Losing your job can be emotionally devastating, but you're not alone.
In fact, some of the most famous people in the world have been fired from their jobs.
That's right, not all celebrities were born with daddy's money or a silver spoon in their mouth. Some grew up in small rooms, worked 9 to 5 every day, and struggled to live paycheck to paycheck.
Some famous people who got fired didn't actually get their big break until later in life, and they probably wouldn't have become famous if they hadn't persevered.
Like these people, if you lose your job, you have plenty of options, so don't beat yourself up too much.
It's not the end of the world if you get fired.
Losing a job is not uncommon.
Layoffs have been on the rise over the past few years. dismissal of technicians In 2023 alone, there was a 59% increase compared to 2022. 46,000 layoffs within the technology industry in the first two months of 2024.
What really matters is how you react to it.
The best thing you can do after being fired is to update your resume. experience and skills. there are many free resume creation app It's easy to get started.
On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with starting fresh with new passions and goals. Not everyone becomes the person they originally intended to be. Just look at the famous people who have been fired below.
Did you know that Madonna was fired from her job at Dunkin Donuts after accidentally spraying jelly on a customer? Source: AFP
Celebrities who were fired from their first job
Robert Downey Jr.
Everyone knows Robert Downey Jr. as the man who played Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, in the successful Marvel movies that have spanned over a decade. He recently won an Academy Award and his first Oscar for his supporting role as Machiavellian political operative Louis Strauss in Oppenheimer.
He started out as a child actor in Pound (1970), written and directed by his father, Robert Downey Sr., but did not find success in his acting career until later in life.
In fact, the award-winning actor worked in the food and beverage industry and retail before he was laid off from his retail job.
“Well, I worked in a sandwich shop. I worked in a shoe store, but my hands were sticky and I got fired after two weeks,” he said. 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. “This is in front of closed-circuit cameras that monitor who's sitting…I wasn't very good at that.”
Lady Gaga is not only a famous singer, but also has serious acting talent. See her in Joker: Folie à Deux soon. Source: AFP
lady gaga
Stefani Germanotta, widely known as Lady Gaga, grew up learning piano by ear and writing lyrics on Mickey Mouse music paper. Currently, she has won the Grammy Award her 13th time, the Golden Globe Award her second time, and the MTV Video Music Award her 18th time.
She is also known as one of the most famous people to have been fired from a job despite being good at it.
Thanks to her 2008 smash hit “Just Dance,” she's become one of the biggest pop stars in the world. It's wild to imagine that just three years earlier, in 2005, she'd been dropped by her record label and was on the verge of giving up singing.
When Gaga turned 19, she was signed to Def Jam Records after working hard on music and honing her skills. However, to her dismay, they terminated her contract after three months, even though her first album was scheduled for release next year.
The reason for her contract termination remains a mystery, but there are rumors that the label decided to terminate her contract after hearing her unfinished demo. Maybe her music wasn't to their taste.
“I was pretty devastated. I know what it's like to be on a label when the label doesn't understand,” Gaga says. “It was one of the worst days of my life, but it happened very quickly. But when I look back on that period of my life, I think it all happened very slowly. ”
Elvis Presley
One of the most important cultural figures of the 20th century, Elvis Presley emerged as the King of Rock and Roll.
Before gracing the screens of theaters around the world, he actually worked in theaters as a teenager. While in Tennessee, Presley got his first job as an usher at the Loews State Movie Theater.
In 1952, Presley got into a stupid argument with a fellow usher, who reported to the manager that Presley was getting free candy from a girl in the concession stand. Frustrated, Presley punched his co-worker and was promptly fired from his job.
Thankfully, then-manager Arthur Groom reportedly sympathized with Presley. He graciously rehired the boy shortly thereafter.
Bears are probably more efficient at scooping out salmon guts. Source: AFP
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton has had an illustrious career, holding powerful positions including former first lady, former New York state senator, and 67th secretary of state. She was the first woman to receive the presidential nomination of a major U.S. political party and the first woman to win the popular vote in a U.S. presidential election.
So it may come as a shock to learn that she was fired from her first job in the fishing industry.
After graduating from Wellesley College, she traveled throughout Alaska doing odd jobs such as washing dishes to earn money. Eventually, she ended up scooping out salmon guts at an Alaskan fishery.
“They gave me a spoon and a boot and told me to gut the salmon,” she said.
She didn't last long in the role and was eventually fired for being too slow.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is best known as the host of the popular TV show “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” She is an Emmy Award-winning talk show host, media executive, Academy Award-nominated actress, and philanthropist.
Despite her stellar reputation, she was fired from her first television role—in fact, she's one of the most famous people to have been fired.
She previously worked as a news anchor at a Baltimore TV station, reporting the news to viewers. Unfortunately, the producers were not happy with her performance and said she was “not good for TV news.”
Still, she persisted and was convinced that appearing on TV was her calling. She then launched her “Oprah Winfrey Show,” which became a hit and made her a worldwide celebrity. first black female billionaire I can only imagine what Baltimore Station feels like right now.
Hugh Jackman was a talker, or someone who talked too much, or overshared, as the kids would say. Source: AFP
hugh jackman
Many are fans of this charming Australian actor, famous for roles ranging from Wolverine to PT Barnum, Leopold to Jean Valjean. He also performed in many theaters and captivated audiences with his singing talent.
As a teenager, he began working to earn some extra cash by delivering pamphlets and brochures to local homes, and in high school, he got a proper job working the counter at a local 7-Eleven.
According to his manager at the time, Hugh Jackman's customer skills were top notch: he was good-natured, friendly, and just a little too fun to talk. As a result, he was penalized for being too talkative.
“I talked to customers too much. That's probably true,” Jackman said. “She just wanted me to kick the customer out. I said, 'There's no one else and I just want to chat!'”
Steve Jobs
Who ever imagined being fired from their company? Because that's what happened to Steve Jobs.
He co-founded Apple in 1976, but was fired in 1985 after clashes with the company's board and CEO. Two of his products, the Lisa and the Macintosh, failed to meet sales expectations, and he handled the situation pretty badly.
The board also didn't like his confrontational management style and perceived interpersonal deficiencies, so he got the boot.
After being laid off, he founded NeXT, a computer company that manufactured high-end computers. Ironically, NeXT was sold to Apple in 1996 for his $429 million, and Jobs returned to the company he originally founded.
The rest is history: he became CEO of Apple, creating the iconic iPhone, iPad, and other “i” products.
Walt Disney didn't live to see Walt Disney World, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of millions of us. Credit: AFP
Walt Disney
Perhaps one of the best examples of a celebrity who was fired is Walt Disney himself.
Believe it or not, the Disney founder was fired from his first job as a newspaper reporter. reason? He “lacked creativity.”
After his first job, things took a turn for the worse for Disney. He tried to start his own artist business, but he could not gather enough customers and in just one month he quickly went bankrupt. His second business, his animation studio called Laugh-O-Grams, also did not do well and went bankrupt before the cartoon was officially released.
After facing rejections from multiple Hollywood studios, he eventually attracted the interest of comic book distributor Margaret J. Winkler. Unfortunately, he eventually learned that the distribution company and his girlfriend's husband were poaching talented employees, and he left the studio, determined never to sell the rights to his work again.
He then founded Disney Brothers Studio (now the Walt Disney Company) with his brother Roy in the early 1920s. There he developed the iconic Mickey Mouse, and the rest was history.
