Be Aware of Your Audience at All Times

What is your audience? You might not know who is listening to you and who is going to become upset by the remarks and comments you make.

We are in a world where smartphones are used for nearly everything. You could have what you think is a private conversation and that conversation could easily be recorded and later used against you. This has happened many times to public figures who have had to pay the ultimate price.

Do You Remember Donald Sterling?

One of the first acts that NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver had to take was to ban Donald Sterling from the NBA for life. What caused such a severe punishment? Sterling, then owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, made extreme bigoted racial remarks to his girlfriend which were caught on tape by TMZ. It didn’t matter that his girlfriend is of minority descent, his comments cost him the team he owned.

Rosanne Barr Should Have Stayed off Twitter

Although Barr claimed her racial comments toward Valerie Jarrett, a former aide of President Barack Obama, was meant as a joke, she lost the show that bore her name. Even though the show was the top-rated sitcom in its new version, she was fired and the show was re-aired as “The Conners” and it continues to be a hit but not with Rosanne as the lead character.

Charlie Sheen Blew it Again

For many years, we have seen the rise and fall of Charlie Sheen in television shows and movies. While a talented actor, Sheen has had a tumultuous career. His time on the show Two and a Half Men came to an end after antisemitic comments were made about Chuck Lorre, creator of the show. This firing should have come as no surprise to anyone who has watched the career of Charlie Sheen.

Not as Harsh a Change for Megan Fox

Megan Fox compared Michael Bay, director of Transformers to “Hitler” which caused friction and, according to Steven Spielberg, got her fired. Even so, Fox and Bay worked again on another movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the movie, so there must not have been too many hard feelings about this particular comment.

Alec Baldwin Had His Own Rant

Even a person who seems to epitomize class and character in the entertainment world can have a slipup now and then. Alec Baldwin famously went on a homophobic rant about a New York Post photographer and MSNBC fired him from his series Up Late with Alec Baldwin. He does continue to appear on Saturday Night Live on NBC while playing President Donald Trump in the skits and he hosts an ABC show as well.

Longevity Didn’t Matter Much for Don Imus

For more than fifty years, Don Imus was a beloved talk radio host who was a fixture in the New York media market. He made a controversial comment about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team and was suddenly fired from some of the various jobs he had. This comment cost him many sponsorships and eventually led to his retirement from the industry. He did admit to regretting the comment and said that “I knew better” in a CBSNews interview.

Meyers Leonard Wasn’t Aware

Being aware of your audience is an extremely important thing when you are a public figure, even if you’re simply a role player on an NBA team. Meyers Leonard used an antisemitic comment during a live stream of a video game he was playing. He has subsequently been traded by the Heat to the Oklahoma City Thunder who have stated Leonard will not be reporting to the team.

John Galliano Should have Stayed Away from the Booze

Either he should have avoided drinking so he could keep his wits about him, or only done so in private. British fashion designer John Galliano lost his job as the head of Christian Dior in March 2011 after a video surfaced of a drunken antisemitic tirade that cost him his position. This was certainly one of the more drastic of firings on this list.

Know Your Audience and Understand What You’re Saying

Whether your comment is derogatory and meant as a joke or you’re going on a tirade because your inhibitions are lowered by substances, there’s a chance you could face negative consequences if you allow your guard to be down. Be aware of your surrounding and know your audience when you’re speaking, especially in a setting that doesn’t include close family members.