On Saturday, Reddit user u/Yung-Potter-XO asked people, "Which celebrity got canceled and you genuinely felt bad for them?"
This led to people sharing which celebs they don't believe should've been "canceled" in the first place. By canceled, we can assume they mean celebs who have faced substantial career losses because of the backlash they received — not, like, gotten more money and followers like YouTube "celebs" today.
Here's what people said:
Laura Dern:
"Laura Dern. When Laura Dern played Ellen’s girlfriend on the episode where she came out, she was blacklisted by the industry for nearly a decade. She says her manager warned her she wouldn’t get roles if she agreed to take the part, but did so anyways. She went from Jurassic Park and being in demand to nobody giving her a call." — u/antmars
Winona Ryder:
"She got caught shoplifting and wasn't able to rebound until Stranger Things." — u/BusinessPurge
Brendan Fraser:
"He spoke out about his sexual assault, and he was blackballed for more than a decade." — u/LezPlayLater
Britney Spears:
"Britney Spears — when she shaved her head and all that. I'm no fan of hers, but she just seemed like someone who cracked under all the pressure and lost her shit. Craig Ferguson did an absolutely amazing job talking about that and relating it to his own life. Major respect to him for that." — u/sovereignsekte
Chris Crocker:
"Everyone laughed and mocked Chris Crocker ('Leave Brittany Alone' guy), but the truth is he was right." — u/KitCattPurr
Janet Jackson:
"Janet Jackson after Nipplegate was a travesty in how she was treated like a pariah afterwards." — u/BlackIsTheSoul
Megan Fox:
"Megan Fox deserved better than the way media constantly sexualized her and ignored anything she had to say. She has numerous interviews trying to talk about being uncomfortably sexualized by Michael Bay when she was a teenager, but the audience and interviewer would just cheer as if she wasn’t talking about predatory behavior. Megan Fox is so smart and eloquent, NOT the person Hollywood would have you believe." — u/toxicfluffer
Sinead O'Connor:
"I'd have to say Sinead O'Connor, when she ripped a picture of the pope on SNL. She was absolutely trashed by the media. Written off as a complete nutcase and ruthlessly mocked. All because a bunch of pearl-clutching fools refused to believe the increasingly obvious realities of the Church and decided that the pope was above criticism." — u/lanky_giraffe
Terry Crews:
"Terry Crews has issues getting work because he spoke out about being sexually assaulted during the #MeToo Movement. People assumed a man his stature couldn't be assaulted. He gave names, and people weren't very happy." — u/AirGuitarMatt
The Chicks:
"The Chicks. They said during a concert, 'Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States [George Bush] is from Texas.'" — u/hockeyjoker
Jenna Marbles:
"Basically people were angry at her old content that she made 10 years ago and while she's already apologized for her actions and addressed how she now understands why it's inappropriate, she felt that her presence on YouTube was causing more harm, and it was too much to keep rehashing the same issue." — u/TheDoctorsButtercup
Michael Phelps:
"Remember when Michael Phelps got canceled because he got caught smoking weed?" — u/gkantelis1
Rebecca Black:
"Rebecca Black. Everyone was so mean over "Friday." She was 13 years old and deserved better!" — u/princess_persimmon