The short, definitive answer is no.
In the decades-long history of the landmark, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce—which administers the Walk of Fame alongside the City of Los Angeles—has maintained a strict, unyielding policy: once a star is embedded into the sidewalk, it is never removed. This foundational rule applies regardless of how controversial, disgraced, or legally culpable an individual honoree might become in their personal or public life.
The official policy: History versus erasure
To understand why figures whose reputations have been severely tainted or destroyed, such as Bill Cosby or Harvey Weinstein (though Weinstein does not have a star, other controversial figures do), remain permanently etched into the concrete, one must examine the official stance of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
When mounting public pressure or vandalism forces the issue into the headlines, representatives for the Chamber consistently issue statements clarifying the permanence of the monuments. The standard rationale rests on the concept that the Walk of Fame is treated as a historic cultural fabric. According to former and current leadership, the markers are viewed as a historical chronicle of a specific era in entertainment history. As the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce famously stated when pressed about controversial honorees: "Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk."
Subsequent leadership echoed this sentiment, explicitly noting that the organization views the landmark as a reflection of history rather than an endorsement of an individual's ongoing moral character or personal conduct. In short, the stars are designed to represent a snapshot of historical achievement in the entertainment industry at the time they were awarded, rather than a lifetime moral seal of approval.
High-Profile controversies and public backlash
Over the years, the presence of certain stars has sparked intense public outrage, leading to calls for removal, physical protests, and frequent vandalism.
Bill Cosby: Following multiple historical allegations and subsequent criminal convictions regarding sexual assault, public pressure mounted heavily against Bill Cosby’s television star. Vandals spray-painted words like "rapist" directly onto the brass-and-terrazzo marker. Despite widespread demands to rip the star out of the pavement, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce cleaned the vandalism and left the star firmly in place, adhering strictly to its non-removal policy.
Donald Trump: Before and after his election to the U.S. presidency, Donald Trump’s television star became a frequent lightning rod for political friction. The star has been defaced, smashed with pickaxes, spray-painted, and covered with protest art multiple times. While the West Hollywood City Council once passed a symbolic, non-binding resolution asking for its removal, local governing bodies and the Chamber noted that neither local councils nor the Chamber itself possess the legal framework or inclination to tear it up, as doing so would violate the historical integrity guidelines of the landmark.
Instead of removing these contested markers, authorities typically respond to vandalism by repairing the physical concrete or cleaning the surface, treating the damage as an act of municipal vandalism rather than a catalyst for policy change.
... The reluctance to pull a star from the pavement ultimately boils down to a profound philosophical stance held by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce: the Walk of Fame is viewed not as a moral honor roll or a personal character endorsement, but rather as an evolving, permanent map of entertainment history. When the concept was originally conceived in the late 1950s, the goal was to memorialize the names of individuals who made lasting contributions to the motion picture, television, radio, recording, and live theater industries.
Over the decades, public pressure has frequently reached a fever pitch, demanding the physical extraction or eradication of stars belonging to figures embroiled in severe legal scandals, ethical misconduct, or intense political polarization. High-profile petitions and municipal resolutions, such as the symbolic vote by the West Hollywood City Council urging the removal of Donald Trump’s star, have repeatedly clashed with the operational reality of the pavement. Because each star is legally integrated as part of the historic infrastructure and municipal sidewalk fabric of Los Angeles, city officials and the Chamber have consistently maintained that stripping an individual from the ground opens a slippery slope of retroactive censorship.
Instead of erasing history when public sentiment shifts, the administration treats these physical markers as permanent artifacts of a specific era. When stars are damaged through vandalism or regular wear and tear, maintenance crews repair or replace the terrazzo and brass blocks, but they do so to preserve the historical integrity of the walkway rather than to rewrite who is permitted a place in the cinematic timeline. Consequently, the Hollywood Walk of Fame remains an unfiltered snapshot of cultural history, flaws, controversies, and all.
Fallen stars: the dark history of Hollywood's Walk of Fame
This video provides an in-depth look at the controversies surrounding damaged and heavily scrutinized markers on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.