# Incidents which caused celebrities to lose all credibility and become jokes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329 "2006-10-13T17:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/41 "2006-10-14T05:09:24Z")
[QUOTE=astro] When did Little Richard ever admit he ws gay? [/QUOTE] On the tonite show many years ago. he said he did everything including go woman, with dresses and makeup . He said it and I was surprised. He didnt say it was permanent. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/42 "2006-10-14T05:16:43Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] Similiarly, Paul Reubens had long been trying to shed the PeeWee persona, and even if his arrest was not planned, in a roundabout way, it did establish credibility. [/QUOTE] Yeah, and it was a STRAIGHT porn show, which helped argue against his suspected gayitude. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/43 "2006-10-14T05:31:20Z")
The original lyrics to Tutti Frutti were: _“Tutti frutti, good booty / If it don’t fit, don’t force it / You can grease it, make it easy.”_ ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/44 "2006-10-14T05:36:34Z")
Yes, and it started out with “Wop bop a loo-bop, a good god damn!” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/45 "2006-10-14T05:38:20Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] George Romney, front runner for the Republican nomination for President in 1964 unfortunately said he had been “brainwashed” about Vietnam. [/QUOTE] Edmund Muskie’s chances at the 1972 Democratic Presidential nomination died when he began crying (or was believed to be crying) in front of journalists while denying a published story that his wife was a drinker and boor. He was the frontrunner until that point. It was kind of his Howard Dean moment. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/46 "2006-10-14T06:18:27Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] Jimmy Carter–“I have sinned in my heart.” That, and getting attacked by a rabbit. [/QUOTE] Then he got elected… d&r!!! 😃 ---
**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:** [October 14, 2006, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/47 "2006-10-14T12:18:23Z")
Gary Hart lost the 1988 Presidential nomination because of his [Monkey Business](http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id323.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bobalude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bobalude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobalude)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/48 "2006-10-14T12:43:34Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Gary Hart lost the 1988 Presidential nomination because of his [Monkey Business](http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id323.htm) [/QUOTE] on that note, how about Howard Dean and his WWF/(WWE) impersonation in 2004? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/49 "2006-10-14T13:32:52Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Which ones? Did they loose much credibility? {Real questions, I cannot even guess at who you are talking about} [/QUOTE] Alec Baldwin, for one. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/50 "2006-10-14T13:47:15Z")
Regarding Jimmy Carter: What sort of country is this when a politician telling the truth can be considered to have lost credibility? What the hey??? So Bush I and Bush II lying about affairs increases their credibility? Regarding Muskie and Dean: I thought both actually did a good thing. I was astonished to learn that the media thought otherwise. Much like Bill Clinton’s recent Fox appearance. Don’t let the media tell you how to interpret these things. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/51 "2006-10-14T13:57:20Z")
Prince Charles marrying his horse. ok, that was a cheap shot, but the “tampon conversations” didn’t do much for him. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/52 "2006-10-14T19:27:39Z")
[Princess Di who had a number of articles in the papers with information given by " concerned friends of Princess Di" telling the world of her cold and unfeeling treatment by the Windsors,the info coming from 3rd parties ensured a degree of impartiality to the reports and her brave silence inspite of her ordeal aroused the admiration of the majority of the population …except it was discovered that she herself had been arranging secret meetings with journalists and giving completely untrue stories about how she was treated to make her appear to be victimised and insisting that the articles were posted under the "friends etc.etc."attributation. Di again after years of peoples sympathy for her broken heart caused by Charles resuming his affair with Camilla(even though she`d only ever met the prince ONCE before the engagement ,for her to fall that deeply and that quickly he must be a hell of a lot better looking then his pictures suggest!) until recently when after years of the Windsors desperately trying to preserve the image of the future Kings mother it came out that she`d had a stream of adulterous affairs ,often with married men ,the first that is known publically being very shortly after the wedding with an unamed "sloane "friend.and included "a quicky "with a british journakist in a closet! Also Nixon with his "I am not a crook "declaration before the ensuing revelations . ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/53 "2006-10-14T22:47:46Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Alec Baldwin, for one. [/QUOTE] Does he have any less credibility now than he had in 2004? ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/54 "2006-10-15T02:04:49Z")
I’m taking Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson off the list of nominees. Both had long downward spirals; not single events. Also, I don’t think that many people considered Michael Jackson a joke when Thriller was the #1 album. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/55 "2006-10-15T02:32:20Z")
Janeane Garofalo was the only person that came to mind as far as making one public goof and turning into “Where are they now?” fodder. Trying to find a transcript, but it was a bit of commentary a few years back about how the average American was woefully underinformed about the Middle East and thus couldn’t really understand the War in _Iran_. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/56 "2006-10-15T03:11:38Z")
I find it rather hard to take Kim Jong Il seriously after he was so excellently parodied in _Team America: World Police_… ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/57 "2006-10-15T04:51:05Z")
[QUOTE=Sonia Montdore] Andy Kaufman wrestling women. [/QUOTE] Somehow, I think this may have just been the straw that broke the camel’s back. He was before my time, but from what I’ve seen, he was quite strange, even by celebrity standards. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/58 "2006-10-15T05:27:23Z")
Kaufman wrestling women was pure genius. He picked on women and southern wrestling fans at the same time. He wasn’t serious about either. He just wanted to piss people off. \He wanted a reaction. It worked beautifly. His act was very strange. He did a show once and took the audience out for cookies and milk after. He was having fun at the audiences expense. ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/59 "2006-10-15T16:51:55Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Which ones? Did they loose much credibility? {Real questions, I cannot even guess at who you are talking about} [/QUOTE] [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/leave.htm) on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329/60 "2006-10-15T18:18:00Z")
[QUOTE=Sonia Montdore] Princess Di and the phone calls. Winona Ryder shoplifting headbands. Eddie Murphy picking up a transvestite hooker. Ed Muskie bursting into tears. Howard Dean screaming. Bill Clinton and the fat girl. Whichever Gabor it was who slapped the cop. Rudy Valley petitioning the city council to change the name of his street to “Rue de Vallée.” Jackie Kennedy marrying Onassis. Lennon marrying Yoko. Jeffrey Archer serving time in prison. \Jane Fonda in Vietnam. [/QUOTE] I don’t about this, Sonia. Sure, you named a bunch of of controversial incidents, but I hardly think these people became a joke because them. I think you might be right on with Winona Ryder. Eddie Murphy had pretty much already lost all credibilty already, hadn’t he? Good call on Ed Muskie. The ‘snowflakes’ on his face supposedly cost him the Democratic nomination. Howard Dean I suppose became a joke after his scream and lost all credibilty too, but his campaign had lost all momemtum by then anyway. While personally I don’t care for Bill Clinton, I’d hardly say he became a joke or lost all credibility. If he were allowed to, he could make a good run for president again. Did any of the Gabor sisters really have any credibilty? Green Acres alone would ruin someone’s credibility. Jackie Kennedy was widely known to be a money chaser BEFORE she married JFK. Yoko was (is?) considered a joke, but isn’t Lennon still considered a brilliant creative song writer and musician? Jane Fonda definately polarized the opinion people have of her, so yeah, I suppose she’s a joke to many people. OK, enough bashing on you (I didn’t mean to, but upon re-reading my post it sure seems that way now). The first person that I thought of was Robert Downey Jr. Hollywood forgives drug addiction once, or even twice or three times, but RDJ because a laughing stock with his antics. He’s working his way back though, it seems. The other person that has lost credibility as an actor for some reason is Jennifer Grey from Ferris Beuler’s Day Off. Once she got the nose job, she supposedly can’t find work. I wouldn’t say she’s become a joke, but she’s lost her unique look. Ahh who knows. This is a fun thread though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidents-which-caused-celebrities-to-lose-all-credibility-and-become-jokes/376329.md?page=4)