Johnny Depp and More Stars Who Were Fired From Jobs

Even the biggest names in Hollywood have been fired from jobs at some point.

Nick Cannon was fired from ViacomCBS in July 2020 after making anti-Semitic remarks on his “Cannon’s Class” podcast. The America’s Got Talent alum said that Black people “can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people” and he also stated that white people are “a little less” than Black people due to a lack of melanin.

“ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind, and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement to Us Weekly. “We have spoken with Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast ‘Cannon’s Class’ on YouTube, which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.”

Cannon, in turn, called out ViacomCBS for deciding to “make an example of an outspoken Black man.” He also demanded for the mass media conglomerate to grant him “full ownership” of his Wild ‘n Out brand.

Similar to Cannon, ABC cut ties with Roseanne Barr from her namesake sitcom in 2018 after making a racist comment about Valerie Jarrett, a Black woman who served as former President Barack Obama’s adviser. Barr referred to The Planet of the Apes when mocking Jarrett via Twitter, and the network responded by condemning her rhetoric and firing her.

Barr’s series, Roseanne, carried on without her and changed its name to The Conners. Her character was also killed off the series.

For stars including Julianne Moore, they were axed from jobs for creative reasons. Moore was supposed to appear in 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me?, but she was ultimately fired and replaced by Melissa McCarthy. (The Bridesmaids actress went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for her efforts.)

After the McCarthy-led film was released, the Still Alice actress admitted on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that she hadn’t seen the movie yet because it’s “too painful” for her. Moore, however, said she carried no ill will toward her successor.

“I love Melissa McCarthy, I worship her. I think she’s fantastic,” the Oscar winner said in March 2019. “So I’m sure she’s great.”

Meanwhile, stars such as Madonna and Snoop Dogg were axed from positions before they reached the level of fame they have today.

Scroll through the gallery below to see what stars have been fired from jobs over the years.