Celebrity comebacks that failed miserably

The Hoff will always be remembered for being one of the slow motion running lifeguards in Baywatch. Those were the days for the actor. He tried his hand at some soap operas, namely ‘The Young and the Restless’, but he couldn’t get back to greatness. He made one last attempt - reality TV. He appeared in ‘The Hasselhoffs’ alongside his daughters but was pulled after just two episodes for shocking ratings.

Oh Phoebe, Phoebe, Phoebe. The comedic genius Kudrow captured that dopey character perfectly. Afterwards, however, the actress didn’t do too well. Ironically, she ‘came back’ with a show called 'Comeback,' where she played an actress trying to get her career back on track. It didn’t work. And she didn’t make that comeback.

Everyone remembers Lindsay Lohan in the good old days. And everyone remembers her personal troubles that pretty much ended her career. She failed to make a comeback in films like ‘I Know Who Killed Me’, and ‘The Canyons’ in 2003. The latter was her first starring role in a while. The failed comeback caused her to drift completely off the Hollywood scene.

Recently, she tried another comeback! Lindsay signed a deal with Netflix for three movies, including 'Irish Wish,' filmed in Ireland.

Image: one of Lohan's Netflix movies, 'Falling for Christmas' (2022)

'The Big Lebowski' and 'American Pie' were huge hits and Tara Reid was one of the most sought-after ‘girl next door’ actresses of the time. She was relatively lucky with her role in 'Sharknado,' but allowing the fans to vote whether her character lives or dies doesn’t inspire much confidence in the writer’s wishes to see her continue. She turned to reality TV with the show ‘Marriage Boot Camp’ which was, alas, not the Tara Reid we remember…

Lil’ Kim did a mighty good job back in the day, especially as part of the 'Lady Marmalade' spectacular. A female rapper with attitude to boot. But, perhaps she had too much attitude. She accused new rapper, Nicki Minaj of stealing her sound and style, which prompted Minaj to open fire and release a track called ‘Black Friday’ - very clearly taking a dig at Lil’ Kim. Kim responded with a mix tape, also entitled ‘Black Friday’ to get back at her, but the public wasn’t interested in her disputes, or even her music anymore.

The 90s belonged to Sharon Stone. 'Basic Instinct' and 'Casino' (Golden Globe winner and Oscar nomination) were her at her prime. She even had a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. But then she made some pretty bad choices of movies. If in doubt? Return to what you know. She reprised her role and gave ‘Basic Instinct 2’ a good shot in 2006. It was embarrassing and desperate - definitely one of the worst comebacks for any actress.

She was the actress of ‘The World is not Enough’ and she had it all - the bone structure, the hair, the figure. She was even married to Charlie Sheen from 2002-2006. But it ended badly. The messy divorce could possibly be the reason she has never been able to regain her past glory. She tried her hand at the soap opera, ‘The Bold and The Beautiful’, but didn’t really shine. Then she made the mistake many in this list have made - she went into reality TV. Her role in ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ will certainly not restore her to glory.

R&B artist Ciara released the 2004 number one, ‘Goodies,' then had a string of hits and successes, including 'One Two Step.' After the latter, none of her subsequent singles even breached the top ten. She has been seen in public, mainly for her high profile relationships, but her music career isn’t what it was. She released two more albums which completely flopped. You should definitely check out her engagement ring, though.

Her much-loved character was killed off in the third season finale of 'The OC.' She has since appeared in independent films but never really stood out, or at least, never got back to her former fame. She tried her hand at ‘Dancing With the Stars’ in 2016 but was the second to be eliminated. No career flames were reignited for the young actress. And then she did it. She went into reality TV, appearing on 'The Hills: New Beginnings.' Yet, there were no new beginnings for Barton.

Ashlee and her sister, Jessica, stole the music scene in the mid 2000s. She was the quirkier, rockier sister who released hugely successful albums such as ‘Autobiography’ and ‘I Am Me’. Both were certified platinum. She then disappeared. After a while, she returned as a duo called Ashley and Evan with her husband Evan Ross. They released an EP, without much success. Their disastrous reality show, ‘Ashlee+Evan’ only lasted 6 episodes.

Of course Fergie was a big part of the world-famous Black Eyed Peas but the singer also had solo success. Her album had three number one singles and she was one of the idols of the 00s. She returned in 2017 with her album ‘Double Dutchess,' but it only reach number 49 in the UK charts whilst not really producing any successful singles.

Once one of the biggest rock bands in the world, they disappeared from the music scene in the late 90s. In 2008, they returned, but the wait was hardly worth it. The album ‘Chinese Democracy’ sold only 1 million copies after years of re-writing and re-recording. Their comeback was dead in the water. They did go on tours, though.

Many stars from this list are memories of yesteryear and Ja Rule is one of those we remember with a smile on our faces. He had many number ones in the 2000s, but then he hit a string of legal issues and even had to go to jail. He was released in 2013 and tried to make a comeback with his 'Fyre Festival.' This new concept of a luxury music festival turned out to be a huge disappointment, with people sleeping on mattresses on the floor and eating stale bread with cheese. The 'Fyre Festival' was a big scandal that left many angry at the star.

The troubled actor was dismissed from the hugely popular ‘Two and a Half Men' in 2011. Despite his personal issues, he tried to make a comeback with ‘Scary Movie 5’ and 'Anger Management.' Both received dire reviews and he hasn’t been seen since 2017…

The Terminator days are well over. Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn’t had a great movie since the 90s, though he did make a different kind of comeback as the governor of California. Although this political career was obviously a relative success, he tried to return to the screen and released a string of flops including the terrible 'Aftermath.' He won’t be back.

‘When Harry Met Sally’ launched her to fame. She was beautiful, with a bright smile and fresh attitude. But then she had an affair whilst married and it gave her a pretty poor reputation - leagues away from the bubbly, innocent, young actress we had all believed her to be. In 2008, Ryan had a comeback - with ‘The Women’, (a remake of the classic comedy), but it seemed the star had gone under the knife way too many times and viewers didn’t want to watch her ever-changing face anymore.

'Cruel Intentions' was the film that put Ryan Phillippe on the path to stardom. He was popular and loved (especially by teen girls) all over the world. After the initial success and a hiatus from the movie scene, he made a comeback in the mystery series ‘Secrets and Lies’ in 2015. It didn’t go down too well. The series was put on for a second season but that was cut short and cancelled. In fact, the second season didn’t even have Phillippe in it.