That logic applies to any embattled celebrity. RDJ and Mel's actions aren't defensible either, but they're famous, and people like their work. So as viewers, we combat the cognitive dissonance by leaning on the redemption angle and then silently agreeing not to talk about it after awhile.
Sure, Ezra isn't as beloved as either of those guys were prior to their controversies, but they're still very much a celebrity with a fanbase and creative output that audiences want to see.
Maybe, possibly, in general .
But here we're talking about a
specific celebrity in this case, one who's connected to a CBM that alot of CBM fans want to see.
I think alot of the defense of Miller in
fandom specifically, has much less to do with being fans of them, but more to do with the fact that alot of fans want to see the film regardless the validity of accusations against them.
I haven't even seen all that many fans argue that their innocent, or that they even like them as an actor or a person all that much.
Gibson was beloved and popular , which is alot of the reason he had fans and has been able to recover to an extent.
I'm not seeing that with Ezra, even from those in fandom who are defending them, which is what
I'm talking about.
I feel at has very little to do with Ezra themselves as far as fandom is concerned.
That's the big difference when comparing Gibson , who was beloved and very popular , and even Downey who had a much higher profile and was well respected.
RDJ had substance abuse issues , which , most people didn't consider heinous at the time, i.e. he wasn't reviled or hated for them.
He went to jail , but the public didn't hate him or revile him at all.
If anything, the thought was he would OD, but there wasn't this great level of ill will towards him.
People weren't against him, they were concerned for him.
Ezra isn't anywhere near the category of those two in terms of popularity and fondness, and neither of those two were accused of grooming children.
People tend to take the grooming of children much more seriously than substance abuse or offensive remarks .
So no, they really aren't the same.
As someone who's old enough to remember both scandals with the actors, they really aren't comparable.
If Ezra's only issues were substance abuse , mental health issues, and bigoted remarks, i'd agree with you alot more in drawing comparisons.
R. Kelly and Woody Allen are much closer to Ezra if we're talking about accusations and perceptions of them after allegations.
But even then, using them as a comparisons means acknowledging how their careers were hurt and haven't recovered since their allegations.
They still have fans to , but it's not like they've recovered or bounced back.
