Celebrity Meltdowns 2005

Tom Cruise: Crazy in Love?

It was the couch jump seen 'round the world. Tom Cruise's interview with Oprah Winfrey, broadcast on May 23, has become the stuff of showbiz legend -- but not necessarily the kind that further endeared Cruise to legions of his fans. Cruise, 43, became the butt of countless jokes when he spent the interview in a bizarre, hyperactive state while declaring his love for Katie Holmes. Cruise's manic antics during the interview included multiple instances of jumping on the couch, pumping his fist in the air and physically shaking Winfrey. He then forced Holmes from the backstage area to join him on stage, where the spectacle continued.

But it didn't end there. Over the next few weeks, Cruise went on a Scientology crusade, which included ranting against the use of psychiatric drugs in several interviews. During an 'Access Hollywood' interview, Cruise took aim at Brooke Shields and criticized her for taking medication to battle her post-partum depression. This led to a war of words between Shields and Cruise. He then went head-to-head with 'Today' host Matt Lauer, by arguing with Lauer about the same controversial subjects during their interview. At one point during the 'Today' interview, Cruise gave Lauer a piercing stare and lectured, 'You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do.'

Did Cruise's fanatical behavior hurt his career? His 2005 movie, 'War of the Worlds,' released at the height of Cruise's public freakout scandal, continued his blockbuster streak by grossing more than $588 million at the box office worldwide. But judging by all the public ridicule of Cruise, and the fact that within months of the scandal Cruise fired his sister as his publicist, it's clear that serious damage has been done. And the world may never look at him the same way again.

Dave Chappelle: I'm Missing in Action, Bitch!

A year ago, Chappelle was hailed as the hottest comedian in the business. He had signed a deal worth $50 million with Comedy Central to continue doing his wildly popular 'Chappelle's Show.' But this year, Chappelle became the poster child for flaky celebrities who don't show up for work. In May, shortly before the third season of 'Chappelle's Show' was set to debut, news leaked that Chappelle had been missing for several days and was quitting his show. Comedy Central tried damage control but it was too late. The network ended up admitting that 'Chappelle's Show' was on an indefinite hiatus.

Chappelle eventually surfaced in South Africa, where he gave an interview to Time magazine and insisted that his breakdown was due to stress, not drugs. After his 'spiritual retreat' in Africa, the comedian returned to the United States and began doing surprise stand-up shows at clubs in Ohio and California. Although Chappelle, 32, said he may return to his Comedy Central show, most people aren't exactly holding their breath. In order to milk its top cash cow some more, Comedy Central said it would premiere a quasi-new season of 'Chappelle's Show' in 2006 featuring sketches that the comedian taped before his freakout.

Did Chappelle's emotional breakdown hurt his career? Although the DVD release of 'Chappelle's Show's' second season was a huge hit, we don't see anyone rushing to hire Chappelle for any more multimillion-dollar jobs since his meltdown. The post-freakout Chappelle has gone back to his stand-up roots by performing at comedy clubs around the United States. As for his movie career, it's apparently hit a road block. Last year, Chappelle filmed a documentary-styled comedy/musical film with the working title 'Dave Chappelle's Block Party.' The movie was acquired this year by Rogue Pictures, but it's unknown when it will be released.

Russell Crowe: Phoning It In

The Bell phone company used to have a slogan called, 'Reach out and touch someone.' Russell Crowe might have taken on that saying a little too aggressively. On June 6, the Oscar-winning actor was arrested for assault and weapons possession in New York City for throwing a phone at Nestor Estrada, a Mercer Hotel employee. Crowe, 41, had been staying at the hotel, and reportedly freaked out at Estrada because Crowe couldn't reach his wife on the phone. During a heated argument with Estrada, Crowe ripped a phone out of the wall and threw the phone at Estrada. The phone struck Estrada in the face and caused wounds that needed stitches. The early-morning incident was reportedly caught on video.

Two days later, Crowe apologized on 'The Late Show With David Letterman,' with Crowe calling the incident 'possibly the most shameful situation that I've ever gotten myself in in my life, and I've done some pretty dumb things in my life.' Estrada filed a civil lawsuit against Crowe, which was settled in August. The terms of the settlement were kept confidential, but reports had the settlement figures ranging anywhere from $100,000 to $11 million. In November, Crowe pleaded guilty to third-degree assault. Because he had no prior criminal record, Crowe was fined $160 and put on conditional discharge that required he not be arrested within one year.

Did Crowe's violent explosion hurt his career? 'Cinderella Man' opened to weak box-office returns the weekend prior to Crowe's phone-throwing incident, and ultimately fell short of Universal's expectations. The movie reportedly cost $88 million to make and grossed just over $108 million at the worldwide box office. Crowe tried to poke fun at his legal troubles when he hosted the Australian Film Industry Awards on Nov. 26, but his jokes fell flat and the reviews of his hosting performance were universally brutal. Crowe's reputation for having a fiery temper has tainted his reputation before -- his tantrum at the 2002 British Academy Awards arguably cost him the Oscar that year. Although Crowe is nominated for a Golden Globe for 'Cinderealla Man,' it remains to be seen if he will be nominated for or win an Oscar for his performance in the film.

Kate Moss: 'Rolling' and 'Stoned' Gathers More Scandal for Moss

Celebrities doing drugs is about as shocking as Paris Hilton changing boyfriends. But rarely do celebrities' drug-taking escapades get caught on video and end up with the photos splashed all over the media. It happened to 31-year-old supermodel Kate Moss in September, when London's Daily Mirror published front-page photos of Moss allegedly snorting cocaine.

The coke-snorting pictures were reportedly taken in secret by cell phone while Moss was in a recording studio with her on-again, off-again musician boyfriend, Pete Doherty. Moss experienced an immediate backlash after the photos were published: Her lucrative contracts with Chanel, H&M and Burberry were either canceled or not renewed, costing her millions in income. Moss issued a public apology by saying she was taking responsibility for her behavior. Days after the scandal broke, she went into rehab.

No one can be sure if the scandal was purely coincidental to the fact that in July, Moss had won a libel lawsuit against the Daily Mirror's sister publication, the Sunday Mirror, for publishing a story that Moss had once slipped into a cocaine-induced coma. The financial damages awarded to Moss were not disclosed.

Did Moss' coke crash-and-burn hurt her career? Not really. She landed on the cover of several magazines and kept her contracts with other companies, including cosmetics company Rimmel, Coco Mademoiselle and Yves Saint Laurent's Opium fragrance. After getting out of rehab, Moss also did an ad campaign for designer Roberto Cavalli, and signed a spokesmodel deal with Virgin Mobile.

Danny Bonaduce: C'Mon Get Wacky

Some celebrities' most shameful moments of 2005 were captured on a few minutes of video. Former 'Partridge Family' star Danny Bonaduce had his meltdown documented on an entire reality show: VH1's 'Breaking Bonaduce.' The show premiered in September, and presented a disturbing look into his troubled marriage to his wife, Gretchen, and his ongoing battle with substance abuse, which landed him in rehab again.

During the course of the series, viewers saw Danny, 46, shoot up steroids, abuse alcohol, pick fights with the show's producers and camera crew, break a coffee mug over his head during a therapy session, and throw temper tantrums when his wife was around other men. Danny also slashed his wrist during an argument with Gretchen, but that freakout wasn't shown on TV. Danny later told the media that the wrist-slashing wasn't a suicide attempt but rather his way of getting his point across during the argument.

Throughout the show, Danny fluctuated between self-loathing and narcissism. In promos for the show, Danny boasted, "I'm stabbing needles in my arm, and that's just Tuesday!" He summed it up by saying, "I'm a car crash, and you have every right to slow down and watch." Even for a guy known for beating up a transvestite hooker (for which he was arrested in 1991), the train-wreck drama was getting out of control. Danny finally agreed to enter rehab, the TV cameras followed him there, and he continued to lash out at people around him until he calmed down and completed the program. When he returned home, he learned that Gretchen was uninterested in rekindling their love life. Critics blasted the show for being exploitative and nauseating to watch. However, ratings were solid, and 'Breaking Bonaduce' attracted a hardcore fan base of people who admired Danny for exposing himself in such a raw manner on TV.

After Danny got out of rehab in June, his career took a nosedive when he was fired from Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7 FM, where had worked since 1999. Three months after being fired, he filed a slander lawsuit against his former Star 98.7 cohost Jamie White for comments she made abut Danny on the air. The lawsuit alleges that White's defamatory comments included her saying that he had been intoxicated on the job and that he had once called his 11-year-old daughter, Isabella, a whore.