25 Celebrity Scandals That Will Leave You Speechless
Several celebrities have faced legal troubles, with some even experiencing arrests that garnered widespread attention, from DUIs to assault charges. However, there are also some arrests of famous people that you might not know about.
With a career spanning decades, Jane Fonda has been an iconic activist for several causes over the years. However, this same dedication also has made her spend some time behind bars, mostly for charges related to protesting.
In the 1970s, when she was one of the most vocal figures against the Vietnam war, she was first arrested at a Cleveland airport on suspicion of smuggling drugs and assaulting a customs officer. Since then, she has been arrested another four times, the latest being in 2019 while she was protesting against climate change.
Grammy-winner songwriter Fiona Apple is one of the most influential singers of the past decades, thanks to her deeply personal lyrics, unique voice and, of course, her rebellious spirit. So, it might not be surprising that she has some legal troubles.
In 2012, the iconic Apple was arrested in Texas, resulting in an equally iconic mugshot. Police arrested her in Sierra Blanca after finding hashish on her tour bus. Notably, Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg have also been arrested in Sierra Blanca, which is 30 miles from the Mexican border and home to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint.
Lindsay Lohan has faced multiple arrests. This specific mugshot is from her 2007 arrest for DUI and cocaine possession, for which she received a sentence of one day in jail and three years of probation.
Years later, she was sentenced to more jail time for violating her probation, though she only served 14 hours. In another incident, due to overcrowding, she was released after just four hours.
Michael Phelps is a living Olympics legend, being the only athlete to hold the all-time records for Olympic gold medals (23), Olympic gold medals in individual events (13), and Olympic medals in individual events (16). However, the former swimmer had a hard time back in 2014 (while he was momentarily retired).
He was arrested in Baltimore for DUI back in 2014. After pleading guilty (he's pictured here at the courthouse), Michael received a suspended sentence and probation. "I was in a really dark place," he said of his feelings after the arrest. "Not wanting to be alive any more."
From a young age, Ezra Miller has delivered some incredible performances in movies such as “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “We Need To Talk About Kevin” and, of course, as Flash in the DCEU, including “Justice League” and “The Flash.”
However, starting from 2022, Miller has faced accusations of assault, burglary, disorderly conduct, harassment, and grooming of minors. These allegations led to several highly publicized arrests, citations, and restraining orders.
Jonathan Mayors was set to become one of the biggest movie stars after appearing in films like The Harder They Fall (2021), Devotion (2022), and Creed III (2023), as well as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).
However, that prospect died when in March 2023, Majors got arrested for physically attacking his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Later that December, he was found guilty of two misdemeanor charges for assault and harassment.
For the Gen-Z and some young millennials, Winona Ryder is best known for her role in Netflix’s Stranger Things as Joyce Byers. However, this same age group would have also forgotten (or they don’t even know) that once upon a time the actress was arrested in 2001.
Winona was sentenced to probation and community service after shoplifting more than $5,000 worth of merchandise from a Beverly Hills outpost of Saks Fifth Avenue. At the time, it was one of the biggest scandals in Hollywood.
Alongside her sisters, Khloe Kardashian has become one of the most influential reality TV stars and businesswoman. And, if the family has been controversial, obviously there had to be some legal trouble in there.
Khloé was arrested in March 2007 for DUI and was later given a 30-day jail sentence for breaking the terms of her probation. However, she served less than three hours of her sentence because the jail was overcrowded.
In 1999, Matthew McConaughey found himself in a bit of legal trouble when his neighbors filed a noise complaint. When the police arrived, they discovered McConaughey naked and playing the bongo drums. He was arrested for marijuana possession and resisting arrest, though the drug charges were later dropped. Reflecting on the incident in 2016, McConaughey remarked, "What’s wrong with beating on your drums in your birthday suit? I have no regrets about the way I got there."
Matthew McConaughey's career, however, has been far more distinguished than this notorious episode might suggest. He transitioned from rom-com hero to dramatic lead, winning an Academy Award in 2013 for “Dallas Buyer Club” and has received an Emmy nomination for “True Detective.”
Gigi Hadid is one of the most famous models on Earth, having appeared in many, many fashion covers, as well as walking for some of the most prestigious brands. While she has avoided scandals during her career, she was surprisingly arrested in 2023.
Hadid was arrested in the Cayman Islands on charges of drug importation and possession of drug paraphernalia. Customs found a bit of marijuana and some smoking gear in her bags when she landed at the Owen Roberts International Airport. Even though they believed the weed was just for her own use, she still got charged with importation offenses. After that, she got processed, fined $1,000, and then let go.
Multiple Grammy-winner Bruno Mars was arrested back in 2010 in Las Vegas, after he was found with a bag of cocaine in a bathroom at the Hard Rock Hotel. However, the charges were later dismissed.
His mugshot, on the other hand, is kind of one of the most infamous from celebrities, as he smiled. When asked why he did that, he told GQ that he didn’t have an idea. “I was really intoxicated. I was really drunk,” Mars recalled to the outlet. “So a lot of that is a big blur, and I try every day to forget and keep pushing.”
Reese Witherspoon is best known for her iconic role of lawyer Elle Woods, so it’s hard to imagine a time in which she broke the law. However, she is also one of the celebrities that have been arrested.
In 2013, Reese and her husband Jim Toth were pulled over in Atlanta after Jim was seen driving in the wrong lane. While that’s not a major infraction, the actress lost her cool and started arguing with the cops so she was arrested for disorderly conduct.
John Mayer has built a solid career, winning a multiple Grammy Awards and has collaborated with numerous artists across various genres. However, the musician also has a bad boy reputation (especially when it comes to his relationships), and among his controversies, we can count some encounters with the law.
Just before he blew up with his debut album Room for Squares, John Mayer was arrested in May 2001 for driving with a suspended license. In 2009, John offered to donate $25,000 to charity if TMZ could turn up the mugshot. TMZ found it, as did the Smoking Gun, so John donated $12,500 each to two different animal charities.
Justin Bieber gained worldwide fame from a very young age, and, like many child stars, he suffered the consequences of it. In 2016, he was arrested in Miami Beach on Jan. 23, 2014, and charged with DUI, resisting arrest without violence, and an expired driver's license.
Seven years later, the singer reflected on his arrest, writing on Instagram: “Not proud of where I was at in my life. I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, misled, misunderstood and angry at god.. I also wore too much leather for someone in Miami. All this to say God has brought me a long way.”
World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Hope Solo is regarded as one of the top goalkeepers of all time. However, she has also been a controversial figure, on and off the pitch. However, maybe her worst scandal was her arrest in 2021.
The soccer star was charged with misdemeanor child abuse and resisting a public officer after she was found passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in North Carolina with her 2-year-old twins inside.
Heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, Paris Hilton is a prominent American socialite, television personality, and businesswoman. While she is known for her glamorous lifestyle, once upon a time, Paris was also one of the most rebellious socialités in town.
She has been arrested more than once: first, in 2006 for DUI; and in 2007, after she was pulled over and found to be driving on a suspended license. A judge famously sentenced her to 45 days in jail for violating her probation, but she stayed there less than a week and did the remainder of her sentence at home.
As one of the biggest businesswomen, TV personalities and hosts, Martha Stewart is certainly iconic. And it appears that Stewart only goes big because she has also been one of the celebs with some serious legal drama.
She was indicted for securities fraud in 2003 and sentenced to five months in jail in 2004. Reflecting on her time behind bars, Stewart told Cosmopolitan, "It was horrifying, and no one — no one — should have to go through that kind of indignity, really, except for murderers, and there are a few other categories. It’s a very, very awful thing."
Rhys Meyers is one of Ireland's best-known actors thanks to films that include "Bend It Like Beckham," "Match Point," "Mission: Impossible III" and "August Rush." However, he has also had some legal troubles over the years.
In 2007, he was arrested and faced two charges of public drunkenness and breach of the peace after not being allowed to board a flight to London. In 2020, he also was arrested due to DUI but cut a plea deal that allowed him to serve a one-year summary probation.
Actress Michelle Rodriguez is best known for her role of Letty Ortiz in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. As her character, she has also been behind bars in real life several times. Nothing so serious, but still.
She was first arrested for DUI in Hawaii in 2005, but this mugshot is from 2007, when she checked in to serve the sentence for violating her probation. Due to overcrowding, she served only 18 days of her 180-day sentence.
Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most beloved Hollywood actors. The star is hugely popular thanks to his role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as gaining critical acclaim for several performances.
However, once upon a time, the actor was synonymous with trouble. In the 1990s and 2000s, he was arrested several times for drug possession. He spent four months in the Los Angeles County jail in 1997, then served 15 months in state prison in Corcoran, California.
After appearing as a teen in movies such as “But I'm a Cheerleader” and “American Pie,” Natasha Lyonne had a couple of rough years. While in 2004 it was reported that she was “homeless,” a few years before she also broke the law.
Lyonne was arrested for DUI in 2001; she later struggled with addiction and was arrested again for harassing her neighbors. "I was definitely as good as dead," she once said about that period of her life.
In 1995, beloved rom-com actor Hugh Grant was arrested after being caught in a compromising position in his car with a prostitute named Divine Brown. Grant was placed on probation and fined, while Brown was sentenced to 180 days in jail.
Despite this scandal, which definitely tarnished the actor’s reputation, the British star was able to recover and even went on to redefine his career with more dramatic roles in films like "About a Boy" (2002). Now, the actor is well known for her character roles.
In 2010, Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford was arrested for marijuana possession. He negotiated a plea deal that would expunge the charge from his record if he completed community service and stayed out of trouble.
Thankfully, the actor’s career didn't suffer from the incident. More recently, he has garnered attention for his role as The Deep in the Amazon Prime series "The Boys" (2019-present), where his performance has been both praised and noted for its departure from his earlier, more wholesome characters.
Before she was famous, Nicki Minaj was arrested in 2003 for criminal possession of a weapon. And in case you were wondering — yes, this did happen around the time Nicki was working at Red Lobster. Shellfish can make you do crazy things.
Despite this early setback, Nicki Minaj's career has been nothing short of extraordinary. Rising to fame with her mixtapes in the late 2000s, she quickly established herself as a force in the music industry, while she has also ventured into acting, with roles in films like "The Other Woman" (2014) and "Barbershop: The Next Cut" (2016).
The actor is best known for portraying good boy Dean in the teen drama “Gilmore Girls,” as well as for his long run as Sam Winchester in the TV series Supernatural. However, not many people know that the actor spent a night in jail in 2019.
According to TMZ, the 37-year-old allegedly struck a bartender in the face while outside the Stereotype lounge in Austin. Padalecki then put his friend in a headlock when they tried to calm him down, the outlet reported. He was arrested on two counts of assault and one count of public intoxication.