Fame is fickle, one minute someone could be one of the most popular and influential people on the planet and the next nobody is texting back. Stars fall every year, and in 2022 some big stars have lost a lot of their credibility. Some of them will likely have their chance to make a comeback, while others will have a much harder time restoring their once glittering reputations.
There have been slaps at the Oscars, bad tech investments, burglaries in the state of Vermont, breakups of once happy couples, anti-Semitism, and horrific crimes that cannot be detailed here. What can be done is one round, so here’s a quick recap of the celebrities who’ve had a rough time in 2022.
THE VIDEO OF THE DAY
8/8 Elon Musk
Musk has long held onto his reputation as one of the busiest people in the world and a technological innovator. Despite having a large following, Musk fumbled with his pocket when he bought Twitter for the inflated sum of $44 billion. Shortly after taking over the site and lifting content moderation rules, the use of racial slurs like the N-word on the app skyrocketed. Also, within weeks, most Twitter employees resigned in protest at Musk’s inappropriate schedule and demands. There was also the verification fiasco, the recovery and then suspension of Yes’s account, and so many other failures that caused advertisers to pull out and millions to leave Twitter.
7/8 Aaron Rogers
Rogers was already losing a lot of ground after speaking out against vaccinations in 2021 and lying to the NFL about his vaccination status, and things only got worse from there. In 2022, Shailene Woodley and Rogers split after months of repeated Rogers controversy. Things looked particularly bleak for the couple shortly before their split when Rogers forgot to thank his then-fiancée when he won his MVP award.
6/8 David Chappelle
He remains a hugely popular and influential comedian, but Chappelle nearly destroyed the internet with transphobic comments he made during his 2022 Netflix special. The debate continues to heat up and once-singing fans of Chappelle are beginning to abandon the comedian. Students at his old high school refused to have a building named after him because of his comments, and things only got worse for him when he seemingly tried to normalize Kanye West’s anti-Semitism in an SNL monologue. Shortly thereafter, in an interview with Alex Jones, West said, “I love Hitler.”
5/8 The Duggars
The Duggar reality TV empire on TLC collapsed in 2022. Her show was cancelled, Jim Bob lost his December 2021 election (not a great start to the new year) and his son Josh Duggar was convicted and sentenced to several years in prison for possession and distribution of child pornography.
4/8 Ezra Miller
The DC star had multiple run-ins with the law in 2022 and allegedly kidnapped an 18-year-old girl. Miller’s crime streak included drug arrests, disorderly conduct charges, and breaking and entering the state of Vermont. DC’s PR team will be busy for a while.
3/8 Will Smith
“The slap heard around the world,” some call it. After Chris Rock mocked Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss, a very pissed off Will Smith stormed the Oscars stage, walked straight up to Chris Rock and punched him in the face. Smith then sat back down and continued to yell, “Keep my wife’s name out of your damn mouth!” Smith still won the Academy Award for King Richard, but was pushed out of the Academy soon after. The event was a PR disaster for the Smith family.
2/8 belongs to amber
It’s one thing to get into a legal battle with your ex, but it’s quite another when that legal battle becomes one of the most-watched TV events since the OJ Simpson trial. Johnny Depp sued Heard for defamation after she accused him of sexual assault in an op-ed for the Washington Post. Heard had previously claimed Johnny Depp hit her, and this article escalated her allegations. After nearly a month, Depp, with numerous eyewitnesses and a body of evidence, convinced the jury that Heard was the one who abused him. Heard maintains her innocence, but the court orders her to pay Depp $8 million.
1/8 Kanye West
West was once a powerhouse in the worlds of art, music and fashion. He was married to one of the most famous and beautiful women in the world, he was a billionaire and he was very expensive. In 2022, he lost his billionaire status after making a series of grotesque anti-Semitic statements. He also lost his deals with Adidas and several other companies, and his divorce from Kim eventually decided that he will pay her $200,000 a month in child support. West has only since doubled down on his anti-Semitism. In an interview with Alex Jones, he vocally defended Adolph Hitler.
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