#20. Giuliana Rancic
Giuliana Rancic was at the height of her success when working on E!‘s Fashion Police, when she made a mistake that cost her her career.
During the show, she commented on Zendaya Coleman‘s dreadlocks, saying they “smelled of patchouli oil and weed“. No amount of apologies saved her career, however. But that’s nothing compared to the rest of our list.
#19. Brian Williams
Brian Williams, one of America’s most recognizable newsmen, made headlines in 2015 when he was caught embellishing stories about his war reporting. Turns out he made up fake details to make his stories more dramatic and make him look heroic.
As a result, he was suspended for six months without pay, and he issued a public apology. That didn’t save his career though, which was pretty much over.
#18. Anthony Weiner
Anthony Weiner was in the process of becoming a strong political figure in New York. This, however, came to a halt in 2011, when he was caught in a sexting scandal.
A picture of his crotch was inadvertently posted on Twitter, while he was trying to send it to a woman. He later confessed he cheated on his wife with six women, and kissed his career goodbye.
#17. Brandy
Brandy was at the top of the charts during the ’90s and later pursued a successful acting career. However, it all came to an end when she was in a car accident that took a woman’s life.
Brandy was speeding and crashed into two cars that had slowed down on the highway. Her recklessness drove her out of the spotlight.
#16. Natalia Kills and Willy Moon
Natalia Kills ended her career in a matter of seconds along with her husband, Willy Moon, when they accused a contestant of copying Moon while serving as judges for The X-Factor New Zealand.
She went off on how the contestant copied Moon from his hair to his clothes and music, and Moon verbally attacked the contestant as well. She should’ve changed her name to Natalia Kills her Career.
#15. Billy Bush
Weeks before the 2016 presidential election, an 11-year-old recording of Billy Bush conversing with Donald Trump single-handedly destroyed Bush’s career.
In the conversation, Trump made inappropriate sexual remarks about women, and Bush went along with it, although he didn’t share much himself. He was fired from the Today Show afterward.
#14. Ciara
Although Ciara was pretty successful during the 2000s, she was often compared to Beyoncé, which didn’t sit well with her. But she paid the price for messing with the queen B.
In an interview, she said Beyoncé copied her album cover and referred to her as “petty“. Ciara didn’t manage to revive her career after that, while Beyoncé became the biggest woman in music. That must hurt!
#13. Bill O’Reilly
O’Reilly’s career was over after a 21-year run on Fox News when The New York Times published a story claiming he paid $13 million in settlements to five women over sexual harassment claims.
Shortly after that, O’Reilly was fired and stepped away from the spotlight ever since, and he’ll probably stay there forever.
#12. Mark Salling
Mark Salling entered the spotlight when he was cast on Glee, and became a teenage heartthrob. That was until he was arrested for child pornography possession.
In a disturbing turn of events, the police found thousands of pictures of under-aged girls on his computer and was ordered to stay 100 feet away from schools, parks, and other child hot spots. He committed suicide shortly after.
#11. John Edwards
John Edwards had one of the most memorable falls from grace of all time. Not only was he caught cheating on his wife, who was fighting terminal cancer at the time, but he also got his mistress pregnant.
To top it all off, Edwards also faced criminal allegations for misuse of campaign funds to keep his mistress quiet, but obviously that didn’t work, did it?
#10. Iggy Azalea
Iggy Azalea became a superstar overnight, so how come she disappeared from the spotlight all of a sudden? The answer is she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
She picked fights with Nicki Minaj, and Macklemore on Twitter, and made fun a man who died in a chokehold of a police officer. The last nail on her coffin, however, was dissing Britney Spears on social media.
#9. Milo Yiannopoulos
Yiannopoulos was never short on controversy, but his comments on pedophilia certainly ruined his chances of ever having a career on the media.
In 2016, he advocated for child abuse, saying that 13-year-olds aren’t children and that the idea of consent is “arbitrary and oppressive“. Wow.
#8. Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson skyrocketed to fame in the 2000s, and seemed to have a bright future ahead of herself. That was until a performance on Saturday Night Live turned the public against her.
As she was performing on stage, the vocals for her song Pieces of Me began playing, revealing that she had been lip-synching the whole show. This destroyed her credibility and has flopped ever since.
#7. Elliot Spitzer
Elliot Spitzer enjoyed one short year as New York governor until he was caught cheating on his wife with a prostitute.
His secret was revealed through a federal wiretap discussing meeting a high-priced prostitute in Washington D.C. This drove him to resign from his post, and he hasn’t managed to get back on the road ever since.
#6. Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan had a successful career as a child and teen star until she went down a slippery slope of bad decisions in 2007. She was convicted for DUI (twice) and cocaine possession, went to rehab three times, and later to jail.
By 2011, she had been sent to jail twice more: first, for stealing a §2,500 necklace; and then, for failing to attend her court-ordered weekly alcohol education classes. On top of that, all her attempts at becoming a movie star once more flopped.
#5. Paula Deen
Paula Deen, who was at the top of her career, was exposed in a leaked deposition that sent her straight to the bottom. She was being sued for $1.2 million for using the N-word, to which she confessed in the deposition.
Not only that, but she also said she planned “plantation-style weddings with all black servers“. She was dropped from the Food Network, and publicly apologizing didn’t change a thing.
#4. Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey‘s career was blown to smithereens after actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexually harassing him when he was only 14 years old. Spacey admitted it, apologized, and took the opportunity to come out as gay.
Coming out only made things worse. He was accused of trying to hide behind his sexual orientation, and most people thought it was in bad taste. He was fired from House of Cards and has been out of the spotlight ever since.
#3. Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson was a force to be reckoned within Hollywood, until he was arrested for DUI, and went on a rant filled with antisemitic and sexist remarks that were eventually made public.
His temper and his offensive comments completely destroyed what was once a brilliant career. He re-emerged in 2017, however, with Hacksaw Ridge, a critically acclaimed movie. Could he take back his spot at the top?
#2. Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods was the most successful golfer of all time and seemed to have it all: a loving wife, a fortune, and a spotless career. He lost all of it, however, when it was revealed he cheated on his wife with several women.
Once the highest-paid athlete of all time, Woods lost all his endorsements, many fans, his wife, and his reputation.
#1. Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby was once a Hollywood legend loved and respected by many. But that changed in 2014 when many allegations of sexual assault were made public. To this date, over 50 women have come forward.
He had his honorary degrees revoked, his shows canceled and is currently serving 3 to 10 years in prison for sexual assault.