Cancel culturehas become something of a runaway train with some new passenger seemingly whisked away by it every week (and sometimes deservedly so), rarely to be seen or heard from again. Many a celebrity has learned to refine their dialogue, hold their tongues, and issue supplicating apologies whenever they’ve fallen within the cross-hairs of being canceled in order to survive its reach. Most still don’t make it out of the maelstrom that usually ensues when the ever-expanding ideologies behind wokeness find a new victim to feast upon.
Updated June 21, 2025: If you’re curious about which celebrities avoided cancelation after allegations were made against them, you’ll be happy to know this article was updated byRobin Reynoldswith additional content.
Despite all the usual fervor, outrage, and noise that usually accompany celebrities who come within range of cancel culture’s grasp, some have miraculously survived, even when it seemed certain they would not (some certainly should not have). In many ways, it speaks to how overdrawn some criticisms of cancel culture are, that despite the fear of it running rampant, some people’s careers go unfazed for their bad behavior. Here’s a look back at those actors and celebrities who were too legit to quit and somehow managed not to be canceled even after all manner of different allegations were leveled against them.
Percy Hynes White
In January 2023, the actorPercy Hynes White, known for his role as Xavier onNetflix’sWednesday, was accused via Twitter by a woman who said the star had assaulted her and her friends, who were all between the ages of 17 and 20, including screenshots of supposed texts between White and the supposed victims. The actor vehemently denied the allegations, perVariety, saying, “The rumors are false. I can’t accept the portrayal of me as someone bigoted, or criminally negligent of people’s safety. These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust toward victims,” making it clear he did not commit the acts he was accused of.
In that same article, White went on to say, “It’s very distressing to know that this misinformation has upset people. I’m really thankful for everyone who’s stood by me and helped share the facts. Harassment of my family, friends and coworkers needs to stop please. Thank you for taking the time to read this,” noting how his family was receiving death threats after the news of these allegations broke. The tweets the woman posted have since disappeared from the social media platform, and no charges were made legally against White, and it seems he might be in Season 2 ofWednesdaywhen it premieres.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Years ago, actorCuba Gooding Jr.was accused of the rape of a woman, and in 2020 that lawsuit against him was settled. Despite being charged and set to go to trial, the settlement means Gooding Jr. avoids jail time completely and is still a well-known name within the entertainment industry.
In the original claim, the anonymous woman stated Gooding Jr. invited her back to his hotel room, undressed, and proceeded to violate her twice. According toPeople Magazine, the woman was seeking compensation and damages from the assault, which she believed was based on her gender. And even with the allegations, arrest, almost trial, and settlement mostly public over the years, Gooding Jr. has recently starred in the 2023 filmThe Weaponas Blue, and the actor has multiple projects in the works, including the filmsMad Eagle,Skeletons in the Closet, andAngels Fallen: Warriors of Peace. Even with such a massive allegation against him, Gooding Jr. continues to get work.
Ansel Elgort
In 2020, a young woman named Gabby accused actorAnsel Elgortof rape via a Twitter thread, saying that theDivergentstar had assaulted her in 2014 when she was only 17. PerDeadline, she says, “It was my first time and I was sobbing in pain, and I didn’t want to do it the only words that came out of his mouth were ‘we need to break you in.'” Noting that after exchanging DM’s and nude photos via Snapchat, where the girl says the two met up, and he forced her into having intercourse with him.
Elgort denied the allegations citing that their relationship was fully consensual. Despite this, the actor is still appearing onscreen, most recently in the television seriesTokyo Vice. Gabby’s Twitter account has since been deleted. While Elgort has not booked any roles since, it seems like he will get away and continue to act as people sadly forget about this.
Kevin Hart
For a time, it was looking likeKevin Hartcould do no wrong. His movies were all hits, his comedy specials were selling out, and he was the star of the day. That was until a series of his old tweets resurfaced and showed that he previously made disparaging jokes about homosexuality.
In the world of cancel culture, an allegation of being homophobic usually sounded the death knell for a person’s career. However, somehow, Hart survived it and remains just as big a star today. While he stepped down as the host of the 2019 Oscars when the scandal broke because he refused to apologize for his tweets, he has since bounced back, andHart’s career is doing just fine.
As far as comedians go, there aren’t many out there with the same level of wit and perfect delivery thatBill Burrhas. HisNetflix comedy specialsare extremely popular, and his comedy is the type that usually has audiences in stitches throughout his shows.
However, anyone who’s lived through the age of cancel culture and listens to some of the things he says, and topics he brings up, could be forgiven for wincing at them. Even his audiences are known to often fall into tense hushes when he broaches topics such wanting to hit a woman, transgender persons, and his views on racism. Despite him always walking a thin line and seeming to say a lot of things in his shows that lesser comedians simply wouldn’t be able to, Burr’s popularity was never truly been affected by his racy, provocative brand of humor.
Related:Bill Burr Recalls The Mandalorian Co-Star Gina Carano’s Firing, Says It ‘Proved Her Point’
He did face some backlash after being selected to present a few awards at the 2021 Grammys and said this, “The feminists are going nuts, ‘Why is this cis-white male doing all this Latino stuff?'" among other things deemed inappropriate. He’s since continued with his career as normal and even took on cancel culture directly during hisLive at the Red Rockscomedy special last year on Netflix, proving once again that he is seemingly immune to being canceled.
Liam Neeson
Liam Neesonis an actor who has been around for a long time and has a string of hit movies under his name. He’s been a part of gigantic franchises such asThe Dark Knightand played Qui-Gon Jinn inStar Wars.Neeson is a beloved A-list star, but he shocked the world when he publicly admitted in an interview that he once wanted to kill black people after a female friend of his was raped by a black person 40 years prior.
Speaking toThe Independent,he said, “I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by somebody — I’m ashamed to say that. And I did it for maybe a week, hoping some ‘Black [expletive]’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could … kill him. “The outrage was swift and, had it been a lesser actor, would have likely been career-ending. Neeson made his admissions in a seemingly apologetic and remorseful way and was hailed by some people as being courageous for admitting it and seeking forgiveness. However, not everyone was so forgiving and, in the aftermath, a prominent columnist for the New York Times tweeted that he was “representative of racial terror.”
Regardless of many people similarly having no sympathy for Neeson’s actions, the actor seems to have simply walked away from the entire incident unscathed. It seems a mixture of his status as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood and the fact that he confessed himself, apologized later, and sought forgiveness on his own, has immunized him from being canceled.
Ellen DeGeneres
The star talk show host and comedianEllen DeGenereswas once a media darling. With the addition of her quirky style, her outspoken political views often went down well with proponents of cancel culture; her show was supposedly built on kindness, and the endless stream of A-list entertainers she always had on it seemed to prove that Ellen was well-loved. Well, at least until complaints began surfacing from her staffers that burst Ellen’s lovable image.
According to the complaints, behind the scenes, her management team was often demanding, and domineering, and created a toxic work environment for them, and some were even accused of racism, bullying, and sexual assault. The complaints later spilled over to Ellen herself.
While such accusations would usually be enough for other celebrities to be canceled immediately, Ellen addressed the problems, issued apologies to disgruntled staff, and went straight back to work. The show did eventually come to an end after an epic run, but it was reputedly ended by Ellen herself and not because she was ever ‘canceled.’
Jared Leto
Since 2005,Jared Letohas been facingserious allegations of sexual improprietyagainst underage girls, including rape, sexual assault, and grooming.DCU director James Gunnhas reportedly refused to allow him back to reprise his role as the Joker because of his past behavior when it came to young women.
Related:What Made Jared Leto Famous, and How Allegations and Bad Choices Faded His Fame
Despite all of this, the star has never faced charges, become a casualty of the ‘Me Too’ movement, or ever been canceled, and continues to enjoy huge popularity among his fans. Most other actors would never survive accusations of the like, but Leto seemingly remains largely unaffected by them to this day. He recently appeared inThe Haunted Mansionand will star inTron: Ares.
Morgan Freeman
With a film career that spans nearly half a century,Morgan Freemanis undoubtedly a screen legend. However, this is probably what has also saved him from a fate most others would have suffered in his place. The veteran actor wasaccused of sexual harassmentand inappropriate touching by no less than eight women.
Despite all these claims, his career never seemed to have missed a beat. Of course, in situations like these, it’s only natural for allegations to be tested and proven before judgment is metered out. However, cancel culture has often shown that this need not be the case for other stars. Freeman, it appears, is one that’s too big to fail, and his career has seemingly been left unphased by the accusations.
Dave Chappelle
After seemingly disappearing into the wilderness while he was on a reflective hiatus, comedian and actorDavid Chappellemade a massive comeback through his Netflix comedy specials. At the height of this success, he regularly made transgender persons the focal point of his shows. This drew the ire of the LGBTQ+ community, and employees at Netflix called for Chappelle to be canceled. He, however, stuck to his guns, refusing to apologize, with Netflix also refusing to dismiss him.
Despite Chappelle’s attempts to make himself out to be a victim, he is given a major platform and backing by one of the biggest companies in the world. His stand-up routine seems out of touch as he says he is not allowed to make these jokes, despite that being exactly what Netflix is paying him for, and has shown no signs of even attempting to reprimand him.
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwoodis a legend in Hollywood, both as an actor and as a director. Now 92 years old, the veteran star was targeted for cancelation after attention was drawn to a comment he made at the 1973 Academy Awards. It came in reference to the moment after a Native American activist, Sacheen Littlefeather, accepted an award on Marlon Brando’s behalf and said this on stage: “I’m representing Marlon Brando this evening, and he has asked me to tell you, in a very long speech — which I cannot share with you presently because of time, but I will be glad to share with the press afterward — that he very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award, and the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry, and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”
Eastwood, who is, of course, known for appearing in many iconic Western movies, came up on stage later to present an award and made a joke in reference to Littlefeather’s words, saying, “I don’t know if I should present this award, on behalf of all the cowboys shot in all the John Ford Westerns over the years.”
Despite the remark being made some 43 years prior, Twitter activists attempted to bring attention to it and start a movement to have Eastwood canceled. Eastwood is also known to be an outspoken conservative and has often drawn the anger of cancel culture for this, being especially ridiculed for his appearance at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Nevertheless, the movement never gained any serious ground, and the actor’s legendary status lives on today, although he might be making his last movie as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has no interest in funding his films which has disappointed at the box office.
Chris Pratt
As an A-lister, most notably of the MCU and theJurassic Worldfranchise,Chris Pratthas garnered enormous praise and a huge following for his work. As an extremely likable star and someone that is known off-screen for being kind-hearted anda real-life superhero, Pratt has made no apologies or secrets of his devout Christian faith and values.
His public displays of faith often came under fire, and he was targeted for them in numerous attempts to cancel the superstar. All have failed, and it seems that stars like him are far too popular and likable to ever be canceled. Other major Hollywood players, such as James Gunn (who knows him all too well as the director ofGuardians of the Galaxy), have come to his defense. Gunn had this to say about Pratt as he publicly defended his right to hold his own beliefs in a now-deleted tweet, “Chris Pratt will never be replaced as Star-Lord in the MCU. If he ever was, we would all be going with him.”
Much of the discussion around Pratt has also been made without proof of any wrong doing by the actors. Unlike other controversial conservative stars, Pratt has remained rather tip lipped and not gotten to preach with his worldviews. This is likely part of the actor’s longevity.
Casey Affleck
Casey Affleckhas settled two sexual harassment allegations lawsuits against him. In 2010 two former co-workers, producer Amanda White and cinematographer Magdalena Gorka of Affleck, on the documentaryI’m Still Here, filed separate lawsuits against him for sexual harassment. While Affleck originally denied the allegations, he then settled out of course. Around this time, he still managed to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Manchester by the Sea. However, he did not present the award for Best Actress the following year due to the allegations.
Affleck career has remained unharmed. In 2018 he appeared inThe Old Man & the Gun. In 2022 he appeared in the filmDreamin Wildwhich will open in theaters on August 09, 2025. He also recently was seen in Christopher Nolan’s box office hitOppenheimer. It appears despite all the talk about Hollywood caring about the Me Too Movement, Affleck will still be able to work.
