Public opinion in Hollywood has always been fickle, but the speed at which it shifts now feels different. A single lawsuit, a leaked message, or one bad red carpet moment can undo years of goodwill in a matter of days. Looking back at the past two years, a clear pattern emerges: certain actors have watched their once-solid fan bases quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, walk away.
What follows isn’t a list of career obituaries. Some of these actors are still working steadily. Still, the trust that once came standard with their names has taken a visible hit, and the reasons behind each fall are worth understanding on their own terms.
Blake Lively: A lawsuit that changed everything
For years, Blake Lively seemed to float above controversy on a cloud of glossy hair and well-timed wit. That changed decisively when the fallout from the production of It Ends With Us went public. In December 2024, Lively filed a lawsuit against director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of orchestrating a media smear campaign against her in retaliation for her complaints about sexual harassment on set. Baldoni then countersued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for 400 million dollars on claims of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.
The legal battle dragged on through 2025, and public opinion was never firmly on Lively’s side. According to analysts at QR Code Generator, Lively’s fan base on social media plummeted by over 1.2 million, with her drama with Baldoni widely blamed. Despite a judge throwing out Baldoni’s lawsuit against Lively in June, public perception of the actor remains contentious. Many viewers also felt the tone of her press tour clashed badly with the domestic violence themes of the film she was promoting.
Ellen DeGeneres: “Be kind” didn’t survive the fine print
Ellen DeGeneres was once known as the queen of daytime television with a reputation for kindness and generosity. That image took a permanent hit once former staffers began speaking publicly about their experiences behind the scenes. The controversy, which began in 2020 with claims of racism, bullying, and harassment, resurfaced after the release of a 2024 Netflix special.
DeGeneres addressed the backlash by describing the accusations as “devastating,” but former employees criticized her response, accusing her of downplaying their experiences and reframing herself as a victim of media scrutiny, a view much of the public shared. Allegations of mistreating employees led to a ratings drop and her show’s cancellation in 2022, and in 2025, the public still views her as insincere, with the workplace scandal overshadowing her comedic legacy. For a persona built entirely on warmth, that gap between brand and behavior proved impossible to close.
Rachel Zegler: When a dream role becomes a nightmare
Rachel Zegler was handed one of Disney’s most iconic roles and, through a series of missteps, turned it into one of the studio’s costliest productions in recent memory. The Snow White remake became a case study in how quickly online criticism can attach itself to an actor rather than the film itself.
Zegler repeatedly sparked headlines during the promotional cycle, and a portion of the audience decided their frustration with the production was really frustration with her. Whether that’s entirely fair is debatable, but the perception has stuck, and it has followed her into subsequent projects.
Ezra Miller: From acclaimed talent to cautionary tale
Ezra Miller gained critical acclaim for roles in films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Justice League, but their public standing plummeted following a series of legal issues and reports of erratic behavior across different countries, with social media users following the developments closely as footage of various altercations went viral and sparked widespread concern.
Miller’s roles in Fantastic Beasts and The Flash showcased their talent, but 2022 brought chaos, with arrests for disorderly conduct, burglary, and allegations of grooming and harassment in Hawaii painting a troubling picture. Unlike some scandals that fade with a single news cycle, the sheer volume and geographic spread of the incidents made this one difficult for casual fans to look past.
Alec Baldwin: A tragedy that never left the headlines
An unfortunate accident led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Baldwin’s Rust, after the actor fired a live bullet that should have been a blank, and the ensuing legal battle tarnished Baldwin’s reputation for good. No amount of decades-long screen credits could fully insulate him from the weight of that event.
In 2025, Baldwin topped several public dislike lists after the incident, and his history of ranting, alleged slurs, and a public feud with his daughter further cemented his status. For many fans, the Rust tragedy simply confirmed a pattern of volatility they had already grown tired of watching play out in public.
Jeremy Renner: A comeback overshadowed by scandal
Jeremy Renner took a hiatus after a snowplow accident nearly claimed his life in 2023. By the next year, a recuperating Renner appeared in a Super Bowl commercial with more projects lined up. It looked, for a while, like a genuinely inspiring return.
A scandal that broke in November 2025 would overshadow his inspirational comeback, however, as Chinese director Yi Zhou accused Renner of sexual misconduct, which allegedly included inappropriate photos and domestic violence. Zhou also claimed that Renner threatened to “call ICE” on her. The timing, right as public sympathy for his recovery had peaked, made the reversal feel especially jarring to longtime fans.
Leonardo DiCaprio: A billionaire wedding that backfired
Despite being an Oscar-winning, acclaimed actor, DiCaprio has transformed into the butt of the joke. It is unclear as to why trolling DiCaprio particularly snowballed this year, but it has something to do with his attendance at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s wedding.
DiCaprio went viral during the June nuptials after a photo of his attempt to conceal his face with a baseball cap was published, revealing his attendance at the contentious weekend event. He was called out for being a hypocrite online for championing environmental activism one day and hanging out with a billionaire private jet owner the next. For an actor whose public identity has long been tied to climate advocacy, the optics proved hard to shake.
The bigger picture
None of these seven stories are identical. Some involve legal accusations with real consequences, others are closer to a single miscalculated public appearance that snowballed online. What connects them is timing: each controversy landed in an era where audiences have less patience for the gap between a star’s public image and their private conduct.
Social media hasn’t just sped up the news cycle, it has changed what fans expect from the people they follow. A carefully managed image used to be enough. Now, one leaked message, one lawsuit, or one poorly judged red carpet moment can undo years of built-up trust almost overnight.
