Introduction: cancel culture & celebrity bashing, exploring the theatre of morality?

Over the past decade, cancel culture and celebrity bashing have become prominent markers in public and academic discourse. They can lead to denoting public shaming or exclusion of individuals, brands, or organisations for perceived moral transgressions. Yet, these phenomena are far from stable or self-evident; they operate as contested moral and semiotic fields in which notions of guilt, accountability, and justice are constantly (re-)negotiated. This special issue approaches cancel culture as a 'theatre of morality', with contributions highlighting how cancel culture is a media-driven moral economy, emphasising the central role of media, audiences, and fandoms in shaping public understandings of wrongdoing, culpability, and redemption. Drawing on a broad variety of cases from across the world, and from corporate controversies to more private ones, the articles examine how cancellation circulates through affective, discursive, and symbolic practices. This helps reveal the potential to challenge hierarchies, power structures, and inequalities. By situating cancel culture and celebrity bashing within broader cultural, digital, and commercial contexts, this issue highlights their significance beyond popular culture, offering a critical framework for understanding the semiotic, moral, and structural dynamics of contemporary public accountability and mediated justice.