Robert Downey, Jr. built up his acting career in the 1980s, then went through multiple drug-related arrests. In the early 2000s, he started acting again.
Business Insider previously reported that Downey, Jr. featured in "Back to School and "The Pick-up Artist" in the 1980s. Multiple drug-related arrests, starting in the mid-90s, led him to lose his role in the TV series "Ally McBeal."
Downey, Jr. returned to screens in the early 2000s. Since then, he's played lead roles in films including "Iron Man" and "The Avengers." He appeared on Forbes' 2017 list of the world's highest-paid actors.
Football player Michael Vick was sent to prison after he was involved in a dog-fighting ring. He later rejoined the Philadelphia Eagles, and he was recently hired by Fox News.
Vick spent 21 months in prison after his involvement in a dog-fighting ring, Sports Illustrated reported. He rejoined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009, later joining the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Vick recently retired from professional football and was hired as an analyst for "Fox NFL Kickoff," according to Sports Illustrated.
Nicole Richie starred, along with Paris Hilton, in 'The Simple Life,' but her career hit pause after she was arrested on DUI and drug charges. In 2010, she won Glamour's "Entrepreneur of the Year" award.
Nicole Richie is the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie, as Business Insider previously reported.
After her fall from grace in 2006, when she was arrested for a DUI and drug charges, she launched her own jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960. Glamour dubbed her Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010.
Drew Barrymore made her acting debut as a kid, in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." By age 14, she'd landed in rehab for drug use. She started acting again in the mid-90s.
Barrymore is now a prominent actress and has founded her own production company, Flower Films.
As Business Insider previously reported, Barrymore's roles in films such as "Never Been Kissed" and "Charlie's Angels" helped her regain her footing in Hollywood. In 2009, Barrymore directed her first full-length feature film, "Whip It."
Martha Stewart was sentenced to jail in 2004; two years later, Fortune named her one of the 50 most powerful women in business.
According to CNN, in 2001, Martha Stewart had a popular TV show and a lifestyle magazine. In 2002, she came under investigation by the Justice Department and the SEC for her sale of shares of ImClone Systems right before the price of ImClone decreased.
Stewart was indicted on nine charges and found guilty and was sentenced to five months in prison, five months home confinement, and two years' probation. After she was released from prison, her talk show "Martha," and "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" began.
In 2006, Fortune named her one of the 50 most powerful women in business.
Bill Clinton was nearly impeached as US president; then he became more popular than ever.
President Clinton's relationship with then-21-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky almost led to his impeachment in 1998.
Yet as The Washington Post reported, Clinton went on to redeem himself in the public eye: He gave a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2012 and a New York Times/CBS News poll taken that year found that he was more popular than at any time during his presidency.
Still, it's worth noting that, as Business Insider's Eliza Relman reported, multiple women have accused Clinton of sexual harassment or assault. And recently, liberal commentators have argued that those allegations warranted more attention from Democrats.
Britney Spears had a public breakdown years before Forbes named her the sixth-highest-earning female musician.
Business Insider previously published a timeline of Spears' highs and lows.
In 2007, a judge found that she engaged in "habitual, frequent, and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol," and Spears temporarily lost custody of her children. Then, in 2008, Spears was admitted for psychiatric treatment.
After keeping a low profile, Spears won back visitation rights to her kids, then released "Womanizer," which soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Since then, she's started her own lingerie line and been named the sixth-highest-earning female musician by Forbes.