Celebrities live the kind of lives some people can only dream of, and for some of us, those dreams would be nightmares. Having the whole world place you under a microscope to follow your every move is not somewhere that anyone at The Rugged wants to be. Facebook’s bad enough! Still, that doesn’t mean that we can’t take a little joy in the catastrophes that befell these deserving A-holes. Introducing the 7 best celebrity comeuppances of all time:
1. Eliot Spitzer
Former US politician Eliot Spitzer was known by many in the great state of New York as a bulldog when it came to fighting crime and corruption. Too bad he didn’t hold himself to the same standard. On March 17, 2008, this hypocrite of Democratic politics stepped down when it was revealed that he frequented a $1,000 per hour prostitute. (Pin drops at TR offices as we all realize we’re in the wrong line of work.) Since then, Spitzer’s CNN “Crossfire” knockoff “Parker Spitzer” posted some of the lowest broadcast numbers in the network’s history. Spitzer clings to life at CNN, and can be found on the show “In the Arena.”
2. Tonya Harding
Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding’s just desserts, like others on this list of the 7 best celebrity comeuppances of all time, have lasted for several years. The once attractive skater hit a roadblock in her career when she may or may not have orchestrated the attack on rival and fellow countrywoman Nancy Kerrigan. A dismal performance at the 1994 games, while Kerrigan finished second place, was only the beginning. Harding was blackballed after she admitted to helping cover up the attack. Any payday she received after that would have to come outside of figure skating. So she became involved in the sport of professional boxing. Her most notable victory came at a celebrity event where she stopped Bill Clinton sexual harassment accuser Paula Jones. Her actual career, however, could have turned out better (3 wins by decision, 3 losses, 2 by knockout). In 2007, there was an incident involving a “bad interaction of legitimate prescription drugs,” according to her agent. Work has been difficult to come by in the last 17 years.
3. Jimmy Swaggart
The Pentecostal musician and preacher Jimmy Swaggart is here because, quite frankly, everyone loves to see a self-righteous dolt get his comeuppance. Swaggart’s came when it was revealed that he committed unlawful acts with a prostitute in 1988. Three years later, he did so again. His tearful TV confession is comedy at its finest. Needless to say, his denomination gave him his walking papers, and though he still preaches today at the age of 76, his followers are not quite as enthusiastic as they were in the Eighties.
4. James Frey
Okay, so this guy is still selling some books. The reason for this, of course, is the same one responsible for his great comeuppance: Oprah Winfrey. The daytime superstar endorsed his autobiography “A Million Little Pieces” shortly after its release. In 2006, it was discovered that key moments of the book had been falsified. Oprah had Frey back on her show in January of 2006 and blasted him in front of her millions of viewers. Following that Frey lost a seven-figure book deal with Penguin Publishing. He’s also been accused of unfairly using MFA students’ contributions in his young adult book publishing division. Nevertheless, his “I Am Number Four” series has proven to be a moderate success.
5. Lindsay Lohan
Driving under the influence, cocaine use, jail time, and a firm talking to by a judge on one of her debacles highlight the missteps of this destined-to-die-young diva, at least if she doesn’t do something about herself. We don’t want to see that happen, but for now we’ve got no problem including her as one of our more obvious choices for the 7 best celebrity comeuppances of all time.
6. Charlie Sheen
Like Lohan, this entry on the list of celebrity comeuppances is ongoing. Sheen freaked out, assaulted a porn star, insulted his boss, lost his high paying job on “Two and a Half Men,” started his “Torpedo of Truth” tour to dismal reviews, fell under the scrutiny of his father in a public venue, put his kids through Hell, got dumped via text by one of his two girlfriends, and now seems to be begging CBS to find a spot for him in the upcoming retool of the show he made famous. He’s definitely not winning anything right now.
7. O.J. Simpson
Simpson’s career as an NFL superstar has been forever eclipsed by his personal troubles, which include accusations of domestic abuse and double murder, and a felony conviction for robbery, kidnapping, coercion and conspiracy. “The Juice,” as fans once knew him, is now serving a 33-year prison sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada, where he is known as inmate no. 1027820.
Which goons should have made our list? Do you agree or disagree with our selections? Sound off below!
Comment on an article
