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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle separated themselves from the British royal family in 2020, they signed a whopping US$20 million deal with Spotify to produce a number of projects for the audio streaming platform. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released Markle's podcast 'Archetypes' on August 23, 2022. It debuted at the top of the charts, but it won't be getting a second season. Spotify and Archwell Audio, the royal couple's production company, released a joint statement in June 2023 revealing that they have "mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.” 

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -

While the reason for this decision hasn't been revealed, there's speculation that they wanted to separate themselves from Spotify after the platform's protection of their controversial number one podcaster, Joe Rogan, who came under fire for making false claims about the COVID-19 vaccine on his show. A Spotify leader called Bill Simmons, who is responsible for podcast innovation and monetization, spoke out against the royals on his own podcast after the news broke, calling them a pair of "grifters." 

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Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Lil Yachty, and more -

Multiple celebrities are facing charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the illegal promotion of cryptocurrencies like Tronix (TRX) and BitTorrent (BTT). The SEC announced on March 22, 2023, that eight celebrities had been charged with “illegally touting TRX and/or BTT without disclosing that they were compensated for doing so and the amount of their compensation."

The most famous faces caught up in the investigation include Lindsay Lohan, Lil Yachty, Jake Paul, and Ne-Yo. The majority have reached settlements to pay around US $400,000 in penalties for violating the laws. However, the rapper Soulja Boy and singer Austin Mahone are still negotiating. A legal representative for Lindsay Lohan said she was unaware of any obligation to disclose her compensation when she partnered with the cryptocurrency brand. 

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Justin Bieber -

Justin Bieber publicly trashed H&M in 2022 after taking a look at their collection of merchandise featuring his image. In a series of Instagram stories, Bieber said the products looked terrible and weren't approved by him. "I didn't approve any of the merch collection that they put up at H&M... all without my permission and approval," he stated, "SMH I wouldn't buy it if I were you." He reiterated his point in a later story saying, "The H&M merch they made of me is trash and I didn't approve it. Don't buy it." A representative for H&M responded to Bieber's claims in a statement, asserting that "As with all other licensed products and partnerships, H&M followed proper approval procedures."

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Kim Kardashian -

Kim Kardashian is a well-known ambassador for Balenciaga, but she was notably quiet in the days after the fashion brand came under fire for producing an ad campaign featuring children holding teddy bears dressed in leather harnesses and bondage. Finally on November 27, 2022, six days after the controversy broke, Kim tweeted, “I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened." Referencing Balenciaga's quick pulling of the spring 2023 campaign—which also included a copy of a US Supreme Court decision on child porn laws in the background of one photo—she wrote, "I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again." However, fans are least satisfied with her final statement which indicates that she is not cutting ties with the brand. "As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with — & the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children."

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Kanye "Ye" West -

West's empire went up in flames in 2022 due to his spate of controversial and offensive comments. After showing up to a fashion show wearing a shirt that said 'White Lives Matter,' Ye went on to make anti-Semitic threats on Twitter which had a disastrous fallout. The rapper has been dropped by his talent agency and his brand deals with the likes of Adidas and Balenciaga have been axed. While his collaboration with Gap was already confirmed to have ended in September following a breakdown in their working relationship, the retailer was still selling Yeezy products. However, they later spoke out against Ye and confirmed that they were removing all remaining Yeezy products from their stores. They also shut down the website YeezyGap.com. 

In a statement, Gap declared, "Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values. On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination."

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Kim Kardashian -

Kim Kardashian made the mistake of not telling her followers she was paid to tout a crypto asset on her social media, and that US$250,000 paycheck she received is costing her US$1.26 million in penalties and charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to the SEC’s order, Kardashian failed to disclose that she was paid to publish a post on her Instagram account, where she has hundreds of millions of followers, about EMAX tokens, the crypto asset security being offered by EthereumMax, which also linked to the EthereumMax website and gave instructions for potential investors to purchase EMAX tokens. In the post she wrote, "Are you guys into crypto???? This is not financial advice but sharing what my friends just told me about the Ethereum Max token!" and included the hashtag “#AD," which clearly wasn't enough for SEC.

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Hailey Bieber -

Hailey Bieber ran into trouble less than a week after launching her skincare line, Rhode, which is her middle name, as she was sued for trademark infringement by a minority-owned fashion company founded in 2013 with the same name. According to court documents obtained by E! News, the fashion company's founders, Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers—who cite stars like Beyoncé, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Lupita Nyong'o among their customers—state that "there is no doubt that Ms. Bieber and her companies know of Rhode's superior rights." The document continues, "Indeed, [Ms. Bieber] previously sought to acquire the RHODE mark, appreciating that the brands could not co-exist without confusion." The duo had refused because they had built everything upon that name. "But Ms. Bieber, who could surely leverage her fame into success with a different-branded beauty line, apparently does not care that two other women entrepreneurs have been using the RHODE brand name for years."

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Coldplay -

Coldplay announced that they'd be partnering with the Finnish oil company Neste to power their 2022 'Music of the Spheres' tour. Their aim was to reduce their carbon emissions and make the tour as sustainable as possible. However, fans were quick to point out that Neste has ties to deforestation, and accused the band of greenwashing. 

Frontman Chris Martin released a statement defending their position: "When we announced this tour, we said that we would try our best to make it as sustainable and low carbon-impact as possible, but that it would be a work in progress. This remains true. We don't claim to have got it all right yet." The band clarified that their aim was to reduce CO2 emissions by 50% compared to their 2017 world tour, but some fans are still unhappy with the partnership. 

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Kendall Jenner -

Kendall Jenner's 818 Tequila Company was sued by its competitor, Tequila 512, for trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition. One obvious similarity between the brands is the name - both use an area code combined with the word tequila. In addition, both brands have similar black lettering in a vertical yellow label on the bottles. Tequila 512 says 818 Tequila "blatantly copied the branding." Back when 818 was launched in May of 2021, Tequila 512 instantly came out with a scathing response on social media: "Note the similarities, including the color, the name and it is made at the same distillery in Tequila Mexico as ours. Their batches are being distilled twice. Ours three times. Yet she is charging twice as much per bottle."

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Jay Cutler -

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler took to Twitter on August 13 to reveal that he had been dropped from Uber Eats. "Lost a commercial with Uber eats partnering with the NFL," he tweeted. "Guess they don't like future School board members. Frees up my weekend." The canceled contract comes in the wake of the retired athlete joining Twitter and immediately expressing his opposition to elementary schools mandating masks. Replying to a headline about parents calling for masks, Cutler tweeted, "Not this parent. Really hope I'm not put in the corner by Twitter in my first 24 hrs." Then, after the Williamson County School Board in Tennessee approved a temporary mask requirement for students, staff, and visitors at the elementary grade levels, Cutler hinted at plans to run for the school board himself. After dropping him from the commercial, a spokesperson for Uber Eats told People, "We are proud of all the work Uber has done over the last year to help get as many people vaccinated as possible. As such, we prefer to partner with those who support that work."

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Kendall Jenner -

Kendall Jenner's contract with Italian fashion house Liu Jo turned sour as the brand sued her for US$1.8 million in damages, claiming that she breached the conditions of her contract by failing to appear for the second of two planned photoshoots. She first worked for them in 2019, but their second shoot was delayed due to the pandemic. Liu Jo say that there was an agreement to reschedule, but Jenner has ignored their attempts to contact her. The problem is that she was supposed to be paid US$1.5 million for the two shoots, and was already given US$1.35 million upfront after the first one. After failing to reschedule the second shoot, they also failed to obtain a refund from Jenner for the uncompleted work.

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Michael B. Jordan -

Michael B. Jordan's rum brand launch was met with criticism after Nicki Minaj and others took issue with the name, J'Ouvert. J'Ouvert is an annual festival held in Trinidad, Togabo, and Grenada during Carnival which highlights Caribbean culture, and many claim the brand name appropriated Caribbean culture. Later that same day, the 'Black Panther' star apologized on Instagram: "I just wanna say on behalf of myself and my partners, our intention was never to offend or hurt a culture (we love and respect) and hoped to celebrate and shine a positive light on." He continued, "Last few days has been a lot of listening. A lot of learning and engaging in countless community conversations..." Jordan apologized and confirmed that the brand will be renamed.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry faced criticism after their Archewell Foundation signed a "global partnership" with Procter and Gamble, a company which sells skin-whitening creams. Many are concerned that the Sussexes' partnership does not align with their anti-racism activism. The controversial product is the Olay brand skin-whitening cream which many critics have called to be removed from shelves as they are inherently racist and colorist. 

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Chrissy Teigen -

The end of Chrissy Teigen's contract with Target was announced immediately after she made headlines in a cyberbullying scandal. Model Courtney Stodden revealed that Teigen had bullied them on Twitter almost 10 years earlier, when Stodden was a teenager. Teigen made a public apology for her past bad behavior. It was announced that her cookware would be removed from Target less than 48 hours later. Sources say the decision was reached amicably in December of 2020, but the timing raised eyebrows. 

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The Jenners -

The Jenner sister's clothing brand Kendall + Kylie has been accused of cultural appropriation and even plagiarism in the past.

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Madonna - In 1989, Pepsi paid Madonna a whopping US$5 million for a commercial featuring her song 'Like A Prayer.' When the official music video for the single dropped, which featured burning crosses among other controversial religious footage, Pepsi was met with protest and boycotts, forcing them to cancel their deal with the pop star.

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Chris Brown - Following the domestic violence incident involving his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, Brown was dropped from several commercials and lost major sponsorship deals.

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Kylie Jenner -

The reality television star first ventured into makeup with the launch of her lip kits in 2015. But it quickly came under fire for poor quality and inappropriate product names, among other criticisms. The line even received heavy backlash from another famous makeup artist Jeffree Star.

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Jeffree Star - Star himself hasn't been free from controversy. His line took a blow when an old video of him resurfaced making racist remarks after which the makeup artist was forced to apologize.

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Beyoncé -

Even Queen Bey found herself in hot water as a spokesperson for Pepsi. She was called a hypocrite for promoting the sugary carbonated drink while at the same time being a part of former First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move fitness campaign. 

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Scarlett Johansson - Johansson was chastised by the organization Oxfam, of which Johansson was an ambassador, for her participation in a SodaStream commercial. Turns out the drink company is run out of a factory in West Bank. 

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Sharon Stone - Fashion house Christian Dior decided to drop Sharon Stone as a model for the brand after the actress made some insensitive comments about the China earthquake in May 2008. 

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Paula Deen - Also for controversial racist comments, the celebrity chef had endorsement contracts cancelled by the Food Network, Walmart, Target, Sears, J.C. Penny, and others. 

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Kate Moss - The supermodel lost contracts with Chanel and Burberry after cocaine allegations in 2005.

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Kat Von D - Like Jenner, this tattoo artist's line Kat Von D Beauty was also looked down upon for highly inappropriate and sexualized names for lipstick products such as 'Underage Red.'

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Kendall Jenner - Model Kendall Jenner sparked an online outrage in 2017 when she appeared in a tone-deaf Pepsi commercial which appeared to make light of important social movements such as Black Lives Matter.

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Michelle Kwan - Similarly, the famous figure skater was condemned for endorsing Coca-Cola while also a member of the prestigious President's Council on Fitness, Nutrition, and Sports. 

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Heidi Montag -

While at the height of her 'The Hills' days, the reality star tried to launch a fashion line called Heidiwood. It ultimately failed after a mere seven months. The cheap clothing was described as being flimsy and unwearable.

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Kim Kardashian - In 2017, Kardashian's KKW Beauty released an image promoting the line and their contour in which Kim herself appeared in the photograph with her skin significantly darkened. People were quick to jump on the celebrity comparing it to blackface. 

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Kim Kardashian - Years earlier, she sparked outrage as a spokesperson for QuickTrim which she endorsed and praised as highly effective for weight loss. Unfortunately, the pill was found to be totally unhealthy and actually dangerous!

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Ashton Kutcher - Brown face, a fake Indian accent, and racist impersonation was a recipe for disaster that the actor clearly did not see coming. It was in a 2012 commercial for Popchips that Kutcher appeared as the fictional character "Raj." 

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OJ Simpson - Hertz, the car rental company, made the wise decision to phase the football player out of its commercials after domestic assault allegations first came to light. This was before the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson.

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Bill Cosby - When the sexual harassment allegations started to surface, Bill Cosby lost endorsement deals from Jell-O, Coca-Cola, and Kodak, among many other organizations that distanced themselves from the comedian.

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Kobe Bryant - Likewise, a sexual assault allegation against the late NBA star in 2003 tarnished his reputation and he subsequently lost deals with the likes of McDonald's and Nutella.

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Lil Wayne - After controversial rap lyrics from the rapper on Future's 'Karate Chop' were heard, the folks at Mountain Dew were not too pleased and quickly cut ties with the musician. 

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Jessica Alba - Seems like Jessica Alba's The Honest Company isn't so honest. Over the years, it has been hit with plenty of lawsuits for false advertising and marketing practices. 

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Helena Bonham Carter - Bizarrely, Helena Bonham Carter was chosen as the spokesperson for Yardley cosmetics but was later dropped after she revealed that she hardly ever wore makeup. 

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Lance Armstrong -

The famous cyclist infamously lost many endorsement deals, including Nike, after he admitted to doping. He reportedly lost US$75 million worth of sponsorship money in a single day.

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Dakota Fanning - When she posed for Marc Jacobs' Oh, Lola! perfume, there was an immediate reaction to a photograph of a then-17-year-old Fanning holding the perfume bottle between her legs. The advertisement was ultimately banned in the UK for being too racy and suggestive. 

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Michael Phelps - The famous US swimmer was dropped from Kellogg Company after an image of him using a bong surfaced in 2009. He was also given a three-month suspension from USA Swimming for his inappropriate behavior.  

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Kirstie Alley - As a spokesperson for Jenny Craig, Kirstie Alley upset Twitter users when she used the term "circus fat" in a commercial. Her own weight loss company Organic Liaison faced a lawsuit for false advertising which was later settled in 2013. 

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Tiger Woods - Following the cheating scandal that engulfed the golfer in late 2009, he lost sponsorship deals with the likes of Accenture, AT[and]T, Gatorade, and General Motors.

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The Kardashians -

The reality star sisters tried to launch a credit card in 2010 called the Kardashian Kard but quickly backed away from the project after the credit card's high fees caused an uproar.

See also: Mug shots of celebs you forgot had criminal records

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