I dunno, she was hot in Eraser (and better looking, I thought, than the year she was Miss America and she’s a likely poster child for “Aging Well” in light of her recent Desperate Housewives turn), and has probably remained in the public eye far longer than a typical Miss America. In fact, looking over the list… wow, Lee Meriwether was a Miss America? … I don’t see too many recognizable names. I know vaguely who Gretchen Carlson is, in light of Jon Stewart’s mockery, but Miss America isn’t exactly a guaranteed ride to lasting fame and fortune.
As I recall, few people had heard of Vanessa Williams until there were reports of nude pictures of her. Yes, she had been named Miss America, but was hardly a big name. She became a big name because of the nude pictures. I think that he headlines were closer to “Nude Pictures of Miss America” than “Nude Pictures of Vanessa Williams.”
I may be misremembering though. She was the first black Miss America, so she may have been more famous than I recall.
Brett Butler - she showed her tits to one of the child actors.
Drunk and fighting with everyone on the show. They fired her.
Is she even in show business now?
…she’s actually homeless.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/grace-under-fire-star-brett-263299
Don’t you judge me!
(Seeing if anyone gets the reference…)
Being the first black Miss America was a relatively big deal at the time. I think most people had heard of her. When the nude photos came out, we at least knew who she was without having to be told.
Trivia note: The Penthouse issue with Williams’ nude photos is now illegal to own. The centerfold was a then unknown nude model named Traci Lords, who it was later discovered was only fifteen when she posed nude for the pictures.
The 1992 Olympics had a few that probably qualify for the OP:
Tonya Harding first broke on the scene in 1991 when she became the first American woman to perform a triple-axle, which magically transformed her into a white-trash drama queen, culminating 2 years later in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan. She finished fourth at the Olympics, but this wasn’t the contest where she whined her skates were loose… that one came later.
Then there are those two runners, Dave Johnson and Dan O’Brian, who were heavily promoted the year prior to the Games, only to have Dan O’Brian fail to qualify for the Olympics. Lots of sleepless nights at Reebok’s ad agency ensued, and some heads (I’m sure) rolled. When O’Brian learned that he wasn’t going to the Games after screwing up on the pole vault… That, ladies and gentlemen, is a moment that destroys careers.
My Name is Earl
However, O’Brien did come back in the 1996 Olympics and win the gold medal for the decathlon.
Since we’re discussing athletes, what about the most obvious: Tiger Woods? Within the space of a few days, he went from being the decade’s dominant golfer and one of the most popular athletes in the world to a punchline for one million sex jokes. The fact he hasn’t won any major tournaments since then hasn’t helped either.
Michael Richards went from funny sidekick to loudmouth bigot in less than five minutes.
If we’re including athletes, you’ve got dozens. Ryan Leaf, Brian Bosworth and John Rocker come immediately to mind.
How about politics? Eliot Spitzer, anyone?
If it is politics, Gary Hart may qualify. From Democratic frontrunner to out of the race in one newspaper investigative report.
Pee Wee Herman
If we’re including sports and sports-related people:
Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky.
This may be the winner - although I wasn’t a fan even before The Incident.
That’s why Penthouse re-released them a few years later, so they could still sell more issues. Everyone at the time on the news was just booing Penthouse’s re-release as tactless money-grabbing. No one mentioned, at the time, “Yo people, you have to rip up part of that edition, or face prosecution.” Nowadays, no one would fail to mention “That’s kiddie porn you’re holding there.”
I would say it is a tie between Michael Richards, Fatty Arbuckle and Mel Gibson - one night and their careers are shattered. The trajic one is Fatty, as he didn’t do the deed for which he was destroyed.
Has anyone, anywhere ever been prosecuted for possessing “child porn” for owning a copy of that particular issue of Penthouse?
I wonder if there would be a legal defense because the magazine was openly marketed and sold as only having photos of adult models?
I don’t think the OP was asking for examples of famous people who fell rapidly (which is what many people seem to be giving). He’s looking for famous people whose span of time at the top was brief - their rise and their fall not just their fall.
So to give an example, O.J. Simpson’s fall was quick - his career ended in a single night in 1994. But the time he was a celebrity went back to around 1968 when he was a football star at USC.
Macaulay Culkin.