perfect for the role of Bud White, because of the character's "wounded and angry" disposition. Ouch.  

Frank Gifford's marriage to his wife, Kathie Lee Gifford, almost fell apart in 1997 after his week-long affair with Suzen Johnson, a flight attendant for TWA. The scandal was especially painful for the Gifford family, as it was quickly discovered (per The Washington Post) that Johnson had been paid to have the affair with the sports announcer by the British tabloid The Globe — they supposedly bugged Gifford's hotel room in order to get the full story.

Even more embarrassing was the cover story Johnson gave to Playboy, on which the headline read, "Franky Panky: The Woman Who Sacked Kathie Lee's Hubby." Gifford's marriage to Kathie Lee ultimately endured, as they remained married until his death on August 9, 2015, but his career as a longtime commentator on ABC's Monday Night Football did not.

According to the New York Post, Gifford's role on the broadcast "was greatly reduced" the same year of the scandal. The following year he was fired in what The Baltimore Sun reported was "no surprise." Though the outlet claimed the network had merely "[traded] him in for a new model," it also suggested that his "recent marital difficulties ... made [him] expendable."   

Aside from sporadic appearances here and there on other sports and entertainment shows, Gifford's TV career essentially ended right there. The worst part? He had to endure being the butt of Kathie Lee's on-air jokes about the affair even decades later.

It's not every day a teenage girl takes down the career of a rock icon — especially in days devoid of social media — but in 1958, 13-year-old Myra Lewis Williams found herself in the center of a media firestorm when she wed her second cousin, rock n' roll star Jerry Lee Lewis.

According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, the "Great Balls of Fire" singer was really feeling the heat post-nuptials. When news of his teenage bride broke, there was a public uproar. He was reportedly blacklisted from a number of radio stations and his career took a major hit, with Rolling Stone reporting that he spent the next decade falling into drug and alcohol addiction while mounting a career comeback by playing small, local gigs.

Williams — who had two children before she turned 18 — wrote about her marriage in two memoirs. One became a film starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder, the other documented the rocker's drug addiction and alleged abuse of his young wife. "What they don't realize is that 15 minutes of fame turns into 30 or 40 years. It never goes away if it's bad enough," Williams told the Gwinnett Daily Post, adding, "It was really the first scandal of rock n' roll."

Aziz Ansari's career took a major hit in January 2018 when a 23-year-old photographer accused the star of sexual misconduct in a scathing Babe.net report. Grace (who's only known by that pseudonym) reportedly met the actor and stand-up comic at a 2017 Emmy Awards after party. They exchanged numbers and went out on a date, which ended back at Ansari's apartment.

According to Grace's graphic depiction of the evening, things escalated, and the pair ended up kissing on a countertop. Ansari undressed both of them, which reportedly made the photographer uncomfortable. She asked to slow things down, and the entire night became a push and pull of Ansari allegedly pressuring Grace to go further. Grace claimed that she repeatedly refused Ansari before giving in to his advances. She eventually left Ansari's apartment in tears.

"I cried the whole ride home. At that point I felt violated. That last hour was so out of my hand," she told Babe.net.

After the news broke, Ansari's career undeniably took a hit — whether or not it was self-inflicted. According to Page Six, the comedian was laying low. The fate of his Netflix series Master of None was up in the air even though outlet was reportedly "happy to make another season ... when Aziz is ready." Although he made a statement about the story shortly after it was published, Ansari finally addressed it in his stand-up during an NYC pop-up show in February 2019.

The Ranch isn't exactly one of Netflix's most revered comedies, but the show did find itself in the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons. Danny Masterson, who starred in the series alongside Ashton Kutcher, was reportedly written off the show in December 2017 following a string of rape allegations, according to the Daily Beast.

According to HuffPost, four women accused Masterson, a Scientologist, of "raping them in the early 2000s." Three of these women, who were also Scientologists, allegedly "reported the incidents to the Church of Scientology at the time." At least one of the accusers — who claimed she was "passed out" and woke up to the realization she was being raped — filed a police report in 2004, but it was allegedly squashed after the Church of Scientology "submitted 50 affidavits from Scientologists" denying her account. The case file also reportedly "vanished," and the 2017 investigation appeared to stall as the Los Angeles County district attorney contemplated filing charges.

Masterson denied the allegations and hired Thomas Mesereau, the same lawyer who represented Bill Cosby, to handle the case, but his career has already been allegedly put to a halt. Mesereau reportedly complained to the DA's office claiming the That '70s Show star was "unfairly unable to pursue more career options as long as DA Jackie Lacey delays her decision whether to file charges."