So You’ve Been Fired… Now What?: 7 Celebrities Who Survived the Axe
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs was fired by Andre Harrell as a 21-year-old exec at Uptown Records early in his career. Today, Combs has gone on to build a more than $300-million-dollar empire, with an expanding list of ventures under Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group: Sean John Clothing and Sean by Sean; a movie production company; his own Ciroc vodka; his own fragrance; reality TV shows; a solo music career, as well as his collaboration with artists Dirty Money; and an acting career, including a role in the Oscar-winning Monster's Ball.
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Football star Michael Vick was infamously suspended andlater released from the Atlanta Falcons after pleading guilty to federal dog fighting charges. He subsequently served 19 months in prison after being convicted. Shortly after his release, he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles and had a record-breaking game Nov. 15 against the Washington Redskins: He passed for 333 yards and got four touchdowns, and rushed 80 yards to get another two touchdowns, ultimately leading the to Eagles victory. A comeback, indeed.more
Juan Williams, author and long-time National Public Radio (NPR) analyst, was terminated from the station after making what were considered discriminatory remarks about Muslims on Fox News. NPR faced a backlash, with many citing Williams's freedom of speech rights and saying he was wrongfully terminated. Soon after, Fox gave Williams a $2-million, three-year contract, with regular feature as a guest host on the O'Reilly Factor.more
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs was fired by Andre Harrell as a 21-year-old exec at Uptown Records early in his career. Today, Combs has gone on to build a more than $300-million-dollar empire, with an expanding list of ventures under Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group: Sean John Clothing and Sean by Sean; a movie production company; his own Ciroc vodka; his own fragrance; reality TV shows; a solo music career, as well as his collaboration with artists Dirty Money; and an acting career, including a role in the Oscar-winning Monster's Ball.more
With a personality larger than life, Wendy Williams was once let go from Hot 97-FM, even after having a successful show, The Wendy Williams Experience. She went on to become a New York Times best-selling author and reclaimed her crown as the multi-million-dollar "Queen of All Media" at New York's WBLS-FM, hosting the No. 1 show in New York in the 25-54 age group. The show went on to be syndicated in several markets across the country. Today, Wendy's staking her claim on TV, hosting her highly successful talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, on Fox.more
Author, television personality, and cultural critic Toure was once fired from his internship at Rolling Stone magazine while a young journalist. He went on to later become a contributor to the publication, writing reviews and features on artists including Run D.M.C., Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and Jay-Z. He's author of three books and has written articles for The New York Times, The New Yorker andThe Village Voice. And one can't go without seeing him give his pop culture insight on VH1, MTV and MSNBC. more