Stuff happens in life that ruins your modus operandi. You get knocked down…or, perhaps, you just get tired. No matter which profession you choose, chances are, you can or will take a hiatus from it. The madames we’ve selected below have not just “taken a hiatus” from the entertainment profession, but they’ve made considerable comebacks. Review our list, after the jump…
Betty White
The Golden Girls sitcom in which Betty White starred had been such an enormous success, that we’d all assumed it would be her great enough claim to fame. Through the years, White had made guest appearances, and received 6 Emmy awards (plus 18 Emmy nominations). But, there was no comeback like her comeback on Saturday Night Live in May 2010, when she became the oldest person to guest host the show. What’s more, she now stars in the new sitcom Hot in Cleveland.
Wendy Williams
After getting fired from New York’s top hip-hop station Hot 97, we’d all assumed the self-proclaimed “Queen of All Media” had fallen from her throne. But, what a comeback she’s made. Madame Williams is now a New York Times best-selling author, a wife and a mother of a son she adores. She now hosts her own Fox talk show The Wendy Williams Show.
Mariah Carey
When she had an emotional breakdown over a decade ago, many assumed that Madame Carey had fallen off her diva stool. They were mistaken. According to Island Records, Carey has sold more than 175 million albums, singles and videos worldwide, and she bounced back this year from what critics had called a horror–er, horrendous–film, Glitter (2001): she convincingly played a social worker in the critically acclaimed Precious. She’s also re-married to Nick Cannon and with child, according to reports.
Vanessa Williams
Thanks to Madame Williams’ long and fruitful career, who ever thinks about the bare-bodied shots for which she posed eons ago in 1984? Williams, then a beauty pageant contestant, had felt pressured by Miss America Pageant officials to resign over the photos (which Hugh Hefner said were never even authorized), and did so in a press conference on July 23, 1984. Williams had stayed out the limelight for a while, but then made an amazing comeback as a singer, and a TV icon, who has starred in countless films and TV series…including Ugly Betty, where she played the most faaabulous villain.
Kim Kardashian
Like many of these youngins with no sense these days, the fabulous Kim Kardashian once made a sex tape with Ray-J that threatened to destroy her career. But, thanks to some PR work and media angel, Ryan Seacrest, Kardashian bounced back with a, err, relatively wholesome show with her family: Keeping Up With the Kardashians. She also makes mucho revenue by hosting club parties, promoting products, and producing TV shows. How’s that for a comeback?
Paula Abdul
Famous for being a singer herself in the ’80s & ’90s, we hadn’t heard from Madame Abdul in a long while. Next thing you know, 2002 comes around and Abdul is seen hosting the mega-famous talent show for singers, American Idol. Not only did she make a comeback appearance as one of three judges, she became an icon of the show.
Salt & Pepa
In the ’80s & ’90s, hits like “Let’s Talk About Sex” and “What a Man” respectively had made this duo famous. They rapped in a style of their own, and brought all the rambunctiousness of the times to their music videos. Then, they disappeared for a while. However, VH1 brought them back with their own show, The Salt-N-Pepa Show in 2007. This year, Salt produced a new show that focuses solely on Pepa. The show is called: Let’s Talk About Pep…a reality series on Pep’s and her friends’ dating struggles.
Naturi Naughton
You likely thought that the singing group “3LW” would be the last you’d hear of pretty girl Naturi Naughton, and if so, you thought wrong. After leaving 3LW and its in-fighting issues, Naughton landed a role on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray. She also landed a leading role as ‘Lil Kim’ in the big-screen movie Notorious.
Martha Stewart
In 2001, Stewart was named the third most powerful woman in America by Ladies Home Journal. Years later, she fell from grace and served five months in prison on stock-related charges. But, Madame Stewart launched a comeback, and returned her company to profitability in 2006. She continues to host her self-named show.
Omarosa
Can anyone even begin to deny the TV villain that is Madame Omarosa? Just when viewers had thought they’d seen the last of her in Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, she returned for several VH1 shows, and the Celebrity Apprentice! And if you thought her comeback ended there, get this: she currently stars in her very own TV One show called The Ultimate Merger! (She spoke to Madame Noire about it here)
