Living in the public eye doesn’t come without its consequences. One slip up, and you’re front page news the next morning. Here at Actors Are Idiots, we’ve compiled ten memorable meltdowns:
Mel Gibson’s Anti-Semitic Rant (2006)
In a 2006 DUI arrest, Passion of the Christ star Mel Gibson was found with a handle of Cazadores Tequila on the floor of his vehicle and a really bad temper. An audio recording of the police encounter revealed not only Gibson’s uncooperative behavior, but also an incoherent anti-Semitic rant that subsequently burned his career to the ground. Of course, this all predated his threatening phone calls with his girlfriend and rampages with house guests.
‘KONY 2012’ Jason Russel’s Sunny San Diego Meltdown (2012)
Kony 2012 Filmmaker Jason Russell made headlines when he was seen running up and down the streets of San Diego, CA while also shouting obscenities and pounding at the ground. The filmmaker attributed his episode to the magnitude of stress and exhaustion of his film, which was aimed at bringing attention and justice to exploited Ugandan child soldiers. Subsequently, coverage of the incident derailed the project.
Bill O’Reilly – “F*CK IT! We’ll Do It Live” (1990’s)
One of Bill O’Reilly’s many not-so-glamourous moments – probably his most notorious – came from the early 1990’s at the end of the taping of Insider Edition. O’Reilly lost his temper after a technical issue with the teleprompter and coined the infamous phrase “F*CK IT! WE’LL DO IT LIVE!” – forever securing his place in internet infamy.
Kanye West’s VMA Incident (2009)
If someone were to create a list of ‘Most Memorable Award Show Moments’, this moment would rank high – Kanye West Interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMA’s. The bombastic hip hop artist took the spotlight to promote Beyonce’s Single Ladies video, but came out narcissistic – spoiling a opportunity for another fellow artist. Don’t worry though – this won’t be the last time Kanye will be on one of our meltdown lists.
Tom Cruise on The Oprah Winfrey Show (2005)
The title of ‘meltdown’ was given by the media coverage surrounding Tom Cruise’s 2005 appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Cruise, who recently began dating actress Katie Holmes, confessed his admiration and love for the actress by jumping on the television host’s couch among other enthusiastic expressions. Winfrey later deemed the appearance noncontroversial and innocent. Overzealous? Perhaps. Did Cruise deserve the scrutiny the media gave him? Probably not.
Michael Richards’ 2-minute Demise (2008)
Wanna know how to kill your career in a matter of 2 minutes? Ask Michael Richards. The once-beloved ‘Kramer’ actor from the decade-defining sitcom, Seinfeld, lost his composure during a standup routine at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. Two black men heckling the show were met with retaliative, racial slur spewing and other hate speech from the comedian – all captured on cellphone video. The video quickly circulated online and the rest is history.
‘Winning’ with Charlie Sheen (2011)
Two and a Half Men turned Two and a Half Years of hookers, coke, and hotel parties as actor Charlie Sheen spiraled out of control as his career fell into shambles. Though Sheen has since rescinded his outrageous lifestyle, the public got a taste of what was going on behind closed doors with interviews like these:
Vanilla Ice on MTV Lame 25 (1999)
One-Hit-Wonder poster-child Vanilla Ice was featured on the 1999 television special MTV Lame 25, where hosts Jon Stewart, Denis Leary, Janeane Garofalo and Chris Kattan discussed 25 of the lamest music videos – never to be played again on the channel. When the crew reached Vanilla Ice’s 1991 hit, “Ice Ice Baby”, the infamous rapper took a baseball bat and destroyed the set in a raging temper tantrum. Too bad he didn’t end the show with “Let’s get out of here y’all – word to your mother”.
Björk Attacks Reporter at Airport (1996)
In February 1996, Björk was boarding a shuttle van at Bangcock airport after a long flight with her 9 year old son, when a radio reporter had approached them with “Welcome to Bangcock”. Bjork then promptly lunged at the reporter and assaulter her. The whole encounter was caught on tape and made the rounds on news channels all over the world.
Reese Witherspoon’s DUI Arrest (2013)
Legally Blonde actress Reese Witherspoon got a little taste of reality after being pulled over early one Friday morning for driving in the wrong lane. During the detainment, Witherspoon was reported to be acting disorderly and eventually shouting incoherencies at the officer. Despite demanding from the officer “Do you know my name?” and “You’re about to find out who I am”, it quickly became clear that Witherspoon wasn’t above the law despite her Hollywood status. But hey, no one’s perfect – right?
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