Done competently, a live television performance or interview can connect celebrities in a
raw, emotionally honest way to their fans across the globe.
These unedited appearances offer a glimpse into a star's creative process, or some insight
into who they really are when all the post-production bells and whistles are stripped away.
But sometimes, live TV can ruin careers, or at least drive the final nails in the coffin.
For example ...
Paula Deen
Like a dollop of butter seeping into every crevice of a seared New York strip steak,
Paula Deen melted her career down in 2013 when news broke of a lawsuit accusing her
of cultivating an environment of "violent, sexist, and racist behavior" in her restaurants.
The lawsuit, filed by a former employee, accused Deen not only of tolerating racism at restaurants
she owned, but of exhibiting racist behaviors herself, having allegedly expressed a desire
to hold a "Southern plantation-style wedding" with an exclusively black waitstaff.
In a deposition Deen gave during the lawsuit, the Southern-fried chef admitted that she
had "of course" used racial slurs in the past.
Instead of using the experience to apologize and grow, Deen leaned into the skid, going
on the defensive by playing the victim card in a highly-panned live interview on the Today
show.
She insisted she only used racial slurs once in her life: to describe a black man that
put a gun to her head when she was bank teller in the '80s.
Following the botched apology, Deen never fully recovered from the hit to her reputation,
losing several publishing deals and endorsement contracts.
"Would I have fired me?
Knowing me?
No."
"I is what I is and I’m not changing."
Janet Jackson
In 2004, the nation came together to absolutely crucify Janet Jackson for the heinous crime
of … exposing her nipple to the nation for a fraction of a second during a live halftime
performance with Justin Timberlake at the 38th Super Bowl in Houston.
The "wardrobe malfunction" and ensuing controversy — immortalized in a characteristically classy
fashion by the media as "Nipplegate" — sent Jackson's career into a nosedive.
But several people were allegedly involved in the exposure.
Her choreographer had reportedly promised the performance would be "shocking," and let's
not forget it was Timberlake who actually did the exposing by peeling away a portion
of her top.
Timberlake's career flourished after the incident, but Janet's more or less been MIA.
It's a shame — most people on this list ended their careers with self-inflicted wounds,
but in this case, Jackson was just the unlucky entertainer who fell on the sword.
Karmin
Saturday Night Live can be a brutal testing ground for new artists.
Just ask the duo Karmin, who were coming off of a successful string of viral song covers
on YouTube when they appeared on the SNL stage in 2012.
"(unintelligible rap)"
The perky performers were met with some pretty brutal criticism attacking their watered-down
take on R&B and rap.
Spin called it "hip-hop even Mitt Romney could enjoy."
One of the kinder reviews said their performance likely resulted in "mild auditory distress"
from viewers at home.
Their debut album was met with mixed reviews and underperformed, and the duo split from
Atlantic records in 2014.
"I know you want it / So come and get it / Cheerio!"
Jamie Kennedy
There should be no reason to remember the live New Year's Eve broadcast that aired on
Los Angeles-based KDOC during the final moments of 2012.
But people have kept coming back to this broadcast over the years to relive the memories from
that night, because First Night 2013 was so awful, poorly-done, and off-the-rails that
it quickly went viral.
Many scenes find the host, actor Jamie Kennedy, looking lost on stage, not knowing when the
show is live or when the camera is on him.
Many of Kennedy's jokes and skits were criticized as racist and insensitive — further damaging
the reputation of a performer whose career had already been in a downward spiral for
more than a decade.
On the technical side, the show was full of dead air, with cameras on people who weren't
ready and hard cuts to commercial.
"I'm so excited 2013 is here —" "The jalapeno turkey burger!
New at Carl's Jr.!"
The show concluded by screwing up the countdown clock, officially ringing in the New Year
later than everyone else — at which point a small fist fight broke out on-stage.
"There's a fight.
It's ending with a fight."
"It's ending with a fight."
It's a solid gold classic of live TV failure, and has to be seen to be believed.
And yet, the memory of this New Year's meltdown may have finally been eclipsed, all because
of...
Mariah Carey
Nothing short of the End of Days could really end the career of Mariah Carey, but Queen
Mimi has been a punchline since New Year's Eve 2016.
The diva closed out the New Year's Rockin' Eve show in Times Square with a cringe-inducing,
non-starter of a performance.
As the music played and her dancers twirled around her, Carey prowled the stage and ran
out the clock, unable to hear and unwilling to sing.
All the while, her blaring backing track called into question how much of a live Mariah performance
is the real deal.
"You just don't get any better."
Carey's team and the show's production staff would later blame each other for the audio
mishap, but all of the headlines focused on Carey and her "disastrous performance," and
she hasn't really shaken it since.
Maybe next year?
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