In less than 72 hours, many across the globe will be ceremoniously ringing in a new year as we collectively prepare to embrace all that 2023 has in store for the world. It goes without saying, but 2022 was far from being described as “peaches & cream” — word to 112! — especially for the handful of celebrities that found themselves as a victim of the politically-correct mob known proverbially as cancel culture.™
The past 12 months have paved way for a handful of famous falls from grace. Most notably, but not limited to, we witnessed once-beloved GRAMMY winner Kanye West turn into a cultural pariah while simultaneously losing his billionaire status, a promising comedian like Tiffany Haddish “lose everything” in her own words due to allegations of child molestation that were later dropped and even Oscar-winning actor Will Smith publicly exhibit a violent side of his persona that resulted in many of his upcoming film projects getting shelved in addition to a 10-year ban from attending the Academy Awards ceremony altogether.
…and those were just the ones who might make it back on our good side!
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As we close a chapter on one year and prepare to open the new page on another, our team started thinking about the handful of celebrities that got canceled this year and if there’s any chance for redemption.
So, let’s talk about it!
Take a look at the select list of canceled celebrities, and let us know if you think they can make a comeback in 2023 or if their time in the spotlight is simply over. See if you agree with our “yes/no” analysis of the sticky situations at hand below:
Until he can learn to just stop talking, trust we will never get “the old Kanye” back. Ever.
2. Tiffany Haddish – YES
As creepy as her judgement was in doing those infamous skits in the first place, Haddish technically never abused the children and the charges were ultimately dropped with an apology from the accusers. We do hope she learned from the situation though.
3. Tory Lanez – NO
His unstable anger issues, habitual lying habits and overall smug behavior throughout each of his legal run-ins all but proved that Tory Lanez is a lost cause. In short — and we don’t use the word “short” lightly — boy bye.
4. Dave Chappelle – YES
He’s already working again on a major scale, and Chappelle is honestly the type of comedian that’s built for public backlash. With that said, we do believe that all gender identities should be respected and that Dave didn’t fully respect that in his standup routines. Two things can be true at once.
5. Kyrie Irving – NO
His defiant persona, be it towards vaccination or antisemitism, makes it very hard to get behind anything that currently comes out of Kyrie’s mouth.
6. Will Smith – YES
Never will we condone violence, but there is something to be said about making jokes at the expense of a woman’s health with her husband standing right in front of you. Maybe those infamous words by famed comedian Katt Williams were right?
7. Deshaun Watson – NO
At this point, we’re not entirely sure if more accusations of sexual misconduct against the Cleveland Browns quarterback will or won’t come forth. Definitely a “no,” for now anyway.
8. Ime Udoka – YES
Although there’s a special place in Hell reserved for anyone dumb enough to cheat on Nia Long, we’re sure Udoka will professionally recover from his relationship woes.
Growing past the behavior of being a bully is actually a commendable life decision that we wish more “hurt-people-who-hurt-people” can one day come to. Good for you, Teig!
11. T.J. Holmes – MAYBE
Everything is still too fresh to determine, but his pending divorce and newfound playboy persona may or may not work for daytime television.
