The United States Constitution guarantees the civil rights of its citizens. But what happens when celebrities trample on these rights? From the ones who lost their roles to others who faced social media backlash for their actions, here are the celebrities who have been fired for breaching civil rights.
Isaiah Washington
Known as the delectable doctor Preston Burke on Grey’s Anatomy, Isaiah Washington didn’t have a long run on the show. Apparently, he made some anti-gay comments that offended queer cast and crew. Luckily, he was not sued, or he would have to go against Adante Pointer, a skilled Civil Rights lawyer, in Sacramento, California.
Washington apologized profusely for his actions and even tried to make amends by offering himself up for community service. Sadly, that ship had already sailed.
Lea Michele
Most people know Lea from her role in Glee, but not many know why she lost some endorsements. The actress was alleged to have made her costar’s life a living nightmare through traumatic microaggressions. Samantha Ware’s accusations on Twitter led to a backlash against the actress.
Soon, she issued an apology on her Instagram page. She defended herself and claimed her behavior was not caused by racism. Sadly, this event would cost her an endorsement deal from Hello Fresh.
Hartley Sawyer
Known for his role as Ralph Dibny in The Flash, Hartley Sawyer was not only canceled but lost his job. The actor didn’t actually say anything new but was caught in old posts on his social media, which portrayed misogynistic, racist, and homophobic ideas.
As most actors do when they are being dragged by the mob, Sawyer issued an apology on Instagram. He stated that he didn’t intend to be racist and meant the words as a joke. Unfortunately, the joke was found out in the wrong century. He was quickly recast from his role in The Flash.
Kristen Doute and Stassi Schroeder
Both reality show stars were caught in a bind when their co-star Faith Stowers revealed that the ladies reported her to the police. It wasn’t a simple matter because apparently, they did it as a prank because they thought she looked like a wanted black woman.
After the revelation in an Instagram live, the ladies took to the social media platform to apologize to their costars and fans. Sadly, the apology fell on deaf ears, and they were fired along with other co-stars with racist tweets.
Abby Lee Miller
Reality TV star Abby Miller from Dance Moms also had her own share of criticism for unwelcome comments. A mother of Miller’s students went on Instagram and called out the star. She stated that despite Miller’s support of the Black Lives Matter protest, she had been racist to her daughter.
Miller had allegedly told her that she grew up in the hood and had only eight crayons. The reality TV star was being dragged on Twitter, so she used the medium to apologize, but the apology was not accepted because of its lack of truthfulness. This cost Miller a returning role in a spinoff from the network responsible for the first show.
