Colder Shoulder: Celebrities Who Were Blacklisted

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Hollywood may look like fun and games but you definitely have to watch you say. Because there have been plenty of celebrities who were blacklisted from their respective hustles.

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Mo’Nique

Despite her Best Supporting Actress win in 2010, Mo’Nique is out her saying she was “blackballed” because she didn’t play the game.

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Photo: Dennis Van Tine/Future Image/WENN.com

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Mel Gibson

Following a string of erratic behavior, Gibson saw his career stall out for four years before the box office flop, Edge of Darkness in 2010. He’s been working in a capacity unbecoming of Hollywood legend since then.

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Jim Caviezel

Since portraying Jesus in [Mel Gibson’s] The Passion of Christ in 2004, Caviezel has openly admitted he’s had to struggle for every role he’s gotten since.

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Beyoncé

Queen Bey probably will never breathe Malaysian air ever again because of her choice of concert attire.

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Lady Gaga

While’s it’s Beyoncé’s appearance that has Malaysia putting up the barriers, it’s Lady Gaga’s pro-gay anthems that has her banned.

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Isaiah Washington

Since his controversial exit in 2007 on Grey’s Anatomy over calling co-star T.R. Knight a homophobic slur, Washington has been on a red-hot streak of direct-to-video release roles.

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Lloyd Bridges

In rare strike of good fortune, Bridges was blacklisted in the 1950s for being linked to the Communist party, but emerged a Hollywood staple after the fact.

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Brian Dunkleman

Dunkleman famously quit American Idol after the first season (a.k.a. before it was worldwide hit) and now he does stand-up routines in L.A. © Billy Joel.

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Roland Martin

Following some perceived homophobic tweets in 2012, Martin found himself on the outs with CNN the following year. He currently mans his own show with NewsOne.

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O.J. Simpson

Where to begin on this guy? Even his shameless If I Did… book couldn’t get off the ground.

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Cee-Lo Green

If wasn’t the actual rape case that got the “F*ck You” singer as it was his tweets on the ordeal. He lost TV shows, concert gigs and everything in between. He’s been lying low ever since.

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Will Lee

Before finding a nice quiet home on Sesame Street, the man who played “Mr. Hooper” suffered a five-year blacklist for being an accused communist in 1950s.

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Jose Canseco

The former Major Leaguer snitched on half of the MLB in 2005 and saw himself on the outs before the rest of the world realized juicing wasn’t cool.

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Kirk Cameron

Although Growing Pains was eons ago, Cameron experienced them well into adulthood when his thoughts on theology and homosexuality did nothing but enrage the public. He even saw his 2013 documentary Unstoppable blocked on Facebook and YouTube for a period of time. (Oh, the irony of picking that name.)

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Lena Horne

Horne is remembered for her elegance and activist work but she was never part of a big blockbuster after her political views led to her blacklisting in the 1950s.

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Marc Lawrence

The James Bond actor admitted to being a member of the Communist party in the 1950s and saw himself working overseas before the blacklist was listed.

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Paula Jai Parker

The Hustle ‘N Flow actress is adamant she was blacklisted to the point it caused her to be homeless for a lengthy period of time.

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Chris Kluwe

After openly supporting gay marriage, the former Minnesota Vikings punter claimed the brass of the team snuffed him out when he still had years left on his leg.

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Tim Hardaway

Following a 2007 homophobic rant on sports radio, the once great NBA point guard admittingly saw all his doors of opportunity close. He’s currently the assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons–after years of being an active supporter in the LGBT community.