11 Celebrities Who Have Been Turned down in Their Career ...

By Lindsey

Celebrities are held on a pedestal for their talent, beauty, and fame, but did you know that there are a number of celebrities who have been turned down in their career? It wasn't always smooth sailing for these A-listers when they were trying to catch their big break. Their stories are inspiring and give hope to all of us that being told "no" isn't the end of the world. Check out this list of celebrities who have been turned down in their career:

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1

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley Among the long list of celebrities who have been turned down in their career is The King of Rock and Roll. After a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, Elvis was told that he should stick to his day job of truck driving. Good thing he didn't listen to that guy!

2

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg Spielberg was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film, and Television 3, count 'em, 3 times before he was eventually accepted to a different film school. He later dropped out of this school to pursue directing—needless to say things worked out in his favor.

3

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan Would you believe that arguably the greatest basketball player of all time was cut from his high school basketball team? This obviously didn't deter Jordan from continuing to work to achieve his goal and become the best in the game.

4

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford Indiana Jones himself was told by movie execs in his first ever film that he didn't have what it takes to be a star. After making several hit films, I think it's safe to say that Harrison proved them wrong.

5

Molly Sims

Molly Sims Sims dropped out of college to pursue modeling, but was told that she was "too chubby" (!) and had too much of a curvy figure from the shape she developed as a swimmer. Turns out her athletic figure is just what Sports Illustrated loved about her, as she was featured in the swimsuit edition for 6 years.

Famous Quotes

Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech.

Plutarch
6

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga Gaga hasn't always been given "applause"—the first label she was signed to dropped her after 3 months. Evidently, she took that rejection in her stride and now has a seriously huge fan base.

7

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington Before her big break on the hit show "Scandal", Ms Washington was replaced by another actress on two different pilots that she was initially chosen for.

8

J.K Rowling

J.K Rowling The highly successful author was once fired from her job at London Office of Amnesty for writing stories on her computer all day. Before she made it big with the Harry Potter series, Rowling was extremely impoverished, raising a child on her own while attending school.

9

Anna Wintour

Anna Wintour The Vogue editor was once fired for conducting photo shoots that were allegedly "too edgy". Her edgy vibe clearly paid off since the magazine maven is now one of the most successful and well-known women in the biz.

10

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs After the wild success of Apple, Jobs created the brand Macintosh. However, his employees thought he was too demanding and complained to his business partner, John Sculley, the head of Pepsi-Cola. After a power struggle emerged between Jobs and Sculley, Apple's board fired Jobs from his responsibilities as the head of Mac. Fired from his own job—how's that for irony? Jobs didn't let that defeat get him down and later returned to Apple to make it the greatest success it had ever been.

11

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin One of the most iconic actors in film was once told by Hollywood studio chiefs that his act was too nonsensical to be a hit. Chaplin proved them wrong with his unique comedic style.

I love hearing stories about celebrities who overcame rejection with a vengeance. Some of the greatest successes in history were once told they'd never make it, and I bet those people were later kicking themselves for saying so! These stories are great examples of how important it is to never give up. Have you ever had a bout of rejection that you overcame? Please share your success story below!
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Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

Katy Perry! Definitely when she was first coming out of Gospel music into Pop.

Yes! Katy Perry!

just goes to show not to listen to what people have to say about you.

Steve Jobs definitely is one of the most inspiring people because of this reason. As is JK Rowling

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