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.
James Marsters
In both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the spinoff Angel, James Marsters portrayed the complex vampire adversary Spike. He expected Joss Whedon, the show’s creator, to push creative limits in Season six of Buffy. But he genuinely became terrified to read the scripts. Since in season 6, he would have to carry out their every whim, using anybody they chose. Simply put, the rules had been disregarded.
The episode “Seeing Red” was among the most challenging moments to shoot. Spike tries to assault Buffy in the toilet of a motel in the controversial third season, which aired in 2003. As we can see, he fails. Still, the shocking image caused resentment within the audience.
Michael Landon
Based on the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the nine-season-long television series Little House on the Prairie (airing from 1974 to 1983) presents a picture-perfect depiction of life in the 1870s on a farm near Walnut Grove, Minnesota. For the last season, Michael Landon, who had portrayed the household patriarch for 8 years before, took on a more behind-the-scenes role. Walnut Grove is tragically destroyed in the March 1983 finale of Little House. Landon proposed the notion of bombing the city.
There are a few popular hypotheses about the star’s intentions. One theory is that Landon destroyed the Little House set in the series finale to avoid filming a reunion special or a sequel to Little House on the Prairie. The other is that he was really upset that the program was canceled without his knowledge.
Charlotte Ross
Even when it was considered scandalous on network television, NYPD Blue never shied away from showing a character’s backside. In this popular ABC police drama, Charlotte Ross starred as detective Connie McDowell from 2001 until 2004. Detective Sipowicz, who is considerably older and gruffer than her role, eventually becomes an odd romantic interest.
In one of the tenth season episodes, Ross undresses for the shower. At this moment, we get a clear view of the actress’s derriere, a partial chest, and a fleeting peek at her other body parts. The FCC censors did not approve of the contentious scene. They levied fines totaling over $1 million against ABC & 52 of its stations. The network appealed the penalties to the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in 2011 that the FCC’s decency guidelines were “impermissibly vague” and thus invalid.
Bea Arthur
“Maude’s Dilemma,” the comedy from 1972, follows Bea Arthur’s character, Maude, as she deals with the unexpected pregnancy of a 47-year-old woman. Maude, a progressive woman, must decide if she wants to retain the child. Her daughter, as well as her spouse, are involved in the discussion. She decides to have an abortion.
Norman Lear, the show’s creator, Norman Lear anticipated the episode’s polarising reception. A pregnant Maude, Lear reasoned, was necessary to keep viewers interested. According to him, Maude would be torn in two directions, but at her advanced age, she would probably choose not to have a child. As was to be anticipated, the ground-breaking incident sparked widespread outrage. Some CBS stations refused to air “Maude’s Dilemma.”
Noah Wyle
Here we are, 13 episodes into season 6 of ER. In the episode “Be Still My Heart,” a patient with a severe headache visits the emergency room on Valentine’s Day. Mental illness, namely schizophrenia, is a possibility, according to Dr. Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin). At some point during his psychotic episode, this same patient stabs both Knight & Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle). In a later episode, Lucy dies, and Carter’s PTSD and sorrow drive him to depression.
The concept of making the young doctor an addict came from executive producer John Wells. The latter wanted to give the otherwise “ideal” Carter a more complex backstory. He needed just a catastrophic event to propel Carter into action. As expected, viewers didn’t like what they were seeing.
Jerry Seinfeld
In 1998, “The Puerto Rican Day,” the second-to-last episode of Seinfeld’s last season, premiered. In that episode, while returning to New York City after a Mets game, Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George hit traffic. It seems New York City’s Puerto Rican Day Parade is to blame for the traffic. Kramer throws a sparkler and accidentally burns down a Puerto Rican flag. Then Kramer puts out the flames by jumping on the flaming flag.
The head of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, Manuel Mirabal, said that the situation was an “unconscionable insult” to Puerto Ricans. NBC has said that they are sorry about the show. In contrast, Jerry Seinfeld was less willing to agree. Seinfeld says he had a conversation with a Puerto Rican Pride Coalition representative, who informed him that the group intended to protest the episode even before they had a chance to see it.
Sophie Turner
Game of Thrones has a cast of cruel villains, and Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) has to deal with not just one but two vile individuals. The first obstacle she must overcome is King Joffrey. Then Sansa is taken in by Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), who is much worse than King Joffrey. The episode of Season 5 titled “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” has Sansa going through some of the most difficult experiences of her life.
In the disputed scene, Ramsay assaults Sansa on the night of their wedding, as he forces his captive, Reek/Theon, to witness the horrific event happen. The outcry from fans was intense. Many readers believed the assault scene was gratuitous since it wasn’t in George R. R. Martin’s books.
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne visits a club in the episode from Season 6 of Roseanne that was aired in 1994 and is named “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” While there, she kisses a character who guest actor Mariel Hemingway portrayed. During an interview given in 2015, series actress & co-creator Roseanne Barr stated that the episode was far more significant to her than simply a kiss shared between 2 women.
In the middle of the 1990s, it was still a huge thing when a kiss of this kind was broadcast on a major network. Because of this, ABC nearly decided not to air the episode at all; but, when Barr vowed to leave the show, the network decided to give the program a parental advisory disclaimer instead.
Keri Russell
After 4 seasons on The WB, Felicity was canceled that year. The series received high marks from reviewers and was even named one of Time magazine’s 100 Best TV Series of all time while it was at the peak of its popularity. Keri Russell’s portrayal of the main character was recognized as one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years by Entertainment Weekly.
Why, then, did it last just four seasons? The notorious haircut is often cited as the cause. Russell’s hair was long and wavy at the start of the show. Next, after Season 1, she had a dramatic change by having her hair cut short. Everyone was openly complaining about the new hairstyle, and the program had been relocated to a new time slot.
Ellen DeGeneres
In the fourth season of her comedy show Ellen, which aired in 1997, Ellen DeGeneres made television history. Executives at the talk program where DeGeneres hosts heard her express her desire to reveal her orientation publicly. But it took Disney, the parent company of ABC, a full year to give its blessing to the historic event.
In the episode “The Puppy Episode,” Ellen’s onscreen character Ellen Morgan comes out as gay. Although Ellen’s career took a temporary hit due to her choice, the move profoundly impacted the LGBTQ+ community. However, it wasn’t simply a revelation about her fictional role; it was news about her own life.
Alycia Debnam-Carey
One of the most recognizable faces from The CW’s post-apocalyptic science fiction series The 100 seems to be Commander Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey). After her onscreen relationship with Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), the conflicted warrior became a public icon in the LGBTQ+ community. After building up dramatic chemistry throughout Season 3, the episode “Thirteen” featured Lexa & Clarke’s passionate makeout session. However, the rejoicing is cut short as Lexa is killed by a gunshot that was meant for Clarke.
Fans were outraged by the sudden and divisive ending. Critics said that Lexa’s demise was typical. Lesbian characters are killed off after experiencing romance as though they don’t deserve a happy ending.
Will Smith
Will Smith created some unwelcome precedents at the 94th Academy Awards. During comedian Chris Rock’s speech, Will Smith rushed on stage & slapped Rock across the face in retaliation to Rock’s remark regarding Jada Pinkett Smith. When Smith exclaimed from his seat again, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth!” it became evident that nothing had been scripted about the episode, despite initial speculation.
Many of Smith’s followers stuck with him, whereas others abandoned him. Actors and comedians like Amy Schumer & Jim Carrey spoke out, and many were not kind towards Smith. After the dust settled, Smith was blacklisted for ten years from attending any Oscars or other Academy Awards ceremonies.
Gina Carano
Gina Carano is a never-ending treasure for everyone who takes pleasure in seeing a celebrity further their downfall. Carano’s tenure as Cara Dune on “The Mandalorian” ended in February 2021 when she was let go from her starring role. Those who disagreed with Carano’s political ideas were compared to Nazis by her in a controversial social media post. Disney and Lucasfilm were already angry with Carano after two contentious tweets she posted in November 2020.
Soon after the first anniversary of her departure from “Star Wars,” Carano tweeted a conspiracy theory claiming the United States government-sponsored Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since it “lost control of the COVID narrative.” According to Deadline, she is still working due to Ben Shapiro’s production firm. Still, we don’t expect to see her in any future “Star Wars” films or “Deadpool” sequels.
Tom Cruise
A lot of what Tom Cruise has communicated and done has been controversial. Cruise made disparaging remarks about Shields’ antidepressant use shortly after she became pregnant. According to rumors from late 2020, the “Top Gun” actor lost his cool on the “Mission: Impossible 7” set when he saw 2 crew members violating COVID-19 regulations. His association with Scientology has indeed been contentious for quite some time. Of course, Cruise’s reputation was damaged irreparably once he leaped onto Oprah Winfrey’s sofa.
The Ringer recalls that when Cruise promoted “War of the Worlds” on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” he was in unusually good spirits. Winfrey would ask Cruise about his relationship with Katie Holmes, which had lasted just a month at the time. He would frequently answer silently by clutching both of Winfrey’s hands, raising his hands in the air, or, most memorably, leaping on her sofa in the middle of her monologue.
Hartley Sawyer
“The Flash” said goodbye to Elongated Man in the summertime of 2020. According to reports from CNN Entertainment and others, “The Flash” cast member Hartley Sawyer was let go shortly after the 6th season finale because of his inflammatory tweets from 2009 to 2014. These tweets included homophobic, racist, & misogynistic language and images.
The crew and cast of “The Flash” have issued several public remarks regarding Sawyer’s dismissal. Although there have been relatively few criticisms in his direction, no one has rushed to his defense. Grant Gustin & Stephen Amell, who star in “The Flash” and “Arrow,” have been vocal in backing the decision to terminate Sawyer.
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson co-starred as the antagonist with Frank Grillo in 2020’s “Boss Level” on Hulu. He’ll apparently be jumping in to follow in late Richard Donner’s footsteps to direct and appear in “Lethal Weapon 5.” He has won the main role in the forthcoming “John Wick” spinoff series “The Continental,” among other planned projects. But as “West Wing” star Joshua Malina highlighted in an in-depth op-ed for “The Atlantic,” Gibson’s continued career appears to debunk the validity of “cancel culture.”
There were audio recordings of the actor making threatening & racist comments to his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva in 2007. Four years later, in 2011, Gibson pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges brought against him by Grigorieva. Gibson has lost the support of many of his old followers, yet he still manages to get acting roles.
Ezra Miller
It’s hard to fathom why it took so much time for the public to reject Ezra Miller. Footage of what seemed to show Miller choking another woman and tossing her to the floor emerged in April 2020. And that was during a time when even a single badly worded tweet might kill a career! Yet, Miller was conspicuously absent from the standard “cancel culture” attempts.
The arrest of Miller in Hilo, Hawaii, in March 2022 was more difficult for fans to ignore. After reportedly “yelling obscenities” at bargoers doing karaoke, he was arrested for “disorderly behavior and harassment.” After the initial arrest was made public, speculation began that Warner Bros. had contemplated firing the star of “The Flash” & “Fantastic Beasts.” Whether or not the rumors are true, the issue has led many to demand that Grant Gustin replace Miller as the Flash in the DCEU.
Mayim Bialik
Since Alex Trebek’s death, the debate over who should replace him as “Jeopardy!” host has been considerably more heated than anybody expected. Mayim Bialik, star of the TV show “The Big Bang Theory,” would co-host the show alongside Ken Jennings, the first “Jeopardy!” champion. The only difference is that Bialik brought her problematic background with her to the program. When Harvey Weinstein was first accused of assault in 2017, Bialik penned an op-ed for the New York Times that sparked widespread controversy.
Many others saw her advice for other women to “dress a certain way” and “not behave flirtatiously” as an attempt to shame victims. She claims to have been vaccinated against COVID-19, despite holding unpopular opinions on the topic for quite some time. Despite these broader problems, Bialik’s “Jeopardy!” viewers continued to scream foul over seemingly little mistakes she made as host.
Christian Bale
Christian Bale, who portrayed John Connor, was recorded yelling for almost 4 minutes at the movie “Terminator Salvation” at the director of photography, Shane Hurlbut. TMZ published this video. Bale blamed Hurlbut for disrupting the production of a scene by wandering about the set. Throughout the tape, Hurlbut could be heard apologizing while the other crew members could be attempting to calm Bale down.
After the recording leaked, Bale acknowledged his mistake, apologized for the rant, and assured supporters that he & Hurlbut had reconciled by the end of the day. Despite this, Bale has never really been able to fully escape the reputation that he garnered when the rant was made public.
Dave Chappelle
For some time, Dave Chappelle received backlash for what some saw as transphobic humor, but in his Netflix special “The Closer” for 2021, he aimed squarely at this issue. The comedian, among many other things, openly declared his identity as a “TERF,” a word for anti-trans feminists. He also made inappropriate references to his transgender acquaintance Daphne Dorman, who died in 2016.
During the same period that Chappelle’s special “The Closer” was made available on Netflix, many employees organized a walkout to protest what they saw as an unpleasant work environment that the special was contributing.
Jussie Smollett
Jussie Smollett, a former actor of “Empire,” claims he was the target of a racially motivated crime in January of this year. The actor said he was assaulted by two guys who “poured an unknown liquid” on him & tied a rope around his neck because of his race. Chicago police eventually concluded that Smollett had paid Nigerian brothers Obabinjo & Abimbola Osundairo to orchestrate the assault to increase his salary for “Empire.” The actor was charged with disorderly conduct & filing a false police complaint later that month.
Fans & celebrities who first defended Jussie Smollett have now shown him nothing but hatred as horrible pieces of information have emerged. Even though the accusations against Smollett were dropped in his first trial, the producers of “Empire” nonetheless fired him. Smollett was convicted of disorderly conduct on five of six counts in late December 2021.
Scarlett Johansson
As a result of two films released in the late 2010s, Scarlett Johansson became a symbol of white Hollywood actresses putting themselves in parts that were more appropriately suited to performers of color.
The first time this happened was when she decided to play Major Mira Killian, a cybernetically altered character, in the 2017 film “Ghost in the Shell.” The problem is that in both the original manga & the anime adaptations, the protagonist’s name was Motoko Kusanagi. In taking on the role of a stereotypically Japanese person, Johansson has joined the old and shameful history of Hollywood whitewashing. The next year, she agreed to play a transgender guy in the film “Rub and Tug,” for which she received severe criticism.
Jared Leto
Stories from the set of 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” in which Leto portrayed the Joker, have made headlines for their gruesome details, such as Jared Leto allegedly delivering a deceased hog to the group as a sick gag gift. In an interview with Uproxx published in April 2022, “Morbius” director Daniel Espinosa acknowledged that Leto acted handicapped on set. For instance, he would use crutches to travel to and from restroom breaks until the process became too time-consuming. At that point, the crew began wheeling him back and forth using a wheelchair.
Thanks to this report, Leto’s already-shaky reputation hasn’t gotten any better. The narrative not only drew allegations of ableism but also inspired other performers to take indirect digs at Leto.
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, gave what looked to be an obvious falsehood regarding his COVID-19 vaccination status at a media briefing. He was caught in his deception a few months later when he tested positive for the illness, proving that he had been lying about it.
Before, he had given reporters the purposefully ambiguous response that he had been “immunized.” Still, once it was suggested that he had deceived, he categorically rejected the notion that he had done so. He argued his innocence by claiming he was “immunized” against other things. What?! The fact that he lied is not affected by the semantics of the situation!
Lil Nas X
Even though we know rapper Lil Nas X would never aim to satisfy everyone with his music, he really stepped it up with the music video for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name).” Many people accused him that he was a devil worshipper since he looks to have been in the Garden of Eden & appears to take Satan’s crown at one point.
Instead of deflecting the charges, he leaned into them, which allowed him to release his “Satan Shoes” shortly after the track was released, and the artist issued a vague statement. It created more controversies surrounding these issues.
Josh Duggar
After Josh Duggar, among the original stars of the wholesome TLC program “19 Kids and Counting,” was arrested on federal charges of criminal offenses in April, not just viewers of the show flipped against him over the following few months but also a large portion of his renowned family did as well. The controversy surprised every person who was involved with him.
The evidence presented against Josh was overpowering; thus, he was found guilty of the accusations on December 9 & was promptly brought into jail by the police. He might spend as much as twenty years in prison and be required to pay significant penalties.