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11->''"If this doesn't kill your career, nothing will."''
12-->-- '''Maria Shriver''' (to her then-husband Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger on the premiere of ''Film/RedSonja'')
13
14The latest blockbuster complete with an A-List star has just hit the theaters nationwide. They've done the usual talk show circuit hyping the film. The studio's marketing department spared no expense advertising it. Then the numbers come in...
15
16[[BoxOfficeBomb ...and the film has completely and totally bombed.]]
17
18As it turns out, the studio [[NotScreenedForCritics didn't allow advance screening of the film for critics]], and for good reason. Very few of them are giving the movie a positive review. Word of mouth is even worse. And as they say in Hollywood, you're only as good as your last role. Perhaps the role wasn't the right fit, or maybe the person's [[HollywoodHypeMachine lack of actual acting skill has finally caught up to them]]. Regardless, the star's time on the A-List (or possibly even the B-List) has come to an end. If they're lucky, they [[CareerResurrection may find]] another StarMakingRole, but more often than not, the fallen star gets trapped in a permanent NeverLiveItDown and ends up fading into obscurity, never to reclaim the glory they once had. Tabloid fodder could also [[ConvictedByPublicOpinion cause the adoring media to turn against them]], often dismissing their latest project out of hand. If they have an out-of-control private life it makes it worse for the actors in question. This can also be subverted if the actors are CriticProof and/or have a ControversyProofImage.
19
20Compare with CreatorKiller for those behind the camera, and RoleEndingMisdemeanor for when it happens due to off-camera foibles. Can sometimes coincide with FranchiseKiller or even GenreKiller in the most extreme circumstances. Contrast with StarMakingRole and CareerResurrection.
21
22A good number of these examples have been VindicatedByCable or garnered CultClassic status.
23
24'''A Administrivia/{{No Recent Examples|please}} rule applies to this trope'''. Unless the star directly announces their retirement, examples shouldn't be added until '''five years''' after the relevant role.
25----
26!!Examples with their own sections:
27
28[[index]]
29* Film:
30** StarDerailingRole/FilmActors
31** StarDerailingRole/FilmActresses
32** StarDerailingRole/MultipleOffenders
33[[/index]]
34
35!!Other examples:
36[[foldercontrol]]
37
38[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
39* This situation is rare in voiceover because an actor supplying the voice wouldn't typically be "attached" to a project in the same way an on-camera actor would be, at least in a marketing sense, and a voice actor wouldn't really hurt their career by being in a flop. Nonetheless, there are a couple exceptions:
40** This might have happened to David Moo after he voiced Sanji in Creator/FourKidsEntertainment's (in)famous English dub of ''Manga/OnePiece''. His exaggerated and unfitting Brooklyn accent became the laughingstock of even non-fans of the series and became something of a symbol of the dub's poorly done voice acting, strange treatment of the characters, or even 4Kids and bad dubbing in general. This is most likely to blame on Creator/{{Toei|Animation}} forcing 4Kids to dub it against their will, causing even popular voice actors like Creator/VeronicaTaylor to also turn in bad performances. Moo supposedly even disagreed with how he was asked to voice Sanji. He eventually retired from voice acting to become a co-owner of the Brooklyn-based Quarter Bar, which has been ranked one of the top 18 bars in the US by [[https://bklyner.com/quarter-bar-named-one-esquires-18-best-bars-america-parkslopestoop/ at least one publication]]. He was also [[TheOtherDarrin the only main voice actor not to return for]] ''Literature/{{Slayers}} Revolution'' and ''Slayers Evolution-R'', where he had originally voiced Xellos. An interview with the ''Slayers'' voice director (Creator/MichaelSinterniklaas, who also took over the role) suggests that it was a decision made by the powers-that-be and not a case of Moo leaving on his own. However, everyone else in the old ''One Piece'' dub still has at least some sort of career. The divisive reception to his take on Xellos didn't help.
41** Creator/JessicaCalvello's career was derailed for a long time (11 years to be exact) after what happened behind the scenes during the dubbing of ''Anime/ExcelSaga''. Because of the strain the character of Excel put on her voice, her contract with Creator/ADVFilms required a 4-month break between volumes. When they didn't follow up on this, Jessica's voice was injured and she ended up leaving the show (and was replaced with Creator/LarissaWolcott). When she recovered, she moved to UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}}, where she found a decent amount of work, but nothing compared to the roles she had at ADV. She never appeared in another dub for ADV ever again (ADV shut down in 2009, 4 years before Jessica moved back to UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}), and didn't appear in another Texas-based dub for well over a decade. Fortunately, she's getting a decent amount of work now that the Excel incident is long behind her, such as her roles as Saori Takebe from ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'', Kanako Miyame in ''Manga/MariaHolic'', Hange Zoe in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', and all iterations of Anime/CuteyHoney.
42* Most of the [[UsefulNotes/LatinAmerica Latin American]] Spanish dub actors and actresses who participated in the ''Anime/KaleidoStar'' dub, which was recorded in UsefulNotes/{{Colombia}}, had their careers derailed due to the negative reception of said series in Latin America.
43* ''Almost'' happened to Creator/{{Yukana}} when she played Four Murasame in the ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' movies. First, Four's original seiyuu Creator/SaekoShimazu wasn't cast despite still being active, so the fans immediately pegged Yukana as a ReplacementScrappy. Second, sound director Sadayoshi Fujino ''and'' voice actress Kayoko Fujii were going through a ''scandalous'' divorce related to the guy's womanizing, and Yukana was apparently involved with him in the past. As a result, Yukana was accused of pulling CastingCouch and took the brunt of the fandom's fury, which put her whole career at serious risk; it wouldn't recover until [[CareerResurrection she was cast as C.C. in]] ''Anime/CodeGeass''.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
47!!Actors:
48* Creator/ScottBaio had a pretty solid television career starting in TheEighties (''Series/HappyDays'', ''Series/CharlesInCharge'', ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'', etc.), but it slowly began declining in the TurnOfTheMillennium (besides his recurring role in ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment''). The straw that broke the camel's back, though, was ''Series/SeeDadRun'', whose poor reception and low ratings practically killed his career.
49* Creator/BobDenver could not follow the success of ''Series/GilligansIsland'', and ''Series/DustysTrail'' - an out-West carbon copy of ''Gilligan'' in which he played the title role - prevented him from making another primetime series thereafter. (He did find work on Saturday morning shows well into TheEighties, with two animated versions of ''Gilligan's Island'' and ''Series/FarOutSpaceNuts''.)
50* Creator/DanFogler's attempt to jump into television after his film career died started with the [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] sitcom ''Man Up!'', in which he served as a co-star. Only eight episodes of the series were aired, and his TV pilot ''Prairie Dogs'', produced the following year, did not go forward and was received negatively by those who saw it.
51* Although they seldom happen, {{One Episode Wonder}}s are not immune to this. This was what ''South of Sunset'' and ''Lawless'' respectively did to Music/{{Eagles}} lead singer Glenn Frey and football player Brian Bosworth.
52* ''Series/KevinCanWait'' started a downward spiral for Creator/KevinJames. It was cancelled after [[SecondSeasonDownfall two seasons]], following a [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks controversial retool which alienated the fanbase and was universally panned by critics]]. Aside from completed projects, James didn't act for the rest of the 2010s. He's been trying to revive his career on Creator/{{Netflix}}, but he hasn't had that much luck. His sitcom ''Series/TheCrew2021'' got canceled after one season, and his 2022 movie ''Home Team'' got mixed to mediocre reviews.
53* Creator/{{ITV}} made headlines when it poached Ross Kemp from Creator/TheBBC with a record £800,000 contract. They promptly [[ExecutiveMeddling shoehorned him into]] ''Series/UltimateForce'', causing a significant retool, in order to justify the cost. The show performed incredibly badly and suffered nightmarish scheduling delays, resulting in Kemp's career as an actor effectively ending. He reinvented himself as an investigative journalist and has since regained significant critical acclaim.
54* Prior to his namesake sitcom ''Series/{{Emeril}}'', Emeril Lagasse was riding high as one of the hottest TV chefs in the country. Then it tanked and he became just another face in the crowd. (It also has the misfortune of being Creator/RobertUrich's last series.)
55* ''Series/SexAndDrugsAndRockAndRoll'' pretty much killed the career of Creator/DenisLeary. After that show's cancellation he and his longtime business partner, Jim Serpico, both went their separate ways and disbanded their production company, Apostle Pictures. Additionally Leary hasn't had much success in acting, only appearing in [[Series/TheMoodys another short lived TV series afterwards]] and a couple of [[Series/LawAndOrder recurring roles]] [[Series/AnimalKingdom here and there]].
56* Creator/JayMohr was billed as a rising star in the late '90s, playing memorable roles in movies such as ''Film/JerryMaguire'' and ''Film/PicturePerfect'', as well as having a recurring role on ''Series/TheJeffFoxworthyShow''. ''Series/{{Action}}'' was meant to be his ultimate catalyst into fame, but it was panned by critics and burned out after one season. Since then, he's only managed supporting roles and TV shows that either were low-rated or short-lived.
57* Creator/MikeMyers had already killed his film career with the failures of ''Film/TheCatInTheHat'' and ''Film/TheLoveGuru'' (see StarDerailingRole/FilmActors) when he attempted to make a comeback on Creator/{{Netflix}} by starring, writing, producing, and creating the 2022 comedy miniseries ''Series/ThePentaverate''. Its negative reception prematurely killed his comeback hopes.
58* After the 2001 BoxOfficeBomb ''Summer Catch'', Creator/FreddiePrinzeJr's brief comeback from playing Fred in ''Film/ScoobyDoo2002'' and [[Film/ScoobyDooMonstersUnleashed its sequel]] abruptly ended when he headlined his own eponymous {{sitcom}} ''Freddie''. Inspired by his upbringing, it was negatively received and lasted only one season before getting cancelled.
59* Jeff Probst attempted to enter the daytime TV circuit with [[TheEponymousShow a self-titled talk show]] (his ''second'' attempt to move beyond the ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' brand). To the surprise of almost no one, he actually suffered the same effect as Creator/ElizaDushku experienced with ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}''. Wisely, he has continued doing only ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' since then.
60* ''The Creator/PaulReiser Show'' promptly bombed as soon as it aired, and Creator/{{NBC}} canceled it after two episodes. Considering he has done nothing noteworthy since ''Series/MadAboutYou'' came to an end over a decade ago, this appeared to signal the end of Paul Reiser's on-screen career. However, he seems to have quietly regained some viability as a supporting actor in various movie projects, appearing in ''Film/BehindTheCandelabra'', ''Film/{{Whiplash}}'', and ''Film/{{Concussion}}''. Additionally, a recurring role in the TV Show ''Married'' earned some critical acclaim for him particularly. His lead role as Sam Owens in the second season of ''Series/StrangerThings'' has certainly helped his case quite a bit.
61* Creator/MichaelRichards in ''The Michael Richards Show'', the first post-''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' project that established the "''Seinfeld'' curse". Since it flopped in 2000, he's only done voice-over work (including in his old co-star's ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie'') and played himself in ''Series/CurbYourEnthusiasm''. His career was buried in 2006 by deciding to deal with a heckler at one of his stand-up comedy shows by screeching racial epithets at him. The incident was captured and released online by TMZ, ensuring that it would live on forever. He did later have a main cast role on the sitcom ''Kirstie'' but it was cancelled after one season.
62* Ramón Rodriguez starred in the unsuccessful cop drama ''Series/GangRelated'' after he previously played Bosley in the ''Series/CharliesAngels2011'' remake (which also derailed the stars of its leading ladies; see Actresses below). His next high-profile television role was in the badly-received ''Series/IronFist2017'', which is infamous as a notable failure in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. However, portraying the title character in the [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] police procedural ''Series/WillTrent'' helped him gain some praise.
63* Creator/RobSchneider of all people (known best for playing bit parts in Creator/{{Happy Madison|Productions}} movies and/or leading in ridiculous ripe-for-parody comedies ([[WesternAnimation/SouthPark "Rob Schneider is:]] ''[[WesternAnimation/SouthPark A Carrot!"]]'') headlined a sitcom for Creator/{{CBS}} aptly titled ''Rob'', where he played a milquetoast white guy married to a SpicyLatina stereotype (and both lived with her family). It didn't last a full season and ''no one'' from the show (except for Creator/EugenioDerbez, who would go on to star in the sleeper hit ''Film/InstructionsNotIncluded'' which is still iconic in his native UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}}) has been seen since. Schneider later dug himself deeper with 2016's animated bomb ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'' and his infamous Website/{{Twitter}} tirades.
64* For Creator/KevinSorbo, it was ''{{Series/Andromeda}}''. Sorbo was cast as Captain Dylan Hunt due to his success playing the title character on ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys''. Even an aneurysm that caused four strokes didn't have a negative impact on his career. However, when ShowRunner Robert Hewitt Wolfe departed in season two (allegedly due to [[HostilityOnTheSet backstage feuds]] with Sorbo over the show's creative direction, a charge that Sorbo denies), he [[WagTheDirector took over the production]] and made what had been an ensemble piece center far more around his character, which meshed well with [[ExecutiveMeddling studio demands]] that the show be more action-heavy and episodic in order to make it friendlier for UsefulNotes/{{Syndication}}. Unfortunately for Sorbo, several members of the core cast found him increasingly difficult to work with in his capacity as both star and producer, and quickly bailed out. Around this time, Sorbo also became a Christian fundamentalist. After the series ended in 2005, Sorbo's career has been restricted mostly to independent Christian[=/=]DirectToVideo films, as well as minor roles such as Crusher in the ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' franchise and portraying King Lar Gand in ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}''.
65* Creator/ChristopherTitus' lack of diplomacy in a network meeting brought about the cancellation of ''Series/{{Titus}}'' and killed his acting career.
66* Steve Whitmire's career as a [[Franchise/TheMuppets Muppet]] performer ended following the failure of ''Series/{{The Muppets|2015}}'' in 2016; he was told as early as October of that year that his days as a Muppeteer were numbered, and his roles were finally [[TheOtherDarrin replaced by other Muppet performers]] after his departure the following July.
67* Creator/RobinWilliams returned to television after his film career was reduced to roles in the ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'' and the ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'' franchise. Unfortunately, he starred in ''Series/TheCrazyOnes'' opposite Creator/SarahMichelleGellar (listed below in Actresses). The show's cancellation after one season in 2014 broke Williams and is assumed to have played a part in his tragic suicide later that year.
68* Creator/DickYork's career ended with ''Series/{{Bewitched}}''. The show was highly successful, but his [[TheOtherDarrin famous departure and replacement with Dick Sargent after six seasons]] due to a back injury and resulting pain killer addiction resulted in him being out of the spotlight for a few years as he focused on recovery. When he attempted a comeback a decade later, he only booked one or two small things due to being out of the Hollywood loop for so long. He never acted again after that.
69** Creator/DickSargent didn't have it much better. Nobody could see him in any role other than Darrin, and the only roles he could get were guest-star walk-ons on a handful of sitcoms. He mostly went back to stage acting after his on-camera career faded.
70
71!!Actresses:
72* Creator/SarahMichelleGellar went back to TV when her film career declined after ''Film/TheGrudge'' and its sequel. Unfortunately, her first show, ''Series/{{Ringer}}'' in 2011, got mixed ratings and reviews, while failing to be as popular as ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. It was cancelled after one season, as well as her follow-up show ''Series/TheCrazyOnes'' in 2014 opposite Creator/RobinWilliams (see above in Actors). Gellar has worked infrequently since then.
73* Creator/BetteMidler was hit by this with her eponymous sitcom ''Bette'', after ''Isn't She Great'' and ''Film/DrowningMona'' crippled her film career. She since has focused on Broadway, and won a Tony Award in 2017 for the title role in a revival of ''Theatre/HelloDolly'' It wasn't until ''Series/ThePolitician'', which was a streaming hit on Creator/{{Netflix}} despite getting mixed reviews, that she landed another big role.
74* Although Creator/GeenaDavis was still stinging from ''Film/CutthroatIsland'', ''The Geena Davis Show'' didn't help matters. One telling clue: usually when a show is named after its star, [[TheDanza they keep that name in the show]] - Emeril played himself in ''Emeril'' and Creator/{{Bette|Midler}} played herself in ''Bette'', for example - with Creator/BillCosby being among the more notable exceptions (''The Bill Cosby Show,'' ''Series/TheCosbyShow'', ''The Cosby Mysteries'', ''Cosby'' and, of course, ''WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids'' - in none of those is his character called Bill). Despite being ''The GEENA DAVIS Show'', Geena Davis's character was named "Teddie". Davis' career was then really thrown off the rails when ''Series/CommanderInChief'' failed. It was supposed to be Davis' comeback and initially started strong, including an MediaNotes/{{Emmy|Award}} nomination and a MediaNotes/{{Golden Globe|Award}} win for her, but ratings declined throughout the year before it was ultimately canceled after 18 episodes. Davis has forged a new career focusing on researching women in film and bringing awareness to the plight of sexism within the entertainment industry, which has been met with critical acclaim. She still does acting roles here and there, including voicing the mother in the Creator/StudioGhibli film ''Anime/WhenMarnieWasThere''.
75* Creator/LucilleBall in ''Series/LifeWithLucy''; in 1986, after noticing how Creator/{{NBC}} had [[CareerResurrection resurrected]] the careers of Creator/BillCosby and Creator/BeaArthur with ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' and ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] decided to see if they could do the same with Lucille Ball of ''Series/ILoveLucy'' fame. Given her past television successes through the '60s and '70s, even after the end of her most famous show, Ball was given complete creative control over the series and proceeded to bring in actors, writers, and crew members who had worked on her previous works. The resulting series (about a widow who works at a hardware store she had inherited partial ownership of) was painfully unfunny and cringe-inducing to watch. One big reason was that Lucy was trying to duplicate her famous slapstick comedy, which didn't work nearly as well for the then-75-year-old Ball (watching a senior citizen do pratfalls makes you want to check her hip, not laugh). The show flopped on arrival, and its failure made Ball stop working on any more projects, and she died three years later.
76* Creator/WandaSykes's once-strong career as a comedienne and actress fell apart after the failure of her talk show ''The Wanda Sykes Show''. It was said that her openness about her lesbianism and her inability to appeal to Middle America blackballed her from ever heading a major production again. Her post-cancellation work has been mostly in smaller theatrical projects, although she's recently bounced back a bit with a recurring role on ''Series/{{BlackIsh}}''.
77* Creator/AmberHeard had a lot of buzz about her movie career, reaching its height when she beat actresses like Creator/ScarlettJohansson and Creator/KeiraKnightley for the role of Creator/JohnnyDepp's LoveInterest in ''Film/TheRumDiary'', which flopped at the box office. Then she starred in the dreadful flop TV show ''Series/ThePlayboyClub'', and her buzz was all but killed overnight. Heard's next few films like ''Film/{{Paranoia|2013}}'' and ''Film/ThreeDaysToKill'' were critical and box office letdowns, and paired with her messy divorce from Depp, it seems most likely that her career won't reach new heights after that. However, she has joined the [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse DCEU]] as Mera in ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}''.
78* Creator/JoanRivers's career took a major hit in TheEighties when she agreed to do a talk show for the then-new Creator/{{Fox}} network after it became clear she wasn't going to be tapped to replace Creator/JohnnyCarson on ''Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson'' despite being its regular guest host by then. Carson refused to speak to her after she did this, and after she was fired from ''The Late Show'', she was blacklisted from Hollywood for years.
79* Creator/NikkiCox became an instant sex symbol in her role as the teenage daughter Tiffany Malloy on Creator/TheWB sitcom (one of the earliest shows aired on the network back in early 1995) ''Series/UnhappilyEverAfter''. When ''Unhappily'' ended its run after 100 episodes in 1999, Cox starred in her own sitcom for The WB called ''Nikki'', which lasted for two years. However, sometime after leaving the Creator/{{NBC}} series ''Series/LasVegas'', Cox reemerged (after having had some ill-advised plastic surgery) in a guest appearance on the Creator/{{CBS}} series ''Series/GhostWhisperer'' alongside her real-life husband Creator/JayMohr. Since that time, Cox's most notable acting role has been voicing Silver Sable on ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan''.
80* After her film career ended in 2001 with ''Film/{{Monkeybone}}'' and ''Film/KissOfTheDragon'', Creator/BridgetFonda finished her career as an actress by playing the title character in the [[Creator/HallmarkChannel Hallmark]] miniseries ''Series/TheSnowQueen2002''[[note]]which was later re-billed as a TV film[[/note]]. Fonda pretty much retired from acting to become a full-time wife and mother afterwards.
81* Pink Lady's popularity in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} had peaked in 1978, and by 1980 they had been rocked by a few scandals that had pushed their Japanese record sales into decline. So they shifted their focus to the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates and ultimately gambled on ''Series/PinkLadyAndJeff'' [[CareerResurrection reviving their careers]]. Except it didn't work out, and they disbanded a year later.
82* The short-run of Creator/{{FOX}} sitcom ''Series/{{Stacked}}'' marked the end (as Chris "Rowdy C" Moore further explained in his WebVideo/TVTrash review) of Creator/PamelaAnderson's career as a television star, after her film career was previously derailed when ''Film/BarbWire'' failed. Most of Pam's screen appearances since then have consisted of RealityTV, besides an admittedly significant cameo in ''Film/{{Borat}}''.
83* The failure of the ''Series/CharliesAngels2011'' remake nearly extinguished the careers of its three leading ladies: Creator/AnnieIlonzeh, Creator/MinkaKelly, and Creator/RachaelTaylor. Luckily, each of them rebounded by the end of the decade in various TV series: Ilonzeh on ''Series/ChicagoFire'', Kelly on ''Series/Titans2018'', and Taylor on ''Series/JessicaJones2015''.
84* Creator/ElizaDushku hasn't had any prominent live-action TV roles after ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'', after many reviewers expressed the opinion that a role intended to display her versatility, and ability to play something other than a sexy, morally-ambiguous action hero, actually had the reverse effect. Most of what she's done since has been voice acting in parts that reflect her standard TypeCasting and appeal to her established geek fanbase.
85** In 2018, Dushku appeared poised for a comeback with her appearance on ''Series/{{Bull}}''. She was fired in apparent retaliation for complaining about series star Creator/MichaelWeatherly's alleged sexual harassment of her. Creator/{{CBS}} settled with her for $9.5 million.
86* Perennial geek culture fan-favorite Creator/SummerGlau seems to have finally been done in by the cancellation of ''Series/TheCape'', making it her third canceled series in six years (fourth, if you count ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'', in which she has a somewhat small but significant recurring guest-starring role).
87* While ''{{Series/Charmed|1998}}'' itself was a significant hit, the derailing came from Creator/ShannenDoherty's high-profile exit after the third season. Having been a respectable TV star in the '80s and '90s, she was notably dismissed from ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' at the end of the fourth season due to tension between her and other cast members. Similar stories surfaced on the ''Charmed'' set, with T.W. King leaving after Season 1 -- rumored to be because Doherty didn't like him (though other sources say he asked for more screentime and was just cut). Doherty herself left the show very publicly after a feud with co-star Creator/AlyssaMilano, to the point where she allegedly said "either she goes or I do". The fact that she had been fired from a second hit show after fighting with cast members earned her a reputation as a diva, as did her subsequent refusal to allow ''Charmed'' to use any archive footage or pictures of her -- which meant that [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes it took until 2005]] for the first three seasons to come out on UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}. She turned to RealityTV projects and TV movies, but never with the high profile she once enjoyed.
88* Although Creator/MaryTylerMoore's career took a sharp downward turn after [[Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow her hit series]] ended, it was not until ''New York News'' that she was finally knocked off. She did not enjoy the tyrannical role that she was given, and despite asking to be written out, the series' cancellation prevailed.
89* Creator/JennetteMcCurdy's acting career was derailed by ''Series/SamAndCat'', a {{Crossover}} SpinOff of both ''Series/{{iCarly}}'' and ''Series/{{Victorious}}''. This show was meant to be a vehicle for Jennette, but she instead found herself in the shadow of her co-star Music/ArianaGrande, who was making waves in the pop industry. Jennette began to publicly butt heads with Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} and Ariana, which led to ''Sam & Cat'' being cancelled after only one season. Following the show's cancellation, Ariana's music career took off while Jennette's acting career took an immediate nosedive, with Nick and Ariana being MisBlamed by Jennette further worsening things for her. Viewing her acting career as an embarrassment and revealing that she was never interested in acting in the first place (she was forced into acting by her late StageMom Debra), Jennette would quit acting in favor of writing and directing and didn't reprise her role as Sam Puckett in the ''iCarly'' [[Series/ICarly2021 revival]] on Creator/ParamountPlus.
90* ''Series/{{Sheena 2000}}'' seemed to kill Gena Lee Nolin's acting career. After that show was canceled after two seasons and 33 episodes in 2002, she did not land another role (with the exception of reprising her ''Series/{{Baywatch}}'' role in a 2003 TV movie) until the fourth ''Film/{{Sharknado}}'' movie in 2016.
91* Shortly after her departure from her long-time role on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' in 2018, Creator/PauleyPerrette fronted the Creator/{{CBS}} sitcom ''Series/{{Broke}}''. The series however, only lasted one season's worth of 13 episodes and shortly thereafter, Perrette officially announced her retirement from acting.
92* After concluding her six-year run on ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' in 1996, Creator/KarynParsons received the lead role alongside Creator/LoriPetty on the Creator/{{FOX}} sitcom ''Lush Life''[[note]]Which was pretty much in hindsight, [[TheNineties the late '90s]] version of ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls''[[/note]]. ''Lush Life'' however turned out to be a major flop, with it being canceled after four episodes and three others that were produced but never aired. After that, Parsons would never get such a high-profile role again, unless you count her stint among the ensemble cast of the short-lived [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] sitcom ''The Job'' with Creator/DenisLeary.
93* The costly failure of ''Series/LipstickJungle'' ended Creator/BrookeShields' television career more than two decades after ''Film/Sahara1983'' crippled her film career. After it ended after two seasons and 20 episodes, Shields focused mostly on her family and Broadway.
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:Fictional examples]]
97
98[[AC:Literature]]
99* In Jonathan Maberry's ''Series/VWars'', Michael Fayne is a D-list actor whose once-promising career was harpooned when he chose to star in ''Frightbook'', a NewMediaAreEvil horror movie that was greenlit the day that ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'' hit theaters. Despite a promising cast of TV stars and veteran character actors, it was weighed down by its female lead, a former Creator/DisneyChannel star turned [[FormerChildStar troubled sex symbol]] who couldn't act her way out of a wet paper bag, and it only made a million dollars on a $30 million budget "mostly from inbred mouth-breathers who rented the video because the cover art [[SexyPackaging showed the Disney chick in a push-up bra]]." His next film, a sci-fi horror picture called ''Deep Ice'', went DirectToVideo, and by the time we meet him, he's reading an awful script for a Film/SyFyChannelOriginalMovie titled ''Giant Ice Centipede vs. Slothtopus III''. Worse, on the set of ''Deep Ice'' (filmed on location in Barrow, UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}}) he caught a virus called [=I1V1=] that had been locked in the permafrost only to be released by GlobalWarming, and he's suffered chronic illness ever since that's cut into his ability to work -- an illness that soon turns out to be [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampirism]].
100
101[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
102* On ''Series/{{Entourage}}'', Vincent Chase, riding high off the success of a film adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'', stars in the passion project ''Medellín'', a biopic of Pablo Escobar in which he plays the notorious drug lord. Unfortunately, the film's TroubledProduction produces an utter mess of a film that gets booed at Cannes and ultimately suffers the indignity of going DirectToVideo, and worse, Chase had gotten out of his lucrative ''Aquaman'' contract in order to star in ''Medellín'', leaving his career in tatters. He eventually enjoys a CareerResurrection courtesy of a Creator/MartinScorsese-directed adaptation of ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby''.
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104[[AC:Western Animation]]
105* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E1BeyondBlunderdome Beyond Blunderdome]]'', Marge and Homer go see a test screening of the remake of ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' starring Creator/MelGibson ([[AsHimself who voices himself]]). The test audience gives the film rave reviews, but Gibson is unsure of it, since he thinks they loved the film only because he is their favorite movie star. However, when he reads Homer's scathing review, he was jealous of Marge's celebrity crush, Gibson hires Homer as a consultant to reshoot the movie to appeal to a larger audience. Despite having a brief misgiving that this may not be a good idea, they still show their cut to the studio executives, who hate it, since Homer's input added [[TheDogWasTheMastermind a suspicious looking dog]] as the secret BigBad, randomly sped up footage because it looked and sounded funny, and Mr. Smith massacring Congress and the President of the United States at the end. When their cut is screened to a test audience, Gibson's career is heavily implied to have taken some serious damage as the audience thrashes this cut and Jimmy Steward's granddaughter threatens legal action against Gibson and Homer. On the ride home, Homer lists some ideas for their next project, and when he mentions they could make their own version of ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' Gibson finally wises up, and kicks Homer out the limousine and drives off.
106[[/folder]]

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