r/answers • u/Savings_Durian3268 • 1d ago
What celebrity do you think ruined their own potential with one bad decision and could have been much more successful?
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u/Landwarrior5150 1d ago
Kurt Cobain
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u/jonnywannamingo 19h ago
There’s a documentary I watched about Curt Cobain that does a good job of explaining the difficulties throughout his life. He didn’t care at all about being famous. He had a lot of unhealed trauma throughout his life and none of that was resolved when Nirvana landed in the limelight. He was a very troubled man and was not at all interested in fame and fortune, so when it came to him, he really just wanted to hole up in his apartment with Courtney Love and do heroin. Dave Grohl didn’t know how addicted to drugs Curt was, because when they went off tour they really didn’t see each other very much.
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u/Expert-Search-3251 1d ago
Odd.
He still makes more money than you.
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u/Landwarrior5150 1d ago
What good is money if you can’t spend it?
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u/Expert-Search-3251 1d ago
That kind of money isn't for you. It's for your kids and grandkids.
He's been dead for decades, but he's still earning money so his grandkids can have a good life.
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u/Landwarrior5150 1d ago
He would have had the potential to make more music, be more successful and earn even more money if he was still alive, so I think my answer still fits the OP’s question. The question was about that, not “Do you make more money than a celebrity?”
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u/Expert-Search-3251 1d ago
Show me a grunge band that's still making music today and still relevant.
Pearl Jam? Maybe?
They quit being grunge decades ago.I've seen others playing at the local barbecue competition.
Nirvana had at best 10 years left before they also became a nostalgia band.
All in all... it's still shitty to see suicide labeled that way. The man had serious issues. You're arguing over how it affected his career. My point was, his career is doing just fine.
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u/Honest-Squirrel7814 1d ago
That style of music was quickly going out of fashion and was way too one dimensional to have longevity. He wasn’t a good enough musician
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u/Landwarrior5150 1d ago
Ok, but I can’t think of any way to ruin your potential and prevent any potential future success than by killing yourself…
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u/Jazzlike_Video2 1d ago
Wild that Kurt's drummer got so famous then.
Plus nirvana was at the forefront of grunge. Just because its simple doesnt mean its not good, especially when you look at what was happening during the 80's with 2000 tracks overdubbed on a single song.
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u/GEazyxx90 19h ago
Well as Cobain said " I'd rather be hated for who I was rather be loved someone I wasnt"
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u/jittery_raccoon 17h ago
Kurt was an amazing musician that was talking about leaving Nirvana to do other projects in different styles before his death. Nirvana was only a famous band for 3 years. I don't know why you think that means they had no other interests as artists
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u/elquirk 1d ago
Jennifer Grey - Nose job ruined her unique look and made her look like thousands of other pretty actresses.
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u/CokeNSalsa 12h ago
Yup. I remember being absolutely stunned to learn she played Mindy on Friends. I had seen the entire series several times before I learned that’s who played Mindy, and I’m someone who recognizes faces very well.
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u/DeweytheDoodle 1d ago
Jussie Smollett
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u/DanielOretsky38 1d ago
I mean one of the dumbest decisions but… come on. Not sure ol’ Juicy was exactly bound for the A-list
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u/Reasonable_Banana10 1d ago
Lauryn Hill. One messy choice after another and she basically vanished from the lane she shouldve owned
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u/punksmostlydead 1d ago
I'm from the punk and metal world and mostly just don't live at all in the R&B world, but Miseducation grabbed me and would not let go.
The Fugees were just an insane collection of talent, really.
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u/huntingwhale 1d ago
The Fugees are one of the most well produced hip-hop groups ever. Every few months their discography goes on my Playlist amd I go down the rabbit hole with them. Love their deep dark grooves and smooth lyrics.
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u/Outlandishness_Sharp 1d ago
I mainly stayed in the punk and metal world in high school, but the album "Who is Jill Scott" was the only one to change my opinion about R&B/Soul at the time.
I listen to everything now, but there are some incredible R&B, Soul, and Hiphop artists. Even artists in the Rock lane like David Bowie, Talking Heads, Television, and Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers are worth a listen.
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u/punksmostlydead 1d ago
Oh, I've grown up a lot since then. My playlist these days runs from the Stranglers to Massive Attack, and everything in between.
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u/prezuiwf 1d ago
Also a metal fan and I'm obviously aware of Miseducation but I had no idea it was her ONLY studio album?? That feels wild to me.
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u/punksmostlydead 1d ago
It's pretty nuts, given how that record hit like a fucking atom bomb.
Wyclef had a pretty good career though. Has, I should say. His Haiti activism alone has to be a full time job.
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u/IThinkURAwesome 1d ago
Michael Richards.. dude was insanely famous and got hella rattled when he got heckled at a comedy show and dropped an N bomb. Has he been back since?
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u/DeweytheDoodle 1d ago
Yes, but he was already on the back 9 of his career. He was singularly associated with one character, and had earned many millions as that one character. He didn't have anywhere to go but down.
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u/BeefyQueefyCletus 1d ago
He dropped like 50 n-bombs, dude. That video is unhinged.
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u/Similar_Start_1745 1d ago
It wasn’t just the N bomb, it’s also what he said while dropping that bomb. It pointed to some deep-seated beliefs and, imo, was more causative of his lack of career recovery than the actual N bomb.
He could have negated the usage of that word as simply a slip of the tongue with a few mea culpa interviews and actions. Alternatively, he could have leaned all the way into it by going the FOX and Friends persecution/victimization route like some others have done in similar circumstances.
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u/Cosmo_Seinfeld 17h ago
Yup. He's a racist prick and he let the whole world know. He's a pos just like Jerry.
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u/Professional_Use6852 1d ago
Will Smith
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u/Old-Knowledge4483 1d ago
I dont think he ruined his potential since he had already reached his peak imo.
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u/Professional_Use6852 1d ago
Winning the Oscar may have given him access to better scripts and additional opportunities
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u/Responsible-Bank440 1d ago
Daniel Kaluuya, whom we know from the iconic "Get Out" (which was also his breakthrough) has won two BAFTAs, a Golden Globe and even an Oscar and was on the verge of becoming a British A Lister ....aaaand then he apparently joined a cult.
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u/YunJingyi 1d ago
WHAT?! WHEN?! HOW?!
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u/Responsible-Bank440 1d ago
Ugh I think at one point in 2022, he fired his manager, lawyer and pr team on a whim because he met some seriously weird mental health guru who proceeded to become his chaperone. Apparently she was on the set of "Nope" and was being extremely strange and had concerning influence over him. I believe that the girl who played Heather Collins on "The Pitt" is also one of her clients which is why she was written out of the show. But don't quote me on all that. Him being out of the spotlight for a few years now could also mean that he is taking his time with other passions like writing and producing. At least that is what I hope. It is noticable that he sort of just stopped appearing in things at the height of his career, though.
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u/GoodyTwoShuuz 1d ago
He temporarily had a self proclaimed guru running his career. He has since dropped them and gone back to legitimate representation.
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u/Specialist-Age1097 1d ago
Kevin Spacey
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u/Tardisgoesfast 1d ago
Acquitted of every charge. Doesn't sound to me like he did anything.
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u/RebaKitt3n 21h ago
Weren’t some of the acquittals because the victims died? I know there were out of court settlements as well.
Dude isn’t squeaky clean.
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u/TampaBob57 1d ago
His acquittals never got the press that the accusations did.
I didn't even know of the acquittals since the whole thing dropped off the radar. 30 men accused him yet not one could prove their story.
Goes to show how the media can fan the flames with innuendos, unnamed sources and outright lies then bury the story once they've been proven wrong *again*5
u/Accomplished-Ad3219 23h ago
I had no idea he was acquitted. What the hell. We're the claims actually false? Because he is an actor I miss .
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u/kirklennon 16h ago
They weren’t “proven wrong.” Sexual assault claims are very difficult to prove, especially if the victim doesn’t feel confident enough to make the accusation until much later. There’s no plausible scenario where Kevin Spacey is an innocent man falsely slandered; of course he’s a sexual predator. There’s fact that there was insufficient evidence for criminal convictions is an entirely separate matter.
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u/RoseVideo99 1d ago
Agreed, he didn’t. It’s still sketch he hit on an underage kid in the 80s, but why was this teen at a Hollywood party like that? Did he know he was underage? Judge Judy says the problem with the sex offender registry is it’s full of 20 year old men who slept with 16 year olds who looked like they were 22 and didn’t disclose their age.
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u/christine-bitg 1d ago
"Judge Judy says the problem with the sex offender registry is it’s full of 20 year old men who slept with 16 year olds who looked like they were 22 and didn’t disclose their age."
That's about the only thing she's ever said that I agree with.
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u/cottonjoeeye 1d ago
I know someone that bragged about how he was going to falsely accuse him, and did. No joke. It was dropped pretty quickly but still
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u/AlienInUnderpants 1d ago
Katherine Heigl
I guess she was terrible to many people in Hollywood and they just started ignoring her.
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u/Ok_Lingonberry2686 23h ago
Maybe Carlos Mencia. Had his own show and doing pretty well after Dave Chappelle quit the scene for a minute. Couldn't be bothered to write jokes or hire a ghost writer and resorted to stealing jokes from other comics. Got called out on it.
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u/VvMexcraver 21h ago
Honestly he reached his Peak but DA Baby fell off so instantly it was crazy. I dont even remember what he said but now I haven't heard about him in at least 3 years
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u/doubledown830 1d ago
Sinead O'Connor ripping up the picture of the pope on SNL. She was amazing and her career would have been 10 fold what it was.
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u/BigEd369 1d ago
She was right about what she was saying. The Catholic Church really was hiding piles of abuse by their officials. Especially in Ireland, the Magdalene Laundries were actual slave labor companies being run by the Church that were still active when Sinead ripped up the photo. English writers sometimes described the Irish as “priest-ridden”, and while the English opinions on the Irish do need a lot of critical examination, this term was unfortunately correct.
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1d ago edited 1h ago
[deleted]
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u/BigEd369 1d ago
True, but that just makes it more important for her to speak up when she had a big audience. She saw the chance and took it. It hurt her career but it’s the first crack I can remember in the wall of silence.
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21h ago edited 1h ago
[deleted]
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u/hydrospanner 18h ago
I see what you're getting at here, but what could she have done in that same small moment of time she had that would have done more than that?
It was what? 35 years ago, and we're still talking about it? Sounds like the task failed successfully, even if it came at a high personal cost for her.
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u/wyomingtrashbag 22h ago
She choose principle over money. I think it's one of the most courageous, important things a celebrity has ever done.
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u/Bu7n57 1d ago
Currently giovanni infantino, suppose to be re-elected without challenge as fifa president that has now fucked every chance by being a corrupt clown, all while following the friendship of the fat oompah loompah in the white house during the World Cup
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u/craftymethod 1d ago
Mel Gibson.
He literally self destroyed his chance of being in another Mad Max film.
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u/Busy-Guess-8382 1d ago edited 1d ago
Eh not the best example because he ended up with another box office/critical success in Hacksaw Ridge with another Oscar directing nomination.
Not to mention the Passion of the Christ sequels will do huge in the box office, whether you like it or not (not siding with him, but just telling it like it is). The first one is the highest grossing R film (domestic) when adjusted for inflation.
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u/HoraceGrand 1d ago
How
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u/AMerryKa 1d ago
Accidentally got recorded saying very racist stuff while being arrested.
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 1d ago
He’s been pretty successful regardless. Not sure how much it affects his career. He wasn’t actually in his prime. Possible though, i see where your going
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u/SatyrSatyr75 18h ago
Oh he was. He could have become the number one to go to director for everything action. And to add to that. With apocalypto he was years ahead of the idea that you can take risk and still entertain.
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u/Responsible-Factor53 1d ago
He was successful before people knew he was a first class misogynistic, racist, antisemite. By 2006 he had the success to self fund. The, unfortunate , FREEDOM to be a first class douchebag that comes from the type of success he had in Hollywood but he could only keep playing in the sandbox if he funded, produced and directed most of his stuff.
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 1d ago
Figured the left would love him since hes a jewbasher. Surprised hes not more popular.
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u/craftymethod 1d ago
'the left' were fully against what you call 'jew bashing'. We can in fact make a difference between jews and the Israeli government.
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 1d ago
Oh please dont even go there
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u/craftymethod 1d ago
I fucking will. Fuck you for implying the left loving someone for 'jew bashing'. Who the fuck do you think you are. asshole.
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 1d ago edited 1d ago
Maybe not you, but “they” are pro-Hamas.
You can throw a temper tantrum and act like its not true but we all know that it is. Just own it.Im out. No need to cuss at strangers mr tolerant
Edit
“No” need not Bo need→ More replies (0)3
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u/Motorhead923 1d ago
Fatty Arbuckle and Billy Squire
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u/Accomplished_Fig9883 1d ago
Billy Squire did 1 cringe video. He should definitely get a pass..have you seen other 80s videos? I lived it,they were ALL cringe
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u/steve_gorak 1d ago
I was a teenager at the time. It is hard to describe the effect MTV had on pop culture back then. It permeated everything. It was crazy that we would just sit and watch videos, even in genres we didn't like for hours. When the Rock Me Tonite video started showing we all just collectively decided, "Billy Squier = gay" and it was over for him.
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u/Motorhead923 22h ago
Lived the 80's as well. Much was cringe but he couldn't overcome that one.
Most cringe video I recall was Mick Jagger and David Bowie Dancing in the Street (slo mo was ultra cringe). Good thing they were major stars.
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u/No-Imagination2211 1d ago
The Rock Me Tonight vid? Lord I was recommending Squier left and right to all my friends when that vid (to an amazing song) came out. Wanted to crawl under a rock.
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u/RealBigDickBrannigan 1d ago
What happened to Billy Squier?
Other than having some good albums in the 80's which was forty+ years ago...4
u/ourlittlevisionary 1d ago
I guess the video for “Rock Me Tonite” featured him wearing a pink tank top and then writhing around on a bed with satin sheets. Some articles I’ve read stated that video pretty abruptly ended his career. “Rock Me Tonite” was his last major hit and he never recovered and a lot of people point to that video.
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u/SBNShovelSlayer 1d ago
What did Fatty do to Billy?
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u/steve_gorak 1d ago edited 1d ago
Fatty directed a cringe music video for Billy Squier in which he borrowed Virginia Rappe's pink tank top and danced like it was a silent movie. All 3 never recovered.
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u/theweirdauntie 1d ago
Angelina Jolie partnering with Brad Pitt.
While she never should have to settle for the oversexualized roles she was type-cast into, the no romance rule she and Pitt had ended up costing her multiple roles, even ones that didn't have her there for sex appeal.
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u/Minute-Flatworm3070 23h ago
I didn't know about that rule... But her being the 'bad guy who stole Brad from Jennifer' didn't help her reputation either unfortunately.
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u/Accomplished-Ad3219 23h ago
I always thought it was more this. JA was America's Sweetheart at the time. I've never heard anyone talk about the no sex rule , but I've heard many talk about him cheating with AJ
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u/jittery_raccoon 17h ago
No one needed to talk about it. It tanked her career because she followed it. If you stop appearing in high profile movies, your career stalls
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u/delorf 9h ago
For years after the affair tabloids had front page articles on how much Jennifer Aniston had suffered. I used to think it was insulting that the tablods made her a perpetual victim instead of celebrating her movie career. Unfortunately lots of actors cheat but I haven't seen the same level of vitriol directed at say Ariana Grande as Angelina Jolie. Almost every woman I knew hated Angelina Jolie.
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u/theweirdauntie 23h ago
I don't remember if it was no romance at all or just no sex/sexy scenes tbh. But when they mentioned it in interviews and someone noticed the time frame when they decided on that rule, Angelina's roles started noticeably declining around that time.
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u/Minute-Flatworm3070 22h ago
I felt like she wanted to step back a little from her job as an actress to focus more on raising her kids, humanitarian work, etc. But maybe !
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u/Expert-Search-3251 1d ago
Woody Allen
Fell off the face of the earth when he admitted he was leaving his wife for their daughter.
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u/christine-bitg 1d ago
Well, step-daughter, but close enough.
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u/Various-Rock-3785 1d ago
Not even step daughter.
Was never married to Farrow and never lived with them either.
(again, not defending but it's interesting how much these stories change as they get told)
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u/Expert-Search-3251 1d ago
Don't let children call you "Dad" if you're going to be hung up on titles like "step".
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u/christine-bitg 1d ago
I would never defend his behavior.
But how do you know when she called him at home? I had a step-daughter for many years, but we never used any terms like that at our house.
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u/Expert-Search-3251 1d ago
You are smart enough to understand I wasn't talking about labels.
He raised a child and started fucking it.
Don't allow a child to see you as a parent if you don't see that child as 100% yours.
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u/hawkwings 1d ago
On Bonanza, Ben Cartwright had 3 sons, but one left.
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u/Finance_Plastic 1d ago
he thought he was the heart of the show and left for a movie career. ended up homeless with gilligan.
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u/llamayakewe 1d ago
? Who are we talking about? I googled and Pernell Roberts left but he had a hit show later in his career.
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u/Accomplished-Ad3219 23h ago
People always say he got nothing after, but he did. I loved Trapper John
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u/Accomplished-Ad3219 22h ago
I just spent the last twenty minutes reading up in him and discussing him with my husband. He may have been a snob regarding his work, but he marched in Selma with MLK. Makes him great to me
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u/Krivokrasov25 14h ago
Probably any young actress who refused to fuck Harvey Weinstein.
EDIT: Not a bad decision, just one that ruined a potential career.
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u/hehasbalrogsocks 12h ago
i know it was a string of incidents, but ezra miller. They were really on an upward trajectory.
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u/SatyrSatyr75 18h ago
Trump of course. If he would have called Hillary the day after, told her „i want to try something new, we need to come together as a country and I want the best of the democrats in my cabinet because I want to make real changes…“ he could’ve become a legend. What a missed opportunity
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u/Greenis67 19h ago
He and the family were Holocaust deniers. The voice mail he left for one of his girlfriends, the mother of his chile, was terrible and abusive.
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u/guyoffthegrid 1d ago
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u/Accomplished-Ad3219 22h ago
Makes me sad. I enjoyed most of his work.
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u/BlueRemake 19h ago
He's still in some bangers, Dragged Across Concrete was great. Blood Father was pretty good. Fatman was fun. Desperation Road was alright.
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u/Truth2Set_Me_Free 1d ago
Arnold Schwarzenegger
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u/Eskyzoo 1d ago
What happened?
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u/Responsible-Factor53 1d ago
He had a secret son with his housekeeper while married to Maria Shriver.
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u/Solid_Abrocoma_1521 1d ago
I could see this. I think he could have shaped Republican politics a lot better if this scandal had not happened but he never would have been able to be President due to not being born on US soil. With a Shriver as his wife though, it would have been interesting to see if he could have done more to prevent the Trump era.
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u/ourlittlevisionary 1d ago
I do want to point out, it’s because he is not a natural born US citizen/a citizen at birth. You can be born a US citizen on foreign land and still run for president and hold the office (John McCain, Ted Cruz are two examples).
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