7 Celebrities Whose Careers Were Derailed Because of Relationships
Published on August 25, 2014. Updated April 4, 2017Hollywood is a tremendously fickle place. There are so many things that can cause a celebrity’s career to suddenly veer off track – coming out can do it, but so can an affair or a drug addiction. We decided to take a look at celebrities who were involved in relationships that caused their careers to totally derail. There are so many factors at play in these situations, but we think we have a pretty good idea of why some of these relationships caused their careers to divert off course. Luckily, many of the people involved have managed to salvage their careers; however, there are a few that haven’t been able to do so.
7. Ben Affleck
When Ben Affleck hooked up with Jennifer Lopez, he went from being a critically acclaimed actor to tabloid fodder. No one could escape their over-the-top relationship. He was in one of her music videos, “Jenny on the Block,” and they even starred in a really bad movie together, “Gigli.” Everyone was sick of Affleck at that point – even the actor himself. He literally had to take a step back and reevaluate his life because “Bennifer” totally derailed his promising career. Even though it has taken years, Affleck finally has his professional life back on track.
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com6. Katie Holmes
Before hooking up with Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes was considered one of Hollywood’s promising young actresses. She had landed the coveted role of Rachel Dawes in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” and she seemed headed for big things. After quickly shacking up with Cruise, Holmes’ career took a sudden nosedive. She didn’t work for a couple of years and then when she started acting again, almost all of her films flopped. Since “Batman Begins,” she hasn’t landed a role in a big blockbuster either.
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com5. Anne Heche
Anne Heche’s career was negatively affected by her relationship with Ellen Degeneres. Before these two hooked up, her career was on the upswing. She has had a number of supporting roles in big films like “Donnie Brasco,” “Volcano” and “Wag the Dog” and it looked like she was well on her way to becoming one of Hollywood’s go-to leading ladies. Unfortunately, after hooking up with Degeneres, her once promising career suddenly disappeared into thin air. People became more interested in her personal life. Since the relationship ended, Heche has slowly been building up experience as a television actress, but her career is not even close to what it was before her relationship with Degeneres.
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com4. Ryan Phillippe
When Ryan Phillippe started dating Reese Witherspoon, he was the bigger star; however, over the course of their marriage, she became increasingly more in-demand, even winning a coveted Academy Award for her performance in “Walk the Line.” When these two split back in 2006, rumors of him having been unfaithful began to circulate and his career then took a sudden but swift nosedive. To make a living, Phillippe has had to switch from film to television.
Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com3. Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan was American’s sweetheart back in the late ‘80s and throughout the ‘90s. She starred in a number of romcoms including “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail” and it seemed as though she could do no wrong – that is until she was caught cheating on Dennis Quaid with Russell Crowe on the set of “Proof of Life.” After that, her career took a big hit. Ryan was branded as a “homewrecker” because of the affair and her career has slowed down considerably since.
Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com2. Rupert Sanders
Rupert Sanders was the toast of the film world two years ago when he directed “Snow White and the Huntsman;” however, that quickly changed when the married father of two was caught on camera having an affair with Kristen Stewart, who is almost 20 years his junior. As a result of the affair, Sanders’ career has reached a standstill. It has already been announced that he will not be directing the sequel to “Snow White and the Huntsman” and rumor has it that he has returned to directing commercials.
Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com1. LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes had a really successful career prior to her affair with Eddie Cibrian. Since these two shacked up, her career has taken a big hit. Her album Spitfire, which is all about the affair, had disappointing sales and she has become notorious for canceling tours. Rimes and Cibrian recently took an unexpected step down when they decided to try and win over their haters with a reality television show about their lives. So far, not many people are tuning in and critics have savaged it, calling it “embarrassing.”
Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com