A Marvel star detained at DisneyLand. A young actor whose criminal record
began at age 9. These celebrities have had more than a few encounters with the law.
Paris Hilton has had her fair share of arrests for traffic violations. She
was stopped and breathalyzed in September 2006 and charged with a DUI. She was then
pulled over once more in February 2007 for driving with a suspended license.
Discussing Hilton's arrests, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer said.
"I think she just wanted to disregard everything
that was said and continued to drive no matter what."
Hilton eventually had to face the consequences of her actions. A few
days before she was about to serve jail time in 2007, she appeared at the MTV Movie Awards.
"I'm scared, but I'm being strong, and um, I'm ready to face my sentence,
and I hope that this can be an example to other young people and the decisions they make."
She served 23 days out of the 45 she had been sentenced, according to The Sun.
Just three years after her time in jail, Hilton was subject to a series of several
arrests for drug possession. In July 2010, She was detained in South Africa
at a FIFA World Cup game for suspected cannabis possession. A few weeks later,
she was arrested for marijuana possession again, this time in Corsica. Finally,
she was arrested in August 2010 for cocaine possession. CNN reported at the time that
Hilton admitted to having initially lied about the drugs, eventually confessing they were hers.
Most people are happy to see Lindsay Lohan making her long-awaited return
to the spotlight in a number of Netflix movies. However, it wasn't all that long ago that Lohan
brought sighs and groans from moviegoers and pop culture fans. After multiple arrests,
Lohan's Hollywood story seemingly devolved from success to sadness.
Her first DUI charge was in 2007. She's also been arrested for driving with a suspended license,
cocaine possession, stealing jewelry, and skipping court to attend a film festival,
according to E! Online. For the last crime, her attorney claimed,
"Her passport was stolen. She is doing everything in her power to
get a temporary passport and get home."
In 2016, Lohan faced charges on the East and the West Coasts simultaneously. She had three charges
in Los Angeles related to a car crash and one charge of third-degree assault in New York City.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lohan faced the court of public
opinion. Winfrey told the young actress she supported her on her journey to recovery.
"I believe that you believe that this is your time to turn this around for yourself. I believe that."
Whether it was Oprah's encouragement or not, Lohan seemed to clean up her act in
the mid-2010s. According to The Guardian, she moved to London to escape the ceaseless
public eye of American media and began a new stage in her entertainment career.
In 1994, the Los Angeles Times reported musician Courtney Love's
arrest for drug possession. A few days prior to the arrest, Love said:
"I accepted the fact I was a drug addict,
and I go to the meetings. [...] I am aware I am not above it. I realize drugs can floor me."
Love has faced the law for reckless endangerment and third-degree assault. The SFGate reported
that her rap sheet includes hitting people in the head and disturbing the peace. Love has stated:
"I'm a brand at this point. A jail brand [...] it's institutionalized and codified around me.
But it's not the worst thing in the world. I want to do a Christmas show at a California
women's prison, where all the chicks are hot drug mules. I think I'll do the Johnny Cash thing."
In 2004, Love hit a fan with a microphone stand. According to MTV,
Hole drummer Samantha Maloney, said:
"Nothing had happened. We're just trying to get this rectified,
because we have our show tonight. He's basically after our money."
The SFGate reported the charges were dropped after Love had to
pay a sum in restitution and agreed to stay out of trouble for 12 months.
Everyone's favorite Marvel hero, Robert Downey Jr.,
has had to face the reality of his actions in court due to drug abuse. When a court
ordered Downey Jr. to seek treatment in 1996, his former manager told People:
"Every day I look in the newspaper, and I think that I am going to read Robert's obituary."
At the 2019 D23 Expo, Downey Jr. brought up one of his charges while
discussing how similar his persona was to that of Marvel character Tony
Stark. The arrest happened while at Disneyland. The Iron Man star said,
"I've been sitting on that shame for a while and I'm just going to release it here tonight.
I would like to make amends to whoever had to detain me for smoking pot in a gondola."
Many attribute his recovery and sobriety to his wife, Susan. Director Guy Ritchie described their
relationship to Harper's Bazaar, saying, "It's a real yin and yang, and it's made
him a joy to work with. Robert would be a pain in the ass if he didn't have Susan to police him."
In an essay for the 2015 book Prison Ramen, former Even Stevens actor Shia LaBeouf shared
details about his experience in jail following a 2007 arrest. The former child star wrote:
"While I was there, I at least understood that being in jail is not the move. It sucks."
Despite his recognition of the experience, it hasn't stopped
LaBeouf from getting in trouble with the law again in the last two decades.
LaBeouf was first arrested in 1996 when he was just 9 years old for
stealing a pair of Nike shoes. He was in trouble multiple times for stealing,
an attempted stabbing of a neighbor, and driving under the influence. The Los Angeles
Times reported multiple incidents in which he was taken into custody for disorderly conduct.
"And I see six cops having their own party.
And uh, and uh, and uh — anyways they wind up taking me to the station."
LaBeouf's most recent run-in was in 2017 while in Georgia. According to Page Six,
the arresting officers shared how aggressive and vulgar LaBeouf was at the time of his arrest.
LaBeouf took to social media to express his regret and explain his behavior. In a tweet, he wrote:
"My outright disrespect for authority is problematic to say the least,
and completely destructive to say the worst. [...] I am actively taking steps
toward securing my sobriety and hope I can be forgiven for my mistakes."
The lifestyle of a rockstar is often synonymous with drugs, alcohol, fights,
and altercations with the law. So it's not a surprise to find out Mick Jagger has been
arrested more than once for drug possession and physical altercations with a photographer.
According to The Ultimate Classic Rock,
a timeline of the Rolling Stones arrests shows Jagger had been arrested with Keith
Richards and Marianne Faithfull on different occasions. According to Rolling Stone magazine,
after his arrest with Faithfull in 1969, Jagger arrived home and told the press:
"I'm going back to work now to make a record."
At the age of 24, he was arrested with Richards for possession of drugs. BBC News explained the
musicians had to show up in court to face the charges. Jagger was sentenced to three months,
but the charges were dropped after an appeal. In 1972, Jagger and Richards
were arrested right before a concert in Boston. According to The New York Times,
Mayor Kevin White showed up to tell the audience:
"I called and I got them out and they're on their way."
A$AP Rocky has had to face the law more than once for assault and firing a handgun. In 2019,
he faced charges for a fight that took place in Stockholm. The fight was recorded,
and videos were posted on social media that showed him assaulting someone. According to
a statement released to Fox News, the case prosecutor dismissed the claims of
self-defense and concluded that he had sufficient evidence to charge the rapper with assault.
Three years later, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested the musician when he
landed in Los Angeles International Airport. The rapper was accused of firing a handgun
in 2021 and fleeing the scene with two other individuals. The victim sustained
mild injuries. When discussing the case, the district attorney said,
"My office conducted a thorough review of the evidence in this
case and determined that the addition of a special firearm allegation was warranted."
As a result, the artist received a restraining order from the victim.
Martin Sheen has been arrested over 60 times for civil disobedience. CheatSheet went as
far as to call him "The Most Arrested Man in Hollywood." Unlike many other people on this list,
Sheen has been arrested for standing up for social causes, rather than charges involving
drugs or violent behavior. For example, CNN and the Associated Press reported cases in
which Sheen had been arrested for climate change and anti-nuclear weapons protests.
Sheen started protesting when he was just 14 years old. The West Wing actor told Fresh Dialogue:
"I learned how not to treat servants whether they're waiters or bus-boys
or cab drivers [...] and I organized a strike."
That 14-year-old boy grew up to participate in protests around the country. He's been
arrested alongside other world-renowned celebrity activists like Jane Fonda and Joaquin Phoenix .
Just like her Grace & Frankie co-star Martin Sheen, Jane Fonda has been arrested multiple times
for civil disobedience. The celebrated actress has been a part of protests since the 1960s,
and her causes span from anti-Vietnam War movements to climate change demonstrations.
She has never shied away from activism. Fonda wrote about her experience in jail in her book,
What Can I Do?: The Path from Climate Despair to Action:
"[I was] locked into a cell by myself with a female guard stationed outside all night
to protect me. I was more than aware that I was being treated differently
because I was white and famous. A cell to myself, juice when I wanted it, a guard."
"What was that like?" "Well I'm white and I'm famous
so it was very different for me than it would be if I was African American or Indigenous."
Before the pandemic, Fonda's red coat became a symbol of her protest and advocacy for climate
change during her Fire Drill Fridays. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor stated:
"I will be on the Capitol every Friday,
rain or shine, inspired and emboldened by the incredible movement our youth have created."
She stayed true to her word and was arrested multiple times on the capitol stairs with
different celebrities who joined her cause.
Shortly before his 2022 Super Bowl performance, The Hill reported that
Snoop Dogg was being sued for sexual assault and battery. The court documents reported,
"Plaintiff found herself thinking about her job security if she displeased Defendant
Snoop Dogg. Plaintiff felt pressured by Defendant Snoop Dogg due to his dominance,
and his position of power over her, including his ability to hire and fire her."
According to NBC News, the victim is requesting a jury trial.
It's no secret that Snoop Dogg has had a long list of charges against him. Back in 2012,
TMZ reported the rapper was arrested for possession of marijuana. Although he was
legally allowed to have cannabis on him in California, it didn't apply in Texas.
He was able to solve the issue by paying a fine. He had also been convicted in 1990
of felony drug possession and possession for sale of cocaine, according to The Age.
In 1993, the rapper was charged with first-degree murder alongside his
bodyguard for the shooting death of Philip Woldemariam. In 1996, his defense attorney
told the Los Angeles Times that the rapper had been acquitted of the charges by a jury.
In 2019, Dennis Rodman sat in a locker room in a tub full of cold
water and talked to Kevin Hart for Laugh Out Loud! Network about his
past arrests. Hart asked how many times he had been arrested, to which Rodman replied:
"I'd say over 100."
"Over a hundred godd--- times?" "Yeah."
"In jail." "I was having
too many parties in my house, and after seven years straight, it was like seven days a week."
Rodman's rap sheet includes a misdemeanor battery charge Rodman shared with his then-partner Carmen
Electra in 1999, multiple DUIs, and misdemeanor charges for domestic violence in 2008.
The basketball all-star was also charged with a hit-and-run in 2016 alongside other misdemeanor
crimes, according to NBC News. In 2018, Bleacher Report shared the news that the ex-NBA star had
also been arrested for driving under the influence in California. Three days later, the Associated
Press reported Rodman was going to rehab for the second time to deal with his alcoholism.
Even after attending rehab, there were charges brought against the athlete. NBC
News shared details of a charge for misdemeanor battery from May 2019,
but the charges were dropped in 2020, according to Bleacher Report.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).