In the strictest terms, a celebrity becomes a celebrity by doing something pretty spectacular onscreen or onstage. This is precisely why we refer to some of them as movie stars, tv stars, or music icons. Indeed, celebrities worked hard to reach the level of fame and recognition that they now enjoy.

Over the years, however, we have come to realize that being a celebrity is not forever. At least, for some of these incredibly talented folks. As hardworking as they may be, it turns out that celebrity fame can rapidly come to an end. There are many reasons why this may happen.

For some, it was their own choice, a desire to retreat and enjoy a private life. Some start a family and get a normal job. Others go back to school and pursue higher education. For others, however, they were given no choice but to leave Hollywood. These are the ones who got kicked out from the industry. And today, you rarely hear of their names. Just check out these 20 once-loved celebrities who are now blacklisted:

22 Mo’Nique Was Blacklisted Because She Reportedly Refused To Play The Game

After winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Precious, Mo’Nique found herself unable to work again. The actress received a call from Precious director Lee Daniels who informed her that she had been “blackballed.” Daniels also issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter saying, “Mo'nique is a creative force to be reckoned with. Her demands through Precious were not always in line with the campaign. This soured her relationship with the Hollywood community. I consider her a friend.”

21 Thora Birch No Longer Got Roles After Her Father Reportedly Threatened Her Co-Star

Actress Thora Birch was once among Hollywood’s top up and coming actors. In fact, she enjoyed a diverse film repertoire early on in her career, working on American Beauty and Ghost World. All of a sudden, however, Birch disappeared from movie screens. And it may be because the industry decided to sideline her thanks to her father's behavior. While speaking with The Guardian, Birch remarked, “It makes me angry when you use that phrase because I didn't step back. I was always working, it's just that no one was paying attention.”

20 Hollywood Avoids Mel Gibson Like The Plague Due To Past Bizarre Behavior

Veteran actor Mel Gibson has a long established a reputation for being controversial. Several years ago, Gibson was arrested on DUI charges in California and while he was being taken out of his car, Gibson uttered the racial slur, “F---ing Jews ... the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” This caused Gibson to fall out of favor from his fans and the industry. Later on, in 2010, Gibson was also caught making a racial tirade on tape and delivering a death threat to his ex-girlfriend. After that, Gibson was essentially kicked out of Hollywood.

19 Bill Cosby Was Shunned From Hollywood After His Scandal Emerged

Actor Bill Cosby was a well-respected figure who fell from grace after his dark side emerged. In the past, Cosby was even known as ‘America’s Dad.’ However, his reputation changed after several women came forward and accused the actor of assault. Cosby was charged and found guilty in 2018. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

18 Hollywood Won’t Cast Jim Caviezel After His Role In 'The Passion Of The Christ'

As you may recall, actor Jim Caviezel is best known for playing the titular role in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, which was directed by fellow shunned actor Mel Gibson. According to The Guardian, Caviezel believes it was this very movie that turned him into an outcast. As it turns out, Gibson also once warned him about this. While speaking to churchgoers in Florida, the actor recalled, “He said, 'You'll never work in this town again.' I told him, 'We all have to embrace our crosses.'”

17 Amanda Bynes Lost Jobs Due To Her Past Public Meltdowns

Amanda Bynes was once a young actress who had a promising career ahead of her until she decided to sabotage it herself. Back in 2010, Bynes started getting into trouble with the law after being involved in a series of mishaps while behind the wheel. Later on, it also emerged that Bynes had a substance addiction problem. And after several episodes of public breakdown, Bynes stopped working in Hollywood.

16 Mira Sorvino Says She Lost Jobs Due to Harvey Weinstein

Actress Mira Sorvino starred in movies such as Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, Mighty Aphrodite, and Sweet Nothing. However, the roles stopped coming for Sorvino after she turned down Harvey Weinstein’s advances. Bad Santa director Terry Zwigoff confirmed as much when he tweeted, “I was interested in casting Mira Sorvino in BAD SANTA, but every time I mentioned her over the phone to the Weinsteins, I’d hear a CLICK. What type of person just hangs up on you like that?! I guess we all know what type of person now. I’m really sorry Mira.”

15 Brendan Fraser Can’t Get Roles After Accusing The HFPA President Of Assault

If you could recall, actor Brendan Fraser starred in hit movies such as The Mummy, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and more. And then suddenly, he stopped getting jobs. Fraser believes it had something to do with an encounter with former Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) president, Philip Berk. According to GQ, Fraser once recounted in his memoir, “His left hand reaches around . . . and one of his fingers touches me in the taint.” Fraser also said the experience “made me retreat.”

14 Stacey Dash Got Blacklisted Due To Her Outspoken Conservative Views

As a teen actress, Stacey Dash was known for starring alongside Alicia Silverstone on the film Clueless. Since then, Dash has proven to be too much of a controversial figure due to her outspoken conservative views. In fact, when asked whether becoming a conservative affected her career, Dash told The Hollywood Reporter, “They completely dried up.” Earlier this year, Dash was also arrested for domestic violence.

13 Studios May Be Distancing From Vince Vaughn Due To His Management Team

There was a time when Vince Vaughn’s Hollywood career was going in the right direction. And then, he started experiencing a string of box office duds. Meanwhile, during a 2015 interview with British GQ, Vaughn revealed that his flops may have been partially the result of changing his management team.

In 2008, the actor fired his agency and longtime manager. Vaughn explained, “I liked the new guys, they had some decent ideas but I didn't have the same sort of rapport as I'd had with my previous team. This tweak can effect [sic] your output, especially if you're not communicating brilliantly.”

12 Shia Labeouf’s Behavior Makes Him Difficult To Cast

You could argue that Shia Labeouf’s breakout moment was the time when he was cast to play Sam Witwicky in the 2007 Michael Bay film Transformers. In fact, from here, LaBeouf went on to pursue other film projects, including one opposite Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt. However, the actor also started to exhibit bizarre behavior. Today, the troubled star is still getting roles.

11 Studios Avoid Katherine Heigl Because She Was Difficult To Work With

Actress Katherine Heigl first rose to fame after joining the cast of hit ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy. However, Heigl did the unthinkable and spoke ill of the show. This resulted in the actress being booted from the program. Meanwhile, Heigl also became among Hollywood’s most hated after she dissed her own film, Knocked Up. Even worse, Heigl’s movies turned out to be big flops.

10 Ashley Judd Blames Her Lack Of Projects On Harvey Weinstein

Veteran actress Ashley Judd also fell out of favor from Hollywood after disgraced Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein allegedly had the star blacklisted. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson testified that “the Miramax smear campaign in full swing” affected his decision to overlook Judd for any potential roles in his movie. According to Fortune, Jackson admitted to removing Judd and Sorvino from his casting list as a “direct result” of speaking with Weinstein.

9 Lindsay Lohan Got Blacklisted For Being Unprofessional

Lindsay Lohan did incredibly well as a child star who played lead roles in several Disney movies. As she got older and evolved into a teen actress, however, Lohan became quite the controversial figure. For starters, she got in trouble with the law more than once. Moreover, she also allegedly became unprofessional towards work. Morgan Creek Productions CEO James G. Robinson even chastised the actress for acting “like a spoiled child” on the set of Georgia Rule.

8 Isaiah Washington Is No Longer Being Cast After His Homophobic Slur

Isaiah Washington also once starred on Grey’s Anatomy until he decided to drop a little homophobic slur. During an argument, Washington allegedly referred to former co-star T.R. Knight as a f*****t. When news of the incident emerged, Washington was immediately fired from his show. The actor also told HuffPost Live, “After the incident at the Golden Globes, everything just fell apart. I lost everything. I couldn’t afford to have an agent...I couldn’t afford to have a publicist...I couldn’t afford to continue.”

7 Rose McGowan Is Allegedly Not Working Due To Harvey Weinstein

Actress Rose McGowan starred in many movies and television shows before she was essentially barred from working in Hollywood again. Usually outspoken, the actress blamed her lack of roles on disgraced executive Harvey Weinstein who also assaulted her. According to Independent, McGowan once said in an interview, “They threatened [me] with being blacklisted. I was blacklisted . . . because I said something … but only like internally, you know.”

6 Cee-Lo Green Got Blacklisted Due To Some Nasty Tweets

A few years ago, it looked like Cee-Lo Green was doing well for himself in the entertainment industry. He had a number of hit songs. What’s more, he was also among the judges of the hit talent show The Voice. However, everything changed for Green after he made some offensive tweets. One of which stated, “If someone is passed out they’re not even WITH you consciously, so WITH implies consent.” According to Rolling Stone, Green pleaded no contest in 2014 when a woman accused her of slipping Ecstasy into her drink.

5 Roseanne Barr Has No More TV Career After Twitter Rants

For a time, it seemed that actress Roseanne Barr was enjoying an incredible career in film and television, most recently starring in the tv sitcom Roseanne. However, all that changed after the actress decided to tweet irresponsibly. Without warning, Barr posted a racist tweet that targeted Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman who worked as a senior adviser in Barack Obama’s administration. In response, ABC decided to cancel her show. Barr has yet to work since.

4 Vanessa Marquez Allegedly Couldn’t Get Any Jobs After She Accused George Clooney Of Harassment

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In the beginning of her career, the late Vanessa Marquez seemed like she lived a charmed Hollywood life. After all, she starred in hit tv shows such as ER, Seinfeld, and Melrose Place. In 2017, Marquez took to Twitter and accused Clooney of having her blacklisted from the industry. The since-deleted tweet read, “Clooney helped blacklist me when I spoke up abt harassment on ER. ‘Women who don’t play the game lose career’ I did.” Tragically, Marquez passed away in 2018 after being shot by police.

2 Tara Subkoff Says She Got Blacklisted After Refusing Harvey Weinstein’s Advances

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Actress Tara Subkoff was considered an “it” girl back in the 90s. However, she met the late Harvey Weinstein at a party and everything changed. Subkoff told Variety, “I got quiet, but got off his lap quickly. He then asked me to come outside with him and other things I don’t want to share, but it was implied that if I did not comply with doing what he asked me to do that I would not get the role that I had already been informally offered.”