The life of a celebrity is never easy. To rise from the start of their career as a promising youngster to the very top is a lengthy process that is filled with adversities and challenges, sometimes even unfairness. Especially, for female stars, when sometimes they have to deal with malicious working environments and toxic men, who desire more than just their talents.
As a result, some celebrities manage to reach and stay at the top, but others have had enough of the absurdity. They decided to either leave the industry to stay away from all the abuse they received and become successful elsewhere, or step aside for a while and then bounce back stronger than ever. And some of them, after a while, have mustered the courage to share their stories about their dark times in Hollywood, which show us a much more dreadful side of show business. We are here to look at these 10 examples of Hollywood stars who have stepped away from the limelight and revealed what they have to deal with in the past.
#1 Sandra Bullock
Source: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Bullock told USA Today that she almost quit her job because of the sexism she had to face. "I'm being treated this way because I have a vagina, said the actress. She didn't reveal any name though, but we all know this is a problem that a lot of female celebrities have to face for a long time.
#2 Rose McGowan
Source: PA Images
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Entertainment industry was shocked when Rose McGowan disclosed that she was raped by the film producer Harvey Weinstein back in 1997. She also claimed that there were more abusers in the industry as well. "Had I not been blacklisted by Weinstein I might have gone on to have a better career," she told The Guardian in 2021. The actress stepped down from her job and moved to Mexico to start a new life, and living happily ever since.
#3 Britney Spears
Source: Allen Berezovsky/WireImage
Britney Spears's complicated relationship with her family has been a familiar topic to the audience. Especially, she's on sour terms with her manipulated father, Jamie, who has been controlling every aspect of her life. The singer of Hit Me Baby One More Time doesn't receive any support from other family members either and is still struggling with her mental life after getting away from the stage.
#4 Joanna "JoJo" Levesque
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When she was 18, JoJo didn't have a good experience under her respective label, Blackground Records. She shared that the label's president told her that she wasn't thin enough and that she was forced to put on a 500-calories-a-day diet. "We just want you to look as healthy as possible," claimed the president, but instead it filled JoJo with insecurity and almost ruined the singer's whole career. Fortunately, she was able to make a return after a lengthy hiatus.
#5 Brendan Fraser
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Not only female, but male stars also have to deal with sexual harassment in the business, with Brendan Fraser being a prime example. After his early success with The Mummy and George in the Jungle, he claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. His career took a dip after this and Fraser left Hollywood for a while, before making a comeback stronger than ever and earning himself an Oscar award earlier this year.
#6 Freddie Prinze Jr.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
For Prinze Jr., the main reason that made him stop acting is because of his co-worker Kiefer Sutherland. "Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world, That's not me talking trash, I'd say it to his face, I think everyone that's worked with him has said that. So, I just sort of stopped."
#7 Kesha
Source: Frazer Harrison/FilmMagic
In 2014, the singer filed a lawsuit against the music producer Dr.Luke, for having sexually, verbally, and physically abused her for over 10 years, Luke filed a countersuit for breach of contract and defamation. Kesha's music career was heavily affected by this, and she didn't make a comeback until recently.
#8 Lauren Holly
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Harvey Weinstein has been accused by yet another star in Hollywood, this time it's Lauren Holly. Being the star of the show NCIS, Holly claimed that the producer tried to sexually harass her in the late 90s when working together for Beautiful Girls. She had been told to keep quiet about the incident afterward and went on a hiatus for a while.
#9 Sean Young
Source: Craig Barrit/Getty Images
It seems that Weinstein has a long list of victims, one of them being the 80s actress, Sean Young. Not only Weinstein, she told The Daily Beast that she also had to deal with other toxic men at her time such as Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, and Charlie Sheen (right picture above). She eventually retired from the big stage and is now content with small projects here and there.
#10 Cora Sue Collins
Source: Daily News
The entertainment industry has always been ruthless, with one of the earliest examples being Cora Sue Collins. Being a promising young star back in the 30s, Collins, at the age of 15, was offered a big role, but with a ridiculous condition: to sleep with the movie's screenwriter Harry Rushkin, who was 35 years older than her. Collins stepped away from acting soon after, and she didn't regret a thing.