Overshadowed by Controversy has several examples, particularly under the Fan Works, Webcomics, and Web Original folders, that don't fit the trope as described. The controversy is supposed to overshadow the work, so if it doesn't do that it shouldn't count as a valid example.
The media folders, such as Anime or Western Animation, could also use a look, as some entries deal with shows, while others deal with actors, fans, or creators. Additionally, some of the entries are not controversial anymore or are not known enough to overshadow the show completely, and others seem closer to Never Live It Down.
Some examples even point out that the controversy was debunked or died down eventually, which doesn't fit the trope, as well as examples saying things like "time will tell if [x] can recover." I originally tried the Real-Life cleanup section, and then a TRS thread, but I hope this is the right section to help us clean up this trope's examples. ^^
MOD NOTE: For something to be overshadowed by controversy; it has to have a significant, arguably overwhelming impact on that work/creator/thing that’s provable by pointing to actual evidence beyond social media likes or a news report. The controversy has to be bigger than the thing for it to overshadow the thing.
For a work, did it bomb directly due to the controversy? Was it pulled from shelves or streaming services? Nothing like this? Then it most likely doesn’t count.
For a creator, did they lose their job/get banned or lose all of their sponsorships or are unable to get any work directly due to the controversy? Did they at least retire directly because of the controversy? Nothing like this? Then it most likely doesn’t count.
Valid examples would be people like Gina Carano or Louie CK. As they were both fired and black listed for their controversies. Or Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are now more known for those controversies than their actual careers. Clearly being overshadowed by it.
If only chronically online people like us are going to be aware of something, it definitely doesn’t count. The controversy has to be so big that even people who are rarely online or know very little about something, would still have heard of the controversy.
Edited by kory on Oct 4th 2025 at 10:21:54 AM
So the example admits it isn’t really an example.
Thomas fans needed! Come join me in the the show's cleanup thread!![]()
Given how synonymous VeggieTales is with religion entertainment, the idea of censoring the religion out is bizarre, to say the least. And they addressed the complaints, which does give a point in its favor. But if it was still successful in that first season, while that isn’t necessarily a disqualification, it does make it harder to justify as an example.
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The trope is not "controversy exists," it's "Overshadowed by Controversy." This entry does not describe any work being overshadowed. Cut.
This is on Live-Action TV:
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has become well-known for the time Fallon teased Donald Trump's hair during the 2016 Presidential campaign instead of discussing any of Trump's core issues. This became a turning point in Fallon's reputation; as he focuses less on discussing current sociopolitical issues than his fellow late-night talk show hosts, Democrats have accused Fallon of cowardice, using the Trump incident as evidence. Meanwhile, whenever Fallon does discuss politics, they're usually slanted against Trump, which meant that Republicans tend to stay away from the show as well.
On Count Dankula:
- Overshadowed by Controversy: Good luck finding someone who didn't find out about him from M8 Yer Dugs A Nazi.
It's not the video that's overshadowed by itself; it's Dankula's whole video-making career that is overshadowed by the video, the legal trouble it got him into, and the debates about free speech the incident caused. The crosswick has more details:
- Count Dankula is less known for his humorous skits and more well known for his "M8 Yer Dugs A Nazi" video, in which his teaching of his girlfriend's Pug to lift his paw to the phrase "Sieg Heil!" got him in trouble with UK police, which ended in him gaining a £800 fine. He still is appreciated for his comedy, but a lot of people still found him through that video alone.
From the Video Games section:
"Wii Music probably would have been a completely forgotten game shortly after its release if it wasn't for Nintendo pushing the game as the Wii's "killer app" at the E3 2008 press conference. The move alienated fans who were hoping to see a new Zelda or Mario game, and were instead given a Wii software dry spell for the rest of the year. It got to the point that Satoru Iwata issued a public apology days after the conference, explaining that the company was trying to experiment with their press conference presentations. To this day, the game is seen as what killed the Wii's chance of ever having a main game release."
With the info provided, the game is definitely valid for Never Live It Down. However, nothing I found on the internet suggests that the game essentially killed the Wii's popularity - Games like Wii Sports Resort, Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, etc. all sold well and were well received, despite being released after 2008. Should we cut this?
It's not Never Live It Down either; that's about character actions.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallThis is from Yooka-Laylee:
- It's very difficult to mention anything about the game without Playtonic's decision to remove Jontron, the game's mixed reviews, or the mere existence of A Hat in Time eventually getting brought up.
The first part is probably credible, but could use more context such as from its listing on the video games page. The other two are suspect. Reviews were indeed mixed, but that was largely from being a bit too faithful to its inspiration. And what relevance A Hat in Time has to it is beyond me.
Basically, A Hat in Time did not opt to remove JonTron's cameo in the game, resulting in skirmishes from fans from both Yooka-Laylee and A Hat In Time
I'm pretty sure the Yooka-Laylee example was added right after the controversy started (the No Recent Examples, Please! rule wasn't officially in place then). I'm not sure if it's still overshadowed.
And I'm pretty sure that when most people think of the game today, its mediocre reception and Surprisingly Improved Sequel are more likely to come to mind than "there used to be a YouTuber voice cameo that was barely recognizable due to the game's Voice Grunting, but the cameo was removed due to the person's alt-right political views".
- The Emoji Movie is probably more well-known for how using emojis as its main focus soon proved to be an Audience-Alienating Premise due to how Totally Radical it sounded, plagiarizing certain plot points of films such as Wreck-It Ralph, The LEGO Movie and Inside Out, being made by Sony Pictures during their Dork Age (as well as being greenlit by Tom Rothman, an executive notorious for Executive Meddling during his time at Fox, causing films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Dragonball Evolution to turn out the way they did, among other reviled creative decisions), having an infamous promotional tweet
that parodied The Handmaid's Tale, having a clichéd Idiot Plot and poorly-written characters, and supposedly being a replacement for two cancelled films, one of them about Popeye than the fact that it's even a film at all.
Not sure how valid this is. The bolded parts sound like plain Complaining About Shows You Don't Like. The part about it replacing films is false, according to Mis-blamed on the movie's YMMV page. The rest may or may not be overshadowing.
That's not a controversy, that's just bashing the film itself for being trash, unless we want to say that a work can be "overshadowed" by the fact everyone hates it, which isn't a controversy.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall![]()
If the entire film is controversial, then I don't think it can really be "overshadowed" by controversy. The entire entry also comes off as just a list of transgressions.
Really, the entirely of YMMV.The Emoji Movie is in need of a cleanup.
Edited by jandn2014 on Jun 8th 2020 at 3:43:36 PM
This is on the Real Life page:
- At least some of Shirley Temple's films veer into this largely due to Values Dissonance over her interactions with grown men in the films (for starters, it's more or less impossible to discuss Bright Eyes without the now-infamous "Good Ship Lollipop" scene), and the various abuses she witnessed on- and off-set like in Baby Burlesks where misbehaving child actors were locked up in a cupboard with a big block of ice and left to freeze, and an incident where an errant MGM producer exposed his willy in front of the then twelve-year old Temple, the latter unaware of the obscene act being done in front of her. In fairness, she did fare better than the likes of Lindsay Lohan and other former child actors after retiring from acting, but the creepiness factor with her films did turn off some modern audiences who were uncomfortable about the things the actress went through during her childhood.

This is on the the Western Animation page