9 Celebrity Scandals That Cost Them Tons Of Money

Elise Feyrer

An effective advertisement is similar to a funny story told at the right moment. When the joke is funny, people laugh. Brands are the same. When a celebrity endorses a product and performs appropriately, the company benefits monetarily. Still, when the celebrity acts inappropriately, the brand feels like it is in a full-on breakdown trying to manage a major disaster.
Celebrities who lost commercial endorsements often performed outrageous things they justified themselves as normal. If you really can't take criticism for what you say, don't become famous. In the worst cases, a celebrity's endorsement caused an immediate rejection of the product.

1. Kanye West

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When they ended the agreement, Adidas said, "Antisemitism and all forms of bigotry are not tolerated at Adidas. Ye's recent statements and actions are objectionable, hateful, and dangerous, and they go against the company's principles of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect, and justice."

2. Lance Armstrong

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After Lance Armstrong admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs during his several Tour de France triumphs, Nike ended their partnership with him in 2012. Several firms, including Nike, Anheuser-Busch, Trek Bicycle Corp, FRS, and Honey Stinger, cut ties with Armstrong after his doping scandal. The player lost $150 million in endorsement money after his confession.

3. Abby Lee Miller

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Lifetime magazine invited Abby Lee Miller to discuss her long history of racist comments.

4. Whoopi Goldberg

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Whoopi Goldberg was removed from her position as a spokesperson for SlimFast when she made sexually explicit comments about the name of President Bush at a 2004 New York event for Democratic contender John Kerry.
A SlimFast general manager claims that some of her jokes were offensive to some customers. Whoopi responded, "While I respect what the SlimFast folks must do to save their company, I must also do what I need to do as an artist, a writer, and an American, not to mention as a comic."

5. Nick Cannon

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The TV host's stint on the hit comedy series Wild'N'Out was cut short when he made anti-Semitic comments on his podcast Cannon's Class. Cannon spoke with Richard Griffin, who was kicked out of Public Enemy for blaming Jews for "the predominance of immorality that goes on around the globe," in an interview.
Cannon used the rich Jewish family as a code term for antisemitism when he questioned why "we give so much power to the 'they,' and 'they' turn into illuminati, the Zionists, and the Rothschilds" on the podcast.

6. Johnny Depp

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All eyes were on the Edward Scissorhands star when his ex-wife Amber Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post calling him a "public p embodying domestic abuse." Depp was pressed for comment on Heard's allegations by the press.
Disney terminated the actor from its billion-dollar Pirates of the Caribbean series just four days after 2018 op-ed was published. As a result, Depp filed a slander case against the Aquaman actress, which made headlines across the world. Regardless, he kept working with his longstanding partner Dior while the two were embroiled in a court battle.

7. Chrissy Teigen

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10th on the list, Chrissy Teigen visited Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Target in response to cyberbullying.

8. Tiger Woods

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As news of Tiger Woods' multiple extramarital romances spread in 2010, the company that had sponsored him decided to cut ties. Tiger Woods and his wife filed for divorce that same year (2010). Despite this, he continued to rule the golfing world until severe health issues sidelined him.

9. Lindsay Lohan

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Actress Lindsay Lohan's endorsement deal with clothing and lifestyle brand Odaingerous was terminated after her recent legal troubles. The 26-year-anticipated old's profit from the massive deal was half a million dollars. Because of Lindsay Lohan's conviction, Odaingerous' creative director and CEO, Odain Watson, said that the apparel and lifestyle brand has formally withdrawn its offer for an endorsement arrangement with Lohan as the face of the brand.