History Main / ControversyProofImage

* The TelltaleGames game ''Hector: Badge of Carnage'' has the main character bribe a street punk by offering to frame him for various crimes that will help his street cred. You end up stealing his pants and charging him with indecent exposure.

** Career?
* Also Paris Hilton would appear to have only become MORE famous after the sort of revelation that put Rob Lowe into obscurity for a decade.
** So . . . she was famous for clubbing before this?

* The backlash against BodyCount for their song ''Cop Killer'' was initially NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity, leading their debut album to go gold. It was subverted long-term as they quickly faded from the mainstream, though they have released several albums since, and it certainly didn't kill lead singer {{Ice-T}}'s career.
** As a mainstream solo artist it sorta did kill ice's musical career. Essentially forcing him to go independent as Warner Bros. became way more draconian during the recording process. Interestingly enough, some of the head honchos at the time now regret not standing by him (according to {{VH-1}}'s ''Behind The Music'').
** [[{{Irony}} Ironically]], Ice-T now enjoys a second career as an actor, most recently on ''LawAndOrderSVU'', where he plays...a police detective.
* Rapper T.I. still has a very strong career despite all of his run-ins with the law.
** Though his latest arrest is certainly taking a toll on his fanbase

* A lot of Depression era gangsters count.

** Though that fanbase has been diminishing ever since Brown smashed a window during that interview for ''Good Morning America'' (his refusal to apologize for what he did to Rihanna dosen't help either). That incident also caused his publicist to quit.
*** His record sales don't indicate that he has a diminishing fanbase though.

** A similar incident occurs on ''TheBoondocks'' when rapper Gangstalicious is charged with assault and possibly raps about it in a song called "Play it for the Jury", which the judge allows into evidence and is indeed played for the jury.

Musicians from certain genres can survive scandalous controversies that would destroy or cripple other pure mainstream artists. For instance; Any pop artists that said or did anything politically controversial, or done something that's legally reprehensible and possibly career ending could normally be survived by Alt/Rock, HeavyMetal, or HardcoreHipHop[=/=]GangstaRap artists. Pop artists come under scrutiny and they have to backpedal, clean up their image etc. with the other aforementioned genres it probably ''HELPS'' their image. Sure the MoralGuardians will whine real loudly, but nothing will ever come of it. Their image and fanbase remain intact.

* A definite example would have to be black metal. People like Varg Vikernes have had their images boosted (in the minds of fans) thanks to convictions of arson and even murder.

* R Kelly is a good example, people thought his career was doomed thanks to his statutory rape/and child porn case. But then he released his album ''Chocolate Factory'' which became one of his biggest albums amidst the controversy. So much so the media stopped scrutinizing him when they realized he wasn't going to be another sensationalized MichaelJackson train wreck.
* Mentioned in {{Animorphs}}: When a Yeerk inspector comes to see how Visser Three is doing, they decide to run a major smear campaign, as this often works on humans "but not actors or politicians. They're like immune".
* StoneColdSteveAustin beat then wife Debra Marshall in what she later claimed was an incident born of Roid Rage, running before the cops arrived.

* The backlash against BodyCount for their song ''Cop Killer'' was initially NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity, leading their debut album to go gold. It was subverted long-term as they quickly faded from the mainstream, though they have released several albums since, and it certainly didn't kill lead singer Ice-T's career.
** As a mainstream solo artist it sorta did kill ice's musical career. Essentially forcing him to go independent as Warner Bros. became way more draconian during the recording process. Interestingly enough, some of the head huncho's at the time now regret not standing by him (according to Vh1's ''Behind The Music'').
** Ironically, Ice-T now enjoys a second career as an actor, most recently on Law & Order: SVU, where he plays...a police detective.
* Rapper T.I. still has a very strong career despite all of his run ins with the law.

Artists from certain genres of music can survive scandalous controversies that would destroy or cripple other pure mainstream artists, For instance; Any pop artists that said or did anything politically controversial, or done something that's legally reprehensible and possibly career ending could normally be survived by Alt/Rock, HeavyMetal, or HardcoreHipHop[=/=]GangstaRap artists. Pop artists come under scrutiny and they have to backpedal, clean up their image etc. with the other aforementioned genres it probably ''HELPS'' their image. Sure the MoralGuardians will whine real loudly, but nothing will ever come of it. Their image and fanbase remain intact.

This could also be true for actors and athletes who are probably charismatic and charming enough that the general public won't care about what ever scandal is plaguing them. A good example is probably DavidLetterman, as opposed to Tiger Woods. Whether or not this is fair is up for debate.

* Heather Locklear (the previous Mrs. Tommy Lee) publicly warned Pamela Anderson (the about-to-be Mrs. Tommy Lee) about Tommy Lee, pretty much on the basis that as a bad boy rocker, Mr. Lee was controversy proof and therefore had nothing to lose by doing stuff that could damage Ms. Anderson's career. One sextape later, Ms. Locklear could say "I told you so", although it doesn't seem to have done Ms. Anderson's career *that* much harm.

* A lot of depression era gangsters count.
* ChrisBrown is managing to pull his career back together after his arrest for assaulting then-girlfriend {{Rihanna}} and his sentence to five years probation. His image is not completely as clean as it was before, but he definitely still has a fanbase (with some people blaming Rihanna for the abuse).
** Though that fanbase has been diminishing ever since Brown smashed a window during that interview for Good Morning America(his refusal to apologize for what he did to Rihanna dosen't help either) that incident also caused his publicist to quit.

* {{Charlie Sheen}}, especially during his ''{{Spin City}}''/''{{Two and a Half Men}}'' period.
** Not so much anymore though, as his firing from the latter series demonstrated, he was also booed in his tour debut so he's not exactly "winning" right now.

* {{Charlie Sheen}}, especially during his ''{{Spin City}}''/''{{Two and a Half Men}}'' period.

* ChrisBrown managed to pull his career back together after his arrest for assaulting then-girlfriend {{Rihanna}} and his sentence to five years probation.

Contrast ConvictedByPublicOpinion, where it doesn't matter if someone even ''was'' guilty, but everyone unanimously agrees to hate them anyways.

* {{CharlieSheen}} during his ''{{Spin City}}''/''{{Two and a Half Men}}'' period.

* ChrisBrown managed to pull his career back together after his arrest for assaulting then-girlfriend {{Rihanna}} and his sentence to five years probation.

* Chris Brown managed to pull his career back together after his arrest for assaulting then-girlfriend {{Rihanna}} and his sentence to five years probation.

Artists from certain genres of music can survive scandalous controversies that would destroy or cripple other pure mainstream artists, For instance; Any pop artists that said or did anything politically controversial, or done something that's legally reprehensible and possibly career ending could normally be survived by Alt/Rock, HeavyMetal, or HardcoreHipHop[=/=]GangstaRap artists. Pop artists come under scrutiny and they have to backpedal, clean up their image etc. with the other aforementioned genres it probably ''HELPS'' their image. Sure the MoralGuardians will whine real loudly, but nothing will ever come of it. Their image and fanbase remain intact

* A lot of depression era gangsters count.

* When MargaretCho appeared on ''DancingWithTheStars'', some tabloid ran an article about how the stars were scandalous backstage, and she was included. But since this is ''[[AnythingThatMoves Margaret]] [[EthicalSlut Cho]]'' we're talking about, the effect wasn't really the same.

Artists from certain genres of music can survive scandalous controversies that would destroy or cripple other pure mainstream artists, For instance; Any pop artists that said or did anything politically controversial, or done something that's legally reprehensible and possibly career ending could normally be survived by Alt/Rock, HeavyMetal, or HardcoreHipHop[=/=]GangstaRap artists. Pop artists come under scrutiny and they have to backpedal, clean up their image etc.. with the other aforementioned genres it probably ''HELPS'' their image. Sure the MoralGuardians will whine real loudly, but nothing will ever come of it. Their image and fanbase remain intact

This could also be true for actors and athletes whom are probably charismatic and charming enough that the general public wont care about what ever scandal is plaguing them. A good example is probably David Letterman, as oppose to Tiger Woods. Whether or not this is fair is up for debate.

* Child porn and other crimes overwhelmingly viewed as [[CompleteMonster heinous]] by the public will kill the career of most. The few exceptions like [[TheWho Pete Townshend]] and Pee Wee Herman still carry the stigma of the [[ConvictedByPublicOpinion accusation]].

** This troper assumed that's where her fame started. So . . . she was famous for clubbing before this?
* The black metal episode of ''{{Bones}}'' had Booth offering to charge the various metal band characters with assaulting a federal officer and such in exchange for information. I seem to recall a similar bit in an ''NYPDBlue'' with a rapper who needed the "street cred."
* RKelly is a good example, people thought his career was doomed thanks to his statutory rape/and child porn case. But then he released his album ''Chocolate Factory'' which became one of his biggest albums amidst the controversy. So much so the media stopped scrutinizing him when they realized he wasn't going to be another sensationalized MichaelJackson train wreck.

* Stone Cold Steve Austin; Whom beat the shit out of Debra Marshall, and went on the run for a short while.
* JudasPriest recoverd quite well after the suicide of a fan. Subverted with BodyCount though.

* Although Child porn or something otherwise viewed as heinous by everyone will kill any of these guys career.

Contrast ConvictedByPopularOpinion, where it doesn't matter if someone even ''was'' guilty, but everyone unanimously agrees to hate them anyways.

* Rapper T.I. still has a very strong career despite all of his run ins with the law.

This could also be true for actors and athletes whom are probably charismatic and charming enough that the general public wont care about what ever scandal is plaguing them. A good example is probably David Letterman, as oppose to TigerWoods.

*JudasPriest recoverd quite well after the suicide of a fan. Subverted with BodyCount though.