Even in the glamorous world of Hollywood, not every star shines bright all the time. As many of them have to pay a major amount to gain fame, and many have to lose everything in this field.
This year, several A-listers have faced unexpected hurdles, controversies, or professional disappointments, including Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Blake Lively and others.
Hollywood celebrities who experienced major career setbacks in 2025
Katy Perry
The 143 hitmaker took a hiatus from original music last year, focusing on American Idol, her Vegas residency, and her daughter.
Motherhood and female empowerment were the inspirations behind songs like “Woman’s World.” Many found this hypocritical, considering that Perry collaborated on the album with Dr Luke, who was accused of sexually assaulting Kesha years earlier.
Her controversial decision to reteam with Luke sent a mixed message. It didn’t help that the album itself was a critical dud and underperformed on the charts, with the consensus being that Perry lost her spark following so much time away from songwriting.
Kanye West
This year, Kanye West has pulled a huge stunt by making a joint appearance with his wife, Bianca Censori, on the red carpet of the 2025 Grammys.
As the rapper’s wife walked in a completely sheer outfit, which left the internet shaken. However, after his public stunt, Kanye and Bianca, who tied the knot in December 2022, faced immense public scrutiny, which destroyed the careers of both celebrities.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez seemed poised to kick off 2024 on a high note with her ninth studio album, This Is Me Now.
The Marry Me actress herself covered the album’s $20 million budget, an investment she seemed likely to make back given the high volume of publicity.
Notably, the album even received a companion documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which some - specifically those from the Bronx - found inauthentic.
The album’s reception wasn’t much better, not even cracking the Billboard 200’s Top 20.
Blake Lively
As far as the box office goes, few enjoyed a better year than Blake Lively. She had a prominent cameo in the billion-dollar blockbuster, Deadpool & Wolverine, and headlined another hit with, It Ends with Us.
Doing publicity for the latter film, though, Lively’s public image suffered.
Lively was already under a magnifying glass due to her alleged feud with director/co-star Justin Baldoni.
Since the film explores domestic violence, many found it tone-deaf that Lively promoted her new haircare brand around this time.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs
It’s safe to say that no celebrity had a more substantial fall from grace in 2024 than Sean Combs.
Depending on how things go in 2025, it could be the biggest downfall since Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby.
The leaked video of Diddy assaulting former partner Cassie Ventura would’ve been enough to warrant a spot here.
Reportedly, the PR nightmare continued to balloon as 120 accusers took legal action against Diddy, citing various sex crimes. Many supposedly took place at Diddy’s so-called “freak-offs,” painting his once-revered parties in a more disturbing light.
Time will only tell if this is truly the end of Diddy’s career. If Diddy is convicted, though, numerous other big names could be dragged down with him.
Jimmy 'MrBeast' Donaldson
Whether you call him Jimmy or MrBeast, this internet personality has dominated social media for more than a decade. He’s even ventured beyond the web as of late, with Amazon Prime Video picking up the reality competition series, Beast Games.
This series has also been the subject of controversy, as multiple contestants have named MrBeast, Amazon, and others in a class action lawsuit.
The accusations include being deprived of essential resources like food, receiving no overtime pay, and enduring sexual harassment. It wasn’t the first time that MrBeast faced allegations of creating a toxic work environment.
Whether or not the lawsuit plays in his favour, the scandal gave the show a bad reputation before it even debuted, calling MrBeast’s future endeavours into question.
Lil Nas X
Though popular, Lil Nas X faced health issues earlier in the year, including a hospitalization for partial facial paralysis, raising public concern over his ability to continue performances.
For an artist whose brand relies heavily on tour and live presence, this kind of uncertainty is a serious professional setback.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger recently turned 78 on July 30, 2025, celebrating with fans and well-wishers from around the world.
There's no doubt he looks incredible, and as always, he continues to build on his legacy. Most recently, he was focused on his Netflix series Fubar, which he starred in alongside Monica Barbaro—nominated this year for an Oscar for A Complete Unknown—and Milan Carter.
But Arnold’s Netflix run has come to an end. The platform has cancelled Fubar, the action-comedy series led by the Terminator star.
The announcement came a month and a half after the premiere of the second season.
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston is another singer who went to jail in 2024, although he might be the only one who faced the music with his mother, Janice Turner.
The mother and son were arrested following a raid at Kingston’s Miami mansion, which he rents. Two months later, they found themselves being indicted for wire fraud and conspiracy. Kingston and Turner stand accused of fraudulently purchasing $1 million worth of luxury items that they allegedly didn’t pay for. It isn’t the first time Turner has been linked to theft.
Dan Schneider
Some might argue that Dan Schneider’s career was ruined several years ago when accusations of his allegedly cruel and unethical behavior first surfaced, leading to his termination at Nickelodeon. Whatever little hope of a comeback was seemingly crushed in 2024 with the docuseries, Quiet on Set.
Although he wasn’t the only controversial figure covered, much of the reported trauma at Nickelodeon was traced back to Schneider.
