News

24 Celebs We Forgot Were Arrested & Spent Time Behind Bars

NewsPublished Jan 4, 2019
By Samantha Sutton
Khloe Kardashiankhloekardashian/Instagram

Thanks to the invention of the Internet, the news cycle moves pretty fast nowadays, especially when it comes to somewhat trivial things, like celebrity news. That major breakup that broke our hearts just a few short months ago? Those stars have long moved on -- possibly even remarried -- and now, we can barely recall a time when they were actually together. (Save for Justin and Britney -- that one will stay with us '90s and '00s kids forever.) And what about that heavily promoted, over-hyped movie that ended bombing once it finally hit theaters? We promise, we've already forgotten all about it; there's simply too much to watch

While we're not exactly sure how we feel about our short-term attention spans, we're willing to bet that at least a few stars don't mind -- and they're likely the ones with criminal records. After all, Jersey Shore's Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, who is set to serve eight months in prison for tax evasion, isn't the only famous face that's been stuck behind bars. There's a long list of names that join him, and many of them are pretty surprising -- mostly because we've forgotten all about those dark and shady celebrity pasts.

It's a struggle to remember a time when A-list actors and actresses, or chart-topping singers were getting into fights -- driving under the influence, or getting involved with serious drugs. But the truth is, those events really did happen.

We're rounding up 24 stars and the crimes that sent them to jail (or prison) to jog our memories. From the looks of it, even the most successful people mess up from time to time!

1/24
Jamie Waylett-placeholder
Jamie Waylett
Warner Bros. Entertainment

Jamie Waylett

There's a reason Malfoy's sidekick Crabbe never made it into the last two Harry Potter films. In 2009, the actor who played him had been arrested for growing cannabis plants in his mother's home. He was ordered to do 120 hours of community service. Sadly, it didn't help him learn his lesson. In 2011, Jamie was involved in London's riots, and while he was reportedly seen holding a Molotov cocktail, it was the fact that he looted and drank stolen champagne that got him a two-year prison sentence.

2/24
Khloe Kardashian-placeholder
Khloe Kardashian
khloekardashian/Instagram

Khloe Kardashian

Khloe Kardashian may be a mom and businesswoman now, but in 2008, the reality star was arrested for a DUI. When she failed to complete her original sentence of community service and an alcohol education class, she was ordered to spend 30 days in jail. Fortunately for the Kardashian sister, the time was cut short due to overcrowding (she served just three long hours behind bars).

3/24
Tim Allen-placeholder
Tim Allen
ofctimallen/Twitter

Tim Allen

These days, he's going to infinity and beyond (we can't wait for Toy Story 4!), but back then, Tim Allen was going prison -- for two years and four months years. That's how long the Toy Story actor was locked up when, at 25, he brought 650 grams of cocaine to the airport, pleading guilty to drug trafficking.

4/24
Mark Wahlberg-placeholder
Mark Wahlberg
markwahlberg/Instagram

Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg might be a famous actor and father of four now, but when he was 16, he was arrested and charged with a felony after trying to steal beer and punch a man in the eye, hitting another in the head with a large stick. He also yelled racial slurs at them, as one of the men was Vietnamese. 

He received a two-year prison sentence, but he only ended up serving 45 days before being released.

5/24
Robert Downey Jr.-placeholder
Robert Downey Jr.
robertdowneyjr/Instagram

Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. battled addiction in the late '90s and early '00s, and his life took a turn for the worse when he was pulled over for speeding in 1996. Police found cocaine, heroin, and a pistol in his car (yikes). He was arrested for driving under the influence -- something that led to probation, jail time, probation violations, and even more drug charges. Overall, the actor served one year and three months in prison, two years on parole, and around three years on probation, but received a full and unconditional pardon in 2015 from California Gov. Jerry Brown.

6/24
Martha Stewart-placeholder
Martha Stewart
marthastewart48/Instagram

Martha Stewart

In 2004, Martha was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice when she lied to authorities and made false statements about the sale of some stocks. She famously served five months in a minimum-security prison and was under house arrest for another five months.

7/24
Jane Fonda-placeholder
Jane Fonda
janefonda/Instagram

Jane Fonda

In 1970, the actress -- who was on her way home from a head-turning, anti-Vietnam War speaking event -- was arrested at the airport and charged with smuggling drugs. It turns out that what Jane Fonda was actually carrying were vitamins, something she tried to tell police, who then told her "they were getting orders from the White House."

Recently, she has worn and sold her famous mugshot on merchandise.

8/24
Wesley Snipes-placeholder
Wesley Snipes
realwesleysnipes/Instagram

Wesley Snipes

After avoiding paying income taxes for nearly a decade (he was sending money to overseas accounts), the actor served a whopping three years in prison from February 2010 to April 2013.

9/24
Lauryn Hill-placeholder
Lauryn Hill
melodyehsani/Instagram

Lauryn Hill

In 2013, the singer was sentenced to three months in a minimum-security prison for tax evasion, after she failed to pay taxes on the more than $1.5 million she earned from 2005 to 2007. Following Lauryn's release, she was also meant to spend three more months in home confinement, but a judge allowed her to postpone that part of her sentence until the next year, allowing her to go on tour.

10/24
Kiefer Sutherland-placeholder
Kiefer Sutherland
kiefersutherland/Instagram

Kiefer Sutherland

The 24 star served 48 days behind bars in 2008 following a DUI and a probation violation. He timed his seven-week stay with a writers strike, so it didn't end up affecting the show at all.

11/24
Abby Lee Miller-placeholder
Abby Lee Miller
therealabbylee/Instagram

Abby Lee Miller

The Dance Moms star was charged with bankruptcy fraud in 2015, after she tried to hide $775,000 of income during Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. She hid the money away in secret accounts, and it led to her being sentenced to a year and a day in prison. Abby Lee Miller was released after eight months and transferred to a halfway house.

12/24
Lil' Kim-placeholder
Lil' Kim
Splash News

Lil' Kim

Following a shooting outside of a New York radio station, the rapper falsely testified in front of a grand jury and during a trial, saying that she didn't notice two of her friends were at the scene. Security video recordings proved Kim wrong, resulting in a prison sentence of a year and a day. She was released after nearly 10 months.

13/24
Ja Rule-placeholder
Ja Rule
ruleyorkcity/Instagram

Ja Rule

From 2011 to 2013, Ja Rule served nearly two years in prison for illegal gun possession, but wasn't exactly a free man when he was released. He still needed to serve two more months for tax evasion, which he was allowed to do from home.

14/24
Michelle Rodriguez-placeholder
Michelle Rodriguez
mrodofficial/Instagram

Michelle Rodriguez

In 2007, The Fast and the Furious star was ordered to do 30 days of community service for a DUI. But when she couldn't prove that she had completed them? She got a new sentence: 180 days in jail, this time for violating probation. The jail was overcrowded, so Michelle was released after serving just 18 days.

15/24
Paris Hilton-placeholder
Paris Hilton
Splash News

Paris Hilton

In September 2006, then-party-girl Paris was arrested on suspicion of DUI, and her legal trouble continued to spiral from there. After pleading guilty to reckless driving, she received three years of probation -- only to be caught speeding shortly after, with no headlights on and with a suspended license. That led to 45 days of jail time in June 2007, which led to her leaving early due to a medical condition (she planned to spend the rest of the time under house arrest), which led to a judge ordering her back behind bars where she stayed for the remainder of the month. 

The heiress has said she was glad for the whole ordeal, saying it completely changed her life.

16/24
Paul McCartney-placeholder
Paul McCartney
paulmccartney/Instagram

Paul McCartney

In January 1980, while embarking on an 11-date concert tour, Paul McCartney was caught with marijuana in his suitcase at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. Drug laws were strict at the time, and he faced up to seven years of hard labor. But because he was so well-known, the musician was released after nine nights.

17/24
Christian Slater-placeholder
Christian Slater
realchristianslater/Instagram

Christian Slater

The Mr. Robot star was sentenced to three months in prison in the late '90s, after he punched his then-girlfriend, bit a man, and attacked police while under the influence. (Wow.) Christian had previously been arrested for trying to bring a gun on a plane in 1994, and for drunk driving (where he led police on a car chase) in 1989.

18/24
Nicole Richie-placeholder
Nicole Richie
nicolerichie/Instagram

Nicole Richie

Nicole Richie's DUI sentence in 2007 included her spending four days in jail -- on top of a fine -- three years of probation, and enrolling in a alcohol education program. But due to overcrowding, her time behind bars only lasted 82 minutes! It was a good thing, though -- Nicole was five months pregnant at the time.

19/24
Justin Bieber-placeholder
Justin Bieber
justinbieber/Instagram

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber definitely went through a bad boy phase, but one of his more serious offenses involved him reportedly racing his car while under the influence -- with an expired license -- followed by resisting arrest. He spent the night in jail and later ended up striking a deal where he pleaded guilty to charges of careless driving and resisting arrest.

20/24
Will Smith-placeholder
Will Smith
willsmith/Instagram

Will Smith

Will Smith was once arrested and charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault, and criminal conspiracy after he supposedly ordered an attack on a record promoter -- leaving the man nearly blind. The actor later claimed that a friend was behind it all, and considering the chargers were dropped, that may just be the case.

21/24
Reese Witherspoon-placeholder
Reese Witherspoon
reesewitherspoon/Instagram

Reese Witherspoon

It was short, but Reese spent a night in jail in 2013, after her husband, Jim Toth, was pulled over under the suspicion of a DUI (he later pleaded guilty to that). The actress ended up disobeying instructions and yelling at the officer, leading to her being arrested for disorderly conduct. She later pleaded no contest and was ordered to pay a fine.

22/24
Jay-Z-placeholder
Jay-Z
beyonce/Instagram

Jay-Z

With all his success, it's hard to imagine that in 2001, Jay-Z actually stabbed a record producer at a club in NYC. He ended up getting three years probation for third-degree assault.

23/24
John Mayer-placeholder
John Mayer
johnmayer/Instagram

John Mayer

We might not have known about John Mayer's 2001 arrest -- which was for driving with a suspended license -- if he hadn't challenged TMZ's Harvey Levin to find his mugshot in 2009. Part of the deal was him donating $25K to charity, so John ended up giving $12,500 to Pet Orphans of Southern California, and another $12,500 to Ace of Hearts.

24/24
Bruno Mars-placeholder
Bruno Mars
brunomars/Instagram

Bruno Mars

In 2010, the singer was arrested after he was caught with 2.6 grams of cocaine in a hotel bathroom. He pleaded guilty, and the charge was erased from his criminal record in exchange for community service, a $2,000 fine, and drug counseling.

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