Since we’re almost heading into a new year, now’s as good a time as any to look back and see what 2023 gave us. While some of it was good and some of it was bad, for some people, it has definitely been one of the more extraordinary years in recent memory. There have been a lot of celebrity scandals that were borderline career-smashing and despite it taking decades to build a reputation and career in this low-attention-span world we live in, we’ve seen many examples of how it only takes one mistake to ruin you forever. Let’s take a look at some celebrities that have at least seen a medium-sized dent in their reputations because of things they did in 2023.
This guy just can’t get a break, it looks like there might be even more harassment and rape charges coming his way before the end of the year. So far, nothing has been proven and we still hold firm to the “innocent until proven guilty” mantra, but it’s not looking good for this hip-hop icon, and even if half of what is being claimed about him is true, he’s absolutely finished after this.
Will & Jada Pinkett Smith
I’m just going to put these two together. Since they decided to be together forever despite rumors and now confirmation that they’re solely staying together for the kids and – at least as far as Jada’s concerned – not because of actual love, they can go down together as well. Will slapping Chris Rock started their tumble down, Jada’s book ended it.
Lizzo
Imagine being the literal icon for body positivity and then having your background dancers gang up on you because apparently you’re not all that into body positivity at all. There’s probably nothing worse that could’ve happened to Lizzo’s image than getting hit with charges of firing dancers because they were too fat and creating a toxic working environment. We’ll see if the charges hold up, but the damage has pretty much been done.
Jonathan Majors
The only bigger problem for the MCU than its declining quality in writing and originality is probably that the actor who was supposed to play their big bad in the next phase got hit with allegations of misdemeanor and harassment against women. Rumor has it Marvel is kind of waiting to see how this ends so they can instantly replace Majors in case the allegations hold up, which would ruin his career in Hollywood and his marketability in a franchise primarily aimed at kids.
Justin Roiland
The Rick & Morty writer and voice actor was hit with domestic violence charges and instantly dropped from the show he created. Eventually the charges against him were dropped, but the damage had already been done, and he’s been replaced in the last season of Rick & Morty – and perhaps permanently. Especially since in September of this year, a new batch of allegations popped up, this time going all the way to sexual assault and having explicit conversations with minors.
Russell Brand
The best way to not win a trial is to try to fight it out over YouTube before it even begins. The comedian-turned-conspiracy-theorist tried to defend himself against allegations that were about to turn up against him and then did the thing all alt-right conspiracy theorists do: he blamed it on the leftist mainstream media trying to cancel him. Surely it’s not his abusive behavior towards women that cancelled him, no sir.
