Robert Downey Jr. – Drug Charges
According to Downy, he has been addicted to drugs since he was 8 years old, and he was arrested numerous times on drug charges, and went back and fourth to rehab.
Mark Wahlberg – Attempted Murder
In Wahlberg’s mid-teens he was charged with attempted murder when he assaulted two separate Vietnamese men. One he knocked unconscious with a wooden stick, and in the same day, he punched another in the face.
Mike Tyson – Rape
In 1991, Tyson was arrested for the rape of an 18-year-old girl, who said that Tyson pinned her down and raped her despite pleas for him to stop.
Mickey Rourke – Spousal Abuse
Mickey Rourke was an amateur boxer before he began his acting career, and in 1994 he was arrested for spousal abuse against his then-wife, Carrie Otis. The charges were later dropped.
Martha Stewart – Insider Trading
Stewart was convicted of insider trading back in 2004, and spent years making her comeback, finally being placed back on the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011.
Jay Z – Drug Dealer & Attempted Murder
Today, Jay-Z is worth about half a billion dollars, and although he’s never shied away from rapping about his early career as a drug dealer in New York City, he might be a little more embarrassed about the time he suspected record exec Lance Rivera of bootlegging his upcoming album Vol. 3, and handled the situation like any reasonable, mature, professional artist would: by stabbing Rivera in the stomach at a nightclub party in 1999. As Jay puts it, he “blacked out” in anger after a loud confrontation with Rivera, approaching him after the argument and burying a five inch blade in his midsection.
Hugh Grant – Soliciting Prostitutes
That charming schoolboy persona has done wonders for Hugh Grant in his career and in his personal life. It did not get him out of a $1,180 fine for having relations with a prostitute in a public place, however. The story landed Grant in an AIDS awareness program, and made for some bad press right around the release of his film Nine Months, but has since been largely forgotten by the media and the public. And who can blame us? Look at those boyish good looks and listen to that charming English accent. We can’t stay mad at Hugh Grant, can we?
Winona Ryder – Shoplifting
The Beetlejuice star was arrested in late 2001 when she was caught shoplifting around five and a half grand worth of designer clothes from a Saks Fifth Avenute location. Ryder agreed to pay two Civil Demands, reimbursing the store for the stolen goods. Some blamed the theft on drugs, while Ryder at one point said that she had been doing research for a movie role. No idea what movie that would be, we’re just reporting both sides of the story here, folks.
Lindsay Lohan – DWI, Cocaine Possession
If you want to keep track of every time Lindsay Lohan has gotten into trouble, you’re going to lose count. Here’s some good news, though: In May of 2015, a judge ended Lohan’s probation for theft (and probation violation), marking the first time since 2012 the actress has been probation-free. Lohan’s rap sheet includes driving under the influence of alcohol, cocaine possession, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, and driving with a suspended license, for which she has been sentenced to a host of rehab programs and, famously, an 84 minute jail-stint, wherein she was let out due to overcrowding.
Wesley Snipes – Tax Evasion
The action star never assaulted anyone or robbed a convenience store or anything, but he did spend some time in prison for income tax evasion and a count of conspiring to defraud the United States. Snipes has argued that the government only pursued his case in order to make an example of him due to his fame. Given that Snipes’ charges are usually met with steep fees, but no prison time, he may be on to something there. The actor served his sentence without incident (save a denial of an appeal hearing), and was released in 2013.
Dustin Diamond – Second-degree murder
Famous as Screech on Saved By The Bell, was charged with second-degree murder in 2015 after a man he stabbed during a barroom brawl died at a Wisconsin hospital.
Mel Gibson
Took a plea deal to avoid facing felony battery charges in 2011.
Johnny Lewis – Murder
Killed his 81-year-old landlady and her cat. He then fell or jumped from the roof and died. He’d previously struggled with substance abuse, but no drugs were found in his system at the time of death.
Courtney Love – Assault
Charged with felony assault in 2004 after attacking someone with a liquor bottle.
