Hollywood can be a ruthless place. One wrong step and an entire career can be squashed within the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, when bad behavior or questionable situations arise, a promising actor can ruin his or her future within the business. And with the celebrities listed below, they’ve all ended up on the blacklist for one reason or another, crushing their stardom and slowing down their growing momentum in the entertainment realm. From getting new jobs to visiting a country, these celebs have all been banned or blacklisted for one reason or another – even so much as a dress code can have the famous banned.
A lot of the talent that have been blacklisted seem to have deserved the downfall but others have definitely gotten the short end of the stick before they could even try and restore their honor. Political statements, personal beliefs, life choices or the weird way one acts on set, there are numerous ways to get banned in the world of show business. And one takeaway from the divulgence below is to watch every step one takes when it comes to cultivating a presence in Hollywood.
15 Kirk Cameron
The world once knew Kirk Cameron as beloved Growing Pains star, Mike Seaver. But now, the world knows him as a raging Christian who likes to speak about his beliefs in a way that’s ended in a blacklisting from the Hollywood scene. The controversy of his extreme religious values have erupted everywhere from Twitter to a chat with CNN’s Piers Morgan (ex: speaking of homosexuality as being unnatural and destructive). His comments have gotten him not only out of prime time TV opportunities but his movie, Unstoppable, was banned from Facebook and Youtube.
14 Lloyd Bridges
An older Hollywood actor, known for his role on the television series, Sea Hunt, Lloyd Bridges also went through a time of blacklisting in show business. Before he even landed the role on the hit TV show, he had been banned for having Communist ties; stopping his career in the 50’s for being involved in the radical theatre group, Actor’s Lab, and was blacklisted by the FBI during the “Red Purge” util his name was cleared, according to Bio.com. Thankfully, he was able to create a future for himself after being exiled and even ended up on the silly, spoof movie Airplane!, a popular cult comedy.
13 Vanessa Williams
According to BET, this gorgeous Hollywood star almost had her flame fizzle out by snagging a spot on the blacklist. Looking back at 1983, the world saw Vanessa Williams being crowned Miss America, but when photos of the beauty queen surfaced of her in her birthday suit from two years before, she was stripped of her title and ignored from the entertainment industry. Eventually she made a comeback in 1988 with the song, The Right Stuff and has been working steadily ever since.
12 Isaiah Washington
Former Grey’s Anatomy star, Isaiah Washington, decided to use an anti-gay slur onset referring to his co-star, T.R. Knight, in an argument with Patrick Dempsey which began the downfall of his career in Hollywood. NY Daily News reported that Washington admitted that was the moment that everything fell apart and he was eventually fired from his role on the hit series as Dr. Preston Burke. He used the term again after the show won Best Drama Series at the 2006 Golden Globe awards, months later he was let go from the show.
11 Cee-Lo Green
When this “Forget You” singer was accused of giving roofies to unsuspecting individuals and, in response, sent out some inappropriate tweets on the subject, he was instantly blacklisted in the Hollywood sector. Of course, he’s still creating music but he’s not in the limelight that he once was as he had heads spinning with his lack of class on such a sensitive subject. CBS even canceled his show, The Good Life, after the controversy erupted.
10 Josephine Baker
Known for many things including her French fame throughout the 1920’s and dancing in her “banana” skirt, Josephine Baker was actually banned from re-entering the United States after an incident with a newscaster in a nightclub – which led to him writing and accusing her of Communist ties. She eventually was allowed to come back to her homeland, but she had some new accolades intact upon her arrival, including 12 adopted children and permanent citizenship in France.
9 Beyonce
“The Queen B,” Beyonce, is also blacklisted, but not in the way you think. In fact, her songs have hit the blacklist in China! Along with some other popular artists, Beyonce’s song has been banned from China’s culture ministry, according to BBC. “Run the World,” was outlawed as it was deemed inappropriate. And twice the singer/dancer was banned from even entering Malaysia due to a strict dress code for women – in which they must be covered from shoulders to knees, showing no cleavage.
8 Jim Caviezel
According to the Huffington Post, Jim Caviezel – known for playing Jesus in Passion of the Christ – claims that since his portrayal he has been shunned by Hollywood. Although the director of the film, Mel Gibson, warned him of the possible shunning from the show business community, Caviezel knew it would be his “cross to carry.” Despite small jobs here and there, Caviezel’s rising star hasn’t been at height since he decided to take on the project that would eventually slow his career.
7 Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrence may have not been blacklisted from Hollywood completely, but he has been banned from one of the most popular and beloved shows on television ever again: Saturday Night Live. According to Mandatory, when Lawrence hosted SNL in 1994 he decided to get a bit off topic in his opening monologue. When he started to speak about the importance of feminine hygiene – and douching – he wasn’t welcomed back to do a second show.
6 Natalie Maines {Dixie Chicks}
Natalie Maines, 1/3 of the Dixie Chicks trio, took her political views a bit too far when she decided to publicly bash the president of the United States, at the time. Specifically, she criticized President Bush’s plans for war in Iraq while performing at a concert in London, according to CNN. Following the outburst, country stations across the U.S. decided to pull their songs from their playlists after calls from listeners showed that they felt her thoughts were unpatriotic.
5 Lena Horne
Known not only for her talent but also for her beauty and civil rights activism, Lena Horne was a legend in her own right. But she was also among the hundreds of entertainers blacklisted during the 1950’s. Throughout this communist scare which put a host of talent on the backburner, she was placed under fire for her very liberal views. But she eventually pushed out of the turmoil and cultivated a career that spanned for more than 70 years.
4 Thora Birch
The world still watches her every year in Hocus Pocus, but what happened to this doll of an actress? Well, according to The Guardian, between being adamant about not being made into something she wasn’t and people just not paying attention, Birch hasn't sustained a career like one would suspect. Despite her talent and Golden Globe nomination, the fact that her father, also her manager, was rumored to have physically threatened one of her co-stars in an off-Broadway production (to which she was fired) may be one of the reasons why jobs aren't plentiful.
3 Katherine Heigl
It’s hard to have stayed away from the rumors this long, Katherine Heigl is hard to work with. Well, at least that is what has been reported time and time again. And according to Inquisitr, it’s the reason that Heigl has been blacklisted by several executives in the industry. Because of her difficult nature and nightmare antics there are allegedly even some studios that won’t even consider her for roles anymore. From wardrobe issues to costing time, it seems like this actress may need to become a bit more professional on set.
2 Snoop Dogg
Here’s another talent that may not be blacklisted from the entire entertainment world but he has been banned from going to another country. In fact, Snoop Dogg’s past and reputation for drug use has gotten him exiled from several different places! Most recently, he was banned from entering Norway for at least two years after being caught trying to enter the country with 8 grams of marijuana.
1 Mel Gibson
Once a sought-after actor, Gibson’s off-screen antics is what got him a solid spot on Hollywood’s blacklist, despite fights and pleas to take him off in recent years. The banning started after a drunk driving incident. He was arrested and throughout the process made quite the anti-Semitic rant. Some say he’s “been in the doghouse long enough,” while others argue that “forgiving him is not like forgiving Lindsay Lohan for partying too much.”
Sources: madamenoire.com, biography.com, bet.com, nydailynews.com, bbc.com
