Disney is one of the biggest and most powerful production houses in Hollywood. We have seen it break and make careers overnight. More than half of the stars who are currently ruling the entertainment industry owe their fame to the House of Mouse. But one mistake can end their contract with the studios no matter how valuable they are. Apart from its widely admired TV series and movies, Disney is well-known for its stringent rules that must be followed by all the actors and directors. The ones who tripped over these rules got the boot pretty unceremoniously. Find out the 10 times when celebrities were fired by Disney.
Jake T. Austin
Remember Alex and Justin’s brother Max Russo in “Wizards of Waverly Places” on Disney? Jake T. Austin had earned quite a fan following after the success of the teenage comedy. He went on to appear in “The Fosters” by ABC but got fired because of his frequent run-ins with the law. Jake was arrested for underage drinking and crashing a car caused by DIU. It’s no brain teaser why Disney cut ties with him and cast Noah Centineo in his place.
James Gunn
James Gunn is a celebrated director across the globe for his brilliant work in “Guardians of the Galaxy”. But his career was put into jeopardy after his controversial posts and tweets from the past resurfaced on the internet. This compelled MCU to cut ties with Gunn, but fans and GOTG actors weren’t ready to let that happen. Actor Dave Bautista took the initiative to fight for Gunn and convinced his costars to stand with him. It was hard to ignore their demands, especially after Marvel fans signed a petition to bring back James Gunn.
Patty Jenkins
The talented mind behind DCEU “Wonder Woman” franchise, Patty Jenkins, was also supposed to helm “Thor: The Dark World”. MCU hired her on Natalie Portman’s demand but couldn’t live up to the deal due to creative differences. According to sources, Patty had envisioned a Romeo-Juliet influenced theme for “Thor 2” while the MCU wanted something else. She is also the reason why Natalie Portman didn’t revive her character in “Thor: Ragnarok”.
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr came under fire after she posted a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, an African-American senior advisor to former President Barack Obama. Disney’s ABC didn’t take long to cancel her sitcom on their network following this tweet. Barr later apologized for her comments but the studio had already made the call to fire her.
Gina Carano
Gina Carano’s relationship with Disney endured a shot lifespan. She came to the spotlight after appearing in “The Mandalorian” in 2019. But the studio recently dropped her in 2021 following the backlash on social media. The hashtag #FireGinaCarano surfaced on the internet after the actress’ social media post implied that the Republicans, today, are in the same position as the Jews during Holocaust.
Jake Paul
The YouTube and internet personality, Jake Paul, also starred in Disney’s “Bizaardvark”. He was set to return for a second instalment after the success of the first season. But the deal was nixed due to Paul’s controversial actions in his personal life.
Bella Thorne
Young Disney stars have been pretty transparent about their difficult experiences with the studio. Bella Thorne is one of those actors who didn’t shy away from opening up. The star from “Shake It Up” revealed that she and her costar, Zendaya started on the wrong foot at first because they were constantly forced to compete with each other. Furthermore, the actress claimed that the show almost fired her at the age of 14 for wearing a bikini. Disney never renewed its contract with Bella after the series ended.
Stoney Westmoreland
Stoney was well-known for his role in the Disney Channel’s “Andi Mack”. The studio kicked him out after he was arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah, for trying to persuade a minor for s*x. A Disney representative stated that “Given the nature of the charges and our responsibility for the welfare of employed minors, we have released him from his recurring role, and he will not be returning to work on the series which wraps production on its third season next week.”
Terrance Howard
Everyone is well aware of the infamous fall out between Terrance Howard and the MCU. He was cast in “Iron Man” to play War Machine at a paycheck higher than that of Robert Downey Jr. After RDJ swept the fans off their feet as Tony Stark, Disney decided to increase his salary by cutting down on what Terrance took home. After a prolonged period of differences, the studios decided to replace Howard with Don Cheadle.
Adrienne Bailon
Adrienne used to be a valuable asset to Disney as the face of “The Cheetah Girls” franchise. Her relationship with the studios ended immediately after one of the disadvantages of fame came to bite her in the back. Disney gave her the boot after her nude pictures leaked online.
