The year 2020 is not just about the coronavirus global pandemic but also the numerous cancel culture victims who had nothing to do but face a significant internet backlash. 

If you've seen tha hashtags "(name) party is over" on social media platforms, it simply means that one public personality is being called out on the internet for something harmful that they have done or said. 

We've seen Twitter trends like this on Twitter and always wonder why this person being "canceled" in the first place?

What is "Cancel Culture" and How it Started?

When a majority of internet users said that they could cancel somebody, it merely means that they want a specific person to be held accountable for a thing they did and face the consequences for it. 

According to Social Justice and Community Studies professor El Jones, cancel culture allows people to have a collective voice to call out someone for their actions. It usually involves people in power like celebrities, politicians, influencers, and other public personalities who said or did something racist, homophobic, or sexist. 

The cancel culture eventually leads to blocking these personalities from having a public platform, career, employment, or at least having them apologize for what they said. 

The idea of a public backlash has been around for years now, but it was only recently labeled as "canceled culture," thanks to Twitter "wokes." In 2019 alone, many celebrities have become cancel culture victims, including R. Kelly, Kanye West, Scarlett Johansson, and Gina Rodriguez, Kevin Hart, and more. 

Cancel Culture Victims of 2020

Cole Sprouse

In May 2020, the hashtag #ColeSprousePartyIsOver became a trending topic on Twitter after the rumors sparked that the "Riverdale" star cheated from his on-and-off screen partner, Lili Reinhart. It was after the 28-year-old actor was spotted getting cozy with model Kaia Gerber while he and Reinhart are still in a relationship. 

But instead of playing the victim, Cole Sprouse took to Instagram to address anyone commenting about his love life. His now ex-girlfriend also came to through a now-deleted Twitter rant lecturing trolls about how destructive it is to be cyberbullies. 

Lea Michele

At the height of the "Black Lives Matter" movement, the Lea Michele faced a massive backlash after her "Glee" co-star Sammie Ware revealed the bullying she experienced at the hands of the Rachel Berry portrayer. 

Sammie accused Lea of making her first television gig a living hell and other "traumatic microaggression" move that lead the star to question her Hollywood career. Other "Glee" stars also came out to reveal experiencing racist comments from Lea. 

The fallout prompted the 33-year-old actress to pen a lengthy apology letter saying that she is taking responsibility for her past actions and vows to keep working to improve herself. 

Ellen DeGeneres

The famous Hollywood host is probably the ultimate cancel culture victim of 2020. It all started when staff from "The Ellen DeGeneres" show revealed how the 62-year-old host left their salary hanging when the show shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

It was followed by a series of claims of Ellen being the meanest person in the world and does not embody the "be kind" motto she promotes. The complaints were mainly raised by her former employees, who later accused her of tolerating a racist and toxic work culture on her show. 

Ellen's wife, Portia de Rossi, tried to counter-attack the cancel culture by promoting a hashtag #IStandByEllen, but to no avail. 

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