Wondering which former sitcom star keeps trying to restart her failed career? Which one ended
up arrested for some seriously disturbing crimes? Or which one is dating an Oscar-nominated
MCU star? Keep watching!
Although some critics have argued that the once beloved sitcom has aged pretty badly
due to its reliance on gay stereotypes, "Will & Grace" was nonetheless groundbreaking for
the '90s. As Will's titular gal pal, Debra Messing was an ever stylish and witty complement
to her prim and proper bestie. The role even earned her an Emmy in 2003. Since then, however,
Messing's schedule hasn't exactly been jam-packed.
When she's not getting into Twitter wars with Susan Sarandon, Messing is having to reconcile
the fact that she hasn't had a major gig in years. A few movie roles and a stint on the
widely panned "The Mysteries of Laura" aside, she has been stuck in career limbo. As Observer
wrote,
"If you tried to name a show that Debra Messing starred in that I would never, even under
threat of my life, ever watch again, well I would probably call that show 'Smash.' But
I would also call it 'The Mysteries of Laura'!"
Yikes. Inevitably, Messing may forever be known as Grace, a role that she revisited
in 2017. Although the reboot seemed initially popular, it didn't take long for fans and
critics to notice the cracks. Vanity Fair suggested the only merit of the failed revival
was that it would likely discourage the recreation of many other unnecessary revivals. Alas,
Messing is no longer the sitcom superstar of her '90s heyday.
“Life as you know it, is over.”
His girlfriends may be getting younger, but David Spade's career is increasingly looking
like a relic. After a stint on "Saturday Night Live" and two successful sitcoms, "Just Shoot
Me" and "Rules of Engagement," the comedian has become a B-list celeb, appearing in a
slew of critically lambasted flicks. Often a background character for his pal, Adam Sandler,
Spade appeared in such panned fare as the "The Ridiculous 6," and the "Grown Ups" films.
The first of which was likened by The Telegraph to being sat on by all your least favorite
school bullies. In the words of Homer Simpson,
"I'm like David Spade without Chris Farley. Alone and useless."
While that summation is pretty cruel, there's a kernel of truth to it: Farley was, after
all, Spade's right-hand man, and ever since his friend's tragic death, he's struggled
to make a major name for himself as a solo star.
In 2019, Spade attempted to revive his television career with the talk show, "Lights Out with
David Spade," which the actor had excessively hyped on Instagram. Alas, it was canceled
after one season.
“You’re a star. You’re a big bright shining star.”
As the spellbinding star of classic '90s sitcom "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," Melissa Joan
Hart seemed destined for great things. Sadly, the actor went from bewitching sweetheart
to plain bewildering. It's been a hot minute since she was hanging with her kooky aunts
and sassy feline BFF, Salem. These days, she has lent her name to less-than-acclaimed fare.
In 2016, she starred in "God's Not Dead 2," which was heavily criticized for promoting
the notion of Christian persecution within the United States. Hart was specifically criticized
for her statements to Blaze Media, in which she claimed that she herself was being persecuted
for appearing in pro-Christian films. She shared,
"I was ready day one for the persecution for this one, the spiritual warfare. I felt it
mostly from my inner circle in the beginning [...] We [wanted] to make a good movie that
people come to and hopefully they walk away understanding tolerance a little more."
Outside the realm of God-fearing flicks, she was given another shot at the sitcom format,
with little success. "Melissa & Joey" failed to reach the heights of her past glory. More
recently, she starred in the Netflix con-artist comedy, "No Good Nick," which was canceled
after one season. Away from the small screen, Hart has dipped her toes into politics, joining
Libertarian Gary Johnson on the campaign trail during the 2016 presidential election, per
People. Suffice to say, Johnson didn't make it to the oval office, which wasn't helped
by his infamous admission:
"And what is Aleppo?"
Once flying high due to the success of "Two and a Half Men," Charlie Sheen killed his
career with numerous outlandish statements and indiscretions. In 2011, he was infamously
accused of, quote, "borderline antisemitism" following a controversial dig against the
sitcom's creator, Chuck Lorre. He then later attempted to justify his choice of language
by claiming that he himself is allegedly Jewish, though he’s not. Unsurprisingly, he was
fired following the outburst. In the aftermath of his dismissal, he launched an attack on
co-star Jon Cryer in an interview with E! News, branding him, quote, "a turncoat, a
traitor, a troll."
He may have been axed, but that didn't stop Sheen from seemingly exhibiting delusions
of grandeur: who can forget those "winning" rants?
“Winning.”
Reflecting on his admittedly bizarre behavior, he told Yahoo! Entertainment,
"People have [said to] me, 'Hey, man, that was so cool, that was so fun to watch' ... My
thought behind that is, 'Oh, yeah, great. I'm so glad that I traded early retirement
for a f***ing hashtag.'"
Well, he has a point. Except, he isn't even really a Twitter hashtag anymore. After "Men,"
he snagged the heavily panned "Anger Management," where Sheen was accused of bullying his co-star,
Selma Blair, per Deadline. In further attempts to rejuvenate his ailing stardom, he has attempted
to latch onto the A-listers of today. This includes an unprovoked Twitter tirade against
Rihanna, in which he claimed that she deemed herself too good to dine with his kind.
Steven Hyde was the rebel of "That '70s Show," always ready to take on "the man" with his
sarcastic wit. It remains the role that Danny Masterson is best known for, though he did
team up with his co-star and IRL pal, Ashton Kutcher, for "The Ranch" in 2016. His time
on the latter show abruptly came to an end, however, when Masterson was accused of sexual
assault by multiple women.
Facing a criminal trial for several rape accusations, Masterson has had a mighty fall from the top.
Insiders claimed he was using his fame within Scientology to subvert the course of justice,
per the Los Angeles Times. His accusers argue that Masterson utilized his power and connections
with the organization in an effort to silence them. As reported by TMZ, he is accused of
having employed Scientology agents to terrorize, stalk, and threaten alleged victims, with
one of the women claiming that he was responsible for killing her dog. However, according to
People both Masterson and the Church deny these claims.
At the time of Masterson's initial court hearing, Hyde hadn't been quoted in a hot minute and
the actor is now known as an alleged abuser as opposed to a sitcom star. As he awaits
his August 2022 trial, Masterson's showbiz career fades further into obscurity.
Patricia Heaton may have played compassionate, doting moms on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and
"The Middle," but her controversial IRL remarks of recent years would make Frankie Heck recoil
in horror. In 2006, after "Everybody Loves Raymond" ended, Heaton set her sights on unwittingly
slamming one of America's most beloved stars, Michael J. Fox.
When Fox released an ad supporting stem cell research, which is believed to be helpful
in treating Parkinson's Disease, Heaton lent her name to an anti-stem cell research ad,
per Fox News. As The New York Times highlights, Heaton's remarks in the ad appeared to be
a direct attack on the "Back to the Future" star, and seemed comparable to Rush Limbaugh's
erroneous claim that the actor was faking his symptoms for sympathy. Heaton told the
outlet that she never intended to upset Fox.
Be that as it may, Heaton has become renowned for her conservative political views, as opposed
to her acting career. In 2012, for instance, she launched an attack on feminist activist
Sandra Fluke, who advocated that birth control should be covered by medical insurance. Per
The Daily Beast, Heaton suggested that if Fluke wanted subsidized birth control, she
would also want taxpayers to fund her Starbucks, movie theater tickets, and KFC. She later
apologized on Twitter, but suffice it to say, Heaton's career has been on a steady decline
since.
The original "Roseanne" series was groundbreaking. Rather than depicting comfortable middle class
families, it showed the real lived experiences of many working class people struggling to
make ends meet. As the sitcom's star and co-creator, Roseanne Barr also addressed many other sensitive
issues, such as abortion and gay marriage.
Back in 2018, things were going well for the comedian, whose eponymous sitcom had been
rebooted to rave reviews. According to NPR, the bubble burst, however, after Barr decided
to post a racist tweet, supposedly while on the tranquilizer Ambien. Needless to say,
the reboot was axed, though later rebranded as "The Connors." Symbolically, the character
was killed off in the latter series. As The Daily Beast points out, Barr's politics have
turned sharply to the right since the '90s, with her embracing the MAGA cap and propagating
QAnon conspiracies. Once upon a time, however, her beliefs were quite different. According
to The Guardian, she was famously even a passionate supporter of the Occupy Wall Street protesters
in 2011.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the star refused to accept responsibility
for her descent to the Z-list and instead blamed co-star Sara Gilbert's Twitter condemnation
of her comments. Barr said,
"She destroyed the show and my life with that tweet. She will never get enough until she
consumes my liver with a fine Chianti."
“It was just devastating. To be misunderstood is the worst thing.”
After all of that, we imagine there might not be many more roles for Roseanne on the
horizon.
As Cosmo Kramer on "Seinfeld," Michael Richards embodied the sole empath in a group of thoroughly
self-serving characters. With his eccentric tics and grand schemes that never quite came
to fruition, Kramer was a much-loved character. But life doesn't always imitate art. Kramer
may have had a propensity to fall down, but that was nothing compared to the comedian's
downfall.
In 2006, a disastrous stand-up routine at the Laugh Factory culminated in Richards performing
a foul-mouthed, quote, “racist tirade," per TMZ. During his rant, an audience member
called out Richards and argued that that's why he only has Seinfeld, and failed to get
any other shows or movies. Richards jokingly copped to being a wash-up, per video footage
published by the outlet.
With the encouragement of Jerry Seinfeld, he appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman"
to apologize for his expletive-ridden rant. He said,
"I'm deeply, deeply sorry ... I'm not a racist. That's what's so insane about this."
Regardless, Richards soon found himself relegated to Z-list jail, though there have been attempts
to revive his career. He made a few appearances in Season 7 of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," wherein
he parodied his apparent racist persona. Still, Hollywood seemingly doesn't want him anymore,
and Cosmo may have faded into the cosmos.
In the '90s, Stacey Dash portrayed Dionne Davenport — Cher Horowitz's BFF in "Clueless"
and the sitcom spinoff — with zeal and perfect Valley Girl diction. Now, she uses her fame
as a platform to voice her conservative political views, though she isn’t quite as famous
as she once was.
“Everybody listen up!”
After a slew of minor roles, Dash embarked on a career as a Fox News pundit, though she
was suspended in 2015 for making controversial comments about Barack Obama. Later, she tried
to step back into Hollywood. However, her attempts at doing so were not necessarily
appreciated, especially when she started funding for a controversial anti-abortion film called
"Roe v. Wade." Two years later, the film was finally released to scathing reviews.
Dash's career prospects probably weren't helped by the fact that, as The New York Times points
out, the film criticizes liberal Hollywood for being part of a, quote, “mercenary anti-Catholic
conspiracy.”
As Dash struggled to reclaim her stardom, she butted heads with stars much bigger than
herself. For example, writing for Patheos, she called out Leonardo DiCaprio and questioned
the legitimacy of climate science. She said of the "Revenant" star,
"He reminds me of Chicken Little, the bird who ran around the neighborhood and disturbed
everyone 'with her foolish alarm.'"
“You sad delusional buffoon!”
Although Dash has apologized for various offensive remarks in a 2021 interview with the Daily
Mail, her hopes of a career revival aren’t promising.
Kirstie Alley is best remembered as the glam but hopeless-in-love girlboss Rebecca Howe
on "Cheers." Though she appeared to be in control, Rebecca turned out to be messy, making
questionable choices in both her professional and personal life. Alas, Alley's life ended
up paralleling Rebecca's, as she struggled to maintain steady work as an actor.
“It has an emotional reaction, as you can tell.”
She has attempted to revive her career with numerous ill-fated forays into sitcoms and
reality TV, lest we forget "Kirstie Alley's Big Life.” However, the '80s darling simply
isn't famous like she used to be. Incidentally, she landed an eponymous sitcom in 2013, which
featured similarly lapsed sitcom star Michael Richards. That show was also canceled after
one season. Her downfall probably wasn't helped by Alley's frequent public feuds, either.
In 2013, the devout Scientologist slammed former Scientologist and erstwhile "Cheers"
co-star Leah Remini as a bigot for criticizing the controversial religion.
Moreover, she got into hot water over her insensitive comments on Twitter regarding
the death of renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, for which she wrote,
"You had a good go at it ... thanks for your input."
The good news is that Alley's former co-star, Kelsey Grammer, is currently in the midst
of rebooting "Frasier." The bad news is that, according to Ranker, Alley allegedly turned
down guest spots on the original series due to Scientology's opposition to psychiatry.
Back in the '90s, Joey Lawrence was one of the hottest stars of the sitcom world thanks
to "Blossom." As Joey Russo, he was equal parts teen heartthrob and budding himbo, and
responsible for the catchphrase:
"Whoa."
Since then, Lawrence has found himself in the direct-to-video aisle, though reality
TV has also been his staple for the past two decades. In 2006, he came third in Season
3 of "Dancing With the Stars," though, per People, he declined to appear in the show's
all-star spinoff. In 2010, there were hopes of him reviving his sitcom career when he
was cast alongside fellow faded sitcom star Melissa Joan Hart in "Melissa & Joey." Despite
mixed reviews, it ran for four seasons.
Even Peter Griffin was onto Lawrence's downward spiral. In an episode of "Family Guy," he
asked an animated version of the star,
"What would you think if I told you that Blossom would completely drop out of show business
to get a PhD in neuroscience and then come back and make $15 million a year, while you
would work steadily for 20 years, lose all your hair and go bankrupt?"
“Woah!”
While we're unsure what Lawrence did to rouse such animosity from the "Family Guy" writers,
there is some truth to their words. In 2018, The Blast reported that Lawrence had filed
for bankruptcy, with the actor claiming that he had a mere $60 dollars in cash and only
$8,000 in his bank account."
Along with his five "Friends" co-stars, Matthew Perry became a household name in the '90s
and early 2000s. While Jennifer Aniston was able to become America's sweetheart, making
the difficult transition from TV to the big screen, the actor struggled to adapt to life
after Central Perk. All of his post-"Friends" sitcoms have been flops.
“Did I say that out loud?”
His 2006 dramedy "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" received generally positive reviews,
but audiences were disinterested, and it was canceled after one season. Conversely, his
attempts to reboot "The Odd Couple" in 2015 had the opposite issue: it received negative
reviews, but ran for three seasons before being axed. The main problem, it seemed, is
that the man we associate with Chandler Bing is more finicky Felix Unger than grouchy Oscar
Madison. The Boston Herald even argued,
"Matthew Perry ... might just be the weakest Oscar of any version."
Could he be any less Oscar?
Throughout the years, Perry has sadly also struggled with substance use. According to
The Hollywood Reporter, in an effort to help others, Perry opened an addiction treatment
center. He shared,
"I've had a lot of ups and downs ... but the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic
comes up to me and says, 'Will you help me stop drinking?' I will say, 'Yes. I know how
to do that.'"
Having completed his memoir in early 2022, perhaps Perry can finally breathe new life
into his faltering career.
Zach Braff was unforgettable as nice guy, fresh-faced medic J.D. on the 2000s sitcom
"Scrubs." Although the show was known for its offbeat, zany brand of humor, Braff also
exhibited his serious acting chops. This was especially true during some of the series'
more harrowing plotlines, like Season 8's "My Last Words" which was particularly devastating.
In addition to the popular sitcom, Braff wrote, directed, and starred in indie gem "Garden
State" in 2004. Undoubtedly, this was the peak of Braff's career. Although he has had
smaller roles in numerous other films and TV shows, nothing has quite compared to his
2000s splendor. As The Washington Post highlights, the actor should have found himself in the
Hollywood big leagues after "Garden State," but it never happened. This, Braff told the
outlet, humbled his ego. He added,
"I know I haven't been able to make a movie in 10 years, but I've tried. They just all
fell apart."
“That actually made me sadder than anything. The fact I felt so numb.”
This decline in fame hasn't stopped his name from being plastered all over gossip sites,
however. Having dated British star Florence Pugh, who is 21 years his junior, since 2019,
Braff is now sadly best known for his love life as opposed to his acting career. In an
interview with The Times, Pugh name-dropped her beau several times, defending Braff against
online trolls and arguably keeping him relevant despite his fading stardom.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit
the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline
at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).