14 TV Shows That Were Canceled Because Their Stars Couldn’t Be Controlled
We’re beginning to think the human brain didn’t evolve with the ability to handle being a celebrity.
The Wonder Years
ABC says they decided to end the show after six seasons because Fred Savage was getting too old to play a kid, but the truth may be a bit darker: A costume designer alleged Savage and Jason Hervey of verbal and physical harassment, and a case was settled out of court. Insiders have said that there was too much heat for ABC to renew the show.
Andi Mack
This was the first Disney Channel show with a gay main character, and also the first to address teenage pregnancy. But after three seasons, actor Stoney Westmoreland was arrested for attempting to arrange to have sex with a 13-year-old — which happens to be the age of his on-screen granddaughter.
Louie
After racking up three Emmys, Louis C.K. also racked up five allegations that he exposed himself and masturbated in front of female comedians. He admitted to the behavior, and FX decided they’d had enough of him.
Transparent
Jeffrey Tambor was already skating on thin ice by playing a trans character as a cis actor, and then he faced allegations of sexual misconduct (that seemed to align with allegations from earlier in his career). They were already writing the fifth season when he was fired, so they hastily tied up the series with a Tambor-less musical episode.
Paula’s Home Cooking
Butter magnate Paula Deen was accused of racial discrimination, and in her deposition she admitted to using the n-word in the past, but that “things have changed since the '60s in the South.” The Food Network let her contract run out after that.
Rangers of the New Republic
Gina Carano popped off on social media, making bold and unsubstantiated claims about election fraud and saying that being a Republican was like being persecuted by World War II-era Nazis. Disney ended up firing her and canning the entire project, which was developed as a Mandalorian spin-off. She recently reached a settlement with Disney just before a scheduled court date.
The O’Reilly Factor
In 2017, a New York Times investigation found that Fox had settled at least five lawsuits for Bill O’Reilly dating as far back as 2002. It wasn’t that Fox objected to their host having sexual misconduct allegations made against him, even by other Fox employees; it was simply that they couldn’t weather the scrutiny brought on by the Times coverage.
Roseanne (2018)
The much-anticipated revival came crashing down amid fantastic ratings, all because Roseanne Barr unleashed a tidal wave of racism on Twitter. Because things were going so well otherwise, they killed off her character and turned it into a spin-off called The Conners.
SMILF
Four episodes into Season Two, writer/director/star Frankie Shaw was accused of some unhinged behavior: forcing an actor to perform nude, among other inappropriate sex scene etiquette, and even separating writers by race.
Wisdom of the Crowd
Jeremy Piven took a crack at heading up a drama, and it was already falling flat in its own right when multiple coworkers and industry peers came forward to accuse Piven of “predatory behavior” and a whole bunch of groping.
House of Cards
While Netflix was still producing the sixth season of their signature original series, public allegations of sexual abuse of minors started raining down around Kevin Spacey. They frantically cut him out, focusing on Robin Wright’s character while they tried to take the series in for an emergency landing.
Bulletproof
Costar Noel Clarke was slapped with 20 allegations of sexual harassment after the show was renewed for a fourth season. He sued The Guardian in defense of his reputation, but Sky canceled the show amid the backlash.
Grace Under Fire
Comedian Brett Butler played a recovering alcoholic, and after a few seasons, her on-screen issues tragically mirrored her real life. She became addicted to painkillers, went to rehab, but relapsed during the fifth season, causing ABC to pull the plug.
Ellen and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
After Ellen and her titular character came out almost simultaneously in 1997, Ellen suddenly aired with a parental advisory warning and ABC execs lamented that they had “a lead character who was gay every single week.” The controversy that ensued, in tandem with the network’s utter lack of support, caused ratings to tank until the show was finally canceled. Fast forward to 2022, and Ellen had built and dismantled a media empire, with The Ellen DeGeneres Show coming to an end after numerous reports of Ellen being an absolute monster as a boss and as a human.