9 Celebs Whose Big Mouths Almost Killed Their Careers

Outspoken celebrities aren't hard to find in Hollywood, but there are certain stars that tend to find themselves in the headlines more often than others.

James Woods is the latest celeb to find himself in the middle of a media firestorm following a slew of anti-Obama tweets earlier this week.

After the 66-year-old actor and vocal conservative called the president a "true abomination" (among other things), Woods tweeted that he expects there will be consequences for his opinions.

"I don't expect to work again. I think Barack Obama is a threat to the integrity and future of the Republic. My country first," Woods replied to one of his followers.

Whether that's true for the "Ray Donovan" star or not remains to be seen. However, he's certainly not the first celebrity to receive backlash for his controversial remarks. Take a look at a few other stars whose big mouths have gotten them into trouble.

Sinéad O'Connor: She's made headlines recently for attempting to school Miley Cyrus on ladylike behavior, writing not one, or two, but FOUR open letters to the "We Can't Stop" pop star, but this is hardly the first time the Irish singer has taken a public stand. In fact, she's kind of an expert. In 1990, she canceled her very first "Saturday Night Live" appearance in protest over host Andrew Dice Clay's misogynistic monologue, but she outdid herself two years later, ripping a picture of Pope John Paul II in half at the end of her "SNL" performance of Bob Marley's "War," and yelling "Fight the real enemy!" in protest of the church's involvement in child abuse. O'Connor even rebuked her Grammy win in 1991, saying the awards "acknowledge mostly the commercial side of art." The singer has also claimed she's partially lesbian, once had a fistfight with Prince, and took to Twitter in 2012 to seek medical help, writing, "im really un-well...and in danger." Cyrus used those very tweets as a tongue-in-cheek (for once!) response to O'Connor's open letters, comparing the elder singer's breakdown to Amanda Bynes more recent mental troubles. And ... we've come full circle!

Isaiah Washington: The scandal started when the "Grey's Anatomy" star used a gay slur during an onset argument with Patrick Dempsey in reference to their fellow co-star, T.R. Knight, who came out after the altercation. However, when Washington used the term again in the press room backstage at the 2006 Golden Globes, he was sent packing from the show. "I lost everything," Washington told the Huffington Post in September 2012. "I couldn't afford to have an agent ... I couldn't afford to have a publicist ... I couldn't afford to continue."

John Lennon: When the singer made his "the Beatles are more popular than Jesus" comment, he almost sank those well-liked Liverpool lads. The year was 1966 and Lennon made the statement while discussing the decline of Christianity in an interview with the London Evening Standard. The backlash was immediate — some groups organized the public burning of Beatles albums and photos, and the Ku Klux Klan held its own event to torch albums nailed to wooden crosses. Soon after, the outspoken singer faced the press, issuing a semi-apology. "I'm not anti-God anti-Christ, or anti-religion. I wouldn't knock it. I didn't mean we were greater or better," he said, but noted, "I'm sorry I opened my mouth." The group disbanded in 1970, giving Lennon the freedom to become more vocal about religion and politics, and he often addressed both topics in his solo songs.

Jane Fonda (aka Hanoi Jane): A photo taken of the actress — who had been an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War — laughing and clapping with North Vietnamese soldiers in July of 1972 angered Americans. And some Americans — particularly vets and active military — still haven't forgiven her to this day. In a 2000 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Fonda said, "I will go to my grave regretting the photograph of me in an anti-aircraft carrier, which looks like I was trying to shoot at American planes. That had nothing to do with the context that photograph was taken in. But it hurt so many soldiers. It galvanized such hostility. It was the most horrible thing I could possibly have done. It was just thoughtless. I wasn't thinking."

Shia LaBeouf: In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2010, the actor, who was 23 at the time, said he and director Steven Spielberg "dropped the ball" on the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise, "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." That interview did not sit well with the director or Shia's co-star Harrison Ford, who later called LaBeouf "a f--cking idiot." Ouch. Two years later, Shia revealed that he "deeply regretted" making those comments and that Spielberg gave him a talking to: "He told me there's a time to be a human being and have an opinion, and there's a time to sell cars. It brought me freedom, but it also killed my spirits because this was a dude I looked up to like a sensei."

Patricia Heaton: The actress was well-liked for playing a TV mom on "Everybody Loves Raymond," so liberal Hollywood wasn't exactly receptive to her conservative political views when she decided to share them in 2012. After Rush Limbaugh branded law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" for testifying in favor of birth control, Heaton — who opposes abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, and the death penalty — criticized the college student in a series of sarcastic tweets, some of which Heaton ended up deleting. In a subsequent interview with Popeater, she said, "We know for a fact there are some people who have said they wouldn't want to work with us because of our politics. We get lumped in with lunatics."

Katherine Heigl: Once poised to take Jennifer Aniston's America's Sweetheart title, Heigl's career took a left turn after she seemingly criticized the very projects that had made her famous. In 2008, in "an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization" the then-"Grey's Anatomy" actress withdrew her name from Emmy consideration saying, "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination." She followed up that with a critique of Judd Apatow's comedy "Knocked Up," calling her hit film "a little sexist," explaining, "It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys."

The Dixie Chicks: Conservative country fans all but revolted in 2003 when the Dixie Chicks frontwoman, Natalie Maines, spoke out against the Iraq war, telling the audience during a performance in London, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." The group's music was banned from many country radio stations with accusations of anti-American sentiment, but the public struggle also inspired their comeback hit "Not Ready to Make Nice" in 2006, which went on to win three Grammy Awards.

Angus T. Jones: In a video interview with the religious website Forerunner Chronicles in 2012, the "Two and a Half Men" star urged viewers to stop watching his show, calling it "filth." Jones was 19 at the time. "People say it's just entertainment," he said. "Do some research on the effects of television and your brain, and I promise you, you'll have a decision to make when it comes to television, especially with what you watch on television. It's bad news." Jones later released a statement apologizing for his comments, but offered little explanation as to why he started ranting about the CBS sitcom in the first place. The actor did not return to the show for Season 11.