Gene Hackman in ‘The Birdcage’ Is Still the Gold Standard for Satirizing Reactionary Politicians

Gene Hackman Was the Funniest Lex Luthor

Gene Hackman Came Up With One of Mel Brooks’ Greatest Jokes

20 of the Biggest Franchise Plot Holes of All Time

This Is the World’s Weirdest Stock Market

15 Strange And Spectacular Ways People Ended Their Own Careers

Michael Richards: from Seinfeld star to career-ending racial slur.

15 Strange And Spectacular Ways People Ended Their Own Careers

January 10, 2023

Ah, the stories of careers ended before their time. From legendary sports stars to Hollywood icons, these stories are a reminder that fame and success can be fleeting. Some of these stories are well-known, while others have faded into obscurity. But all of them are a testament to the power of the entertainment industry, and the risks of fame and fortune.

It’s easy to forget that the celebrities we idolize are just people, and that their careers can end in an instant. John Kruk was a legendary .300 hitter who retired mid-game, Ardian Syaf was fired from Marvel for sneaking anti-Christian and anti-Semitic messages into artwork, and Jimmy ‘The Greek’ Snyder was fired by CBS for making controversial racial remarks.

Michael Richards’ career ended with a few racial slurs, Natalia Kills was removed from X Factor NZ after her outburst, and Keri Hilson was blacklisted by the BeyHive after allegedly dissing Beyoncé. Iggy Azalea’s career came to an abrupt halt after her tour was canceled and her tweets were criticized, and Szymon “Guru” Nieciag was fired from his professional Starcraft 2 team for making an offensive remark against Muslims.

These stories are a reminder that no one is immune to the pitfalls of fame and fortune. So let us take a moment to remember these celebrities and their careers, and the lessons we can learn from them.

15

CRACKED DEMI MOORE: FROM 80S ICON TO BOX OFFICE POISON. Demi Moore was a successful actress in the 1980s and early '90s, but her career was damaged after the release of the 1996 movie Striptease, which received a poor critical reception and led to her being branded box office poison. — Far Out Mag

14

From The Deer Hunter to Heaven’s Gate: Michael Cimino’s downfall.

CRACKED OSCAR-WINNING PRODIGY TO CAREER-ENDING DISASTER: MICHAEL CIMINO'S STORY. Michael Cimino was a prodigy who rose to fame after winning an Oscar for directing The Deer Hunter, but his follow-up, Heaven's Gate, was a massive bomb that destroyed his career and the New Hollywood movement. — Unheard / Hollywood Reporter

13

Geena Davis: From Oscar Winner to Box Office Bomb.

CRACKED GEENA DAVIS: FROM HOLLYWOOD A-LISTER TO CUTTHROAT ISLAND FLOP. Geena Davis' career was nearly ruined by the box office flop Cutthroat Island, which was considered one of the biggest box office bombs of all time. — Looper

12

Jussie Smollett

CRACKED JUSSIE SMOLLETT FAKED A HATE CRIME. Jussie Smollett was found guilty on five of six charges of disorderly conduct for lying to police about staging an anti-gay, racist attack on himself, and experts say his career is now unsalvageable due to the verdicts. — Fox / Vanity Fair

11

Curt Flood: Baseball’s Revolutionary Hero.

CRACKED ITAL CURT FLOOD REFUSED TO ACCEPT A TRADE. Flood was a centerfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals who refused to accept a trade in 1969, challenging the reserve clause and sparking a revolution in professional sports. His case was unsuccessful, but it led to the introduction of free agency and changed the game of baseball forever. — The Atlantic

10

Armie Hammer: A Hollywood star with a dark side?

CRACKED AB G ARTIST L CAMPAIGN es 200m ARMIE HAMMER CANNIBALIZED HIS OWN CAREER. Armie Hammer has been accused of emotional abuse, manipulation, and violence, and his agency dropped him after screengrabs circulated of him describing sexual fantasies involving rape and cannibalism. — Vanity Fair / The Daily Beast

9

“Fancy” success fades away: Iggy Azalea’s career in freefall.

CRACKED IGGY AZALEA TWEETED HER CAREER TO DEATH. Iggy Azalea's career has been on a downward spiral since the success of her hit single 'Fancy' in 2014, culminating in the cancellation of her tour and criticism for her lack of authenticity and controversial tweets. — SMH / Vox

8

Keri Hilson: From BeyHive blacklist to music industry return.

CRACKED KERI HILSON DISSED BEYONCÉ. Keri Hilson's music career came to an abrupt halt after she allegedly dissed Beyoncé, resulting in her being blacklisted by the BeyHive. She has since spoken out about the drama and is now working on making her comeback to the music industry. — Cheatsheet / Billboard

7

Sinéad O’Connor

CRACKED SINÉAD O'CONNOR: SNL PERFORMANCE, ICONIC PROTEST, BANNED. She tore up a photo of the Pope on SNL in 1992, in an iconic moment of protest against the Catholic Church's widespread sexual abuse of children, which resulted in her being banned from the show. She's retired and un-retired a few times since then, but hasn't been able to regain the momentum she had in the 90's. — Far Out Mag / Vulture

6

Natalia Kills’ wild journey of name-changing and hate-filled comments.

CRACKED 6 YEARS LATER, NATALIA KILLS' X FACTOR NZ OUTBURST STILL HAUNTS HER. Natalia Kills' 2015 X Factor NZ outburst resulted in her being removed from the show and having a difficult time performing or making music, leading her to legally change her name and form the band Cruel Youth. — Pedestrian

5

"Guru" Nieciąg's career ends in controversy.

CRACKED 31' 2 2 27 XR SUFFU 1 - MERWEIRE 36 6 29 E20 GURU BITES THE DUST: TWITCH COMMENT SPARKS TEAM DISMISSAL. Szymon Guru Nieciag was fired from his professional Starcraft 2 team, True Esport, for making an offensive remark against Muslims during a Twitch live stream. His sponsor released a statement condemning his comment and removed him from the team. — Keen Gamer / Wadowice24

4

Michael Richards

CRACKED MICHAEL RICHARDS: FROM SEINFELD STAR TO CAREER-ENDING RACIAL SLUR. Michael Richards destroyed his career in 3 minutes when he used racial slurs and berated a Black audience member, and his career never recovered to the level of success he had on Seinfeld. — CheatSheet

3

CBS cuts ties with Jimmy ‘The Greek’: Racial remarks too much.

CRACKED JIMMY THE GREEK TRADED HIS CAREER FOR RACISM. Sports commentator Jimmy 'The Greek' Snyder was fired by CBS after making controversial remarks about Blacks being bred to be better athletes than whites. — LA Times / Sports Casting

2

The Absolute Worst Kind of Easter Egg

CRACKED BANK BASI CRA Jewells 212 POLICE ARTIST'S CAREER ENDS AFTER MARVEL FINDS HIDDEN MESSAGES. Marvel terminated the contract of Indonesian artist Ardian Syaf after he snuck anti-Christian and anti-Semitic messages into artwork for the Marvel X-Men comic. Ardian has since apologized and stated that his career is now over. — Straits Times

1

John Kruk

CRACKED JOHN KRUK: RETIRED MID-GAME, STILL A .300 HITTER. John Kruk was a great MLB hitter who famously retired in the middle of a game, watching the rest from his couch, and is now a color commentator for the Phillies. His retirement was a unique and humorous way to go out as a lifetime .300 hitter. — SportsCasting / Inquirer

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

Science & History

5 Primitive Ways Entertainment Worked Before We Figured It All Out

Science & History

The 15 Most Mysterious Videos on YouTube

Movies & TV

The Baby Who Inspired ‘Look Who’s Talking’ Has Co-Written a Sequel

Trivia & Jokes

25 of Johnny Carson’s Most-Outdated Monologue Jokes from the Oscars

Trivia & Jokes

25 Shocking Sexual Experiences People Had With a New Partner

Movies & TV

Netflix’s New Basketball Sitcom, ‘Running Point,’ Scores from Downtown

VIRAL ON CRACKED

1

Shockingly Effective Sales Tricks You've Probably Fallen For

2

25 Characters Who Changed Radically After Their Debut

3

21 Times Hollywood Actually Got The Science Right

4

15 Strange And Spectacular Ways People Ended Their Own Careers

5

25 Shocking Sexual Experiences People Had With a New Partner