The 30 Worst Actors’ Controversies That Almost Finished Their Careers

Some TV shows are not afraid to push their scripts beyond boundaries, which garnered controversies for actors working on them. It seems that audiences are less forgiving of actors and celebrities for their mistakes. Whether one wants to label it as “cancel culture” or “consequences culture,” it has always been there. The worst that may happen is that their fanbase turns against them, their careers take a temporary downfall, or they just vanish.

Here are the biggest controversies that rocked these actors’ worlds.

Katey Sagal

In 1987, when Married with Children originally aired on Fox, the network was only getting its feet wet. The comedy presented a unique take on the typical American family by focusing on a working-class nuclear unit that does not always close its episodes with a warm embrace. The role of Peggy Bundy, the gum-chewing yet endearing matriarch, was performed by Katey Sagal. This singer-turned-actress was taken aback when the performance ended up being a smashing success.

However, Married with Children commemorates one naysayer named Terry Rakolta, who tried her utmost to have the comedy canceled after witnessing the episode titled “Her Cups Runneth Over” in the year 1989. In this episode, Al and Steve go to a lingerie shop, hoping to find Peggy’s favorite old bra that has since been discontinued. But the controversy surrounding the program did nothing but assist in gaining exposure and improving the show’s viewership.

Carroll O’Connor

Between 1971 and 1979, Carroll O’Connor portrayed Archie Bunker on the sitcom “All in the Family.” The nation had the chance to see an angry working-class guy filled with hatred and prejudice throughout the course of 9 seasons of a show that received widespread recognition and excellent ratings. Bunker did not shy away from sharing his thoughts and feelings.

His extreme intolerance and habit of making derogatory remarks generated a significant amount of controversy and condemnation. And here was the crux of the matter. It allowed individuals to witness the face of bigotry without having to leave the convenience of their homes by exposing them to a large television audience in the form of a defective misanthrope.

McLean Stevenson

While the M*A*S*H television show was often humorous, it was set in a realistic military environment. Commanding officer Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) receives an honorable discharge in the season three finale, “Abyssinia, Henry.” He finally packs up his belongings and travels back to his spouse in Bloomington, Illinois, after a long and frustrating stay in South Korea.

Sometime later, Radar (Gary Burghoff) gives other army doctors the awful news. That over the Sea of Japan, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake was killed when his aircraft was shot down. In this case, no lucky ones made it out alive. M*A*S*H viewers were devastated by Blake’s untimely death. Broadcaster CBS was the recipient of several letters of complaint. The showrunners justified their decision by saying that M*A*S*H is set during a war in which even likable people die in combat.

David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson

Over the span of 11 seasons, including two feature films, FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) & Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) often uncovered terrifying creatures and hair-raising unexplainable events in the show The X-Files. However, season 4’s “Home” was the most divisive episode. A horrifying murder is shown in the episode from 1996. The victim is a hideously deformed infant who was discovered in the quaint community of Home, Pennsylvania. It is now abundantly evident that inbreeding is taking place, and it is possible that the infant was buried while they were still alive.

Because of the intense violence shown in “Home,” this one and only episode of the science fiction series received the TV-MA classification. The management of Fox decided that they would not rebroadcast the show. However, because viewers so well received “Home”, Fox decided to air the contentious episode again a few years later.