The Art Of The Cancellation Comeback

Earlier this month, Chrissy Teigen posted a series of photos of herself on Instagram wearing a Halloween costume nobody would describe as low-key: a flamboyant Carmen Miranda-inspired ensemble comprising a skirt with bananas dangling from it, and a basket of fruit perched perilously on her head. In one picture, she posed with an apparently homemade meatloaf, informing her 35.8 million followers that her cookbook ‘is 5 dollars cheaper on Amazon today!!!’

Looking at them, you’d never guess that as recently as five months ago, the model, entrepreneur and social media maestro had been cancelled. Back in May, her career appeared to lie in tatters after it emerged she’d used her Twitter account to troll TV personalities in the past, including encouraging one to kill herself. She was over. Dunzo. Or was she?

To recap, being cancelled is essentially a cultural boycott; a decision by fans that an individual has done something so heinous, they’re no longer worthy of attention. In recent years, it’s felt like virtually everybody, from Taylor Swift to JK Rowling, has been subject to this phenomenon, to a lesser or greater degree.

For some stars, like Teigen, the damage can seem irreparable; our fundamental perception of them has changed. Yet her comeback, while not complete, is in motion – and so far, it seems pretty successful. While clearly some people remain cancelled – Harvey Weinstein, now in jail, for one – short of outright criminality, most people have the ability to come back, believes PR expert Mark Borkowski.

Teigen’s recovery has been a masterclass in cancellation rehabilitation. The first step she took was apologising profusely, saying, ‘Not a single day, not a single moment has passed where I haven’t felt the crushing weight of regret for things I’ve said in the past.’ She was also careful to take time away from social media to reflect on her actions, and even now she’s back, she still refers to them in comments such as, ‘Cancel club is a fascinating thing and I have learned a whollllle lot.’

For Sara McCorquodale, founder of influencer intelligence platform CORQ, saying sorry, and in the right way, is crucial. ‘There has to be a very sincere apology, so their audience can entertain the idea that they’re only human and made a mistake,’ she says. ‘It’s also helpful to be transparent about what they’re doing to right whatever lead to their cancellation, so it’s not just a case of leaving social media for a few days and coming back expecting everything to be the same.’

The right apology can nip a backlash in the bud, as was the case when this year’s documentary Framing Britney Spears highlighted the role Justin Timberlake had played in demonising his former girlfriend. ‘I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,’ he wrote on Instagram, naming Spears and also Janet Jackson, who suffered a backlash after her nipple was exposed during her 2004 Superbowl performance with him.

By contrast, Kendall Jenner’slack of public apology in the six months after her appearance in that 2017 Pepsi advert – in which she resolved a protest by handing a police officer a can of the soft drink – allowed the scandal to spiral and linked her to it permanently.

Influencers are particularly prone to being cancelled, because what they’re selling often isn’t a talent or body of work, but their own lives – and if their audience discovers they aren’t who they portrayed themselves as, woe betide them. Jeffree Star, one of YouTube’s most subscribed beauty influencers, was at the centre of a storm last year after allegations of racism and predatory behaviour were made against him (which he denied), but has managed to carry on after making several apology videos. Sometimes, says Mark, rehabilitation is a case of ‘weathering the storm, because tomorrow there’ll be another story for everyone to pick over.’

Clemmie Hooper, the midwife-turned-mumfluencer, may be attempting a stealthier comeback after being cancelled in 2019 when it emerged that she’d been trolling other influencers under a fake name on the toxic gossip site TattleLife. Recently, she has been increasingly appearing on her husband’s @Father_Of_Daughters account (including a recent anniversary photo taken of the couple in the bath) and in an account dedicated to their house renovation.

Sara suspects a pivot may be in action. ‘I wonder if they’ve attracted a different audience with their renovation account, which is less au fait with what happened,’ she says. ‘They can still make money from it, but Clemmie is less directly in the firing line. It’s possible for her to re-emerge as a different type of influencer without necessarily putting her name to it.’ The pivot strategy worked for Logan Paul, the vlogger who sparked widespread criticism for posting a video showing the body of a Japanese suicide victim. He’s now making more money than ever after reinventing himself as a boxer.

Mel Gibson has a long history of alleged anti-Semitism, yet remains a major Hollywood player, while Johnny Depp’s career continues despite his status as a domestic abuser being proved in court. Mark points out that they have vast resources at their disposal, including teams of PRs, ‘and a loyal fan base built up over many years – that older audience is more forgiving than the younger one.’ It’s difficult to imagine women in the same position being allowed to carry on, however.

What’s clear is that cancel culture isn’t going away anytime soon – and the most important thing for cancelled celebrities to realise is that their predicament is usually their own fault. ‘People are usually cancelled because they’re out of touch with today’s culture and they say or do things without realising they’re a problem,’ says Sara. ‘If enough people who follow them are angry, it’s very hard to find a way back because ultimately, their success is entirely down to their audience.’

READ MORE: What Is Cancel Culture? And Who Has Been Cancelled Now?