In 2015 porn star James Deen was accused by several women of rape and various violent and non-consenual acts. Many were fellow porn stars who had worked with Deen, and called out his behavior both off-camera and during filming.

At the time, Deen's company had been producing a documentary which he subsequently decided should address the accusations against him. However after the director he had hired pursued additional interviews covering the claims made by his accusers, Deen reportedly witheld the signed release forms, preventing the film from being distributed to its buyer, Showtime. The director, Maria Demopoulos, sued Deen in 2017 for fraud, conversion, and breach of fiduciary duty, asking for $150,000.

• What To Know About The Sexual Assault Allegations Against James Deen - The Huffington Post
• James Deen Blocked Documentary That Cites Rape Claims, Director Alleges - Variety

Over the years Mel Gibson has been criticized for homophobic, racist, and anti-semitic comments, including a widely publicized incident during one (of his several) drunk driving arrests.

Additionally, in 2011 Gibson plead "no contest" to a misdemeanor battery charge for striking his then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

"The Passion of the Christ", one of Gibsons' most recognizable projects, and which he co-wrote, co-produced, directed, has been criticized for its depictions of Jews in its plot. John T. Pawlikowski Professor of Social Ethics at the University of Chicago writes:

... it was one of the most troublesome texts relative to anti-Semitic potential that any of us had seen in 25 years. It must be emphasized that the main storyline ... is precisely the storyline that fueled centuries of anti-Semitism within Christian societies. This is also a storyline rejected by the Catholic Church at Vatican II in its document Nostra Atate and by nearly all mainline Protestant churches in parallel documents.

• A timeline of Mel Gibson's controversies over the years - Business Insider
• Mel Gibson pleads no contest to battery charge - CBC
• Christian Anti-Semitism: Past History, Present Challenges Reflections in Light of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ - Journal of Religion and Film

His podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience', has faced many controversies. Spotify removed over 100 episodes without specifying why, though it came on heels of a video compilation showing clips from his show where he's using racist language. He was also widely condemned for amplifying COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, including one episode featuring Dr. Robert Malone, who claimed that society was falling victim to 'mass formation psychosis'. Notably, musician Neil Young pulled his music from Spotify in protest of Rogan's stance on vaccines, prompting other artists like Joni Mitchell and India Arie to follow suit.

• Spotify’s Joe Rogan controversy: everything you need to know - Tech Radar
• Joe Rogan apologizes after a compilation of him using racial slurs spreads - CNN
• Neil Young returns his music to Spotify, ‘except for the full sound we created’ - LA Times

On June 7 2024 Frank Stronach, the Canadian businessman and founder of Magna International, was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including rape, sexual assault, indecent assault, and forcible confinement. These charges stem from alleged incidents spanning from the 1980s to as recently as 2023. Stronach denies the allegations.

• Ontario billionaire Frank Stronach accused of sexual offences against 3 women - CBC

In 2017 Kathy Griffin posted a photo of herself holding the severed head of then-President Donald Trump. She was fired from hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve special and claims she was under federal investigation and was added to the no-fly list. She posted an online apology which she later retracted, saying “I am no longer sorry, the whole outrage was BS”.

• Kathy Griffin talks about Tampa show, being canceled by Trump and PTSD tampabay.com
• Kathy Griffin retracts apology for decapitated Trump photo: 'I am no longer sorry, the whole outrage was BS' - ABC News

The portrayal of the Apu character from The Simpsons was called into question in the 2017 documentary “The Problem with Apu” written by and starring comedian Hari Kondabolu. Hank Azaria, the white actor who voices Abu on the Simpsons, has effectively retired the character. Since 2020 Apu has only appeared as a background character.

• The Problem with Apu - Wikipedia
• Did The Simpsons Ever Kill Off Apu (In Canon)? - screenrant.com

In the early 2000s Uygur wrote a series of blogs posts in which he makes sexist and derogatory remarks about women. The posts resurfaced in 2017, leading Bernie Sanders to rescinded his endorsement of Uygur's 2019 Congressional campaign.

“The stuff I wrote back then was really insensitive and ignorant … If you read that today, what I wrote 18 years ago, and you’re offended by it, you’re 100 percent right. And anyone who is subjected to that material, I apologize to. And I deeply regret having written that stuff when I was a different guy.”

• Sanders retracts endorsement of controversial congressional candidate - CNN
• ‘Young Turks’ founder apologizes for ‘ignorant’ past blog posts about women - thehill.com

Kyle Gass, referring to the attempted assassination attempt of former U.S. president Donald Trump the day before:

“Don’t miss Trump next time”

His bandmate Jack Black, the other half of the comedy rock duo Tenacious D, quickly cancelled the remainder of their ongoing tour and put the band on hiatus. Gass apologized in the following days, calling his own remarks innappropriate and dangerous.

• Jack Black Cancels Tenacious D Tour as Bandmate Kyle Gass Apologizes for 'Inappropriate' Trump Joke - people.com

During the deposition for a 2013 lawsuit Paula Dean admitted to having used the “N-word” at some time in her life. She was being sued by a former employee (who is white) for racial and sexual discrimination. The racial discrimination claims were thrown out by the judge, and the sexual discrimination claims were likely settled out of court in private.

“That's just not a word that we use as time has gone on. Things have changed since the '60s in the South. And my children and my brother object to that word being used in any cruel or mean behavior. As well as I do.”

In 2015 she came under fire again for a social media post in which she appeared dressed as Lucy from “I Love Lucy” alongside her son in a blackface Ricky Ricardo costume. The post was taken down and she apologized via statement “to all who were offended”.

At the time of the “N-word” controversy she had various TV, publishing, and endorsement projects cancelled. She has remained in the public eye, though with appearing in “Positively Paula”, “Paula Deen's Sweet Home Savannah”, and “MasterChef: Legends”.

• Paula Deen said she used slur but doesn't tolerate hate - today.com
• Paula Deen under fire for photo of son in brownface - CNN
• Nick Mullen: The Year of the Dragon - FULL SPECIAL - YouTube

Jared Fogle appeared in advertising campaigns for Subway from the year 2000 until 2015, when he was arrested on child pornography charges.

He plead guilty was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in prison, in addition to agreeing to pay $100,000 to each victim, totalling $1.4 million.

Fogle had been investigated by law enforcement as early 2007 after he made comments to journalist and radio host Rochelle Herman-Walrond about having sex with underage girls and asked her to install a webcam in her children's' rooms so he could watch them.

Russell Taylor, then director of the Jared Foundation, also plead guilty to charges of child exploitation and possession of child pornography in the same year.

• The Woman Who Said She Helped Take Down Ex-Subway Spokesman Jared Fogle - ABC News
• Authorities search longtime Subway pitchman Jared Fogle’s home - CNN
• Jared S. Fogle sentenced in child pornography case - justice.gov