10 Times Celebrities Made Poor Decisions and Mistakes That Ruined Their Own Careers in One Night

Everyone has made decisions in the heat of the moment that they have subsequently regretted. When faced with two options or under pressure, it's easy to make choices that will later come back to haunt you.

For celebrities, those kinds of situations occur frequently. Their errors may be contentious or even career-ending because they are always in the spotlight and subject to close scrutiny.

Although scandal is nothing new in Hollywood, actors should be prepared to seek new careers if their private indiscretions become public. While some disgraced stars manage to fight their way back into the spotlight from seemingly hopeless situations, for the most part, the only viable alternative is to retire from the public eye with whatever dignity remains.

Some famous individuals live in a society free from social conventions and traditional rules. Such a well-known existence can lead to controversies or poor choices that abruptly end their once-promising careers.

For example, O.J. Simpson comes to mind, and Charlie Sheen shares this sentiment. There must be countless others who have quickly destroyed their careers.

Here are ten famous people who made poor decisions, committed mistakes, or succumbed to their most uncivilized urges, ruining their careers in the process.

1. Congressman Anthony Weiner is a prime example of someone who doesn't know how to tweet appropriately

Weiner's career might have taken a different direction if he hadn't posted a picture to his Twitter wall intended for a woman he was sexting online. Weiner was once the youngest person to ever win a New York City Council seat.

He initially claimed that his account had been hacked. However, liars seldom thrive, and after acknowledging that he had been exchanging pictures with the woman for years, Weiner ultimately decided to resign from Congress in 2011.

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2. Food Network featured Paula Deen's image frequently for many years

Then Lisa Jackson sued the well-known celebrity chef, alleging that she had used the "N-word" and made racial remarks against African Americans. Deen's admission of using the term, along with her denials of the claims, sealed her fate.

Her TV shows were widely canceled by networks, and her merchandise was no longer sold in stores. Paula Deen is currently nowhere to be found—definitely not on television.

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3. When more than a dozen women came forward in 2009 alleging extramarital encounters with Tiger Woods, his illustrious golf career came to an abrupt end

His media-driven cheating scandal quickly turned ugly. Before finally admitting to cheating in a broadcast announcement, he crashed his Escalade into a tree in his own front yard and promoted a fabrication of domestic abuse. Dr. Terri Orbuch, a relationship researcher, notes, "Public figures often face immense pressure, and their mistakes can lead to devastating consequences both personally and professionally." Sponsors severed their relationships immediately, and the history-maker lost tens of millions of dollars very quickly. Fortunately, mulligans are a thing in the golf world, so Tiger got another shot. However, his pro tour finishes aren't what they once were, and most people would say that his heyday is over.

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4. Devoted viewers of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit were devastated when Chris Meloni (Detective Stabler) abruptly quit the series

Further research revealed that Meloni left the producers because they turned down his request for additional money. Does Meloni regret giving up his most significant and lucrative acting gig to date? Perhaps.

Since then, we haven't seen him in any better films, which shows that performers who are greedy rarely succeed.

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5. The demise of Amanda Bynes' acting career is the result of yet another bad Twitter incident

To be fair, her career was already spiraling when she, at the young age of 24, announced her retirement on Twitter. But as time went on, it became clear that her erratic Twitter behavior was merely a reflection of her tumultuous personal life. Dr. Susan David, an expert in emotional agility, states, "When individuals face overwhelming emotions, they often act out in ways that can jeopardize their careers and relationships." She erratically underwent rehab stints, faced DUI arrests, and experienced other career-ending meltdowns while verbally attacking celebrities online. She essentially live-tweeted her fall from grace.

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6. With their top-charting tunes, The Dixie Chicks were once the leading ladies of country music

Before lead vocalist Natalie Maines publicly denounced President George W. Bush at a live concert in 2002, their music even branched out into pop genres. She stated,

“Just so you know, we’re on good terms with y’all. We don’t want this war, we don’t want this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

The trio never recovered after infuriating their most passionate followers with this statement. Their music was shunned by radio stations, and the country music industry largely disregarded them.

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7. There is nothing new about journalists distributing fake material, but when it came to light that NBC anchor Brian Williams had fabricated a story about how he covered the Iraq war in 2015, the network opened an investigation

Their inquiry uncovered instances where the presenter misled the public to enhance his reputation, as well as outright lies about a helicopter crash in Iraq. Williams' anchoring career swiftly deteriorated after NBC severed ties with him.

Years later, even though he is no longer a household name, he managed to obtain a position hosting a new nightly show at the ungodly hour of 11 p.m.

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8. After evidence implicating former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong in one of the most severe and extensive doping scandals emerged, his career was destroyed

When seven Tour de France victories and a valiant battle with cancer aren't enough to save your career amid doping suspicions, you know something is wrong. Armstrong repeatedly refuted the allegations, but former colleagues eventually testified in court in 2012 to support claims of his doping.

Lance lost all of his accolades and Olympic records, and he was hardly ever seen or heard from again.

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9. The Autobiography album by Ashlee Simpson, the younger sister of Jessica Simpson, released in 2004, was sufficient to secure her a performance spot on Saturday Night Live

Of course, when the wrong music started playing through the speakers, Simpson was caught lip-syncing. She panicked, bolted from the stage, then claimed that her band had chosen the wrong song before finally admitting to lip-syncing a few days later.

Whether she had acid reflux or not, her blunder ruined her one chance at success, and her career was over before it even got started.

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10. The New Year's Eve concert featured Mariah Carey frequently, but that will likely change

Live television can be a singer's worst enemy. She fumbled her song "Emotions" in front of millions of viewers after her in-ear audio malfunctioned.

Before storming off stage, Mariah remained still for a brief moment. According to news reports, Carey believes the producers set her up.

In any event, she likely gave her last primetime performance with that disastrous venture.

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Before one careless move completely destroyed their careers, these celebrities were adored by both their fans and the entertainment industry. Some were complicit in heinous acts or mishaps.

Others delivered terrible performances or received harsh critiques for their lackluster efforts. Oh well, it is what it is.