10 Celebrities Who Lost Brand Partnerships & Endorsement Deals

“Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous.”

Celebrities do more than just appear on the big screen and release music nowadays -- they often team up with major companies for advertising campaigns and endorsement deals. But because these stars are now representing a brand, they’re held to a higher standard when it comes to how they act in public and online. That’s why on more than a few occasions, stars have been dropped from their deals and partnerships, leaving companies to do major damage control in the wake of their actions. While most of these stars have apologized for their wrongdoings, they permanently lost these big brand deals.

Find out why these celebs were dropped from their deals…

Kanye West

Kanye West was infamously dropped from his partnership with Gap and Adidas following a series of controversial and offensive comments about Jewish people and expressing his antisemetic beliefs. Other brands, including Balenciaga and Foot Locker, also followed suit by cutting ties with the rapper and designer.

“In September, Gap announced ending its Yeezy Gap partnership. Our former partner’s recent remarks and behavior further underscore why,” Gap shared in a statement. 

Meanwhile Adidas added, “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."

Whoopi Goldberg

In the early 2000s, Whoopi Goldberg served as a spokesperson for SlimFast but some inappropriate comments cost her the job. Her role was terminated after she made sexually explicit puns about President Bush’s name while speaking at a fundraiser for John Kerry. The brand expressed that they were “disappointed” in Whoopi’s comments and apologized if it offended any customers. Her ads were quickly pulled from the air. 

In response, Whoopi stood her ground in her right to speak freely, saying, “While I appreciate what the SlimFast people need to do in order to protect their business, I must also do what I need to do as an artist, as a writer and as an American, not to mention as a comic.”

Rihanna

Rihanna briefly served as the face of Nivea as part of their 100th anniversary campaign in 2012 but she was ultimately dropped from the partnership by the CEO of the brand’s parent company, Stefan Heidenreich. Shortly after joining the company, the exec said he didn’t believe she aligned with the brand’s values. 

“I do not understand how to bring the core brand of Nivea in conjunction with Rihanna. Nivea is a company which stands for trust, family and reliability,” he reportedly said. 

Meanwhile, Rihanna did not seem to be fazed by the decision.

Kate Moss

Back in 2005, Kate Moss lost her partnerships with several fashion brands after she admitted to using cocaine. At the time, Chanel announced they would not renew her years-long contract while Burberry and H&M both dropped the model from upcoming campaigns.

“I take full responsibility for my actions. I also accept that there are various personal issues that I need to address and have started taking the difficult, yet necessary, steps to resolve them,” Kate said in a statement. “I want to apologize to all of the people I have let down because of my behavior, which has reflected badly on my family, friends, co-workers, business associates and others.”

Looking back years later, Kate admits she felt “sick and was quite angry” that she took the blame for drug use that was so rampant in the modeling and entertainment community. 

“Everybody I knew took drugs. So for them to focus on me, and to try to take my daughter away, I thought was really hypocritical,” she said in 2022.

Sharon Stone

Back in 2008, Sharon Stone’s working relationship with Dior in China was terminated after she made controversial comments about the nation. The actress had suggested that a devastating earthquake that hit China and killed over 80,000 people was the result of bad karma for the country’s treatment of Tibet. Despite her apology, she was still dropped from her partnership.

“Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people,” Sharon said in a statement.

Kathy Griffin

In 2017, Kathy Griffin found herself in hot water after she released an extremely controversial photo of herself holding a fake decapitated that was meant to resemble Donald Trump. In addition to intense public backlash, Kathy also lost her partnerships, including one with Squatty Potty. The company immediately pulled ads featuring the comedian. 

“We were shocked and disappointed to learn about the image Ms. Griffin shared today, it was deeply inappropriate and runs contrary to the core values our company stands for. In response, Squatty Potty has suspended its ad campaign featuring Ms. Griffin. We have acted swiftly and decisively to demonstrate our commitment to a culture of decency, civility, and tolerance,” CEO Bobby Edwards said in a statement. 

Kathy also lost her spot as a co-host of CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage as well as other career opportunities. She later issued an apology saying that she crossed the line and “went way too far” with the “disturbing” image.

Chris Brown

Chris Brown made headlines after it was discovered that he had been physically abusive towards his then-girlfriend Rihanna. In the aftermath, Chris lost his partnership with Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum and was removed from Body by Milk’s Milk Mustache campaign.

“The Milk Mustache campaign is taking the allegations against Chris Brown very seriously,” the company said in a statement. “We are very proud and protective of the image of the Milk Mustache campaign and the responsible message it sends to teens.”

Chris later issued an apology, sharing his “deepest regret” for his “inexcusable” actions and accepted full responsibility.

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan has been through many ups and downs throughout her career and on several occasions, brands have decided to part ways with the actress due to her behavior. In 2013, after Lindsay was charged for driving under the influence and hitting a truck with her Porsche, a fashion company called Odaingerous dropped her from a $500,000 campaign. 

“In light of the recent conviction of actress Lindsay Lohan, clothing and lifestyle brand Odaingerous is officially withdrawing its offer for an endorsement agreement of actress Lindsay Lohan as the face of the brand,” Creative Director and CEO Odain Watson told RadarOnline.com. “We wish her the best on her recovery and future pursuits.”

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin was once the face of Capital One Bank but after he was caught calling a photographer a gay slur, his career began to fall apart. Among many missed opportunities, Capital One decided not to renew his contract. In response, Alec shared a personal essay titled “Good-bye, Public Life,” detailing the aftermath.

“I crafted my arrangement with Capital One Bank to fund my foundation for charitable giving. They paid me $15 million over nearly five years. After taxes and accounting fees, I will have given all of it, $14.125 million, to charity,” Alec wrote for Vulture. “Capital One did not renew my contract, although it politely said the two things were unrelated.”

In the essay, Alec took some accountability for his actions but maintained that he was “not a homophobic person at all."

Paula Deen

In 2013, Paula Deen was caught up in a racism scandal after the former general manager of her restaurant, Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House, accused her of racial discrimination. As part of a deposition Paula admitted to using the N-word and telling racist jokes. She was immediately dropped from her contract with Food Network and later, Smithfield Foods, who sold a line of Deen-branded hams, ended their relationship with her. Her restaurants at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas were also shuttered.  

Paula issued an emotional apology on the Today show but added that it wasn’t fair she was being singled out for a moment in her life years ago. Despite her pleas, her contracts were still terminated.  

“While we appreciate Paula’s sincere apologies for statements she made in her past ... we have mutually decided that it is in the best interests of both parties to part ways at this time,” a Caesars Entertainment rep said in a statement.