In this article, we celebrate 15 celebrities who defied the odds and made remarkable comebacks, reclaiming their place in the spotlight.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr., undoubtedly a talented actor, experienced significant success when he first rose to prominence in the 1980s. His portrayal of the legendary Charlie Chaplin showcased his exceptional abilities. Unfortunately, his career took a downturn when he faced a series of legal troubles in 1996, including arrests related to drug use, trespassing, and various misdemeanors.
He attended rehab, fell off the wagon, and went back to rehab several times throughout the late 90s, but in 2003, he finally went sober and began making a comeback. It started with “Tropic Thunder,” for which he nearly won an Oscar, but didn’t gain traction until he played everyone’s favorite playboy superhero, “Iron Man,” in 2008.
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder spent lots of her early career as America’s favorite teen star. Particularly in the ’80s, she garnered attention for her talented roles in favorites like “Heathers,” “Beetlejuice,” and “Edward Scissorhands.” From her great talent onscreen and interesting life dating superstars like Johnny Depp offscreen, she was in the spotlight!
However, in 2001, Winona Ryder fell out of that spotlight in a less-than-graceful way which involved an arrest thanks to stealing and illegal drug progression. She took several years away from Hollywood and, according to her Time Magazine interview, did not realize that this endangered her relevance to the public until it was almost too late.
However, with her personal life seemingly back on track, Winona Ryder did make a comeback in a big way thanks to Netflix’s smash hit, “Stranger Things!”
Kesha
Kesha’s near-fall from the limelight was not her fault but almost cost her the release of one of her most celebrated comeback albums. The superstar had to take almost five years between releases when her producer, Dr. Luke, fought back during a legal battle involving physical, emotional, and sexual abuse allegations.
Though this legal battle rages on, Kesha’s album “Rainbow” was released in 2017 despite hurdles needing to be overcome with her record deal and personal life.
Britney Spears
Perhaps one of the most public and tragic falls from favor happened to bright star, Britney Spears in the early 2000s. She had been a remarkable charmer and talented pop singer since her early days in the Mickey Mouse Club. With five amazingly successful albums, it was surprising when her personal life took a turn for the worse.
However, after being admitted to the psychiatric hospital of UCLA, Britney Spears released another wildly successful album and has returned to public favor after turning it all around.
Nicole Richie
Nicole Richie wasn’t exactly beginning from a blank slate when she filmed the very successful television show “The Simple Life.” She had already spent some time in rehab. However, with the show’s success, things were looking up.
Unfortunately, Nicole Richie endangered herself and others during an incident in which she drove drunk down the wrong side of a highway, which earned her several days in jail and a few subsequent years on probation.
After serving this amount of time, she’s bounced back not only by creating a new and excellent fashion line and starring on an NBC sitcom but marrying and enjoying a family that includes two children.
Neil Patrick Harris
The first time Neil Patrick Harris tasted stardom was in his teenage years during “Doogie Howser M.D.” This was during the early 1990s, as any child of that era can remember. However, after this very successful start, things fell into a slump.
Harris couldn’t seem to land any other roles of similar success until all the way in 2004 when he starred in “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” This gave him a kickstart into starring in “How I Met Your Mother,” which jettisoned him right back into the public eye and even earned him four Emmy nominations in a row!
Matthew McConaughey
Ever heard of the “McConnaissance?” Matthew McConaughey was plenty popular when he first rose to stardom in the film “Dazed and Confused.” Fans of romantic comedies liked him enough to prompt several years of unfortunate typecasting. Matthew McConaughey couldn’t seem to land any other kinds of roles for as many as 13 years.
However, in 2013, the McConnaissance began afresh. Matthew McConaughey has won an Oscar for “Dallas Buyers Club,” featured in “Wolf of Wall Street,” and even voiced the popular children’s character, Mr. Moon, in the film “Sing” and its sequel, “Sing 2!”
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart was found guilty of insider trading in 2002 and even condemned after being charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice. This put a near-end to everything she’d established beforehand. As penance, she served five whole months in prison.
After this, she did not give up but worked her way back into the public limelight. One of these endeavors was a hysterical and charming partnership with Snoop Dogg, where they spent time cooking together for an audience.
Drew Barrymore
It would be unfair to say that Drew Barrymore’s face has ever truly fallen out of the public eye. However, that is not to say she has had an upward trajectory throughout her career. Drew Barrymore was admitted to rehab not once but twice, thanks to a suicide attempt and abuse of alcohol and drugs.
However, she never gave up on her acting career despite directors threatening to impede her career. It wasn’t until 1998, when she starred in the “Wedding Singer” and chased that film’s success with roles like “Charlie’s Angels, that she could truly be considered having made a comeback.
Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle walked away from one of the most successful self-hosted comedy shows of all time and was even kicked off his own flight when his behavior became too erratic for public comfort.
However, in 2015, he was cast in “Chi-raq” to outstanding approval and won a Grammy for two of the four specials he created for Netflix in 2018.
Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul’s career began as a great pop sensation and notable choreographer from the 80s to the 90s. She was positioned for more and more success until she was in a plane crash that left her spinal cord damaged. Unable to work as she’d been used to, Paula’s career seemed to stagnate.
However, in 2002, she came back as an iconic host of the hit show American Idol, on which she reigned for eight seasons.
Shania Twain
Shania Twain was already a five-time Grammy winner when she decided to retire from her pop-country career in 2004. During the year 2011, she revealed this was thanks to a disorder that had affected her voice and Lyme disease.
Since then, she returned to the spotlight in 2017 with the platinum album “Now.”
Michael Keaton
80s star Michael Keaton seemed to disappear from the public spotlight in the 2000s. This was because his work just simply didn’t have the same stand-out quality as previous films like Tim Burton’s “Batman” or “Beatlejuice.”
Eventually, in 2014, his work earned him an Oscar nomination, and he earned the ability to play the Vulture villain in the MCU’s reboot of Spider-Man.
Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe first gained fame as a teenager in “St. Elmo’s Fire” and “The Outsiders” and was known and loved as part of the Brat Pack. However, when a video of Lowe having intercourse with two women, one being underage, he faced the consequences of falling out of public favor.
However, he has been sober for about 30 years since that time and has returned to success through “Parks and Recreation” and “The West Wing.”
Vanessa Williams
The former Miss America was the first African American to hold that title in the year 1983. However, the following year she had to relinquish her crown when Penthouse Magazine posted nude photos of her without permission.
Eventually, however, she moved on to start a singing career which was successful enough to earn her over ten Grammy nominations!
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