# Famous people who were fired early in their career **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 9, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655 "2015-05-09T21:46:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/21 "2015-05-11T17:05:59Z")
Lee Iacocca was fired from Ford Motors, before taking over at Chrysler. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/22 "2015-05-11T17:07:53Z")
[This news anchor was fired after his first day.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd8SJlvfrlA) Granted, a good portion of his fame was _because_ he got fired… ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/23 "2015-05-11T21:27:34Z")
Mike Rowe was supposedly fired from QVC three different times. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/24 "2015-05-11T21:32:30Z")
[Ildebrando Zacchini](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ildebrando_Zacchini) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/25 "2015-05-11T22:20:39Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Ildebrando Zacchini](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ildebrando_Zacchini) I’m tempted to ban you for that. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/26 "2015-06-19T20:18:18Z")
Willem Dafoe was fired as an extra on _Heaven’s Gate_, but has done OK in his career since: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=725540](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=725540) Fun political trivia: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill all lost their first campaigns. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/27 "2015-06-19T22:12:28Z")
Me. Oh, wait. I’m not famous. Yet. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/28 "2015-06-20T01:20:13Z")
John Lennon was kicked out of art school for being a general nuisance and, IIRC, not caring that much about making art. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/29 "2015-06-20T06:53:47Z")
Barbra Streisand was fired from an early gig in a nightclub (?). The owner didn’t like her singing. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/30 "2015-06-20T06:58:12Z")
Sarah Silverman was fired from _Saturday Night Live_ in 1994. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/31 "2015-06-20T14:29:01Z")
William Faulkner was fired (technically allowed to resign) from his job as Postmaster at the USPO for the University of Mississippi. Since the following is a cite of a cite quotation in entirety should be acceptable: [Dec 1921 to Oct 1924 William Faulkner Works as Postmaster of the University of Mississippi](http://worldhistoryproject.org/1921/12/william-faulkner-works-as-postmaster-of-the-university-of-mississippi) (from link): > [@](#): > > Faulkner’s most notorious stint as a working man was his role of postmaster at the University of Mississippi post office, which incredibly he held for nearly three years. > > By all accounts, he was a terrible postmaster — he would ignore patrons calling at the window, he delayed taking outgoing mail to the train station, and on occasion he even threw away mail. He spent much of his time in the post office writing, and other times he would play bridge and mah-jongg with friends whom he’d appointed as part-time clerks. When a postal inspector came to investigate, Faulkner agreed to resign. Later, Faulkner said about his experience: “I reckon I’ll be at the beck and call of folks with money all my life, but thank God I won’t ever again have to be at the beck and call of every son of a bitch who’s got two cents to buy a stamp.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/32 "2015-06-20T14:55:51Z")
Eric Roberts was fired from Another World because “the camera didn’t like him.” Head writer Harding Lemay admits in his book “Sometimes we were wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/33 "2015-06-20T19:57:33Z")
Ozzy is a poor candidate here, as he was was fired from Black Sabbath after 10 years and 8 albums, fronting the most important Metal band in history through their most important creative period. “Fired early in their career” - not. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/34 "2015-06-21T14:08:29Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I heard that Hitler fellow bombed out of art school. Unfairly, I’d say. Haven’t you heard about his painting talents?? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/35 "2015-06-21T14:09:54Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m tempted to ban you for that. Ban? I was thinking of something like using a gun…a very big one… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/36 "2015-06-22T00:44:33Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Ozzy is a poor candidate here, as he was was fired from Black Sabbath after 10 years and 8 albums, fronting the most important Metal band in history through their most important creative period. “Fired early in their career” - not. Good point. He has had such a long career it is easy to forget that; especially for people my age who were teenagers long after his days with Black Sabbath. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/37 "2015-06-22T03:10:00Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Ildebrando Zacchini](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ildebrando_Zacchini) I know it’s over a month after the fact, but that was the first laugh I’ve had today. Awesome. They say that when he retired, the circus manager said, “I’ll never find another man of your caliber.” ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/38 "2015-06-22T18:02:21Z")
Eric Stoltz was fired from Back to the Future. Fired! is a fun documentary about celebrities being fired. > **[Fired! (2007) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816238/)** > > Fired!: Directed by Chris Bradley, Kyle LaBrache. With Stephen Adly Guirgis, Tim Allen, Andy Borowitz, W. Bruce Cameron. Annabelle Gurwitch's first-person take on getting the axe. Tate Donovan has a great story about being fired from the movie version of Torch Song Trilogy and moving back to New York and finding out they are filming the movie right outside his apartment. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/39 "2015-06-22T18:51:16Z")
Slash unsuccessfully auditioned for Poison a year before Guns and Roses formed. Man, that would have sucked. > [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > I totally forgot about Dave Mustane; and I saw \*The End of Western Civilization \*twice:smack: It’s _The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II_ [The Metal Years]. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655/40 "2015-06-22T22:15:09Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I heard that Hitler fellow bombed out of art school. Denied admission. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-fired-early-in-their-career/719655.md?page=3)