12 Actors Who Screwed Up Their Big TV Chances By Getting Fired

4. Dana Plato - Diff'rent Strokes

Dana Plato had a rough career...and life. In 1978, she landed a supporting role on the NBC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, which soon became a hit. In 1984, she became pregnant by her then-boyfriend. Much like in the case of Lisa Bonet, the producers of Diff'rent Strokes felt that Plato's character being pregnant would not work in the wholesome family show they had created, and Plato was fired and her character written out, although she subsequently made several guest appearances during the final season after the show moved to ABC. Plato's subsequent struggles are well documented. She began abusing alcohol and drugs early in life. After Diff'rent Strokes, she found it difficult to land acting jobs and, desperate for exposure, posed for Playboy in 1989. This backfired and made it even more difficult for her to land acting jobs. Plato divorced her husband but lost custody of their son. She moved to Las Vegas where she struggled with poverty and unemployment. In 1991, she robbed a convenience store, for which she received five years probation. The clerk reportedly called 911 and told the operator, "I've just been robbed by the girl who played Kimberly on Diff'rent Strokes." In 1999, Plato appeared on an episode of The Howard Stern Show, where, despite Stern coming to Plato's defense, several callers insulted Plato and accused her of still being on drugs, which Plato denied. A few days after the interview, Plato committed suicide by taking an overdose of pain killers.