10 celebs who were hit by cancel culture and where are they now: From JK Rowling to Matt Damon

10 celebrities who got canceled and where are they now

The glitz of show business has often been subjected to the unforgiving world of cancel culture with many celebrities being brought a peg down by the public for speaking or acting in a manner deemed unacceptable. With the advent of social media, as garnering information has become easier, it has also become easier to propagate information. Thus several celebrities, who were once probably destined for greatness, faced controversies because of their alleged actions. Here are a few A-listers who were shunned and what they are doing in the aftermath.

1. Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey was one of Hollywood's biggest stars to have faced cancelation. In 2017, Spacey was accused of sexual assault by several alleged victims including Richard Dreyfuss’ actor son Harry, who accused Spacey of "groping." Several cast members of his hit show 'House of Cards' accused him of sexual misconduct too. He was, nevertheless, acquitted of the sexual assault charges in a London-based trial in 2023. Following the controversy, he lost his role in the Netflix series 'House of Cards' and his role in the Ridley Scott movie 'All the Money in the World' was axed and completely reshot with Christopher Plummer. However, after his acquittal, he is slowly getting his footing back in showbiz. In 2022, he starred in 'The Man Who Drew God' along with Franco Nero and Faye Dunaway. He is also playing the titular role in 'Peter Five Eight', per Page Six.

2. Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson's glitzy music career came to a crashing pause when in February 2021, Manson's ex-fiancee actress Evan Rachel Wood posted on Instagram: “The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson. He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission … I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives.” Apart from her, several other women came forward accusing him of abuse. Sexual assault lawsuits were also filed against him. As a consequence, his role in Starz TV show 'American Gods' was cut and radio stations dropped a number of his songs from playing. After the LA County Sheriff’s Department searched his home in November 2021 and seized several items, he lodged a lawsuit against Wood for alleged "malicious falsehood" in March 2022. While he is still canceled, his streaming numbers are still going steady.

3. Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen was accused of being a bully by Courtney Stodden, ex-wife of 'Lost' actor Doug Hutchinson. Teigen was also accused of being a bully by fashion designer Michael Costello and 'Teen Mom' reality star Farrah Abraham. The accusations made her lose her role as the narrator of Netflix's 'Never Have I Ever'. She, however, admitted her mistakes and took to her Twitter account to apologize to Stodden, saying, “I am ashamed and completely embarrassed at my behavior but that is nothing compared to how I made Courtney feel.” After taking a break from social media, she returned and said on Instagram, “Cancel club is a fascinating thing and I have learned a whollllle lot."

4. James Franco

James Franco has been accused of inappropriately texting women who were not even 18. There were allegations leveled against him of sexually harassing and abusing women and creating a toxic environment in his acting school and on sets of the projects he worked on. As an aftermath of the cancelation, he stepped back from acting in 2019 when his Netflix show 'The Duece' ended. During an appearance on ABC's 'Live! With Kelly and Michael', the actor admitted, "I used bad judgment and I learned my lesson." Though he is mostly in a self-imposed exile, it is said that he will be making a comeback with a Fidel Castro biopic.

5. Armie Hammer

Once slated as Hollywood's golden boy, Armie Hammer's showbiz career was rattled in 2021 when he was accused by his former girlfriend Effie Angelnova of rape and fantasizing about cannibalism. Former girlfriend, Paige Lorenze and app developer Courtney Vucekovich have also accused him of having preferences for cannibalism. However, after much deliberation, in April 2023, it was revealed that Hammer wouldn't face sexual assault charges brought against him by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. In the meantime, he was dropped from several projects including Jennifer Lopez's 'Shotgun Wedding'. Recently, he appeared in the 'Painful Lessons' podcast, where he said he was "grateful" for the accusations as he got the opportunity to bond with his family.

6. DaBaby

DaBaby, born Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, faced cancelation for making homophobic remarks at a music festival in Miami in 2021. During his performance, he said, “[If] you didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put a cellphone light in the air.” He received immense backlash from the LGBTQ community along with stars like Madonna and Elton John. In a later hit 'Whole Lotta Money', the rapper accepted he was "canceled" and both sobbed and laughed at the situation.

7. Matt Damon

One of Hollywood's favorite stars, Matt Damon was embroiled in a controversy when in August 2021, he told the Sunday Times of London that one of his daughters had taken him to task “months ago” for using the homophobic slur “f****t” in a joke, per Page Six. While it led him to a huge controversy at that time, Damon defended himself in a statement saying that his interview “led many to assume the worst.” He continued, “I have never called anyone ‘f****t’ in my personal life and this conversation with my daughter was not a personal awakening. I do not use slurs of any kind.” Though he was slammed online, his career remained undisturbed and the 'Good Will Hunting' star went on to release films regularly. Last year, he appeared in the summer blockbuster 'Oppenheimer'. 

8. Louis CK

Louis CK courted major controversy when he admitted in 2017 that he had committed sexual misconduct previously. As a result of his admittance, the comedian lost his role in the 'Secret Life of Pets'. Nevertheless, he made a comeback in 2022 and won a Grammy for his special 'Sincerely Louis C.K'. He is also slowly making a comeback with smaller projects. 

9. Dave Chapelle

Dave Chapelle faced cancellation for making inappropriate jokes about the transgender and gay communities in his October 2021 Netflix special 'The Closer'. While he was subjected to immense criticism from the LGBTQ community, his career remained mostly unscathed with Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos backing Chappelle, saying he had “artistic freedom." Even Chapelle said of the controversy, “If this is what being canceled is like, I love it.”

10. JK Rowling

'Harry Potter' author  JK Rowling courted massive controversies regarding her polarizing views on the transgender community. The billionaire author first drew the ire of the online community when she supported a British woman who was fired from her job for allegedly posting transphobic tweets. Six months later, Rowling fired off her own social media posts where she demanded “a more equal post-Covid-19 world for people who menstruate.” “People who menstruate,” wrote the author, before adding, “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” While she went on to receive criticism from 'Harry Potter' stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, the author's fortune is slated for a greater boost as her books will soon be made into a TV series by HBO.