Celebrities often become the face of scandal with their personal lives magnified for the world to see.
The lines between the personal and professional can become complicated with allegations of sexual misconduct, racist twists and general reputation ruin forcing production companies to take action.
Over the years there have been a number of actors either dropped or forced to quit their parts in hit TV shows due to their actions or allegations against them.
Most recently, in addition to the dissolution of his marriage, David Harbour is facing a turbulent time professionally after he was hit with ‘bullying’ complaints by his Stranger Things co-star Millie Bobby Brown.
And now the actor appears to be falling out of favour when it comes to the sci-fi hit, as he ‘disappeared’ in many of the scenes of the final trailer last week.
Fans were left disappointed as they penned: ‘Guessing we will see very few scenes of Millie and Harbour together this last season which sucks because their characters relationship is supposed to serve as the heart of the show…’
But David isn’t the only star to have his show tarnished by scandal.
From Kevin Spacey’s dramatic exit from House Of Cards after five seasons following allegations of sexual misconduct, to the off screen death of Roseanne Barr’s self-titled character after her racist tweet, directors are sometimes forced to work around unprecedented circumstances.
When the star becomes the scandal: Actors who have been forced out of their TV shows after allegations of sexual misconduct, racist tweets and reputation ruin (pictured Chris Noth and Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and The City)
David Harbour was hit with ‘bullying’ complaints by his Stranger Things co-star Millie Bobby Brown and has appeared to have ‘disappeared’ in many of the latest Stranger Things trailer
Chris Noth: Sex and the City
Chris Noth saw his career upended in 2021 when he faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has since denied.
His character, Mr Big, was killed off in the first episode of the Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That, a move that was planned as part of the plotline.
But just weeks later two women went public with their allegations of sexual misconduct.
One claimed he raped her in 2015 after she met the actor while working as a server at a nightclub. The second told The Hollywood Reporter he raped her in 2004.
The actor’s rep called the allegations ‘categorically false.’
A third woman came forward shortly after the THR article, and told The Daily Beast she had been assaulted by the Gone actor when she was 18 and working at a restaurant in New York.
Chris denied those allegations, along with the claims of a fourth woman who also accused him of misconduct.
Chris Noth saw his career upended in 2021 when he faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has since denied (pictured in And Just Like That in 2021)
The veteran star was also fired from his job on the CBS drama The Equalizer shortly after the allegations were made public.
He later confessed that he ‘strayed on my wife,’ which was ‘devastating to her,’ but added: ‘What it isn’t, is a crime.’
Last year, he firmly denied multiple allegation allegations of sexual misconduct in his first interview about the charges that infamously put his career on hold.
Chris told USA Today that any encounters he has had outside his marriage were consensual, stating: ‘I strayed on my wife, and it’s devastating to her and not a very pretty picture. What it isn’t, is a crime.’
The former Law and Order star has been married to his wife, Tara Wilson, 46, since 2012 and together for 10 years prior.
The SAG nominee admitted his infidelity saying, ‘You give yourself the same excuses that many men do; it’s just a little side dance, and it’s fun.
He said he justified by telling himself, ‘You’re not hurting anybody. No one’s going to know about this, you know, and sex is just enjoyable.’
‘And suddenly, a lot of people want to have sex with you. It’s like, ‘Well, I’m not going to get this chance again.’
The actor, 70, has been married to his wife, Tara Wilson, 46, since 2012. He has insisted all affairs outside of his marriage were consensual (pictured together in 2012)
Kevin Spacey – House Of Cards
Kevin Spacey was dropped down from the final season of the hit Netflix show in 2017 following allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct made against him by various men, including Anthony Rapp who accused him of making unwanted advances towards him when he was just 14.
He has since been found not guilty of the charges.
However at the time Netflix announced they wouldn’t make House of Cards as long as Kevin was involved, and that they were further dropping a biopic of writer Gore Vidal that he had been set to star in amid more claims of inappropriate behavior.
They also replaced the poster for the long-running political drama, while the original featured both Spacey’s character of Frank Underwood and Robin Wright’s Claire Underwood, the new one only featured Robin.
In another devastating blow at this time of his career Kevin was also edited out of the Sir Ridley Scott film All The Money In The World.
Media Rights Capital previously (successfully) sued Spacey for nearly $31 million, saying it had lost millions due to his sexual misconduct with crew members on the show.
An arbitrator ruled the assault allegations against Spacey were credible, and that MRC should recoup its costs for starting over without him on a shorter final series.
However, last year he struck an agreement with MRC that allowed him to pay them only $1 million, in instalments.
Kevin went on trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court accused of carrying out nine sex attacks on four men – but was found not guilty on all counts.
Kevin Spacey was dropped down from the final season of the hit Netflix show in 2017 following allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct made against him (pictured on the show in 2013)
They also replaced the poster for the long-running political drama, while the original featured both Spacey’s character of Frank Underwood and Robin Wright’s Claire Underwood
Pictured the updated poster with just Robin
Charlie Sheen: Two and a Half Men
The American actor, 60, who played Charlie Harper in the smash hit series, was dramatically dropped from the CBS show in 2011 after making a slew of controversial statements about showrunner Chuck Lorre.
The star was also battling addiction at the time and would often not show up for filming amid his drug-fueled spiral.
In 2010, amid his public struggle with addiction, Charlie was given a pay increase of $1.8million an episode – making him the highest TV actor in history.
However, this move proved to be disastrous, and in October 2010, just two months after leaving rehab, he allegedly trashed a hotel room at New York’s Plaza Hotel.
At the time, he was found naked and highly intoxicated.
Reflecting on the events over a decade later, director Jamie Widdoes explained how everyone was ‘genuinely worried about him.’
‘The word came down that Charlie’s stand-in’s going to do the Monday table read,’ he said.
‘And what happened, as we got more and more into season eight was that the Monday table read started to become the Tuesday rehearsal as well.’
The final nail in the coffin came when he called into the Alex Jones Show radio program to publicly slam Chuck in February 2011.
Charlie Sheen was dramatically dropped from the CBS show in 2011 after a of controversial statements about showrunner Chuck Lorre (pictured in the series with Jon Cryer in 2003)
Charlie publicly slammed Chuck (pictured L in 2011) on the radio as he blasted: ‘I’ve spent close to the last decade, I don’t know, effortlessly and magically converting your tin can into pure gold’
‘I’ve spent, I think, close to the last decade, I don’t know, effortlessly and magically converting your tin can into pure gold,’ he blasted at the time.
‘And the gratitude I get is this charlatan chose not to do his job, which is to write.’
He was then fired and replaced by Ashton Kutcher, with a statement reading: ‘After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on Two and a Half Men effective immediately.’
Charlie and Chuck didn’t speak for a decade, however in 2023 they revealed they had mended their relationship.
Chuck said the reconciliation began when he called up Charlie to cast him in his upcoming Max comedy series, How to Be a Bookie.
‘I was nervous, but almost as soon as we started talking, I remembered, we were friends once,’ the writer/director explained in an interview with Variety.
‘And that friendship just suddenly seemed to be there again.’
He was then fired and replaced by Ashton Kutcher (pictured in 2012), with a statement reading: ‘After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on Two and a Half Men effective immediately’
Roseanne Barr: Roseanne
In 2018 Roseanne Barr was fired from her self-titled show after online racism.
The actress, 73, tweeted that Valerie Jarrett, who is African-American and advised Barack and Michelle Obama, looked like the ‘Muslim brotherhood and planet of the apes had a baby.’
She was promptly fired by ABC and was effectively blacklisted by much of Hollywood.
At the time, Roseanne said she wasn’t aware that Valerie was black and revealed that she wrote the now-deleted post when she was in an Ambien fog.
‘When it happened it was like I thought I was gonna lose my life,’ she recalled. ‘It was devastating and horrible and is unprecedented too that they would do that to me.’
After sending the controversial tweet, she apologised ‘for making a bad joke’ about her politics and looks.
‘I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste,’ she wrote.
Despite this, her posts sparked a furious backlash with critics calling on ABC to cancel her show – which became the third highest-rated US show after Sunday Night Football and This Is Us.
Meanwhile Valerie responded to Roseanne’s comments during a town hall on MSNBC called ‘Everyday Racism in America’ and said ABC made the right call in canceling her show.
‘First of all, I think we have to turn it into a teaching moment,’ she said.
The show was later rebooted as the spin-off series The Conners, with Roseanne’s character killed off in the first episode after an accidental opioid overdose.
In 2018 Roseanne Barr was fired from her self-titled show after online racism. She was promptly fired by ABC and was effectively blacklisted by much of Hollywood (pictured in 1989)
After sending the controversial tweet, she apologised ‘for making a bad joke’ about her politics and looks
Noel Clarke: Bulletproof
Sky cancelled their police TV series Bulletproof in 2021 after Noel Clarke was accused of sexual misconduct.
The broadcaster decided to axe the show – which the actor, 49, co-created and starred in – despite commissioning a fourth season.
20 women accused him of sexual harassment, groping and bullying, with the claims levelled against him in The Guardian, with seven more women coming forward to do the same after the first report was published.
He has been accused of a range of inappropriate activities, including sexual harassment, unwanted touching or groping, sexually inappropriate behaviour and comments on set, professional misconduct, taking and sharing sexually explicit pictures and videos without consent, and bullying.
The actor vehemently denied claims by women who accuse him of sexual harassment, groping and bullying between 2004 and 2019.
In his own statement, he said: ‘In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.
‘If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise.
‘I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.’
Noel later sued the Guardian for printing allegations of his sexual misconduct, however he lost the libel case in August.
Sky cancelled their police TV series Bulletproof in 2021 after Noel Clarke was accused of sexual misconduct
Johnny Depp: Fantastic Beasts
It’s not just TV shows that have been impacted by scandal.
In 2020 Johnny Depp was forced to quit his Fantastic Beasts role at the request of production company Warner Bros, after enduring reputational damage as a result of his legal ordeal with ex-wife Amber Heard.
The actor, 62, famously lost the libel action which he brought at the UK High Court in 2020, after being called a ‘wife beater’, but successfully brought a libel action against Amber in a US court in 2022.
As a result of the controversy, Johnny’s reputation took a battering with his stock as one of the world’s leading actors dramatically falling amid sensational headlines of domestic abuse, sexual violence, drug taking and excessive drinking.
Despite having already shot some scenes for the upcoming movie, his role as the villainous Gellert Grindelwald, which he played in the first two movies in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter spin-off series, was later recast as Mads Mikkelsen.
In a statement, the film studio said: ‘Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date.
‘Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production, and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast. The film will debut in theatres worldwide in the summer of 2022.’
Johnny Depp was forced to quit his Fantastic Beasts role at the request of production company Warner Bros, after his legal ordeal with ex-wife Amber Heard
At the time media lawyer Mark Stephens believed the sacking could end Depp’s career in Hollywood.
He said: ‘This is devastating for Depp. He is now toxic. He will be known for ever as a wife beater, a drunkard and a druggie. It will be written on his headstone.’
However the star is now rebuilding his career, after returning to the spotlight with the French film Jeanne du Barry (2023), which premiered at Cannes to a standing ovation.
Around the same time, he re-established his partnership with Dior Sauvage, signing a record-breaking fragrance deal.
And now TMZ reports the actor has landed the lead part in a re-imagining of a Charles Dickens classic, a movie called Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol.
