10 people who sometimes speak before their brains have caught up with their mouths can end up hurting feelings, damaging reputations, or even sinking entire companies. Below we tally ten notorious examples of that very phenomenon.
10 People Who Missed the Mark
10 Keith Cochrane
Keith Cochrane, the former group chief executive of Stagecoach, must have felt on top of the world when he sat down for a Forbes Global interview in 2002. After all, Stagecoach was a prestigious name, and his career was soaring.
However, the very next day the tide turned. During that interview Cochrane allegedly labeled his U.S. customers as “riffraff,” a slur the customers found offensive. Cochrane denied ever uttering the word and even threatened legal action, but the magazine stood by its story and no lawsuit materialised.
In the wake of the controversy, U.S. Coach sales slipped and kept sliding. By July 2002 Cochrane stepped down from his post – though for reasons unrelated to the interview.
9 Andrew Mitchell
In 2012 senior British politician Andrew Mitchell, then the chief whip, tried to zip his bicycle through Downing Street’s gates. A police officer at the gate instructed him to dismount and walk the bike as per protocol.
Pressed for time, Mitchell bristled at the request, later being quoted by a national newspaper as saying, “Best you learn your f—king place— you don’t run this f—king government— you’re f—king plebs.”
The public’s outrage centred not on the profanity but on the word “pleb,” which many interpreted as class‑snobbery and disrespect toward a police officer.
Faced with three possible reactions—apology, a vague “in case I offended” disclaimer, or calling the officer a liar—Mitchell chose the latter.
He even sued the newspaper for libel, but CCTV footage later showed him berating the officer before finally dismounting and huffily passing through the gate. The police officer sued Mitchell for defamation, won, and Mitchell lost his case, ultimately resigning from the cabinet.
8 Gerald Ratner
Gerald Ratner had built a jewel‑selling empire worth over £1 billion, and executives flocked to learn his secret. He obliged at a 1991 Royal Albert Hall speech before 6,000 business leaders.
After covering the usual topics of quality and aspiration, Ratner tossed in a joke: “People ask, ‘How can you sell this for such a low price?’ I answer, ‘Because it’s total crap.’”
He followed with another quip about earrings costing less than a prawn sandwich, adding, “The sandwich will probably out‑last the earrings.”
The next morning, the press erupted. The Sunday Times christened him “Gerald Crapner.” Ratner tried to downplay the remarks, but his stock plunged by £500 million in days, and “Crapners” became a brand stigma.
He was forced to shutter hundreds of stores, cut 25,000 jobs, sell his shares for a pittance, and walk away with nothing as the company owed a billion pounds to the bank.
7 David Shepherd
In 2001 David Shepherd, a senior director at Topman, described the chain’s clientele as “hooligans,” later adding “beer‑swilling lads.” Topman operated 329 stores targeting single, affluent twentysomethings.
Explaining why the retailer didn’t stock a large suit line, Shepherd said, “Very few of our customers have to wear suits to work. They’ll be for his first interview or first court appearance.”
He claimed the remarks were made in jest, while the company’s chairman argued Shepherd was merely exaggerating to make a point—though the exact point remained unclear.
Shepherd kept his job, but Topman’s share price dipped and continued its decline. By January 2019, hundreds of stores closed, a trend that began long before his comment but never recovered fully.
6 Allen Roses
Allen Roses, worldwide vice‑president of genetics at GlaxoSmithKline, startled a London scientific meeting in 2003 by stating that “the vast majority of drugs—more than 90 percent—only work in 30 or 50 percent of the people.”
In other words, most medicines benefit fewer than half of those who take them—a fact well known inside pharma but shocking to the public. He added that fewer than half of patients prescribed the most expensive drugs actually derived any benefit.
His timing was unfortunate: the NHS had just announced a 50 percent rise in its drug bill to £7.2 billion, and GSK had been celebrating 20 new drugs projected to earn $1 billion each year.
Roses’ focus, however, was on identifying “responders”—people who would truly benefit from a specific medication—thereby reducing waste, saving money, and ultimately cutting sales for a company whose profit model relies on high‑volume drug sales.
5 Ivan Seidenberg
Ivan Seidenberg rose to become Verizon’s sole chief executive in 2002 after his co‑chief retired, steering the nation’s largest telecom.
In 2005 he quipped, “Why in the world would you think your (cell) phone would work in your house?” adding that customers now expect service in elevators and basements alike.
He also dismissed the public’s demand for coverage statistics, saying, “It’s not Verizon’s responsibility to correct the misconception by giving out statistics on how often Verizon’s service works.”
Seidenberg defended the steep fees charged when consumers cancelled contracts, arguing they were justified.
By 2007 he admitted underestimating the impact of new technologies, noting the “spectacular adjustment” needed to keep pace with consumer demand. He retired in 2011.
4 Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren, L’Oréal’s face in 2017, found herself speaking off‑script during a panel interview, declaring, “I’m not setting standards for others. All I can do is be who I am. I’ve always loved makeup.”
She went on, “I’m an eternal optimist. I know that when I put my moisturizer on, it probably does f—k all, but it just makes me feel better.”
The other panelists offered tight‑lipped smiles before moving on. L’Oréal didn’t directly address her comments, but praised her for “challenging perceptions of old age.”
3 Chip Wilson
Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon Athletica, caused a stir in 2013 when, on television, he blamed the pilling of the company’s yoga pants on customers being “too fat for them.”
That comment, delivered in an interview, offended many women and added to existing competitive pressures in the women’s sportswear market.
Following the backlash, Wilson resigned from the chairmanship. He later authored a memoir titled Little Black Stretchy Pants, featuring a cover photo of a butt and thighs in yoga pants with a pronounced thigh gap.
2 Mike Jeffries
Mike Jeffries, Abercrombie & Fitch’s CEO in 2006, gave a Salon interview stating he wanted only “good‑looking” people in his stores because they attracted other attractive shoppers.
He elaborated, saying he didn’t market to anyone else, and specifically excluded “uncool kids” and “fat women.”
Jeffries outlined a grand plan for global domination, refusing “girl‑cotting” high‑school feminists, “humorless Asians,” angry shareholders, “thong‑hating parents,” lawsuit‑happy minorities, nosy journalists, copycat competitors, and uptight moralists.
After the interview resurfaced on social media in 2013, the company issued an apology. Sales fell, and Jeffries stepped down in late 2014 amid declining revenues.
1 Russell Brand
In 2009, Russell Brand’s radio show featured Jonathan Ross as a guest. Brand called actor Andrew Sachs, who wasn’t home, leaving a voicemail.
The message began politely, praising Sachs’s work, then Ross shouted from the background, “He f—ked your granddaughter!” Brand promptly hung up.
Undeterred, Brand called back, apologised, claimed it was a joke, apologised again, asked for permission to marry the granddaughter, reassured Sachs he’d worn a condom, and then hung up.
They called a second time, and Brand, famed for surreal rhymes, spouted a quick song mentioning “consensual” and “menstrual” purely for the rhyme, then hung up.
A third call followed. The media, led by a newspaper feuding with Brand, framed the incident as offensive, prompting public complaints.
Both presenters were suspended from the BBC and fined heavily, despite Sachs later saying he wasn’t particularly bothered, and his granddaughter being fine with the whole affair.