How Bad Does a Celebrity Have to Be to Lose Your Support?

Stephen Collins' career was completely derailed recently when a tape was released of him admitting to child molestation. He even claims the tape has destroyed all future earning potential.


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But will he never be able to work again? Not necessarily. In fact, the public has shown that just about anything is forgivable, especially if you have the power to avoid it ever going to court.

First there's Woody Allen, who married his live-in girlfriend's adopted daughter (age 19). In the early 90s, there were allegations that he'd abused his seven-year-old adopted daughter Dylan, which Dylan herself confirmed in an open letter published earlier this year. Despite the scandal, Allen continues to prevail, winning four Oscars, two Golden Globes, and numerous awards and accolades over the course of his career. The 19-year-old he fell in love with and later married? They're still married today.



Then there's Bill Cosby, accused of raping 14 separate women--in some instances after drugging them. He paid to make the allegations go away back in 2006, but with a little help from a comedian and Twitter, it's all coming back on him. But despite all the bad publicity in 2006, Cosby has been honored with awards and multiple degrees over the years and is currently staging a comeback. In addition to being cast in a 2015 NBC TV show, he's in the middle of his own comedy tour called Far From Finished.



Sean Connery once famously told Barbara Walters it's okay to slap a woman, as long as you've tried everything else and she still won't shut her yapper. Since originally saying that in the 60s and confirming it with Barbara Walters in the 80s, women (and men) have packed theaters to admire the guy's work. 



Mel Gibson...is just a mess. Yet still he makes money. He's no superstar, but he's doing just as well as all the other actors who peaked in the 90s in spite of racist rants and alleged girlfriend-beating.




I think we all know that with a lot of cash and a great PR firm, celebrities can make just about anything go away. But do we, as the viewing public, have an obligation to not let them get away with that? After all, movie studios will only keep giving them work as long as we keep paying to see it. Or is it "innocent until proven guilty," even if the celebrity pulls some strings to make sure no trial ever happens?