Whether you like it or not, cancel culture is here and it's giving celebs a new way to fall out of favor in the public eye. While it can be a bit overwhelming, cancel culture has given rise to an ever-growing number of trials by the media, allowing us, the viewers, the ability to take control of who we keep in these elevated public positions.
Whether by an off-handed comment, a publicly questionable act, or an outright betrayal of the public's trust, a celebrity can be easily "canceled." Sometimes, they even do it to themselves. In one interview, these ten celebrities found a way to offend and put off enough of the public that they effectively canceled themselves.
10 J.K. Rowling
One of the most heartbreaking celebrities to be canceled because of their public comments was J.K. Rowling. The author of the beloved Harry Potter series was someone many Millenials looked up to.
Sadly, Rowling wound up canceling herself by making several anti-trans comments on Twitter. In 2020, Rowling wrote a tweet in response to a phrase used in a Devex op-ed piece that focused on menstruation. She tweeted: "'People who menstruate.' I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"
Aside from ignoring the plethora of women who don't menstruate for a variety of reasons, in this tweet she forgets that "trans women are women," according to singer Mary Lambert.
9 Hilaria Baldwin
Many believed Hilaria Baldwin was Spanish. Google tells us she was born in Majorca, Spain. Her official bio says it, as well. In her personal statements, she suggested that she moved directly from Majorca to NYU. She's gone so far as to say she's been asked if she's the nanny because the children have blonde hair and blue eyes. She even supposedly forgets the English word for cucumber.
That's when a December 2020 tweet suggested her Spanish identity might be appropriated.
On December 21, 2020, @lenibriscoe published a tweet reading: "You have to admire Hilaria Baldwin's commitment to her decades long grift where she impersonates a Spanish person."
This led to a response from Baldwin, who said: "I was born in Boston and grew up spending time with my family between Massachusetts and Spain." She went on to attribute her ever-changing accent to being raised bilingual, saying: "If I get nervous, or I get upset, then I start to mix the two."
Whatever the truth is about her cultural identity, the suggestion of cultural appropriation led to a massive canceling of Hilaria Baldwin that she seems to still be fighting.
8 David Dobrik
Despite only being a YouTube star, David Dobrik hasn't been safe from cancel culture. His videos often feature his group of friends, known as the "Vlog Squad." In March 2021, an accusation was made that a member fo the Vlog Squad, Durte Dom, raped a woman while she was "incapacitated by alcohol." Following this accusation, former Vlog Squad members like Trisha Paytas said they had heard of the group pressuring girls into "sexual situations" for their videos.
Following the allegations, Dobrik lost tons of subscribers, as well as nearly all sponsors. To try and save face, Dobrik posted a video that was meant to be an apology video. It was not well received and a longer apology video he posted became fodder for Saturday Night Live.
7 Piers Morgan
If you haven't noticed, Megan Markle is a touchy subject with the British media, including popular controversial personality, Piers Morgan. During the chaotic time of Markle living within the British court, Morgan made many statements seen as derogatory and offensive towards the new princess.
His problematic statements regarding the American princess led to a huge downturn in his reputation, even leading to petitions to remove him from Good Morning Britain. Described by some as emotionally unstable and too harsh led to his departure from the renowned morning show and he continues to try and evade the spotlight.
6 Vanessa Hudgens
Regardless of your opinions about the vaccine, mask mandates, and stay-at-home orders, the pandemic has been a huge shift in our world. For many, turning to the internet to vent became a hobby. Unfortunately for Vanessa Hudgens, her online venting took a turn towards the cancel culture.
When the pandemic was in full swing and everyone was dealing with lockdown orders, Hudgens turned to Instagram live with some words that quickly frustrated her fans.
"...people are going to die, which is terrible but like, inevitable?"
To say that during a time when hundreds of thousands of people were dying was seen as insensitive and blind to the real tragedy. In a way, she showed her privilege. Although she later went on to apologize, followers are not quick to forget, especially those who lost someone due to COVID-19.
5 Wendy Williams
It seems like Wendy Williams has been actively trying to dig herself a hole in the last couple of years. To start with, in January 2020 she had to apologize after saying Joaquin Phoenix was "oddly attractive." She coupled this with gestures that hinted she believe Phoenix had a cleft lip or palate (Phoenix later clarified that it's a birthmark). This led to Williams having to apologize to the "cleft community." She also donated to Operation Smile and the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.
Only a month later, Williams had to make another apology, this one regarding homophobic comments she made on the Wendy Williams Show. Regarding wearing skirts and heels, she said that gay men should stop attempting to "be the woman that we are." A day later, she said again, "Stop wearing our skirts and our heels." The backlash was swift and Williams produced an apology video full of tears for her LGBTQ+ fans, but many still canceled her.
4 Snoop Dogg
A controversial Gayle King interview with WNBA star Lisa Leslie was met with plenty of pushback. Although many were upset about the interview, which included a section about the 2003 Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, Snoop Dogg took his anger to another level, being the late basketball star's longtime friend.
In an Instagram video, Snoop Dogg blew his lid, saying "Back off, bitch, before we come get you," at one point. Suddenly, the spotlight turned to him and many found his aggressive commentary offensive. After first denying that he was trying to intimidate the journalist, Snoop Dogg issued an apology to King, saying, "I publicly tore you down by coming at you in a derogatory manner ... I should have handled it way different than that."
3 Jimmy Kimmel
Often the one making the jokes, Jimmy Kimmel found himself on the receiving end of cancel culture after making fun of Mike Pence in a video that turned out to be fake. Being very outspoken about the Trump administration, it was no surprise that Kimmel poked fun at the former Vice President. In the video, Pence appears to be pretending to carry heavy boxes, which Kimmel jumped on during Jimmy Kimmel Live!
A representative of Mike Pence later pointed out in the full video, it's clear that Pence is joking at this part that Kimmel made fun of and that the former Vice President did in fact help move heavy boxes of PPE. Kimmel went on to apologize to his more right-leaning fans, saying (rather tongue-in-cheek) "Apologizing to the Trump administration for spreading untruth is like apologizing to Barry Bonds for using steroids. It's hard."
2 Alison Roman
A popular food writer, Alison Roman found an entire fanbase coming for her after a May interview with Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo. Particularly upsetting was the fact that Roman chose only Asian women who were selling products to attack, especially since she, a white woman, was coming out with a cookware line that would obviously compete with these others. This led to Roman's column going on temporary leave from the New York Times.
Roman shared an apology on Twitter: "They've worked extremely hard to get to where they are and both deserve better than my tone deaf remarks... Our culture frequently goes after women, especially women of color, and I'm ashamed to have contributed to that."
1 Alia Shawkat
Well-known for her roles in Search Party and Arrested Development, Alia Shawkat faced cancel culture after a video of her using the N-word resurfaced in a 2016 interview. While she was quoting lyrics from Drake's "We Made It," there was no excuse for the use of the term.
In response to the backlash, Shawkat shared a statement saying she was "ashamed and embarrassed" by the video. She also acknowledged her privilege and the "nuanced access I've been afforded" as an Arabic woman "who can pass for white."
