Robert De Niro is a name that even any casual movie fan knows. The actor has had a super successful career so far, with a few of his standout films including “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Cape Fear,” and many more. Even with an undeniable legacy of acting work, though, a star’s personality and personal life can completely mess things up if it ends up disappointing or angering fans.

In De Niro’s case, while the actor has built up a pretty impressive reputation after years in the spotlight, it’s arguably taken a dive since the 2010s. The memorable actor’s personal life has divided his once sizable audience and left some fans questioning whether to continue their support. So what exactly caused his reputation to tank so much? From relationship advice to business practices, there are a few major things that contributed to De Niro’s fall from grace. 

De Niro’s age-gap relationship drew criticism from fans

In the early 2020s, Robert De Niro became romantically involved with martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen. They met years earlier when Chen played a Tai Chi instructor in De Niro’s 2015 comedy film, “The Intern,” but it’s unclear exactly what led to the shift into romance. 

While the couple has seemed very happy, some people took issue with the relationship’s major age gap. De Niro is around 35 to 36 years older than his partner. When they first started dating, he was about 78 years old compared to Chen’s 42. At the 2024 Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel took a jab at De Niro’s relationship with Chen. He joked about how Jodie Foster was “young enough” to play De Niro’s daughter when she acted opposite him in “Taxi Driver” at the age of 12; in 2024, though, when Foster was in her early 60s, Kimmel said, “Now, she’s 20 years too old to be his girlfriend.” Foster, De Niro, and Chen all seemed to take the joke well, but it highlighted how much of a commonplace topic the age gap was.

For many fans, the age gap only really became an issue when De Niro welcomed his daughter Gia in early 2023, when De Niro was 79. Some fans on Reddit called the move “irresponsible” and “egotistical,” while another claimed, “Kid will probably grow up only remembering his father’s face from movies.”

De Niro shared a controversial take on parenting that people really didn’t like

Soon after Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen’s daughter, Gia, was born, the actor opened up about raising a baby again so many years after his last child was born. Unfortunately, in early 2025, De Niro admitted something about his parenting style in an interview that really rubbed fans the wrong way. 

De Niro sat down with The Guardian for a conversation about a variety of topics, including how he has parented his new daughter — or hasn’t. He said of raising a child, “It doesn’t get easier … I mean, I don’t do the heavy lifting. I’m there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important.”

As you might expect, fans were a little disappointed to hear De Niro openly admit that he doesn’t help that much with parenting compared to the woman in the relationship. People debated the situation on social media, with one person on Reddit joking, “Boy math is having endless kids and doing zero parenting.” Another called the situation “embarrassing.” Then again, a few fans appreciated De Niro’s upfront take, like someone who commented, “The honesty is cracking me up. I think it’s reasonable to guess his girlfriend knew what she was getting into in this situation.” 

De Niro has seven children, including Gia, and they have a massive age gap between them. The oldest is a daughter named Drena, who was born in 1967, more than 55 years before Gia was born. His second-youngest child is his daughter Helen, who turned 14 in December 2025. He also has a few grandchildren.

The actor’s production company was found liable for gender discrimination

Throughout his long career, Robert De Niro has mostly been able to stay out of any legal trouble. However, in 2019, a former employee of his production company, Canal Productions, named Graham Chase Robinsony, sued him and the company, alleging gender discrimination and retaliation. This came not long after De Niro and his company first sued her with accusations of inappropriate spending and stealing airline miles, among other things.

Robinson’s case went to trial in 2023, and De Niro testified. In the end, De Niro was not found personally liable, but his production company was. Canal Productions was ordered to pay Robinson $1.26 million. Robinson was also cleared of all accusations from De Niro’s lawsuit against her.

In her lawsuit, Robinson alleged that De Niro treated her, his executive assistant at the time, as his “office wife,” making her do stereotypically female-aligned tasks. Her lawyer claimed that this wouldn’t have happened if she were a man, according to Courthouse News Service. There were other related allegations as well, including a claim of wage difference from another employee because of her gender. These and other allegations from Robinson in the court case left a bad taste in fans’ mouths.

De Niro’s outspoken and intense political beliefs have divided fans and drawn backlash

Robert De Niro continued to act quite a bit despite his advancing age, even in his 80s, but he’s also dedicated plenty of time to speaking out about his political beliefs and criticizing Donald Trump. For some fans, this might be a green flag; to others, it made them lose respect for De Niro.

De Niro was very outspoken after Trump became the 45th president of the United States, but the actor got even louder when he became president again. During a February 2026 appearance on the podcast “The Best People With Nicole Wallace,” the Oscar winner declared, “The story is our country, and Trump is destroying it, and who knows what his reasons are, but it’s sick … We have to save the country.” He then called Trump the “enemy of this country.”

Many fans of De Niro support his views, but there has also been some backlash to his intense statements. In 2024, De Niro’s anti-Trump comments led the National Association of Broadcasters to rescind the Leadership Foundation’s Service to America Award, which it planned to give the actor. As for regular fans, one person claimed on Reddit that “his latest rants and antics just make him look like a complete fool” and said De Niro’s actions “shattered his legacy.” That’s hardly a great thing to hear for any actor. Other opinions have been split, with one person echoing many others when they wrote on Reddit, “I don’t understand why anyone cares what celebrities think,” while another pointed out that Trump is a celebrity himself.

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In the celebrity world, perfection is king. A dazzling, bright, white smile has become the standard for a flawless appearance, and more and more celebrities are falling victim to the pressure of getting porcelain or composite veneers. In short, porcelain veneers are thin shells or covers that are custom fit directly over one’s natural teeth after removing a thin layer of enamel. They closely resemble natural teeth, making them perfect for a natural-looking transformation. Composite veneers are slightly different: made using composite resin, these less-invasive teeth coverings sit on top of one’s natural teeth to reshape the smile to one’s desire. Composite veneers are perfect for superficial cracks or chips, while porcelain veneers are preferred to fully transform one’s smile.

Many celebs will nip and tuck themselves to death, all in the name of perfection. And it’s not just celebrities — even politicians go overboard with cosmetic procedures. While the results of cosmetic dentistry can beautifully elevate a smile, veneers can often look unnatural, fake, and just plain bad, with the worst cases exemplifying how dramatically veneers can change one’s appearance. Here are some examples of celebrities who ruined their smiles with veneers.

Miley Cyrus stole our hearts with her cute, gummy smile

Miley Cyrus first burst onto the Hollywood scene when she was just 13 years old as Disney’s Hannah Montana. At the time, the bubbly young actress was known for her gummy smile that perfectly embodied her innocence and youth. During filming, Cyrus used lingual braces — or braces fixed on the back of one’s teeth — to discreetly straighten her smile. While her teeth got straighter, Cyrus still maintained her prominent gums and minor teeth gaps into adulthood.

As Cyrus matured, so did her teeth. Over time, they appeared whiter, straighter, more uniform, and noticeably less gummy, but she still looked like the singer we grew up with. It wasn’t until 2023’s “Used to Be Young” music video that it became obvious that Cyrus was sporting porcelain veneers. Fans became fixated on her new look, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their concerns. “When did Miley Cyrus’ teeth change?” one user said, via The News. “Love her. Don’t like the new veneers….too big,” said another, via NewsBreak. Even dentists weighed in on what might’ve changed. “Miley has likely had gum contouring (crown lengthening) to improve her gummy smile and even out the gum line,” Dr. Raj Juneja of Face Teeth Smile Dental Clinic speculates (via Hello! Magazine). Cyrus herself has never confirmed or denied getting dental work, but the proof is in the pudding.

Sam Claflin’s teeth lost their charm

Sam Claflin is an English actor best known for playing Finnick Odair in the “The Hunger Games” franchise. Claflin’s unique smile became a part of his signature look, separating him from other heartthrobs his age: it was warm and inviting with pointed canines, giving him a bit of a cheeky edge. They were also slightly discolored and uneven, but they added to his charm.

Recently, though, Claflin’s teeth look completely different. Before, his smile exuded confidence and ease. Now, they’re far more rectangular and almost uncomfortably white. In a 2017 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Claflin spoke candidly about the pressure to conform to Hollywood standards of beauty and how hard he’s willing to work to do so. “I’m not saying it’s anywhere near as bad as what women go through but I, as an actor approaching each job, am insecure,” Claflin explained. “I get really worked up to the point where I spend hours and hours in the gym and not eating for weeks to achieve what I think they’re going for.” With all this pressure, it’s no wonder he decided to change his teeth. Claflin will always be handsome, but many fans are disappointed that he’s lost his vampire-like charm. “I knew something was off about him lately,” one fan captioned a before and after photo.

Rex Ryan’s huge chompers distract NFL fans

Former New York Jets football coach and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is known for more than just his coaching. Throughout his 30-year-long career, Ryan’s bold style and memorable press conferences have captivated both NFL fans and the media alike. It’s only natural that Ryan got flashy veneers to match his outspoken persona.

Before, Ryan’s teeth were distinctive but not extraordinary. They were slightly crooked and uneven in appearance, with minor discoloration and chips. Long-term tobacco use took a toll on Ryan’s dental health, leading to heavily stained teeth and the need for dental reconstruction. Moreover, Ryan was itching for a confidence boost, so he went ahead with getting the whitest veneers possible and underwent gastric band surgery to lose weight. However, his new smile caused a stir on social media, where many criticized the former coach for his mega-white, denture-like teeth. Ryan’s major weight loss only intensified how prominent the new teeth looked. “Dentures from Spirit Halloween?” one Reddit user jabbed. “Good God I need sunglasses for that,” wrote another. Most of all, people complained that his new pearly whites were just plain distracting. Thankfully, Ryan’s personality has not dimmed from the criticism, and he continues to flash his smile whenever he can.

Simon Cowell’s blindingly white teeth get him ridiculed

Simon Cowell is a producer, talent scout, and entrepreneur known for his polarizing personality and for signing One Direction, Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, and Cher Lloyd, among others. Throughout his career, Cowell has had quite a few dental treatments. The former “American Idol” judge’s natural teeth were stained from smoking up to 40 cigarettes a day, so he began with a simple whitening in 2007. In 2019, while he was judging “America’s Got Talent,” his teeth suddenly appeared quite a bit straighter, larger, and weirdly wider than his natural teeth. The new teeth were also extremely white, making them look very artificial. Dentists speculate that he might’ve undergone porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, and gum reconstruction for this shocking new look, while fans and media ridiculed the producer relentlessly online. Ultimately, though, it was reportedly after an incident where he lost a tooth to peanut brittle that Cowell decided to fix his smile again.

In 2020 and 2022, Cowell underwent several treatments to undo his dental disaster. This time, he told TMZ (via Long Evita Dental) he wanted his look to be “less Simpson-y and more streamlined,” with more natural-looking veneers. He redid 28 teeth total, costing him an estimated £91,420 or $112,000 USD. Thankfully, that time, the results were positively received.

Hilary Duff’s tooth fell out on her wedding day

Hillary Duff is early 2000s royalty, but not even icons are immune to dental disasters. The actor and singer has dealt with dental issues her entire life, but in 2007, after years of seeing Duff as “Lizzie McGuire,” something looked different. In a 2007 interview with the now-defunct Jane magazine, the interviewer asks if she’d had veneers done. “Yeah, on my two front teeth,” Duff confirmed per Lasry Dental Clinic. “I was really sick as a kid and constantly on antibiotics, so my teeth aren’t the strongest, and I kept chipping them on the microphone. One show, I literally spit half of my two front teeth out,” she explained. “When I got to L.A., I got veneers. But it’s like, why is it people’s business?”

Even though veneers are meant to last a decade, just three years later, Duff had another dental dilemma — this time on her wedding day! At about 11 a.m., a few hours before getting ready, her worst nightmare came true. “I burst into tears,” she explained on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” via People. “Then I started laughing at myself, and then I really burst into tears.” Luckily, a friend of a friend happened to be a dentist and was able to save the day. “The actual wedding was perfect,” Duff gushed. “Thank God I didn’t swallow [my tooth]. Not good for a bride on her wedding day.” That certainly could’ve soured the mood.

Millie Bobby Brown opted for a more mature look with veneers at 16

Millie Bobby Brown was just 12 years old when she was cast as Eleven on Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” At the time, her teeth were crooked but suited her, adding to her youthful appearance. She appeared to start Invisalign just a few short years later. In 2020, the then-16-year-old actor made headlines when she debuted a brand new set of straight, white teeth on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Though she didn’t directly address the change, fans noticed how different her smile looked. “It looks like she has had Invisalign, or some kind of straightening, as well as teeth whitening,” Dr Richard Marques of Devonshire Place Dental told the Daily Mail.

“It also looks as though she has had two porcelain veneers or composite bonding to improve the two lateral teeth (adjacent to the front teeth).” The new veneers definitely gave Brown a more mature look, but not without straying away from her original look.

Eva Marcille’s veneers left fans conflicted

It’s no secret that Eva Marcille has always been gorgeous. She rose to fame in 2004 when she won Cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model – where winners were allegedly not paid a penny – and went on to have a successful career in acting and entertainment. These days, she’s mainly known for starring in “Buried Alive and Survived” and for appearing on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” In early 2021, Marcille raised eyebrows when she uploaded a clip of herself looking very different on her Instagram. As she grinned for her selfies, fans couldn’t help but zoom into her new teeth.

Many felt that her teeth were already perfect before she changed them. “Please tell us the dentist so we NEVER GO THERE!” one disappointed user commented (via Atlanta Black Star). “You had PERFECT TEETH BEFORE! These teeth are too big for your face!” they continued. Another wrote: “You are entitled to do whatever you want, but why mess with perfection?”

The criticism worsened when Marcille posted again a few days later. “The fake teeth are so distracting,” a fan said via another Atlanta Black Star piece. A handful of fans commented their support, but the comments were overwhelmingly negative. Though it’s unclear exactly why Marcille underwent this dental transformation, in 2020, the reality star posted a short Instagram clip of herself seemingly getting a procedure done at the dentist’s office, perhaps hinting at what was to come.

Jojo Siwa’s teeth spent $50k on her new smile

JoJo Siwa spent an eye-watering amount of money on her new smile. At the GLAAD Media Awards in early 2024, the controversial singer and dancer was asked about the most expensive thing she was wearing. “My teeth,” she boasted after a moment (via BuzzFeed). “These motherf***ers cost me 50 grand!” she laughed, flashing her dazzling new smile to the camera.

The blinding transformation was done by celebrity dentist Dr. Kevin Sands, who creates a customized plan for each procedure. For Siwa, she planned veneers for both her top and bottom rows to correct misalignment, stains, or any misshapen teeth. “Even with all of her adult teeth, she had an immature smile with some staining, unevenness, chipping, and discoloration that we wanted to address to create a more mature, appropriate smile with facial harmony and symmetry,” Sands told Page Six. Siwa and Sands worked closely together to perfect each tooth’s color, shape, and size, and Siwa seemed very happy with her results. The dentist reportedly charges between $3,000 and $5,000 per tooth, depending on the required treatment, but he declined to share exactly how many teeth Siwa had replaced.

Steve Harvey’s teeth take on a life of their own

Comedian and television host Steve Harvey is often recognized by his comically large teeth. Along with his charismatic personality, Harvey’s smile has become a defining feature of his public persona, contributing to both his charm and quirkiness on screen. Though Harvey has never openly discussed the specifics of his dental work, many speculate that he may have undergone veneers and professional whitening treatments to achieve his unique look.

Nevertheless, Harvey’s teeth are now a source of comedy within themselves. In 2023, a tweet making fun of the comedian went mega-viral: an X user shared a photo of her stacked cheeseburger with two large onion slices packed in it. “Why they give me these big onion slices, my burger look like Steve Harvey,” the user captioned the photo, inspiring ridicule across the platform. Clearly, the burger reminded her of Harvey’s thick mustache and huge grin — and she wasn’t the only one who saw the resemblance. At the time of writing, the tweet garnered over 19.5 million views and more than 340,000 interactions. Harvey himself eventually responded to the hoopla, tweeting: “Stop sending me this $!,” alongside a screenshot of the original tweet.

While he’s not afraid to joke about them, Harvey refuses to give a straightforward answer about his teeth. In a 2020 episode of “Family Feud,” a contestant bravely asked if he was wearing dentures. “You just came on the Feud to talk about my ass,” he joked.

Katie Price’s veneers kept falling out

British model and TV personality Katie Price is perpetually under scrutiny for her changing appearance. Over the years, Price has undergone countless cosmetic procedures, leaving her virtually unrecognizable from her former self. In 1998, her teeth showed the first signs of change: her smile was suddenly less gummy, straighter, and with fewer gaps. Her new veneers were timeless and natural, but because of their 10-year lifespan, Price has had them redone several times since.

From 2017 onwards, Price’s veneers began looking more and more strange. Not only did they gradually become whiter, but their shape and length seemed to have changed as well, giving Price a very denture-like look. In 2019, she sought to fix her previous dental work, but things only got worse. Just weeks after getting a new set, Price was left “horrified” when several of her veneers fell out on vacation. “She literally spat them out!” a source told The Sun. “She’ll have to go back to Turkey after her Maldives holiday and get them sorted.” In 2023, Price shocked fans when her veneers fell out again — this time in front of an audience on TikTok live. As Price chatted, one of her teeth suddenly became loose. Without hesitation, Price pulled the loose tooth out and showed it to her dumbfounded fans. As of 2025, Price’s veneers continue to spark criticism for their exaggerated appearance, despite claims of not altering them further.

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Rumors have swirled that Oprah Winfrey’s weight loss transformation caused major physical issues with her feet, and the evidence is hard to ignore. In March 2026, the daytime talk show host attended Paris Fashion Week, and a video of Winfrey looking dramatically thinner than usual caused online chatter. Not only did people notice her weight loss, but they thought Winfrey had a specific side effect from Ozempic: They speculated that it had weakened her feet, making walking laborious. 

“She walks like she’s lost muscle along with body fat. Ozempic seems to cause premature aging,” one user on X wrote after seeing a video of Winfrey — who had previously spoken about her GLP-1 drug use but not disclosed her brand of choice — taking slow, short steps at PFW. “Oprah is also walking like she needs orthopedic surgery,” another observed. That was not an isolated incident, as the OWN Network CEO displayed similar frailty the same week in Paris when she attended Stella McCartney’s fashion show in an entirely different ensemble. “Oprah’s Ozempic induced Biden shuffle. What a f***ing mess,” one X user wrote alongside a video of Winfrey shambling over to her car. Many were convinced Winfrey suffered from Ozempic feet.

Gossip about Winfrey’s purported Ozempic feet had swirled a year earlier when she attended the NAACP Image Awards in February 2025. Shortly after, plastic surgeon Dr. Barry Weintraub described the condition to the Daily Mail, as images of Winfrey and also Sharon Osbourne’s feet had caused a stir. “The veiny and sagging skin the top and sides of the foot might be a result of the new lack of water retention due to a decreased BMI cause[d] by Ozempic,” Weintraub told the outlet after studying a photo of Osbourne.

Oprah Winfrey had other telltale signs of Ozempic use

At the 2025 Oscars, Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg teamed up to honor Quincy Jones, the producer for their Oscar-nominated 1985 film “The Color Purple.” Instead of focusing on the reunion of the pair, many viewers were shocked to see how much weight they had both shed. “Whoopie Goldberg and Opra[h] partner up for an Ozempic commercial at the Oscar’s,” an X account jokingly wrote alongside a video of their presentation. “This means don’t touch Ozempic,” another user added. One area of the body where the effects of GLP-1 use were obvious was Winfrey’s neck. 

On the heels of all the chatter surrounding her striking transformation, Nicki Swift compared photos from 2014 to 2024 and noticed that Winfrey had developed Ozempic neck. Not only was she skinnier in that area, but she had hollow areas surrounding her neck, as it appeared to protrude.

Despite many fans pointing out how the rapid weight loss helped create some unsightly physical changes, the talk show host was happy with how weight-loss medication had impacted her life. “One of the things that I realized the very first time I took a GLP-1 was that all these years I thought that thin people just had more willpower … then I realized the very first time I took the GLP-1 that, ‘Oh, they’re not even thinking about it,” she said on her eponymous “The Oprah Podcast” in January 2025. Winfrey had been vocal about her GLP-1 use since an interview with People in December 2023, where she said it helped maintain a steady weight. “I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” Winfrey told the outlet.

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