The Black community has unfortunately seen a plethora of our favorite celebrities making terrible decisions this year. While many of these celebs have apologized and worked towards making things right, others are firmly standing in their controversies. Here’s who had a rough 2022.
Kanye West was canceled by nearly everybody in his life this year, including his family, friends, brands, and fans. In October 2022, West wore a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt to a Yeezy fashion show and when he was criticized by the Black Vogue editor, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, he took to the internet mocking her and causing some celebrities and people in the fashion industry to voice their disapproval of his actions. He also doubled down on the “White Lives Matter” beliefs, sparking a friendship with Candace Owens to condemn the Black Lives Matter movement. Kanye also spent much of the year bringing his family drama to social media, airing out the complications with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. Kanye West was canceled by Instagram and Twitter after sharing anti-semitic views, and his accounts were restricted and locked. Kanye’s anti-semitism led to his ultimate downfall this year as he lost deals with Vogue, Balenciaga, Gap, and Adidas.
Dave Chapelle spent 2022 feeling the effects of his transphobic and homophobic comments that he shared in his comedy special, “The Closer”, released in 2021. In July 2022, First Avenue in Minneapolis canceled Dave Chapelle’s show only hours before showtime. The venue released a statement that it was prioritizing its staff, and apologized for accepting the offer to host the show. There was also backlash towards SNL for allowing him to host an episode in November.
Tiffany Haddish was canceled in August 2022 after she, along with Aries Spears, were sued for child sexual abuse. The children in question were 14 and seven at the time. In September, the accusers dropped the lawsuit “with prejudice.” Haddish claimed that all of her gigs and jobs were taken away due to the lawsuit. In December 2022, Haddish made her first red carpet appearance since the lawsuit for the film Emancipation.
Candace Owens continued with her conservative agenda all year long, with one of the highlights being becoming besties with disgraced music artist and designer, Kanye West. In October 2022, Candace Owens joined West in wearing “White Lives Matter” t-shirts. She even had his back after all of the criticism following West’s doubling down on the movement. In return, he was by her side when she released the film “The Greatest Lie Ever Sold,” a film criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement.
NBA Hornets player, Miles Bridges, was canceled for allegedly assaulting his partner, Mychelle Johnson, in front of their two children in June 2022. Bridges pleaded no contest to the domestic violence charge, but agreed to probation time, counseling, parenting classes and community service. As he is a free agent, his future in the NBA in uncertain and he may face disciplinary actions from the league.
Academy Award-winning Will Smith was canceled big time this year after cursing at and slapping comedian Chris Rock for joking about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s lack of hair at the 2022 Oscars ceremony. Following the slap, Hollywood and watchers of the ceremony were split about whether he was right to react the way he did. Smith has since apologized for his actions, but he was banned from attending another Oscars ceremony for 10 years. Allegedly, several projects Smith was working on at the time were put on hold.
Deshaun Watson returned to playing football for the Cleveland Browns after paying a $5 million fine and an 11-game suspension, which was increased from an original 6-game suspension, after being accused by over a dozen women of sexual assault, starting in 2019.
Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving has been canceled for several things in recent years, but his biggest issue in 2022 was sharing an Amazon link on social media to a movie called “Hebrews To Negro: Wake Up Black America.” The film spread anti-semitic views. Irving was given a list of things to do in order to get back in good graces with the NBA, including paying a $500,000 donation, meeting with Jewish leaders, and having anti-semitism training. He has also been dropped by Nike and The Athletic.
Antonio Brown has unfortunately not been in the news for positive situations in 2022. He was released by the Buccaneers in January after leaving the field mid-game, and has been getting into trouble ever since. He became the president of Kanye West’s Donda Sports. He broke up with singer Keyshia Cole on Instagram Live in May. It was revealed in October 2022 that Brown exposed himself to a woman in a Dubai hotel pool. In December, an arrest warrant was issued for Brown on a domestic battery charge.
NBA head coach Ime Udoka was canceled this year for cheating on the Black community’s sweetheart, Nia Long. News broke in September 2022 that Udoka was in an intimate relationship with a Celtics organization employee. Udoka has been suspended by the Boston Celtics for the entire 2022-2023 season.
In 2022 WNBA star Liz Cambage was accused of calling Nigerian national basketball team members “monkeys” and of telling them to go back to their country in 2021 while playing for the Australian Opals national team. Cambage announced in August that she will be stepping away from the WNBA.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas isn’t new to the hate train and this year he was not exempt. In June, Thomas voted to strike down Roe v. Wade. While Americans panicked, he also added that he intended to challenge same-sex marriage and contraception rulings. He also falsely claimed that the Covid-19 vaccine contained aborted fetus cells.
In July 2022, singer Macy Gray went on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored spewing transphobic rhetoric and saying that trans women are not women just because they may have gotten surgery.
Former professional football player Herschel Walker ran as a Republican for Georgia Senate throughout 2022, only to lose to Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock. While on the campaign trail Walker lied about several parts of his life from how many children he has, past jobs he’s held, and his level of education.
After two years of people lying, mocking, and humiliating Megan Thee Stallion who had accused Canadian rapper Tory Lanez of allegedly shooting her in both feet, Lanez was found guilty in December 2022. He is facing more than 20 years in prison and possible deportation.