vulture quiz

Quiz: Can You Tell These Very Similar Disgraced-Man Comeback Stories Apart?

By , a Vulture senior writer covering movies and pop culture
Guess who’s making a comeback? Photo: Getty Images

How long, if at all, should the men exposed by the #MeToo movement wait before attempting to reclaim their previous position atop the entertainment industry? To some, it’s a complicated question about redemption, forgiveness, and restitution. To others, the answer is clear: six months. Recent weeks have brought forth a number of stories exploring the idea of potential comebacks for these men, and while there are key differences between them — some play like publicist-planted trial balloons, while others maintain an ironic distance — a few tropes emerge. There are details of a life spent in sumptuous seclusion. (There’s lots of talk about the chic bistros that remain open to them.) There are promises of introspection and rehabilitation. And beneath it all, the nagging sense of “Am I still grounded?” These stories all read so similarly, in fact, that we suspect only the keenest of news readers will be able to tell them apart. So, that’s what we’re asking you to do.

Can You Match the Disgraced-Man Comeback Story to the Subject?

I'll give you selections from seven stories, you tell me the man they're about.

“These days, [a friend says REDACTED] has taken on his ultimate assignment: ‘He's one of the best interviewers in our lifetime, and he is now asking questions of himself.’"
“On Facebook, [REDACTED] assured his loyal fan base he's not finished yet. ‘When you fire a retired person, you're apt to irritate him,’ he wrote. ‘That's how I feel, anyway. Spring is coming. Plenty of good times yet to be had.’"
“I’ve paid a price and come to greater understanding — understanding I long to demonstrate and share. Is there room for redemption and rebirth, in our time of Google trails and hashtag headlines? I hope so.”
“[REDACTED] is said to be testing the waters for a public comeback by coming out of hiding from his Hamptons home. With his marriage … now over, he’s ready to restart his life, pals say.”
“[REDACTED] has already made some efforts to produce his most challenging film yet ... a documentary designed to pave the way for a comeback. So far, no one will touch it. A representative for [REDACTED] said a ‘long list’ of producers and others have reached out to him about how to best tell his side and story.”
“The consensus is that while his behavior was clearly wrong it was not at the level of a Harvey Weinstein, James Toback or Bill Cosby.”
“[REDACTED] is examining what he has called his blind spots and considering how life might look when he is not, as he told one person he consulted over the winter, ‘the lead singer.’ He told a colleague that he is simply trying to learn to be the wallpaper in the room and not the room itself.”

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Quiz: Can You Tell These Disgraced-Man Comebacks Apart?