Name: 10 Celebrity Apologies That WORKED
Uploaded: 2026-02-18T17:03:55.000Z
Duration: 10 min 8 s
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What's a good thing to do and what's a bad thing?

Welcome to watchmojo and today we're looking at the most convincing ways famous people have said sorry and the lessons learned.

ZOE SALDANA In 2016, this Oscar winning actress starred in the biopic Nina, playing the titular role of the inimitable Nina Simone.

The purest of the her casting was widely panned as the Afro Latina actress darkened her skin with makeup and wore prosthetics to recreate the legendary musician's appearance.

The Backlash blues singer's estate disapproved of it and criticized Saldana.

What she is doing though, is reflecting a problem in Hollywood, which is that dark skinned people don't get roles even playing dark skinned people.

She initially stood her ground, comparing her role to Elizabeth Taylor playing Cleopatra.

However, she later apologized thoroughly, admitting that the part should have gone to a black woman.

The actress seemed genuinely regretful and was showered with support from fans.

I should have tried everything in my power to cast a black woman.

Rita Ora the British singer's hit single Girls peaked at number three on the US bubbling under Hot 100 chart, but

All summer we've been in the pool 68 Chevy with nothing to do, Rita intended to make what she called an empowering anthem with Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charli xcx.

However, the lyrics weren't received well by the queer community.

Hayley Kiyoko and Kehlani even called the track out for being harmful and insensitive in its portrayal of women loving women relationships.

In response, Rita confessed on X that she had romanced both men and women in her life and the lyrics were true to her lived experience.

She then apologized and her sincerity seemed to reach her fans.

David Letterman Back In October of 2009, the famous talk show host revealed on the Late show that someone was extorting him by threatening to expose his numerous dalliances.

I come to work early and I go out and I get into my car and in the backseat of my car is a package I don't recognize.

Letterman, who had married his long term partner Regina Lasko that year, owned up to having multiple affairs with his female staffers.

Would it be embarrassing if it were made public?

These relationships also raised questions about power imbalance in the workplace.

Letterman addressed the hurt he had caused on his show and apologized to his wife, though not without injecting some humor into his speech.

When something happens like that, if you hurt a person, then it's your responsibility.

And at that point, there's only two things that can happen.

Either you're going to make some progress and get it fixed, or you're going to fall short and perhaps not get it fixed.

He took accountability for his actions and seemed ready to make amends.

Considering that his marriage to Lasko is still going strong, his apology seems to have worked.

Kanye west no one could forget that Fateful Night in 2009 when the controversial rapper interrupted Taylor Swift at the VMAs.

She had just won Best Female Video and was giving her acceptance speech when Kanye came up on stage to claim Beyonce was more deserving of the award.

But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.

He was immediately hit with major backlash, prompting him to apologize twice on his blog and once on the Jay Leno show.

You know, my entire life I've only wanted to give and do something that I felt was right.

He then offered a personal apology to Taylor and she accepted it.

Unfortunately, his feud with Swift has only intensified since, and Swifties don't seem keen on forgiving ye anymore.

I want to say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame.

Besides, she's not the only one he's offended.

In recent years, his problematic personal and political views have earned him much vitriol.

Nikki Glaser In 2020, the comedian issued a public apology to Taylor Swift for disparaging comments she had made about her body in the past.

It came after Nikki heard her remarks being used in Taylor's Miss Americana documentary as a representation of the constant public scrutiny she was under.

I mean that that wasn't how my body was supposed to be.

Glaser wrote a lengthy post on Instagram explaining that she was projecting her insecurities onto the Grammy winner.

When she said those mean words and wanted Taylor to know she was sorry, her apology came across as sincere and the Shake it off singer commented saying she appreciated it.

Today, Nicki is one of the most highly sought after comedians in Hollywood who just hosted the 2026 Golden Globes.

It was really about reaching out to her because I know my words did hurt her.

Reese Witherspoon in 2013, the Legally Blonde actress shocked fans when she was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Her husband at the time, two, Tim Toth, was reportedly charged with driving under the influence.

It's one of those nights, you know, we went out to dinner in Atlanta and we had one too many glasses of wine.

Reese later revealed on Good Morning America that she panicked seeing her then husband get arrested and attempted to leverage her celebrity, even falsely claiming she was pregnant.

Without making excuses, she apologized for her and Toth's disrespectful behavior, admitting they had indeed consumed alcohol and were in the wrong.

I am so sorry I was so disrespectful to him.

Years later, on the I Weigh with Jameela Jameel podcast, she called her actions embarrassing, but

described her lapse in judgment as a human error.

James Gunn, the Superman writer and director, once landed himself in hot water after his past problematic tweets came back to haunt him.

The post trivialized sexual assault and were deeply offensive, which made Disney terminate their relationship with him.

Thus, he could no longer direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Following the controversy, Gunn humbly accepted the studio's decision and apologized for his tweets, explaining that his attempts at playing provocateur were misguided.

He expressed regret over his words and distanced himself from his past self.

I realize now I'm really talking about it, which I don't like.

The apology was convincing enough that Disney brought him back on board for GOTG3.

Christian Bale, the Dark Knight star, is well known for his intense dedication to acting.

So when an audio recording revealed the actor lashing out its cinematographer Shane Hurlbut for entering the Terminator Salvation set during a scene, that's what fans chalked his behavior up to.

However, Bale called his actions inexcusable.

He explained that he was half in character as John Connor when he had the, quote, incredibly embarrassing meltdown, and

complimented Hurlbut for his work on the film.

They want us to make cold, calculated decisions, but we are not machines.

Though the incident gave the actor a reputation for being difficult to work with, it, it hasn't negatively affected his career much, and

So admitting that he, quote, acted like a punk served him well.

This battle has been won, but the war against the machines rages on.

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10 Celebrity Apologies That WORKED

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