43 people who fell from grace this decade
In January 2011, actor Charlie Sheen entered rehab and "Two and a Half Men," the show he starred on, where he was earning $1.8 million an episode, was put on hold.
He was later replaced by Ashton Kutcher. He says he's since been blacklisted by Hollywood. He also publicly announced he had HIV after he was blackmailed about it.
Source: Vanity Fair
In 2011, an investigation found humanitarian and author Greg Mortenson's bestselling book "Three Cups of Tea" was filled with fabrications.
Montana prosecutors also alleged he spent millions of dollars donated to his charity on clothes and travel. He paid back more than $1 million to his charity, and later admitted to the Washington Post his book was "misleading."
Sources: The Daily Beast, Washington Post
In 2011, then-rising Democrat and former congressman Anthony Weiner sent a lewd picture to a college student.
After initially denying it, he admitted he'd sent the inappropriate texts and resigned from Congress. Weiner later ran for and lost an election for mayor of New York. In 2017, he was convicted of illicit contact with a 15-year-old girl and spent 21 months in prison. Now, he's a registered sex offender.
Source: Politico
In 2011, former CIA director and four-star general David Petraeus was caught leaking confidential documents to his mistress Paula Broadwell.
He lost his job and was sentenced in April 2015 to two years probation. He still works in private equity and was floated as a potential secretary of state for President Donald Trump in 2016.
Sources: BBC, The New York Times, The New York Times
In October 2012, the International Cycling Union confirmed seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong had been doping for 13 out of the 19 years he'd been professionally cycling.
Armstrong was stripped of his titles, including a bronze Olympic medal. Armstrong, who created the Livestrong brand, lost an estimated $75 million in sponsorship deals, and had to pay $15 million in legal fees and $21 million in settlements.
Sources: Bleacher Report, The Guardian, The Atlantic
In 2013, NFL star Aaron Hernandez — who had signed a $40 million contract with the New England Patriots at 22 — was found guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of his onetime friend Odin Lloyd.
He was also accused and acquitted of two other murders. He died by suicide in prison.
Sources: Rolling Stone, The New York Times
Beginning in 2013, Eike Batista, an oil and mining tycoon — and at one point Brazil's richest man — lost $34.5 billion over the course of 18 months.
Brazilian police accused him of bribing a former Rio de Janeiro governor, and he was told he had to turn himself in or face becoming a fugitive. He was convicted of the offense and sentenced to 30 years in prison. As a consequence of the scandal, the stock prices of his company EBX precipitously plummeted, leaving him with "negative net worth."
Sources: Bloomberg, BBC, The Guardian
In 2013, Oscar Pistorius — a Paralympic winner and the first double-amputee to compete against able-bodied runners in the Olympics — shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius was initially found guilty of unintentionally killing Steenkamp, but a later ruling found him guilty of murder, and he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Sources: The Guardian, CNN
In 2013, one of celebrity chef Paula Deen's employees sued her, accusing her of racial discrimination.
The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, but not before Deen was dropped by the Food Network and lost her endorsements. She also upset some fans by keeping her diabetes a secret until the day she endorsed a new diabetes drug, after years of promoting recipes heavy in sugar and fat. She attempted something of a comeback in 2018 with a new cooking show on RFD-TV.
Sources: Business Insider, The New York Times, ABC News
In December 2013, Ian Watkins, lead singer of the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for multiple sexual offenses against children.
Source: BBC
In 2014, 20 women and a man accused CBC radio star Jian Ghomeshi of sexual misconduct, including hitting, biting, and choking them. He was acquitted in 2016.
In 2018, he wrote a controversial essay for The New York Review of Books offering his "reflections" on the experience. The piece was not well-received, and cost NYRB editor Ian Buruma his job.
Source: The Guardian
NFL star Ray Rice was one of the best running backs in football between 2009 and 2012. In September 2014, security footage showed him punching his fiancée, Janay Palmer, in a hotel elevator.
He was cut from the Ravens and suspended by the league indefinitely. Rice hasn't played since, but has spoken to schools and players about what happened.
Sources: Washington Post, The Guardian, FiveThirtyEight
Josh Duggar was a star from the TLC reality TV show "19 Kids and Counting" and a conservative political lobbyist who opposed civil rights for LGBTQ people on the grounds of "family values." In 2015, his parents confirmed on Fox News that he had molested multiple underage girls, including four of his sisters, when he was 14.
Soon afterwards, the hacking of Ashley Madison, a website where people arranged extramarital affairs, revealed he was a member. In April 2017, he checked himself into rehab and now works as a used-car salesman.
Sources: The Daily Beast, The New Yorker, Gawker, OK Magazine, Washington Post
Elizabeth Holmes was the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world. In October 2015, a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed her blood-testing company Theranos wasn't providing accurate results.
By 2018, she and her co-founders were charged with "massive fraud," which could put her in prison for 20 years. She pleaded not guilty. In 2019, her lawyers dropped her because she couldn't afford to pay the fees.
Sources: Business Insider, Washington Post, ABC News
In December 2015, Mark Salling, a former star of the musical television show "Glee," was arrested for possessing child pornography.
He pleaded guilty and would have gone to prison for up to seven years and been registered as a sex offender, but he died by suicide in 2018.
Sources: People, Vanity Fair
Subway spokesman Jared Fogle became famous for losing 200 pounds on a diet of primarily Subway sandwiches.
But in November 2015, the FBI found he was in possession of 400 child pornography videos and had paid to have sex with minors. He pled guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Sources: Business Insider, NPR, Reuters
In 2008, fracking billionaire Audrey McClendon was earning $112.5 million with a $75 million bonus, making him the highest-paid CEO in the S&P 500.
By 2012, he had to step down from the energy company Chesapeake after months of scrutiny over him combining personal and corporate finances. In 2016, he was indicted on conspiracy charges relating to bids for oil and natural gases. He maintained his innocence, and vowed to fight the charges. But he died a day later in a car accident.
Sources: Texas Monthly, Business Insider, The New York Times
Former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes was kicked out of the company he had built in July 2016, after journalists uncovered that numerous employees accused him of sexual harassment. He was set to receive more than $40 million from the remainder of his contract but died in 2017.
Sources: The New York Times, CNN, Business Insider
In February 2017, three former gymnasts accused national gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual assault.
Another 262 victims came forward to say he had abused them. Nassar pleaded guilty to seven accounts of sexual abuse, and was sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison.
Sources: "60 Minutes", Chicago Tribune, The Cut, USA Today, The New York Times
In April 2017, a New York Times investigation revealed Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly had paid $13 million in settlements to women who accused him of harassment.
He was kicked off Fox News, where he had been earning $18 million a year as the most-watched cable news host in the country. He maintained his innocence, and in his first television interview after being fired, claimed it was a "hit job." He's since started a podcast called "No Spin News", where he's interviewed President Donald Trump.
Sources: Huff Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, Today
In July 2017, R&B singer R. Kelly was accused of trapping women in a sex cult.
Stories had circled the singer since the 1990s, but he was acquitted or had charges against him dropped after delaying the criminal cases against him. In July 2019, he was charged with sex trafficking. He's currently being held in jail without bond and has pleaded not guilty.
Sources: Buzzfeed News, BBC, Chicago Tribune
In October 2017, the New Yorker and New York Times published exposés on movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Eighty women accused Weinstein of sexual assault or harassment. He faces charges of criminal sexual acts, as well as both first-degree and third-degree rape. He's maintained his innocence. His trial begins next year.
In October 2017, Amazon's programming chief Roy Price was put on indefinite leave by the studio after Isa Hackett, an executive producer, accused him of sexual harassment. He now works as an art dealer in Hong Kong.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter
In October 2017, fashion photographer Terry Richardson was banned from Condé Nast following allegations of sexual harassment. Vogue had already banned him back in 2010.
A representative for Richardson told The Daily Beast he was "disappointed" about the ban and that the encounters were consensual. In 2018, the NYPD began investigating him. According to model Caron Bernstein, one of his accusers, the case was still underway as of May 2019.
Sources: The Wrap, The Wrap, The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Page Six, The Daily Beast
In October 2017, nine women accused television commentator and political analyst Mark Halperin of sexual misconduct.
He lost his job as a commentator on three networks and HBO canceled plans to make a miniseries based on his books. On Twitter, he released a statement, in which he said he was "profoundly sorry" for the pain he caused. He now has another book on the way about Democrats beating President Donald Trump, but it's been widely criticized. One of his accusers called it a "slap in the face."
Sources: Washington Post, Columbia Journalism Review, NBC News
In October 2017, Leon Wieseltier, a former longtime editor at the New Republic, was accused of sexual harassment by former colleagues. It resulted in his new magazine, called Idea, being canceled before its first issue. He apologized for his conduct.
Sources: The New York Times, The Atlantic
In 2018 it was revealed that 395 women had accused director James Toback of sexual harassment. But he didn't face criminal charges because the accusations occurred outside California's statute of limitations.
Toback denied the allegations, and said he wouldn't have been capable of harassing so many women because he'd had diabetes and a heart condition for the past 22 years. More recently, when the Oldenberg Film Festival in Germany announced a screening of his film "The Private Life of a Modern Woman," organizers were heavily criticized for giving him a platform.
Sources: Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter
In November 2017, anchor Matt Lauer was fired from NBC for "inappropriate sexual behavior." He had been earning $25 million a year.
In October 2019, Ronan Farrow's book "Catch and Kill" reported that Brooke Nevils, Lauer's former colleague, accused Lauer of rape. He has denied this claim.
Sources: Insider, Business Insider
In November 2017, six women accused director and producer Brett Ratner of sexual harassment or misconduct. He denied all the claims through his lawyer.
In 2018, Warner Brothers ended a $450 million deal with him. He'd told people he would be the director of "Rush Hour 4," but Warner Brothers said it wasn't true.
Sources: Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, The Telegraph, BBC
In November 2017, Broadway star Anthony Rapp accused two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey of sexual harassment.
Another 30 people soon came forward with their own allegations against Spacey. Spacey was fired from the television show "House of Cards" and replaced in the film "All the Money in the World." Spacey was investigated by police and faced criminal charges from one accuser, but the case was dropped in July 2019.
Spacey said he didn't remember the encounter with Rapp, and apologized if it did happen the way he described.
Sources: Los Angeles Times, BBC, Twitter
In November 2017, eight women accused TV host Charlie Rose of sexual misconduct. He was promptly fired by Bloomberg, PBS, and CBS News. Rose had denied the allegations.
Sources: Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, NBC News, Business Insider
Starting in December 2017, eight women accused former senator and "Saturday Night Live" comedian Al Franken of sexual misconduct.
He denied any misconduct but resigned from the Senate. A New Yorker investigation published more than a year later cast doubt on some of the claims against him. He now hosts a podcast.
Sources: Washington Post, The New Yorker, Business Insider
In December 2017, multiple people accused celebrity chef Mario Batali of sexual harassment. He apologized and stepped back from his professional life.
He was fired from ABC's "The Chew," and was bought out from his restaurant group, which employs at least 2,000 people. In January 2019, police closed an investigation into him, saying there wasn't enough evidence to bring a case. He's said he's done with public life.
Sources: The New York Times, The New York Times, Bravo TV, Grub Street, The New York Times
In December 2017, 18 women accused "One Tree Hill" creator Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment. He was fired from the show "The Royals." Schwahn hasn't publicly responded to the allegations.
Sources: Deadline, Refinery29
In April 2018, comedian Bill Cosby was convicted of three felony counts of indecent assault. More than 50 women accused him of sexual misconduct.
A statue of Cosby was removed from MGM Hollywood studios and he lost several honorary degrees. He's now serving up to 10 years in a maximum-security prison outside Philadelphia.
In May 2018, sitcom star Roseanne Barr sent out a racist tweet saying former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was like an ape from the TV show "Planet of the Apes."
She was promptly fired from "Roseanne," which had just been relaunched after a two-decade hiatus and was pulling in 18 million viewers. ABC later canceled the show and rebooted it as "The Connors." Barr has been staging a comeback, and accused ABC of using her tweet as "an excuse to steal my life's work."
Sources: The Guardian, Washington Post, Deadline
In May 2018, former socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein filed for bankruptcy after going through the $2.5 billion she kept after divorcing billionaire art dealer Alec Wildenstein in 1999. As of May 2018, the value of all her assets was only $16.4 million, less than 1% of what she had at the time of her divorce.
Sources: New York Post, Fox News
In September 2018, The New Yorker reported that 12 people had accused former network chief executive Les Moonves of sexual harassment and abuse, often with the promise of parts in shows.
Five other accusers came forward, and Moonves resigned from CBS and lost a $120 million severance package. He has denied all allegations of non-consensual sexual relations.
Sources: The New Yorker, The Mercury News, Fox News, Chicago Tribune, Business Insider
In October 2018, NBC anchor Megyn Kelly, formerly one of Fox News' highest-rated hosts, defended using blackface in Halloween costumes during an episode of "Megyn Kelly Today."
Within days of the segment, her NBC talk show was canceled. She left the network in January 2019 but was still reportedly paid the remainder of her $69 million contract. She's since said she'll be launching her own talk show, and has debuted clips on Instagram and YouTube.
Sources: The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Page Six, YouTube
In November 2018, the Miami Herald published an investigation about allegations of sex trafficking by financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He was later charged with sex trafficking but died by suicide in jail before the trial. He faced up to 45 years in prison if he was convicted on the charges.
Source: Miami Herald, Insider
In December 2018, Australia's highest-ranking Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, was found guilty of sexually abusing two choirboys 22 years earlier. In March 2019, he was sentenced to six years in prison.
Sources: Reuters, Stuff.co.nz
In December 2018, Oscar-winning director Bryan Singer was fired from "Bohemian Rhapsody" for reportedly not showing up for work. In 2019, The Atlantic published a piece that alleged Singer had sex with four underage boys.
Singer was scheduled to direct "Red Sonja," but he was fired in June 2019. He denied any wrongdoing related to the accusations. In June, he settled one rape lawsuit by paying an accuser $150,000. His lawyer said it was a business decision, as litigation would have been more expensive.
Source: The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN
In September 2019, Antonio Brown, one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, said he would no longer play after his trainer accused him of rape.
In a statement his lawyer released, Brown denied "each and every allegation in the lawsuit." Three teams contacted Brown to play for them, but it looks like he won't be playing — at least for the rest of this decade.
Sources: CBS Sports, The New York Times, NBC News, ESPN
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