7 Successful Black Entrepreneurs That Overcame Being Fired

Dust yourself off and try again!

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Oprah Winfrey  - Oprah Winfrey was fired from Baltimore's WJZ-TV as a news reporter for getting too emotionally invested in her stories. She then went on to becoming one of the most powerful women in the world. (Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage) 

Photo By Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

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Sean “Diddy” Combs  - Diddy was the best kind of fired. Diddy was dismissed from Uptown Records because his boss at the time, Andre Harrell, wanted him to spread his wings and learn from someone other than him. (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) 

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Bryshere Y. Gray  - “Yaz the Great” told The Breakfast Club that he was fired from Pizza Hut because he spent too much time focusing on rapping and writing at work as opposed to doing his job. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images) 

Photo By Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

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Michael Jordan - The equivalent to fired for any athlete, MJ didn’t make Emsley A. Laney High School varsity basketball team because he wasn't able to dunk at the age of 15. He then went on to become the most legendary basketball player in the world. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for MJCI)

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Nicki Minaj  - Despite considering herself a people person, Nicki Minaj was fired from Red Lobster for her inability to service customers. Look at her now, she’s one of the biggest female rap artists. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) 

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Wendy Williams - During her early start at Hot97, the now talk show host was linked to a rumor about Sean “Diddy” Combs that led to her demise at the station. Years later, The Wendy Williams Show was born. (Photo: Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images for Thurgood Marshall College Fund) 

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Kerry Washington  - Before her leading role on Scandal, the star was fired from two pilots because she didn’t fit the “hood” cast type. (Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)