Celebrities that Have Failed

Now before I start this post, I do want to apologize that this post is coming out later than intended. My plan is to usually publish two posts a month; one at the beginning and the near the end of the month. However, it is now the middle of the month and the reason for that is because I was stressing out about not having a job, so I was busy trying to apply for a bunch of them. My dad also had a health scare which turned out to be pneumonia, but unfortunately, I think it spread to my mom who now has a cold, and I seem to have gotten traces of it as well. I am feeling fine, just a little bit of a runny nose and I am currently writing this post while dealing with the effects of some medicine I took.

Back to the topic of this post, I have failed a lot in my life and currently I still haven’t found success yet. If I am ever feeling down because I think about my failures, I always remember famous people that have encountered setbacks in life. It didn’t stop any of them from achieving success to where they are now. Today I have compiled a list of celebrities who have failed in their lifetime but came back strong. You may be surprised to see some familiar faces on this list, but not everyone is perfect and before succeeding, you have to take on challenges to learn.

1. Beyonce

The icon, the legend, the Queen B herself had many setbacks in her life. Before becoming a multi-Grammy and Billboard solo artist, many have known her to be a member of a girl group, Destiny’s Child. However, prior to that she was in a group called Girls’ Tyme. When she as at a very young age, the group was part of a singing contest called Star Search. Unfortunately, the group lost the competition and that devasted a young Beyonce. 8 years later, the group changed its name to the iconic Destiny’s Child, and the number of members was cut from 6 to 4. They included Beyonce herself, Kelly Rowland, Latavia Robertson, and Letoya Luckett. In the late 90s, the group signed on to Columbia Records and released some of its most popular songs including, “Survivor,” “Say my Name,” and “Bootylicious.” There was some conflict that involved involving two of the members quitting making the group of trio with Michelle Williams replacing one of them. Eventually, the group parted ways pursuing their own careers. After all the struggles in her early music career, Beyonce still came out on top with chart-topping songs and albums even while being a mom.

2. Steve Jobs

The man behind the most successful technology company did not always have the easiest life. Did you know that this billionaire dropped out of college and traveled the world? It did not put his dreams on hold as he founded Apple Computers in 1976 with his friend, which ended up being a success. However, things took a turn for the worst when Jobs hired someone from Pepsi as the CEO. That ended up turning into a disagreement, and Steve Jobs resigned from Apple to start his new business, NeXT. Without him, Apple was about to go into bankruptcy. Fortunately, the company acquired NeXT bringing Steve Jobs back into Apple and from there, it has produced some of the most ground-breaking technological devices like the Iphone. Even after Jobs’s passing, Apple still releases innovative products from Apple Watches, iPads, and even their own streaming service.

3. Oprah Winfrey

This former talk show host, actress, author, and philanthropist once got fired from her job. She was an evening news anchor for a local TV station, and the reason why she was fired was that a producer said she was “unfit for television news” showing too much emotion from the stories she was reporting on. However, getting fired led her to getting her own talk show called the Oprah Winfrey Show and eventually her own TV network named after her! Maybe getting fired is not such a bad thing if it leads to a better opportunity as long as you believe in it. Besides, if Oprah hadn’t started her own talk show, this iconic meme would not exist.

4. Walt Disney

Way before, “it all started with a mouse,” Mr. Disney himself had to deal with failure. Before 1920, he worked with the local newspaper but ended up getting fired for a lack of imagination (seriously?!). Then, he went on to start his own company called Laugh-O-Gram where he created cartoon animations. Unfortunately, the company did not last long when it declared bankruptcy in 1923. The same year, he moved to Disneyland with his brother, Roy. Together, they formed the Disney Brothers Studio which eventually turned into the Walt Disney Company. A few years later, he created the iconic Mickey Mouse and that is when “it all started with a mouse.” Year later, the Disney company is a massive empire of entertainment full of movies, theme parks, their own streaming service and owning some of the biggest companies like Star Wars and Marvel Studios.

5. Simu Liu

The actor known for playing Shang-Chi, put out a tweet on the 10th anniversary of when he got laid off from an accounting firm he worked at. He mentioned that he thought his life was over after losing his job worrying about destroying his family’s expectations. It turns out that it was not the career for him, so he started to take on acting. It was not an easy road as he took minor roles in movies, music videos, and TV shows. His big break came when Marvel announced he would play the protagonist superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and became Marvel’s first Asian superhero. He actually thanked the accounting company that terminated him in his tweet that is what motivated him to get the career he wanted.

So, that was a few of the celebrities that have encountered setbacks before becoming famous. I apologize that this post is a bit shorter than my previous ones, it is just that I wanted to publish this soon while still making it good quality. Since this was short, I will be making a part two of this list and hopefully it will be a big longer. I am not sure if I will be making another post before the end of this month depending on my schedule as I have said before, I am still trying to find a job. However, if I do post another one it won’t be another list-type post since my last few blog posts have been lists. If there is a future topic you want me to write about, feel free to DM the Instagram @pressure.shock or contact me here.