Columbus Keith Short, Jr. is known for choreographing Britney Spears’ Onyx Hotel Tour and partnering with Brian Friedman of So You Think You Can Dance. He became famous for his performance in the films Stomp the Yard, Cadillac Records, Armored, and The Losers. The American actor also starred as Harrison Wright in the ABC drama series, Scandal.
In an act of life imitating art, Columbus was fired from Scandal following a scandal of his own. He allegedly threatened his wife with a knife to her throat, prompting her to place a restraining order against him. Will the famed but shamed celebrity make a bounce back to our TV screens? There’s a chance he will, but Columbus will need to fix his domestic affairs and marriage first.
Robert Downey Jr., Ally McBeal
Starting from 1996 and nose diving into 2001, Robert Downey Jr. was apprehended multiple times for substance abuse and underwent numerous rehab programs that had little effect on his addiction. Downey revealed that his misuse of illegal substances started when he was just eight years old, thanks to his father who had the same addictive tendencies and even encouraged the actor to use as a young boy. Nonetheless, Robert Downey Jr. was and still is a great actor, even winning a Golden Globe award for his part in Ally McBeal.
The producers of the show had his back, even when he got caught using illegal substances because they believed in him and his acting prowess. After he was busted again though, the producers decided to move on from Downey Jr. and were forced to cut his character from the show. Robert Downey Jr. shared that the humiliation of getting arrested that time around was pivotal became it came with a moment of realization that ultimately obligated him to get serious with his rehab. As we all know, the actor made a huge comeback, best highlighted, perhaps, by his role in Iron Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Valerie Harper, Valerie
Valerie Harper started her career during the 70s, in the television series, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, portraying the character, Rhoda Morgenstern. Eventually, she landed a prominent role in the show, Valerie, playing the title role of Valerie Hogan. For the most part, she enjoyed a fruitful career, winning the Primetime Emmy award four times and being nominated numerous times for Golden Globe awards. Although the popular sitcom, Valerie, was named after Valerie Harper herself, the producers still kicked her out of the show before the third season because of an ugly salary disagreement.
The main character, Valerie, unexpectedly died on the show and the show’s title was changed to The Hogan Family, with Sandy Duncan replacing Harper as the star. Later on in her life, Valerie Harper came down with lung cancer which made its way into her brain in 2009. The doctors told Valerie that she had less than a year to live, but the American actress was able to respond well to treatment. Today, she continues to live and do the impossible in her battle against cancer.
Lisa Bonet, A Different World
As a child, Lisa Bonet was already a star in the making, participating in various beauty pageants and performing in guest spots on television series. Eventually, she secured the job of playing Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show, alongside Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad. After a short stint in The Cosby Show, she went on to star the spin-off series, A Different World, which centered on Denise's college life and first aired in 1987.
Before the filming of the second season of A Different World, Lisa Bonet became pregnant to rock star, Lenny Kravitz. Bill Cosby thought long and hard on Lisa’s situation but ultimately made the choice to cut her out of the show. Lisa Bonet has since enjoyed a revival in the Showtime hit, Ray Donovan.
Billy Bush, Today
Billy Bush was hired to co-host the third hour of NBC’s Today back in May of 2016, serving as a substitute for Willie Geist. He was also the first ever reporter to interview American Olympic swimmer, Ryan Lochte, following his claim that he got mugged by a gunman in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Bush’s competence as an interviewer though, was heavily questioned and doubted after critics asserted that he failed to consider the possibility that Lochte was simply making the whole story up.
His blind assumption, however, wasn’t the cause of his demise as a TV personality. Bush received a suspension and eventually a dismissal from Today after a controversial recording exploded with the TV show host offensively fooling around with Donald Trump. The scandalous “grab her by the p***y” quote came from the recording of Trump talking to none other than Billy Bush. His questionable behavior ended up getting him booted out of Today, while Donald Trump went on to become the 45th president of the US. What do you think about those quality control standards?