10 Biggest Celebrity Marketing Comebacks of All Time

May 5th, 2009

Being famous won’t stick around forever, especially if you aren’t generating enough buzz to keep the public interested. These 10 celebrities were huge stars in the 1980s and 1990s but eventually fizzled out due to band breakups, sex scandals, pregnancies, drug problems, and career flops. But they’ve come back stronger than ever thanks to major marketing help from their films, TV shows and even the people they hang out with.

1. Gwyneth Paltrow: Gwyneth Paltrow was the queen of 90s period pieces, starring in Emma and even winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for Shakespeare in Love. She dated high profile actors like Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck, and continued to act in films like The Royal Tenenbaums and Shallow Hal. In 2003, Paltrow married Chris Martin of Coldplay, and while she acted in smaller budget films, she mostly retreated from public life to have two children, Apple and Moses. In 2008, Paltrow’s big blockbuster Iron Man officiated her comeback into the spotlight, and while she toured with the film, she wowed the public with her new penchant for super high heels and short dresses. Paltrow is still enjoying a higher profile persona, appearing in magazines, at special events, and even marketing her lifestyle website GOOP.
2. Victoria Beckham: Victoria Beckham was better known in the 1990s as Posh Spice, the sleek, fashionable member of The Spice Girls. The British girl band enjoyed huge popularity but ultimately fizzled by 2000. Beckham released a solo album, but her major comeback coincided with husband and mega soccer star David Beckham’s continous rise to fame. In Europe, "Posh and Becks" were super celebrities, and Victoria began to favor a more polished, upscale look that earned her praise from fashion editors and the tabloids in America, too. In 2007, the Beckhams moved to Los Angeles when David Beckham signed a contract with the LA Galaxy. In America, Victoria was often photographed socializing with best friend Katie Holmes, wife of Tom Cruise, and even styled Holmes’ photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar. Beckham also appeared on an episode of Ugly Betty, judged an episode of Project Runway, and joined a Spice Girls reunion tour in 2008.
3. Katie Holmes: Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, Katie Holmes was a cute Ohio-born TV actress on the controversial and extremely popular Dawson’s Creek. The showed continued long after its buzz faded, and Holmes appeared in a few worthwhile films like Pieces of April and Thank You for Smoking, as well as teen comedies. But in 2005, Katie Holmes began dating Tom Cruise, and that summer, the couple appeared at movie premieres and other red carpet events around the world, creating a media frenzy over the new relationship. Cruise famously jumped on Oprah Winfrey’s couch in excitement over Holmes, and in 2006, the couple had a baby, Suri Cruise and married later that year. Holmes is now photographed around the world and is often praised for her new sophisticated fashion choices and lifestyle, as well as for her more grown up acting career.
4. Rob Lowe: As one of the members of the Brat Pack in the 1980s, Rob Lowe was a pretty boy who starred in films like St. Elmo’s Fire and The Outsiders. But in 1988, his career was nearly ruined when during a sex-tape scandal involving an underage girl. Throughout the 1990s, Lowe continued to act, and appeared in films like Tommy Boy and Contact, but he made his comeback in the 2000s, thanks to his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing. Currently, Lowe stars in Brothers and Sisters with Sally Field and Calista Flockhart.
5. Nicole Richie: Nicole Richie is the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie and childhood friend of Paris Hilton. As a teenager, Richie struggled with drugs and ended up in rehab after a damaging episode of her reality show The Simple Life revealed her drug problems. In 2006, Richie was arrested for driving under the influence and spent 82 minutes in jail as a result of her conviction. During her legal problems, Richie publicly reconciled with her father on The Oprah Winfrey Show, reunited with best friend Paris Hilton, and became a new style icon after polishing up her image. After controversy and speculation over an eating disorder, Richie seems to have balanced out and has a baby girl, Harlow, with musician Joel Madden.
6. Drew Barrymore: Drew Barrymore’s wild child phases culminated in her going to rehab when she was just 13 and a suicide attempt at 14. A child star descended from Hollywood royalty–Barrymore’s great grandfather was Maurice Costello, her grandfather was John Barrymore, and her great uncle and aunt were Lionel and Ethel Barrymore– Drew was already famous by the time she was six years old. In the following years, Barrymore hung out at Studio 54, drinking alcohol when she was 11 and doing cocaine when she was 13. After rehab, Barrymore became emancipated and continued to work on successful projects, like Guncrazy, but posed and appeared nude in several magazines and films. In the late 1990s and 2000s, Barrymore seemed to calm down and started her own production company. She continues to act, direct and produce films like Charlie’s Angels, Music and Lyrics, 50 First Dates, and He’s Just Not That Into You.
7. Robert Downey, Jr.: In the 1980s and 90s, Robert Downey Jr. was an up-and-coming actor who won an Academy Award nomination for Chaplin. But as his success grew, Downey’s drug problem also became more serious. He was arrested numerous times over the next decade, and even had to leave his "comeback role" on Ally McBeal to go back to a drug treatment program. In the early 2000s, Downey became sober and enjoyed a steady increase in the roles he was offered. In 2008, his starring role in Iron Man officiated his new comeback.
8. Eddie Murphy: Eddie Murphy was a favorite on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s, and he followed the sketch comedy show with classic comedies like the Beverly Hills Cop series . During the 1990s, however, Murphy’s films flopped. After 2000, Murphy found his place among more successful projects like the Shrek films and his own creative comedies like Norbit. In 2006, Murphy starred in Dreamgirls, and received high critical praise and several awards, including a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award nomination.
9. Teri Hatcher: As Lois Lane on the TV show Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman, Teri Hatcher became a household name and a sex symbol during the 1990s. The show lasted four years, and Hatcher went on to star as Bond girl Paris Carver opposite Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies. But after the James Bond film, Hatcher appeared in more forgettable movies and was most visible on the Radio Shack commercials she appeared in with NFL player Howie Long. But in 2004, Hatcher made a huge comeback as Susan Mayer on the new ABC drama Desperate Housewives.
10. Paula Abdul: Paula Abdul is a former LA Laker girl whose rise to fame is credited for her choreography gigs for stars like Janet Jackson and even Tom Hanks in Big. But in 1988, Abdul released her own album, Forever Your Girl, which ultimately spent 10 weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. In the mid-to-late 1990s, however, Abdul struggled to maintain a popular presence in the music industry, and it wasn’t until 2002 that she was able to join the judging panel of American Idol and regain her role in the entertainment business.