Lots of us have gotten fired before. But only a few of us have nearly lost out on our dream jobs, nonetheless those that will serve as a vehicle to fame and riches.
While we have loved seeing our favorite celebs play epic movie roles or perform a hit onstage, some of them came really close to not even completing the project. From actors nearly losing a gig for unprofessionalism, or musicians missing the mark with behind the scenes with their team, these missteps proves they are human, and just like us. This also serves as reminder that no one is above being replaced.
Nevertheless, we’re glad whatever that our faves were able to pull it together enought to save their jobs and ultimately, their careers.
Here’s what they had to say about almost losing their dream jobs.
Nick Cannon was nearly fired from his job at NBC’s, America’s Got Talent one of the network’s biggest cash cows. It’s reported he was in violation of his contract with the show when he participated in a comedy standup show riddled with profanities.
Reportedly he quit before he was let go, and wrote a message on social media explaining the exit and implied he was being silenced for being outspoken.
Jay Pharoah is known for his spot-on celeb impressions that were regularly showcased on SNL, but he shared the showed nearly let him go before he ultimately left on his own a few years ago.
“They were ready to get rid of me 2013 in September when I spoke up,” said Pharoah before he referenced the show’s response to his demand for more black female leads. “When I said what I said, and it got on ‘The Grio,’ and it went viral, I almost […] lost my job.”
Although he was the star of the show (literally) Terrence Howard was almost fired from the FOX series Empire. It was reported that his talent agency, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, filed a complaint against Howard claiming he owed $250,000 after the agency stopped Terrence from being fired on the show.
Although the reason for the near firing hasn’t been made widely public, we’re glad he was able to showcase his talents on the series for as long as he did.
Jamie Foxx has built a storied career that spans decades, but that almost didn’t happen and he would’ve had himself to blame.
Following the critical acclaim of his 2005 ‘Ray’ portrayal of Ray Charles, he began partying non-stop. His friend and mentor, Oprah Winfrey noticed and decided to have an important conversation with him.
“She said ‘You’re blowing it,’” Foxx said, as reported by Men’s Health. “Because we were just out hanging, we weren’t taking the moment seriously. She said ‘I want to take you somewhere so you can understand the significance of what you’re doing.’”
According to the outlet, Winfrey took Foxx to the home of Quincy Jones, where they held an intervention. “You’ve done a great job on Ray but you’ve f***ed everything else up now,” Foxx said Jones told him. “You got to buckle down, baby.”
He added: “Oprah says ‘Now, are you ready to meet the person that I’ve brought you here to talk with?’ And it was Sidney Poitier. He says ‘I saw you one time. You were at a party. Do you remember that?’ I was like, yes. Tears. And he says, ‘When I watched your performance, it made me grow artistically two inches… And I give something to you. I give you responsibility that from now on throughout your career you’ll be responsible for what you give and what you show.’ And I have done as best I can to sort of live up to that, because it is very important.”
