Celebrities who have been 'canceled' over scandals, stances on protests

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Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for June 11

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In the wake of massive protests over police brutality in the black community happening across the country, several stars and projects in the entertainment industry have not fared well under the increased sensitivity from audiences. 

Unprecedented protests and viral campaigns to promote the black community were sparked by a video showing George Floyd die while in police custody after an officer in Minneapolis, Minn., knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. As seen with the #MeToo movement, the public has a low tolerance for people saying the wrong thing or taking a contrarian stance in regards to the ongoing cultural moment. 

As a result, several celebrities have lost their jobs and TV shows and movies with problematic content have been pulled in the wake of increased sensitivity to issues involving both race and law enforcement. With a new person or project in the entertainment industry seemingly falling victim to "cancel culture" every day, below is a rundown of the stars and projects that didn’t make the cultural cut: 

Abby Lee Miller

Former "Dance Moms" reality star Abby Lee Miller won't see her new show air on Lifetime. (AP, File)

Lifetime confirmed to Fox News that it is cutting ties with the former "Dance Moms" star after the mother of one of the dancers accused her of making racist remarks. The network confirmed that, in the wake of the scandal, Miller’s upcoming series "Abby’s Virtual Dance Off" will not air this summer as expected. 

"We currently do not have plans to air the 'Abby’s Virtual Dance Off,'" Lifetime – the network behind the series – told Fox News. In addition, Miller won’t be welcome back to "Dance Moms" should it be renewed for a ninth season. 

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Following the accusations from young dancer Kamryn Smith's mother, Adriana Smith, Miller posted a lengthy apology to Instagram to no avail. 

"I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have effected [sic] and hurt those around me in the past, particularly those in the Black community. To Kamryn, Adriana, and anyone else I've hurt, I am truly sorry," Miller wrote.

Miller's apology came a couple of days after Smith called her out in a lengthy Instagram post of her own. She accused Miller of making prejudiced remarks, such as hinting that she was "really" on the show because she was black.

Hartley Sawyer

Hartley Sawyer was fired from his role on 'The Flash.' (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

"The Flash" actor was fired after posting in solidarity with the protesters, prompting racist, misogynistic and generally problematic tweets from 2012 to resurface as users attempted to point out his apparent hypocrisy. 

Sawyer was let go from his role as Ralph Dibney (aka Elongated Man) after joining the hit superhero series in 2017. 

"Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season 7 of 'The Flash,'" The CW, producers Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions, and executive producer Eric Wallace said in a statement to Fox News on Monday. "In regards to Mr. Sawyer’s posts on social media, we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender or sexual orientation.

"Such remarks are antithetical to our values and policies, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce," the statement concludes.

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The tweets in question, some of which date back to 2012 and span a couple of years into 2014, the now 35-year-old tweeted: "The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me."

Another tweet read, "If I had a wife I would beat the hell out of her tonight lol," and Sawyer also tweeted back in 2012, "Dozing off on my couch like a child molester/my brother."

The actor made a number of references to assaulting women and an additional tweet read, "date rape myself so I don’t have to masturbate."

He issued an apology on social media, but it was not enough to secure his job back.

Dee Nguyen

Dee Nguyen has been fired from MTV's 'The Challenge' after a social media feud with cast members. (MTV)

Nguyen was fired from MTV’s "The Challenge" after feuding with cast members about the Black Lives Matter movement.

"As a result of Dee Nguyen’s offensive comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, we have severed ties with her," a statement posted to the official "Challenge" Twitter account reads. "Out of respect for our Challengers, we’ll air our season as planned. We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice."

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The 27-year-old began by arguing with her followers about the Black Lives Matter protests before she turned her attention on a feud with her co-stars, Bayleigh Dayton and Chris Williams, who accused her of using the movement to create drama and manufacture storylines on the reality show. 

Nguyen claimed she had become a victim of "cancel culture" before ultimately apologizing. However, it was too late to secure her position on the MTV show. She’ll still appear in the ongoing Season 35.

‘Cops’

'Cops' has been canceled by Paramount following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests. (Paramount Network)

The immensely popular and long-running reality show that followed police officers on duty throughout the country has been canceled by the Paramount Network after running 32 seasons. 

The cancellation came shortly after the show was pulled from the air amid criticism of glorifying police.

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"‘Cops' is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return," a Paramount Network spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Fox News.

The show originally debuted on Fox in 1989 before pivoting over to Paramount Network – then called Spike TV – in 2013. Its 33rd season was scheduled to air Monday.

‘Live P.D.’

'Live P.D.' has ceased production in the wake of ongoing protests. (A&E)

Similar to "Cops," the popular A&E docu-series followed on-duty police officers across the country and came under fire for glorifying the police and depicting practices from law enforcement that are now being called into question by protesters. 

The series was pulled from the air briefly, prompting co-host Dan Abrams to take to Twitter to assure fans that the show would be back. However, just one day later, the network announced that it would cease production. 

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"This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on 'Live PD,'" said a statement from A&E obtained by Deadline. "Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them. And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments."

"Shocked & beyond disappointed about this," Abrams said shortly after the news was announced. "To the loyal #LivePDNation please know I, we, did everything we could to fight for you, and for our continuing effort at transparency in policing. I was convinced the show would go on... More to come..."

‘Vanderpump Rules’ cast members Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute

Several 'Vanderpump Rules' stars were fired over past racist behavior. (Ari Perilstein/Getty Images for Nocking Points Wines)

Bravo fired original cast members Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute after news broke about their past racially insensitive behavior against fellow cast member Faith Stowers. In a recent interview, Stowers accused the duo of calling the cops on her in 2018 after they felt she fit the description of an African-American female criminal who was allegedly wanted for theft in the area. 

"There was this article on Daily Mail where there was an African-American lady," Stowers said. "It was a weird photo, so she looked very light-skinned and had these different, weird tattoos. They showcased her, and I guess this woman was robbing people. And they called the cops and said it was me. This is like, a true story. I heard this from actually Stassi during an interview."

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Both Schroeder and Doute have apologized since the news broke.

Bravo also revealed that it has axed new cast members Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni, who both had racist tweets from their past resurface.

"Bravo and Evolution Media confirmed today that Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to 'Vanderpump Rules,'" Bravo told Fox News in a statement Tuesday."

"Gone With the Wind" streaming

'Gone with the Wind' was pulled from HBO Max's library. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

It was revealed that new streaming service HBO Max pulled "Gone With the Wind" from its library amid increased racial tensions. The 1939 film, which takes place at an Atlanta plantation, won eight Oscars, including best picture, and made history by propelling Hattie McDaniel to become the first black American to win an Oscar for her performance. However, the film has been criticized in recent years for its problematic depictions of black people. 

"'Gone With the Wind' is a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society," the statement said. "These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible."

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The spokesperson continued, "These depictions are certainly counter to WarnerMedia's values, so when we return the film to HBO Max, it will return with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions but will be presented as it was originally created because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. If we are to create a more just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history."