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Radar Online published an article on John Travolta on July 5, 2025. The article was titled “John Travolta Dead in Hollywood — Inside His Staggering Downfall as Latest Movie Flop Fights to Make a Measly $100" and hinted that the actor's career was allegedly going through a decline.
As the article began circulating online, the headline sparked an uproar among fans, many of whom called it "misleading" and "clickbait." The article was shared on Facebook, where fans said that it was all "lies."
However, it is important to note that John Travolta did not pass away. The Radar Online title, which was later reused by Newsbreak, hinted that the two-time Oscar-nominated actor’s career was going through an alleged decline.
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The outlet reported that Travolta’s latest film, High Rollers, which was released in March 2025, is “squarely in line to extend his streak of flops.”
“Industry insiders suggest that a toxic collaboration with an infamous producer may be at the heart of this decline, raising questions about the actor’s once-mighty career,” it added.
According to Radar Online, John’s collaboration with filmmaker Randall “Ives” Emmett has also impacted Travolta's alleged career downfall. It is worth noting that Emmett has directed and produced his last two films, including High Rollers and its prequel, Cash Out (April 2024).
“Emmett, currently embroiled in allegations of s*xual misconduct — accusations he denies — has a history of low-budget productions known as ‘geezer teasers,’” the article reads.
In a 2022 Los Angeles Times exposé, Ives was accused of s*xual harrasment, financial mismanagement, and cheating on his ex-fiancée Lala Kent.
Later, in 2023, Emmett was accused of racial discrimination and creating a hostile environment for his employees at his production company, Emmett/Furla Oasis Films. It was revealed in the Hulu documentary, The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump.
Exploring further John Travolta’s current career status
According to the Radar Online article, John Travolta was once “the king of the silver screen." The article added that the actor has now found himself “teetering perilously on the edge of obscurity, haunted by a series of cinematic disasters and personal tragedies.”
The publication cited that his most recent film, High Rollers, struggled at the box office and reportedly played in only three theaters across the UK and grossed “a mere $171.”
This comes after his 2023 crime thriller, Mob Land, and 2018 movie, Speed Kills, also failed to make profits. The latter went on to earn a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Radar Online claimed that Travolta’s association with Randall Emmett has allegedly worsened his career, even though they once had multi-million-dollar films together. In this context, an unnamed Disney executive exclusively told Mail Online that the actor was like "that sad guest who has overstayed his welcome at the party.'
"If Travolta had stopped after his Pulp Fiction comeback, he would have gone down in Hollywood history as one of the all-time greats. A legend who came back for one last hurrah. But now he’s like that sad guest who has overstayed his welcome at the party,” the supposed insider said.
Radar Online also reported that John Travolta’s alleged career setback happened amid personal losses, including the deaths of his son Jett and his wife Kelly Preston. The actor's 16-year-old son died from a seizure in 2009, while Preston died due to breast cancer in July 2020. Travolta's link to the Church of Scientology has purportedly impacted his career, as per the publication.
While Radar Online’s viral headline might have been misleading, its content was based on facts. Other media outlets like news.com.au, sheknows.com, and Mail Online have also reported on similar points.
The news.com.au published an article titled “Sad: John Travolta’s journey from Hollywood great to Hollywood has been.” It touched upon the personal crises and back-to-back box office failures of John Travolta’s movies, adding the 2018 film Gotti to the list.
“Rumors about Travolta’s personal life have also impacted his career, with it being revealed by Hollywood mogul Barry Diller that he refused to star in the box office hit 'American Gigolo' due to its ‘gay subtext.’ The film ultimately grossed 10 times its budget at the box office and was a big hit for eventual leading man Richard Gere,” news.com.au added.
John Travolta made a surprise appearance at the Hollywood Bowl on June 27, 2025, where a sing-along was happening for his 1978 blockbuster movie Grease. He commemorated the moment with an Instagram video post the following morning.
“Tonight at the Hollywood Bowl, for the first time, I surprised everyone at the ‘GREASE’ Sing-A-Long and dressed up as Danny Zuko. No one knew. Not even the cast. Thank you for a great evening,” he captioned his post.
Wearing all-leather attire, Travolta took to the stage, greeted the original cast members, and then turned to the audience with his famous dialogue from the movie. Grease director Randal Kleiser was also present.
When the musical rom-com was released nearly five decades ago, it had a budget of $6 million but earned a whopping $130 million, making it one of John Travolta’s first-ever box office successes.
