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Bill Cosby -

Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 after more than 50 women made similar allegations against him, including drugging, sexual assault, and child abuse. However, his conviction was overturned in 2021 due to a technicality and he was released. In an interview on Dec. 28, 2022, the 85-year-old revealed that he plans to begin touring as a comedian again in 2023. “There’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do. Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it," he told interviewer Scott Spears. “When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be." His representatives confirmed that he is aiming to begin touring again in the spring or summer. In the month prior to his interview, Cosby was accused of sexual abuse by five more women who have filed a lawsuit against him. 

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Chris Brown -

Chris Brown first came to light as an abuser in 2009 when photos of then-girlfriend Rihanna surfaced showing her bruised and battered. After pleading guilty, he still avoided jail time and enjoyed a fruitful career with the same music label, touring around the world and collaborating with other artists, though he was banned from performing in the UK for 10 years. He's still been accused of violently attacking other women since then, including as recently as June 2021, but still his career continues on. That is especially evident as he returned to the UK to perform onstage at the O2 Arena Concert with Wizkid, singing his 2020 hit 'Go Crazy.' Even though he acknowledged he hadn't been there in 10 years, the crowd didn't seem to mind the reason why.   

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Chris Brown -

Chris Brown was not present to receive his AMA award for the Favourite Male R&B Artist at the 2022 ceremony or hear the subsequent boos from the crowd. Instead, Kelly Rowland accepted the award on his behalf, but when she heard the crowd's upset noises, she put a finger up and said, "Excuse me. Chill out." "I want to tell Chris thank you so much for making great R&B music, and I want to tell him thank you for being an incredible performer," Rowland continued. "I'll take this award and bring it to you. I love you, congratulations." Before the show, Brown claimed that the AMAs canceled his planned tribute to Michael Jackson at the last minute, as he shared footage of his rehearsal to Instagram and wrote in the caption "U SERIOUS?" while adding in the comments, “WOULDVE been the ama performance but they cancelled me for reasons unknown," NME reports. 

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Shia LaBeouf -

Shia LaBeouf parted with CAA, his talent agency, and took a hiatus from acting after former girlfriend FKA twigs filed a lawsuit against him in 2020 accusing him of sexual battery, assault, infliction of emotional distress,  knowingly giving her a sexually transmitted disease, and "relentless abuse." But now he's back in the Hollywood saddle, as he was recently spotted on set of Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming film 'Megalopolis.'

LaBeouf previously appeared to address the lawsuit on Jon Bernthal’s podcast 'Real Ones' in August 2022 where he admitted, "I hurt that woman, and in the process of doing that, I hurt many other people, and many other people before that woman. I was a pleasure-seeking, selfish, self-centered, dishonest, inconsiderate, fearful human being.” The actor added, “When I think about what my life has become, and what it is now, like what my purpose is now… I need to be useful. And when I look at this #MeToo environment, there’s not a whole lot of dudes that are taking accountability.” 

He also wrote in his infamous letter to Olivia Wilde, published by Variety in September, "My failings with Twigs are fundamental and real, but they are not the narrative that has been presented. There is a time and a place to deal with such things, and I am trying to navigate a nuanced situation with respect for her and the truth, hence my silence." While LaBeouf kickstarts this next leg of his career in Coppola's star-studded new flick, his trial date has been set for April 2023. 

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Woody Allen -

Woody Allen was purportedly canceled after his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, alleged that he sexually abused her as a child. In addition to the uneasy fact that Allen married the adopted daughter of his ex Mia Farrow, with whom he shares a biological son and two other adopted children (Dylan and Moses), backlash only increased with the release of 2021's docuseries 'Allen v. Farrow,' in which Dylan and Mia Farrow went into further detail about the allegations they first came forward with in 1992.

But while Allen's reputation in the US has been somewhat tarnished, he's been busy working in Europe. It came out that while in Paris shooting a film in French, Allen had told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that he intended to retire from making movies and to dedicate more time to writing. But Allen's representative released a statement shortly after which read, "Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel. He said he was thinking about not making films as making films that go straight or very quickly to streaming platforms is not so enjoyable for him, as he is a great lover of the cinema experience. Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th,” reports Variety.

Amazon Studios shelved his previous film 'A Rainy Day in New York' after Allen's comments on his daughter's abuse allegations, which resulted in Allen suing them for US$68 million alleging a breach of contract, though the dispute was later settled out of court. In 2020, however, he opened the San Sebastian Film Festival with 'Rifkin’s Festival,' backed by Spanish media giant Mediapro. 

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Woody Allen -

Though some actors have decided not to work with Allen, or apologized afterwards and donated their pay to charities combating sexual assault, Alec Baldwin announced a new interview with Allen without any hesitation. Baldwin wrote on Instagram June 26, “Let me preface this by stating that I have ZERO INTEREST in anyone’s judgments and sanctimonious posts here. I am OBVIOUSLY someone who has my own set of beliefs and COULD NOT CARE LESS about anyone else’s speculation. If you believe that a trial should be conducted by way of an HBO documentary, that’s your issue.” He added, “I love you, Woody."

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Johnny Depp -

Less than three months after the jury sided with him in his troubling defamation trial against ex Amber Heard, which revealed some serious allegations of abuse for both parties, the actor made a surprise appearance at the 2022 MTV VMAs, with his face digitally superimposed into the helmet of an astronaut, in a brief cameo. "I just wanted you guys to know that I'm available for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes, any ol' thing you need," he joked about his career. "I needed the work," Depp told the crowd of his appearance. An appeal is reportedly on its way as Heard is putting together a new team of attorneys with alleged "new evidence."

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Johnny Depp -

Earlier in August, Depp's return to acting was revealed when WhyNotProductions and France Télévisions shared the first look at his character King Louis XV in the period drama Jeanne du Barry, directed by French director Maïwenn. Depp is also stepping behind the camera to direct the upcoming film 'Modigliani,' about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, which will be co-produced by Al Pacino and Barry Navidi. It's the first film Depp is directing since 1997's 'The Brave.' 

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Johnny Depp -

Since the trial, the veteran actor also re-upped his lucrative contract with Dior, "a seven figure" agreement to return as the face of the men's fragrance Sauvage, E! News reports. This amount will be added to Depp's massive 2022 income statement as he's already been awarded US$10.4 million in damages from the lawsuit.  

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Johnny Depp -

It's true that Depp was dropped from various films at the start of his ongoing legal battles with Amber Heard regarding his alleged abuse and her alleged defamation, but even as he told The Sunday Times that he was being boycotted by Hollywood, he was promoting his latest film, 'Minamata' (2020).

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Louis C.K. -

Louis C.K. admitted to his sexual misconduct in a 2017 open letter following the accusations that he had grotesquely revealed himself to several women without their consent, but the disgraced star has seemingly returned to his career unscathed. Most recently is his film 'Fourth of July,' a new indie comedy-drama that he co-wrote and directed. He'll also appear in a small role in the film, which releases July 1. While C.K. has toured his comedy sets since his misconduct, this film marks his first return to movies.

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Louis C.K. -

The controversial comic has not only returned to his career, but has also won a Grammy for it. The disgraced star won Best Comedy Album for 'Sincerely Louis CK,' his first special since 2017, when multiple sexual misconduct allegations were made against him, and he even references his sexual misconduct in the special. Many are arguing that his return is proof cancel culture isn't real, or, as one social media user suggested: “At MOST there seems to be a ‘hiatus culture’, where disgraced & disgusting men like Louis C.K. or Mel Gibson disappear for a short time, then pop right back up like nothing ever happened.” 

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Louis C.K. -

The disgraced comedian performed at New York City's Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on August 13, 2021 in front of a massive sign that read "SORRY," though he didn't touch upon the sexual misconduct scandal that got him "canceled." Sources told Page Six that his jokes were "a little distasteful and over the top" but "people gave him a standing ovation when he came out and when he left."

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Louis C.K. -

That show will be released as a new comedy special titled 'Sorry,' and NBC received some backlash after they advertised it on a commercial break during 'SNL.'  It's already selling merchandise...

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Dave Chappelle -

The comedian was one of the most divisive figures of 2021 following the release of his Netflix special 'The Closer,' which contained a number of transphobic remarks. Chappelle refused to apologize for any of the jokes he made in his show but also denied that he had any prejudice towards the LGBTQ community. Public outrage flowed and protests were held at Netflix headquarters but the streaming platform refused to remove the special. In fact, as of February 2022, it was confirmed that Netflix had signed a deal with Chappelle for four new comedy specials.

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Dave Chappelle -

Following the backlash from his transphobic comments, Chappelle posted a video in October of 2021 saying he was ready to meet with transgender employees of Netflix, denying their claim that he'd previously declined an invitation. He said he would not, however, take back anything he said in 'The Closer'.  “I am not bending to anyone’s demands," he said, clarifying that his problem is not the LGBTQ community but "it's about corporate interest, and what I can say and what I cannot say." Chappelle included his conditions for meeting with the trans community: that everyone must watch 'The Closer' in full and "you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny," poking at the Australian comedian who had denounced 'The Closer.' Chappelle also complained that his upcoming documentary had been disinvited from film festivals following his transphobic remarks, and closed out the video by saying he plans to make his movie available in 10 cities. Then he asked the audience: “Am I canceled or not?”

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Dave Chappelle -

He also took aim at cancel culture during the star-studded premiere of his documentary at the Hollywood Bowl. Chappelle received a standing ovation from the crowd, which reportedly included the likes of Brad Pitt, Tiffany Haddish, Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Jon Hamm, and more, and told them, "If this is what being canceled is like, I love it."

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Mel Gibson -

Mel Gibson was notoriously "shut-out" by Hollywood after a string of events which included his Malibu DUI arrest in 2006 during which he unleashed an anti-Semitic rant, followed by leaked tapes in 2010 in which he screamed racist remarks and used the N-word, plus allegations from then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva that he was physically abusive, as well as a regular sprinkling of homophobic comments. Still, the actor appears to have returned to his career unscathed, as he is set to star in the 'John Wick' prequel series, 'The Continental,' which will air on Starz, as well as the family adventure film 'Boys of Summer' from actor-director David Henrie. 

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Chrissy Teigen -

Chrissy Teigen was "canceled" after it surfaced that she had bullied certain people online in the past. She admitted to her errors in an open letter published to Medium and offered public apologies, plus she lost multiple brand deals and took a step back from social media for a short while. But on October 26, the day she released her third cookbook, 'Cravings: All Together,' she spoke on the Today show about how she's ready to move forward. Speaking about losing TV gigs and brand partnerships, Teigen said, "You learn so much in the moments where you do lose so much." She added, "For me it was a big moment of like, 'Wow, I need to find out how I can be better, how I can grow from this, learn from this. There's that old cliché of 'I'm glad it happened,' but truly it made me a stronger person. A better person. That's when I went sober, I went clean—I'm actually 100 days sober today and I'm, like, so excited, yeah. I feel so good. I feel clearheaded." As for the future of her career, Teigen said, "I feel like I've done the work, and I hope these people can forgive and be able to welcome the fact that hopefully they've seen me be better."

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Justin Timberlake -

The internet tried to cancel Justin Timberlake for both the way he fed Britney Spears to the wolves after their breakup and for the infamous Janet Jackson slip, which similarly made her the media target. But he proved yet again impervious to the cancelation, apologized to the women, and carried on with his career.

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Ellen DeGeneres -

In the wake of several allegations that she had created a toxic workplace, including racism and intimidation, and mistreated various members of her staff, DeGeneres apologized—quite unsatisfactorily for many—and continued on with the 18th season of her show. Then her ratings plunged, and she announced the show would end after its 19th season, claiming that she just wasn't challenged by it anymore.

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Ellen DeGeneres -

DeGeneres still, however, hosts a game show, 'Ellen's Game of Games,' on NBC, and she has a new animated show called 'Little Ellen' with Cartoonito on HBO Max out in fall 2021, which follows a seven-year-old Ellen DeGeneres and her musical adventures in New Orleans.

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Morgan Wallen -

In February 2021, the country star was "canceled" after a video surfaced of him saying the N-word. He was taken off the radio, suspended by his label, and had tour dates canceled. But he proceeded to top the Billboard 200 charts for another eight weeks. He appeared on 'Good Morning America' and said he'd met with Black leaders in recent months and had donated US$500,000 to Black charities, and he recently returned to the stage at a Luke Bryan concert.

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Ellie Kemper -

The 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' actress was under threat of cancelation after photos went viral of her at 19 being crowned the queen of a ball with ties to white supremacy. She apologized and said she didn't know the history of the ball. Kemper is set to star in 'Home Sweet Home Alone' on Disney+ in November.

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Lea Michele -

The former 'Glee' star came under fire after a string of her co-stars came forward with stories of abuse that ranged from racism to belittling, mocking, and taunting. Michele was dropped by brand HelloFresh, but after her apology she seems back on track with her career, with outlets reporting positively on her recent baby. Plus, she's set to release an album of lullaby covers.

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Vanessa Hudgens -

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, Hudgens went on an Instagram live and said some controversial things like: "People are going to die, which is terrible but like, inevitable?" She faced huge backlash and soon apologized, and now most of the reporting on her is positive, largely focused on what she's wearing, and she's voicing a character in 'My Little Pony: A New Generation.'

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Nick Cannon -

The actor and comedian shared his thoughts on cancel culture after he temporarily lost his job as host of the 'Wild n' Out' due to anti-Semitic comments he made. Instead of "cancel culture," he said "it should be counsel culture." He got his job back and continues to host 'The Masked Singer,' and draws more attention about how many children he's having lately than anything else.

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Piers Morgan -

People have been trying to cancel Piers Morgan for years over his remarks, but it came to a peak with his highly controversial comments about Meghan Markle, and Morgan actually walked off 'Good Morning Britain,' quitting the show. But he has since received a National Television Awards nomination for Best Television Presenter.

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Tory Lanez -

After shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot, Tory Lanez was charged with felony assault. Though he got out on bail, fans of Megan, who was given a restraining order against him, "canceled" him. A few months later, he joined forces with streaming service Emmersive Entertainment to release one million copies of his 'WHEN IT'S DARK' album as an NFT. He shared on Instagram: "1 million copies sold in 57 seconds … a huge success."

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Chris Pratt -

Twitter tried to cancel Chris Pratt over various things including his alleged support of Donald Trump and his chosen church, Hillsong, which has a history of anti-LGBTQ behavior and rhetoric. But Pratt recently appeared in 'The Tomorrow War' and is slated to film a sequel.

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Jimmy Fallon -

Hordes of Twitter users demanded the late night host be "canceled" after an 'SNL' sketch resurfaced of the comedian in blackface, using the hashtag #JimmyFallonIsOverParty. Fallon apologized and thanked people for holding him accountable, then returned to his show unscathed.

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Demi Lovato -

The singer was "canceled" after allegedly creating a fake Instagram account that bashed former best friend Selena Gomez. Lovato addressed the cancelation on Jameela Jamil's podcast 'I Weigh' and noted, "I don't think anyone was ever officially canceled, otherwise ... certain people wouldn't be where they are in their positions." Lovato was later "canceled" again in 2021 for their infamous froyo shop callout, but they continue on with a new talk show, a new TV series, concerts, and more.

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J.K. Rowling -

Rowling got "canceled" after her numerous transphobic remarks, including a harmful 3,600-word transphobic manifesto filled with inaccuracies. She's been vocal about her disdain for cancel culture after feeling its supposed wrath (even from her 'Harry Potter' cast and Warner Bros.), but in January 2021 outlets reported that a 'Harry Potter' series might be in the works at HBO Max, plus she has ongoing movie projects like 'Fantastic Beasts.'

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Taylor Swift -

Following the drama with Kanye West and his lyrics about Swift in 'Famous,' the #TaylorSwiftIsCanceledParty started. She spoke to Vogue in 2019 about the "mass public shaming," calling it "a very isolating experience. I don't think there are that many people who can actually understand what it's like to have millions of people hate you very loudly." Still, Swift has successfully remained a top-selling artist with an enormous following the entire time.

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Aziz Ansari -

The 2018 Babe.net article about a woman named Grace's encounter with Aziz Ansari in which she felt he pressured her to have sex came at a high point in the #MeToo movement and Ansari dropped out of the spotlight. But he returned in 2019 with a popular comedy special 'Right Now' in which he said he felt terrible about the allegations, and he appeared in the third season of his show 'Master of None,' though with a reduced role on screen.

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Kevin Hart -

The comedian notoriously lost his job as host of the Oscars in 2019 after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced and he refused to apologize. Though he has often criticized cancel culture for being so swift and permanent, he has gone on to star in a new film 'Fatherhood' (2021), host talk show 'Hart to Heart' on Peacock, and is reportedly working on a revival of 'Real Husbands of Hollywood.'

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Kathy Griffin -

The comedian was 'canceled' back in 2017 after she posted a photo of herself holding a mask of President Donald Trump dripping with what appeared to be fake blood. In the swift and immense backlash, her comedy tour was canceled, she lost her endorsement deals, she was under investigation by the US government and placed on the no-fly list, and she lost several other gigs. And yet…

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Kathy Griffin -

Even if you are canceled by a president, it still doesn't mean you can't return to your career. Since then, Griffin left TV and returned to the stage, booking herself shows, and marketing them, across 13 countries and 26 cities. Her tour grossed more than US$4 million, CBS reports. Her world tour became the basis for her new comedy special, called 'Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story.'

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Kevin Spacey -

In 2017, several allegations of sexual misconduct (including from then-minors) were made against Kevin Spacey and he was dropped by his talent agency, written out of 'House of Cards,' and replaced in Ridley Scott's 'All the Money in the World.' Reports in May 2021, however, reveal that Spacey is set to make his return to acting, starting with a small role in an Italian film directed by Franco Nero. US prosecutors also dropped his criminal case, but he's still being investigated for six allegations of sexual assault in the UK, the BBC reports.

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Billie Eilish -

Eilish came under intense scrutiny after an old video of her surfaced rapping along to a song that used a derogatory word for East Asian people. She apologized, then she appeared in a recent video promoting her latest album to Israel, which prompted a pro-Palestine boycott against her music. Her album 'Happier Than Ever,' however, has received worldwide acclaim, and she has an extensive tour planned.

Sources: (Page Six) (BBC) (CNN) (CBS)

See also: Celebrities' hottest takes on cancel culture

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