10 Musicians Everyone Lost Respect For

Top 10 Musicians Everyone Lost Respect For

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at musicians whose personal reputations, if not careers, were completely unraveled by scandal.

#10: Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis always caused commotion as an early rock n’ roll rebel. Incidentally, the wild child went too far by settling down with Myra Gale Brown in 1957. The 22-year-old Lewis publicly lied about his third wife’s already-sketchy age of 15, when she was really 13. She was also his first cousin once removed! Just like that, Lewis publicly went from bad boy to total creep. The subsequent concert cancellations and boycotts devastated his popular appeal. He remained an active musician for the rest of his life, whose influential work is still celebrated. The man himself would never recover from his union with Brown, or its disillusion on grounds of infidelity and abuse. This wasn’t Lewis’s last scandalous marriage.

#9: Ryan Adams

Prolific singer-songwriter Ryan Adams has enjoyed great acclaim and clout in the music industry. Many fellow musicians counted on him in their own careers. In 2019, seven women told The New York Times that this came with strings attached. They claimed that Adams used promises of professional support to sexually and romantically coerce them. If they resisted, he would use social media to sully their public image. Adams initially denied these allegations, but later took responsibility for his history of abuse. Many didn't buy this formulaic apology and promise of growth. Some say the material he’s produced since has also suffered from a tone-deaf tone of self-pity. Whether Ryans is truly remorseful, that music industry clout has dried up.

#8: Ike Turner

In the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, Ike Turner was a visionary. He really got his big break by helping his wife Tina get hers. The couple revolutionized pop music, but no longer share the same esteem. After filing for divorce in 1976, Tina revealed that her marriage was plagued by physical and psychological abuse. Ike’s public image, as well as his finances, were further tarnished by substance use and legal issues. All of this was cemented in pop culture by the biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” The Turners both stated that the film embellished their dysfunctional relationship. Still, while Tina is immortalized as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the queenmaker’s legacy is overshadowed by cruelty.

#7: Tekashi 6ix9ine

Daniel Hernandez stands out from a generation of rappers who made their stage name on SoundCloud. Unfortunately, it's not so much because of Tekashi 6ix9ine’s work with big names in the industry. In 2015, he pled guilty to criminally sexualizing a minor in a music video. Over the next few years, he would be implicated in or admit to a number of violent offenses. He also softened racketeering and firearm convictions in 2018 by ratting on gang associates. Hernandez left prison two years later, but was labeled a snitch in his community and an overall scumbag in the mainstream. He dug himself even deeper with several high-profile feuds. Otherwise, 6ix9ine’s music is as low-profile as ever.

#6: CeeLo Green

In both hip-hop groups and solo soul, CeeLo Green was a titan of his industry. His reputation first started to bend in the early 2010s, over hostile responses to critics online. It broke after he was accused of sexual battery and charged with assaulting an intoxicated woman. Green maintained his innocence by posting that victims “remember” the experience. He made so many disturbingly ignorant comments that his account was temporarily shut down. A lackluster apology was insufficient to save one of music's most prolific stars. The scandal cost him gigs and nearly destroyed his career on the screen. Record sales have also suffered. CeeLo manages to stay busy, but now largely outside of public view.

#5: Ian Watkins

Fans were devastated when the Welsh rockers Lostprophets broke up in 2013. The reason why was the most devastating part. The previous year, lead singer Ian Watkins was arrested for possession of drugs and highly obscene materials. He eventually pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual activity with minors. Watkins’s abuses had been reported to police as early as 2008. The horrific scandal has even besmirched his bandmates' legacies. Lostprophets’ music and merchandise have been basically blacklisted from the public. Thankfully, most of its members have found success with the band No Devotion and other beloved projects. Watkins, meanwhile, is serving 29 years in prison for his heinous crimes.

#4: Marilyn Manson

Industrial metal pioneer Brian Warner made a career out of shocking the public as Marilyn Manson. His subversive brand would gradually be hidden from the mainstream over several high-profile murders committed by fans. He was a key subject and proponent of discourse following the Columbine High School massacre. In 2021, Manson finally lost his niche group of supporters. Multiple people, including ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, alleged years of abuse and sexual assault. Manson has not released new material or toured since. He’s been embroiled in legal battles with his accusers, which have raised concerning testimony against all parties. But with disturbing evidence suggesting that Manson’s horror isn’t just for show, few are still willing to defend him.

#3: Gary Glitter

Paul Gadd helped broaden glam rock’s pop appeal with the flamboyant anthems and live performances of Gary Glitter. He’d still be an icon of the genre if it weren’t for his shocking criminal history. In 1999, Gadd was convicted of possessing obscene content and registered as a sex offender. His career died on the spot. After prison, Gadd tried starting anew outside of England, only to be deported and banned from several countries for continuing to fraternize. A conviction in Vietnam resulted in deportation to his homeland, where he was convicted of multiple sex crimes in 2015. The Gary Glitter brand has now faded into obscurity, and all that’s left is a criminal rejected by the whole world.

#2: Kanye West

Even more astonishing than Kanye West’s renown was his downfall. He first lost mainstream credibility with baffling statements throughout the 2000s. This included poorly phrasing racial concerns after Hurricane Katrina, and hijacking an award acceptance speech by Taylor Swift. West then polarized the Black community by downplaying racism and aligning with right-wing politics through the 2010s. This culminated in a representation of white supremacist culture in the 2020s, especially antisemitic conspiracy theories. That dealt a destructive blow to West’s music career, business brand, and social media presence. Still, he always finds a platform for his outrageous views. Many link the rapper’s antics to mental illness or mere attention-seeking. But as West continues to dig himself into scandal, he can't even count on public pity.

#1: R. Kelly

The one-time “King of R&B” has gone from one of music’s biggest stars to one of its worst pariahs. R. Kelly’s glamorous image first cracked in 1994, when the 27-year-old briefly married underage singer Aaliyah. His indiscretions were further suggested throughout the 2000s by allegations and a hard-won legal battle. The public was completely divided until the subsequent decades ended their debate. Accusations of sex cults and horrendous abuse led to widespread boycotts before the hit docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” killed public sympathy. This inspired a series of trials, leading to convictions on racketeering, trafficking and other crimes. Kelly began his 31-year prison sentence in 2023. Though there’s no salvaging the musician’s once-celebrated art, his victims have finally received justice.

Which scandal changed your tune about an artist? Open up in the comments.