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Overshadowed By Controversy Cleanup

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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

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#4151: Nov 21st 2023 at 11:23:54 PM

Very few fandoms become infamous for shipping discourse above all else to the point where people who aren't into fandoms know primarily about it, except maybe Netflix's Voltron.

Edited by mightymewtron on Nov 21st 2023 at 2:24:11 PM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
xie323 Since: Jul, 2009
#4152: Nov 22nd 2023 at 1:17:35 PM

How long is the wait time for posting Hollywood actors? There is a slight chance Noah Schnapp could qualify for OBC in the future for the exact opposite political stance that Vanessa Redgrave, also listed as OBC, had about a very infamous ongoing war that tragically sees no sign of stopping.

Edited by xie323 on Nov 22nd 2023 at 1:21:40 AM

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#4153: Nov 22nd 2023 at 1:20:18 PM

Uh six months after incident and only if people still care and it's the only thing their known for

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
SharkToast Since: Mar, 2013
#4154: Nov 22nd 2023 at 4:22:56 PM

Chinatown:

  • Overshadowed by Controversy: While Chinatown is generally agreed to be an excellent film, what people who haven't seen it tend to know about it is that it includes Parental Incest as a major plot point and is one of the few works of fiction to end in a complete and utter victory for the villains. The Big Bad of the movie also happens to be a pedophile, and while it was made well before Roman Polański's arrest for child molestation, it has still prompted cynical comparisons between the character and the director. Adding to the unease is the fact that it was Polański who insisted on changing the original screenplay ending note  to the ending in the movie.

While you can say that Polanski's career is OBC, I think Chinatown is too beloved/influential to count.

Siegfried1337 Calabash. from The Eastern Luminant Since: Sep, 2018 Relationship Status: Will you go out with me to the End?
SpongeBat1 We stan Clippy in this house from Quittersville, Failuretown, and Loserburg (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: It's a god-awful small affair
We stan Clippy in this house
#4156: Nov 22nd 2023 at 9:03:50 PM

[up][up]Honestly this is the first I've heard that movie was even directed by Polanski. The movie itself probably isn't an example even if Polanski definitely is.

Came for the tropes, stayed for the cleanup.
AudioSpeaks2 Since: Apr, 2022
#4157: Nov 22nd 2023 at 9:17:18 PM

[up] Yup, most people know Chinatown more for being the movie that brought us "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown" or "My sister [slap] my daughter" than being a Roman Polański film.

[up][up][up] So it doesn't really count as that example.

Edited by AudioSpeaks2 on Nov 23rd 2023 at 1:17:42 AM

LarryT Since: Aug, 2023
#4158: Nov 23rd 2023 at 3:45:59 AM

[up][up][up][up] that could be an argument for Chinatown counting as Harsher in Hindsight, but not OBC.

Zarina Since: Aug, 2014
#4159: Nov 28th 2023 at 4:11:42 PM

Was there discussion about removing this entry from the Real Life page?

  • Chick-fil-A is probably best known now for its ties to anti-gay organizations, including those that practice conversion therapy, which has long been discredited as not only ineffective, but sometimes consisting of such severe emotional abuse it leads to suicide. As such, it's not uncommon for gay rights activists to boycott Chick-fil-A every time they open a new store. In November 2019, the restaurant announced that it would no longer donate money to these anti-gay groups. The last time they said they would end their donations took place years earlier, but they ultimately reneged on that promise.

Someone just removed it with the edit reason "I think the Chick-fil-A controversy has died down."

I'm not necessarily attached to keeping it, just curious what the consensus is. I looked through the most recent pages of the thread and didn't see anything about it.

I know Chick-fil-A's (former?) ties to anti-LGBTQ groups isn't as hot a topic in recent years as it once was, but I see it referred to as "homophobia chicken" before anything else frequently enough still that I can't be sure. (I'm not sure a restaurant even needs an entry, honestly, it seems a bit outside scope.)

SpongeBat1 We stan Clippy in this house from Quittersville, Failuretown, and Loserburg (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: It's a god-awful small affair
We stan Clippy in this house
#4160: Nov 28th 2023 at 5:13:48 PM

[up]I think it's still brought up enough for it to count.

Even if they legitimately have cut ties with those organizations it's still a historical example due to how long it went on.

Came for the tropes, stayed for the cleanup.
Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
#4161: Nov 28th 2023 at 5:29:12 PM

If Papa John's has an entry, then Chick-fil-A should be kept.

By the way, is it natter to mention that the restaurant no longer donates to homophobic organizations amid its increased Canadian expansion that began two months prior in Toronto?

Kirby is awesome.
SpongeBat1 We stan Clippy in this house from Quittersville, Failuretown, and Loserburg (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: It's a god-awful small affair
We stan Clippy in this house
#4162: Nov 28th 2023 at 5:43:10 PM

[up]That sounds like the opposite of Natter, actually, assuming it's relevant to why they stopped.

Came for the tropes, stayed for the cleanup.
Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
#4163: Nov 28th 2023 at 5:49:41 PM

[up]Well then, the entire Chick-fil-A example can be re-added, along with adding the mention of its increased Canadian expansion that began two months prior in Toronto, given that Canada is a country where LGBTQ+ rights are legally protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and homophobia is both largely condemned and illegal.

By the way, I am a member of the LGBTQ+ population as an asexual who sometimes eats at Chick-fil-A.

Edited by Nen_desharu on Nov 28th 2023 at 8:54:46 AM

Kirby is awesome.
Libraryseraph uu~ from Canada (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Raising My Lily Rank With You
uu~
#4164: Nov 28th 2023 at 6:42:37 PM

I have bad news for you about how much the charter of rights and freedoms actually prevents homophobia (and biphobia, and transphobia) day to day

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOR MARIA
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#4165: Nov 28th 2023 at 7:02:41 PM

I'd say re-add but don't add the Canada thing, because it'll probably invite ROCEJ stuff about how big homophobia still is in Canada.

Chick-fil-A is probably more associated with bigotry than Papa John's. I still see people cite it as the main example of a boycott against homophobia.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#4166: Nov 28th 2023 at 7:12:54 PM

Chick Fil-A is a definite cut. They are wildly popular.

Once Upon A Time.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#4167: Nov 28th 2023 at 7:20:22 PM

I think it's based on location. While we do have popular Chick-fil-A locations in the more liberal parts of the north, there's more of an expectation to "justify" getting it as opposed to the south.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Khoshekh6 Since: May, 2022
#4168: Nov 28th 2023 at 8:13:45 PM

[up][up] does something have to be unpopular to be overshadowed by controversy? I don't see why it would

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#4169: Nov 28th 2023 at 8:20:32 PM

I think their point is that it's popular as a restaurant, which suggests the controversy isn't the immediate thing people think about.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
MrMediaGuy2 Since: Jun, 2015
#4170: Nov 28th 2023 at 10:12:25 PM

Speaking from personal experience, we don't have Chick-Fil-A here in Alaska, and I don't know much about it outside of the homophobia controversy online.

Zarina Since: Aug, 2014
#4171: Nov 29th 2023 at 9:10:35 AM

It's certainly popular as a restaurant, but as someone who lived in the deep south US for many years, the anti-LGBTQ ties definitely still came up frequently and motivated at least some people to stop being customers (and others to claim they'd be more frequent customers, because, y'know...). To be honest, I didn't know they'd officially cut ties with the organizations that caused the controversy, so I feel like it's something that people still associate the chain with, but that's why I wanted more opinions.

8BrickMario Since: May, 2013
#4172: Nov 29th 2023 at 10:34:54 AM

I feel like widespread perception continuing to associate them with a controversy they've apparently stopped contributing to is a pretty good sign they're overshadowed.

Edited by 8BrickMario on Nov 29th 2023 at 10:36:15 AM

DDRMASTERM do you wanna have a bad time? from Someplace, Utah, USA Since: Apr, 2013 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
do you wanna have a bad time?
#4173: Nov 29th 2023 at 2:03:56 PM

I’d probably say Chick-Fil-A is still very frequently associated with the homophobia. Though yeah, Canada stuff is not super relevant to the broader point.

Also, since it’s been 6 months, do we list content creator Illuminaughtii now? She had a huge backlash over frivolously suing popular Lawyer YouTuber Legal Eagle for plagiarism, a bold move if I’ve ever seen one, and her channel very clearly hasn’t recovered the popularity and success she’d found before it broke out.

Edited by DDRMASTERM on Nov 29th 2023 at 3:08:10 AM

Khoshekh6 Since: May, 2022
#4174: Nov 29th 2023 at 2:20:19 PM

That was actually only the tip of the controversy

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#4175: Nov 29th 2023 at 2:48:27 PM

Uh. Yeah. The drama runs deep, she's been called out for abuse of multiple colleagues and essentially running an MLM (while railing against those in her videos).

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall

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