30 Blacklisted or Banned Hollywood Celebrities

As the lead actor of the popular, early 2000s franchise Mummy, Brendan Fraser was once a fan-favorite Hollywood hunk. But his career started to go downhill after he accused Phillip Berk, the former president of Hollywood Foreign Press Association, of harassment and assault.

After this incident, Fraser noticed that his acting opportunities were slowly disappearing. He described the time as “the phone did stop ringing in my career.” He himself thinks that the accusation was the leading reason behind the end of his prominent Hollywood journey.

Randy Quaid gained prominence after playing Cousin Ed in National Lampoon’s Vacation. But in 2007, during the filming of The Merry Wives of Windsor, Quaid assaulted a crew member. And things started to get ugly since then.

Quaid’s wife, Evi, became involved in the incident, and as retaliation, she sent inappropriate and potentially threatening emails to the crew and other cast members of the film. As a response, Quaid was fined $81,000, fired, and banned from his acting union equity. That’s was the start of his Hollywood career downfall.

The blacklisting of Corey Feldman is actually an unfortunate affair. Feldman was the prominent child star of the industry after appearing in Lost Boys and The Goonies. According to his claims, he was a victim of a Hollywood pedophilia ring, which was not taken seriously at that time.

Not being able to handle this emotional turmoil, Feldman began substance abuse to escape his pains. But in turn, his addiction removed him from any future prominent acting role in his career. Thus, amid these sad reasons, he was blacklisted from Hollywood.

Mo’nique gained recognition in Hollywood after winning the Oscar for her role in the 2009 film Precious. But that couldn’t save her from losing her place in the industry. Mo’nique stopped part-taking in press engagements, as she was not being paid to appear.

She also began laying extra demands which were not welcomed. As a result, Precious director Lee Daniels eventually had to blacklist her due to her “lack of commitment to the film” and for “souring relationship with the Hollywood community.”

Actress Sondra Locke was best known for her Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination for The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. After a 14-years-long relationship with Hollywood front-man Clint Eastwood, the couple ended on poor terms.

At this point, Locke believed she was being blacklisted by the industry. But, Eastwood denied any influence, and even created a film development deal on her behalf with the Warner Bros studio. However, she was right as that settlement was fake. The studio had never approved any of the 30 pitches sent by Locke.

This A-list celebrity was a famous face in the industry with iconic roles in the Blade trilogy and White Men Can’t Jump. But while at the top of his stardom, Wesley Snipes made a career-altering mistake of evading tax! His serious tax offenses even put him in jail for 3 years.

As the production of the proposed Blade series sequel had stalled, this prison term put a definite end to Snipes’ prominent acting career. The actor never really recovered from this blow.

Kirk Cameron was a beloved child star in Hollywood, with his roles in Growing Pains and Like Father Like Son. But it was his political and religious views, which proved to be problematic for his acting career in the industry.

Cameron has been very straightforward and vocal about radical Christianity. Eventually, his overtly controversial comments and statements effectively blacklisted him from appearing in any future TV and film roles in mainstream Hollywood.

Roseanne Barr became a controversial figure in Hollywood, after her public revelation of being a republican and a staunch supporter of Donald Trump’s presidency. But she took it too far in 2018, when she racially joked in poor taste about Valerie Jarrett, former Senior Advisor for Barack Obama.

The president of ABC found her tweet “abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with the company’s values.” The channel immediately canceled the planned reboot of Barr’s famous show Roseanne, and the industry followed suit by blacklisting her.

Former Hitchcock muse Tippi Hedren rose to international stardom when appearing The Birds and Marnie. But shockingly, it was Alfred Hitchcock himself, who allegedly ruined Hedren’s future prominent Hollywood career.

The actress accused the director of several instances of assault and harassment during filming. As she continued to dismiss his advances, Hitchcock retaliated by blocking her work in Marnie to pass the nomination selection to the Oscars. He also ensured that other studios wouldn’t hire her for the next 2-3 years. Thus, Hedren’s ascent ended was nipped in the bud.

In 2010, Cee-Lo Green found fame with his album F**K You. Along with mainstream stardom, he received his own show and also became a judge on The Voice. But things started to go downhill after his tweets on controversial issues.

He was cast aside by the Hollywood community, was removed from The Voice, and had his show canceled. His romance with fame was rather lived.

Vince Vaughn’s disappearance from the big screens was a gradual event. He was once a powerhouse of comic roles in films. The True Detective actor was never actually able to get past his goofy self and excel in more serious roles.

Also, he had expressed some very controversial views that were not welcomed by the industry. Obviously, these views were not taken kindly by his peers and industry elites. There was no big downfall, but simply a series of poor endings, which ultimately ended his Hollywood career.

With her notable appearances in Clueless and Outnumbered, Stacey Dash once made her name as a TV mainstay. But she was among those celebs, who never knew to keep their conservative views to themselves!

Dash once commented that all the Black people are uneducated and suggested that Black History Month should be canceled. She also publicly shared questionable statements regarding the transgender community. Her views ended her Hollywood career.

Katherine Heigl was a Hollywood heartthrob thanks to her roles in Knocked Up and Grey’s Anatomy. But word quickly got out in the industry that she was not at all the princess behind the camera!

Heigl was extremely difficult to work with, as she had a habit to throw tantrums on set over creative differences, demanding outrageous wardrobe substitutions, and questioning script decisions. All of these eventually led to her eventual blacklisting.

During the 1930s and 40s, Dorothy Parker was an unforgettable figure in the film community, with her powerful screenplays. She penned some all-time memorable pieces like Trade Winds, Saboteur, Suzy, A Star is Born, and many more.

Unfortunately, amidst the turmoil of the conclusion of WWII, Parker was labeled a communist. It was a claim she never denied. And that was the time of the Red Scare and McCarthyism in Hollywood. Dorothy Parker was practically barred from the industry overnight.

Josephine Baker is one of the most recognizable iconic names in the world of film as being the very first Black woman to star in a movie, Siren of the Tropics in 1927. Her prominent entertaining and acting career was mostly centered in her adopted country France.

In 1951, Baker was accused of Communist sympathies after criticizing a reputable right-wing columnist. She was blacklisted in the McCarthyism-affected Hollywood and her US Work Visa was canceled, prompting her to return to France. Baker was allowed back in the country again after 10 years.

Even today, Orson Welles is considered to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. His Citizen Kane is still considered a masterpiece in the film industry, but during the time of its release, the public was unsure as to how to respond to the plot.

In the Red Scare-hit Hollywood, even the FBI took issue with the film and an official investigation was opened to probe Welles’ alleged connection to the Communist Party. Though he was eventually cleared of all charges, his Hollywood career almost ended following a 7 year-long blacklisting.

Though he was not officially blacklisted, the US re-entry permit of this monumental figure was withheld, once he set foot in London for the premiere of his film Limelight. Chaplin’s leftist political views were overtly expressed by his on-screen and off-screen works, which stirred the then McCarthyism-affected Hollywood.

As a result, Chaplin had to spend his later life in Europe in exile. After 20 years, he returned to the US, gaining renewed appreciation. Honoring Charlie Chaplin has been one of the remarkable moments in the history of the Academy Awards.

As the lead vocalist of Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines was in the middle of her bright career, when she criticized then-president Bush about the Iraq Invasion of 2003. She shortly apologized thereafter, but completely retracted her apology in 2006.

At the time, the band was already blacklisted by many radio stations. But they have gradually recovered since. Maines, on the other hand, never fully recovered from the blow, and is still viewed as a controversial figure.

As the son of screen legend Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen made a name for himself in Hollywood following his screen appearance in Two and a Half Men, and various other critically acclaimed TV and film appearances. But not everything went so smooth.

Sheen had to be checked into rehab for heavy substance abuse, and also was accused of several domestic assaults. In early 2011, he publicly criticized Chuck Lorre, the co-creator of Two and a Half Men. And that was the final nail in the coffin of his career in Hollywood.

Sometimes a little beauty touch can be a career-end in Hollywood, and there is no better example than Jennifer Grey. Grey’s breakthrough roles in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Dirty Dancing made her one of the most iconic faces in the 1980s.

That’s why she had to pay dearly for meddling with that ‘face’! Grey was never fond of her long nose. So, she underwent plastic surgery in the 1990s, which in turn left her completely unrecognizable. She lost her promising career over a nose job!

During the early 2010s, Taylor Lautner emerged as Hollywood’s next major star coming off his role as Jacob Black in the highly popular Twilight franchise. But things didn’t turn out so well for him.

While his Twilight co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have managed to bounce back from poor review and audience fatigue of later installments of the series, Lautner simply vanished from the radar. According to the industry insiders, Hollywood power brokers felt that he simply didn’t have enough talent to move forward.

Vanessa Marquez had a prominent recurring role as Nurse Wendy Goldman in ER, during the peak years of the show. But she was dropped from the show out of the blue and since barely appeared on screen until her demise under controversial circumstances in 2018.

Marquez accused famed actor George Clooney of getting her blacklisted. According to Marquez, she spoke out against the harassment culture on the set of ER, propagated by the lead star Clooney, which led to her sudden exit from the show. Clooney clearly denied the allegation.

Mira Sorvino was among those actresses, who were blacklisted by the once production-mogul and later convicted-abuse-offender Harvey Weinstein. The actress herself hinted that her repeated rejection of Weinstein’s advances had something to do with her career end.

Later director Peter Jackson also confirmed that Weinstein had advised him to avoid working with Sorvino at all costs. He revealed that Weinstein considered Sorvino to be a “nightmare” to work with.

Dalton Trumbo has been a notable name in the Hollywood community. Deemed as a member of the “Hollywood Ten,” the group within the industry that bravely refused to deny their Communist involvement, Trumbo was another prominent victim of the Red Scare.

Along with some of his fellow screenwriters, Trumbo quietly continued working and even winning Oscars under a pseudonym. Roman Holiday, The Brave One, Spartacus, and Exodus are some of his creations. Eventually, his involvement was exposed, forcing the Writers’ Guild of America to credit his name in all of his films.

In an interview, Peter Jackson once gave he confirmed that Ashley Judd was blacklisted by Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein said that Ashley Judd was a nightmare to work with.

Ashley Judd in turn sued Weinstein for the alleged sabotaging of her career. Judd openly indicated that turning down his advances had prompted Weinstein to blacklist her in the industry.

Tara Subkoff rose to prominence in Hollywood through her roles in All Over Me, The Last Days of Disco, and As Good As It Gets. Her career effectively ended after becoming the victim of Harvey Weinstein.

Like many other actresses, Subkoff also experienced being ousted from the industry after rebuffing Weinstein’s advances. She had to choose a new career path. Though she has found some renewed success by appearing in and directing a few quality horror films, she lost her stardom.

Rose McGowan was one of the prominent names in the Harvey Weinstein abuse scandal. According to the actress, during her successful career time with a prominent appearance in the cult horror film Scream, she was abused by Weinstein.

As she started speaking about the incident, McGowan quickly noticed the industry closing off to her. She regained prominence later through notable appearances in TV and films, but was not able to get back to Hollywood.

Tobey Maguire became one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood by the mid-2000s. He was well known for critically acclaimed performances on-screen and hard-partying off-screen. Then Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy solidified his position in the industry.

But, since his notable role in 2013’s The Great Gatsby, surprisingly Maguire dropped off the Hollywood radar. No one knows if it was his choice, or the industry stopped seeing him as a bankable star any longer. His recent nostalgia-evoking appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home is the only saving grace!

Comedians often toe the line of acceptance while making a joke, and that’s why many of them have hecklers in the crowd ready to alert them. Michael Richards of Seinfeld found himself entangled in an on-stage argument with one of his hecklers, and he handled the situation poorly!

Richards responded to the criticism with a series of racial slurs. After an audible collective gasp from the audience, he promptly left the stage even without finishing his routine. He couldn’t save his career after the backlash, despite his public apology.

Tila Tequila rose to prominence as one of the earliest social media celebrities. Her online fan base grew offline with her own MTV dating show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. She even made her film appearance in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

Then a string of bizarre posts came out on her social media accounts. Causing a massive outrage, Tila Tequila went on to explain her sympathy for the German dictator from the period of the Second World War. This has obviously led to a serious backlash from the public.