5 Celebrities Hollywood Has Forgiven (And 5 It Hasn't)

Celebrity

5 Celebrities Hollywood Has Forgiven (And 5 It Hasn't)

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Being a Hollywood celebrity can be a tough gig. The world seems to be privy to every little aspect of your life, and they love to pass judgement one way or the other. When you screw up the world is going to skewer you, and this often means an end to your career and the complete destruction of your reputation. Occasionally celebs can make their way back into the spotlight, but there are times where what has been done can never be forgiven.

Here are five Hollywood celebs that have been forgiven for their indiscretions, and 5 who have most certainly haven't.

1. Matthew Broderick - Forgiven

TV Guide

On August 5, 1987, Broderick was driving in Northern Ireland when he crossed into the wrong lane, going head on with a car heading in the opposite direction. The two female passengers in the other vehicle were killed instantly. Instead of receiving a jail sentence for killing two people, he was convicted of careless driving and fined $175.

The actor hasn't had much screen time as of late, but it is safe to say that Hollywood, and movie fans have forgiven him for taking two lives.

2. Gwyneth Paltrow - Not so much

The Mercury News

Before she switched from acting to being a lifestyle "guru", movie fans just thought Paltrow was a little strange. She now runs the publication Goop, which is just as stupid as the name itself implies. She recommends things like $125,000 18K gold weights for working out. Her ridiculous approach to connecting with people as a lifestyle "guru" had her win the 2013 Most Hated Celebrity poll.

3. Sean Penn - Forgiven

BBC.com

Sean Penn has aparently forgiven for what he did to Madonna while they were married. In 1987, Penn struck Madonna in the head with a baseball bat, sending her to the hospital. In December 1989, Penn tied her up in her own home and abused her for hours on end. He only released her after she agreed to perform a sexual act on him. I'm not exactly sure why he was forgiven for this?

4. Charlie Sheen - Not winning

LatinTRENDS.com

Charlie Sheen has done some strange things during his life. His epic meltdown before leaving the show Two-and-a-Half Men put him in the Hollywood spotlight, but not in a good way. He went on a drug fueled bender, complete with porn-stars and who knows what else. He even claimed that he had tiger blood, and that he was "winning". It later came out that Sheen had been diagnosed with HIV, and since then he has quieted down, and stayed out of the public eye.

5. Robert Downey Jr. - Forgiven

Twitter

The role of Iron Man saved Robert Downey Jr's career. Between 1996 and 2001, Downey Jr. was arrested for drug possession six times in that five year span. He received multiple sentences for his crimes, including separate 4-month, and 3-year terms. He only served one year of that sentence, but even after getting out he was sent back to a rehab facility for the fourth and final time. It seems to have taken, Downey Jr. is again one of Hollywood's hottest stars, and a clear symbol of rehabilitation and redemption.

6. Mel Gibson - Who?

Bio.com

Mel Gibson used to be one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. The it all fell apart when he went on a racist tirade during a DUI stop. He was quoted as saying "Fucking Jews... the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?" The officer who made the stop happened to be Jewish.

Gibson did comply with all of the restrictions and obligations placed on him, which has gone some of the way to repairing his reputation. Hollywood has started to forgive him, as evidenced by the 2017 Oscars, but he still has a long way to go to earn back the respect of his former fans.

7. Mike Tyson - Forgiven

Maxim

"Iron Mike" Tyson was one of the most dominate fighters of all time. There was no denying that he was an intense individual, once stating that he was going to eat the babies of his opponents. It all completely fell apart when he was convicted of rape in 1992, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. After being released he found himself virtually destitute and black listed by most of the celebrity world. Eventually things started to look up as he started to earn back the respect of those in higher circles. He went from broke to being worth an estimated $3 million. Tyson has stayed out of trouble for the last several years and seems to be living up to his reformed expectations.  

8. Bill Cosby - Lock him up.

ABC News

We are all familiar with the story of Cosby. Once the beloved comedian and sitcom father, he has fallen so far out of grace that it is almost unbelievable. In recent years, he has been accused of being a prolific sex offender, drugging and raping numerous women. He was not convicted during his latest trial, but it doesn't appear the situation is going to go away anytime soon.

Cosby is legally innocent until proven guilty, but it is the opinion of this writer that he appears to be guilty. Hollywood has blacklisted this former celeb, and there is no way in hell that he will ever fix his reputation or be forgiven for the crimes he is accused of.  

9. Mark Wahlberg - Forgiven

SheKnows

As a young man growing up in working-class Boston, Mark Wahlberg made a few view mistakes. When he was 15, he was embroiled in court action because he had yelled racial slurs at a group of black children. When he was 16, he was arrested for attacking a Vietnamese man with a stick, and for attacking a second Vietnamese man leaving him blind in one eye. Police had stated that Wahlberg made several racial references towards Vietnamese people.

Wahlberg has a permanent felony record, but it appears to everyone who bothers to look that he has left his childish mindset, and violent tendencies far behind, having become an upstanding citizen.  

10. Tim Allen - Forgiven, but now he's back in the doghouse

CNN.com

Tim Allen was the star of Home Improvement for eight years. He also went on to make a name for himself in a number of family friendly movies and franchises, including Toy Story and The Santa Claus. Before any of that took place he was arrested at a Michigan airport in possession of over 600 grams of cocaine. He faced a potential 10 year prison sentence, but struck a plea deal where he gave the names of the other drug dealers involved in exchanged for a lighter sentence.

Everything was on the up and up until Allen started speaking on his conservative political views publicly. He is a rare individual, an outspoken republican in Hollywood. So much so that there is discussion on whether his latest TV project Last Man Standing was cancelled because of his personal views.

How do you feel about the people included in this list?