Famous (and Infamous) Firings

It's happened to Felicity Huffman, Tate Donovan, Michael Bloomberg and Howard Stern.

Canned. Let go. Downsized. Dismissed. Terminated. No matter how you put it, it all means the same thing: You've been fired.

So what? So has everyone. The average employee has a one-in-three chance of getting fired, according to Business Week. And guess what? It's not so bad -- it builds character, inspires you to do better and if nothing else, makes a good story to tell your friends.

In fact, getting fired and talking about it seems to be the new trend. Workers are no longer getting the boot and feeling bad about it. Now, they are sharing their stories with anyone who will listen. Annabelle Gurwitch, actress and author of "Fired!: Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized and Dismissed," discovered this fact when she was fired by her idol, Woody Allen.

"As it turned out, nothing bored my five-year-old son more than an account of being fired by a cultural icon; however, the response from others was quite different," Gurwitch says in her book. "Friends in the industry assured me that they too had been fired and proceeded to relate their stories. Their humor and insight and generosity consoled me. So I began collecting these tales of jobs gone bad."

Think your termination tale was awful? Read the following famous (and not-so-famous) firings from workers, job seekers and celebrity icons around the world. Some will make you laugh; others will inspire and motivate you to do better. After all, Gurwitch says, "It's not the bounce that counts, it's the bounce back."

Famous firee: Britney Spears

Fired from: The Firm, her former management company

Gist: After a tumultuous year, Spears hired The Firm, a talent management company, to help promote her new album. In September 2007 (one month later and during an intense custody battle with her ex-husband), the company suspended its services. In a statement to the media, the company said: "We have terminated our professional relationship with Britney Spears. We believe she is enormously talented, but current circumstances have prevented us from properly doing our job."

Famous firee: Isaiah Washington

Fired from: Television show,"Grey's Anatomy"

Gist: In 2006, Washington was accused of calling fellow actor T.R. Knight a "faggot" during an argument on the set of the show. He repeated the anti-gay slur at the 64^th annual Golden Globe Awards while denying the allegations during a backstage press conference saying, "No, I did not call T.R. a faggot. Never happened." ABC Studios didn't invite Washington back to the show because of the bad press generated for the show after the incident, as well as his behavior on and off the set.

Famous firee: Chef Robert Irvine

Fired from: The Food Network

Gist: Irvine, a celebrity chef, prepared difficult dishes on TV for four seasons on his series, "Dinner: Impossible." His contract with the Food Network was terminated after the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times revealed that Irvine had embellished and fabricated the more impressive parts of his résumé, including claiming to have cooked for the British royal family; catering to four U.S. presidents and helping to make Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake.

Famous firee: Marty Schottenheimer, San Diego Chargers ex-head coach

Fired from: San Diego Chargers

Gist: Schottenheimer was fired in 2007 by the team president, who cited a "dysfunctional situation" between the coach and general manager. Despite coming off a winning season, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Schottenheimer was fired after he tried to interview his brother for a vacant defensive coordinator position. The president said disagreements over future staffing played a role but it was "more the actual working relationship" that was an issue.

Famous firee: Janet Cooke, former journalist

Fired from: The Washington Post

Gist: Cooke became famous for a Pulitzer Prize-winning profile about an 8-year-old heroin addict named "Jimmy" she wrote about in 1980. Upon publication, the government demanded to know Jimmy's whereabouts so it could help him. Cooke claimed she couldn't reveal her sources for fear that drug dealers would endanger her life. Several people noticed numerous discrepancies in her story; further investigation revealed Cooke's false credentials. Two days after the prize had been awarded it was revealed that the story was fraudulent. Cooke was forced to resign and return the prize.

Famous firees: Four women in Hooksett, N.H.
Fired from: The Town Council of Hooksett

Gist: Four women were fired for gossiping and discussing rumors about an illicit relationship between the town administrator and another employee. After the administrator complained, the council fired the women, citing, "Gossip, whispering and an unfriendly environment are causing poor morale and interfering with the efficient performance of town business."

Famous firee: Don Imus, former radio announcer

Fired from: CBS Radio

Gist: During a discussion on his show, "Imus in the Morning," about the 2007 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, Imus referred to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "rough girls" and "nappy-headed hos." Imus accepted his fate when his show was canceled and apologized for his actions.

Famous firees: Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane, former TV newscasters

Fired from: KYW-TV, a CBS affiliate

Gist: Lane was fired from the station first after becoming the subject of several embarrassing news stories, including allegedly striking a police officer and sending bikini pictures of herself to a well-known sports anchor. Months later, Mendte was fired after admitting that he illegally hacked into Lane's e-mail accounts and read hundreds of personal e-mails during the same time period when information about Lane's personal life was leaked to the media.

Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.