Celebdom is not all glitz and glamour! Being a celebrity comes with a huge sense of privilege and influence, with millions of young fans following their path. To quote Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,’ but many celebs have miserably failed to be a better role model and ended up in the wrong side of the law.
While we await the release of Sanjay Dutt’s biopic Sanju, let’s look at some of the popular celebrities who have spent time behind the bars:
Mark Wahlberg
The Ted star was charged with attempted murder and convicted of assault and spent 45 days in prison when he was just 16 years old.
In 1988, Mark attacked two Vietnamese-American men, knocking one unconscious with a 5-ft.-long stick and punching another. Wahlberg however reconciled with his victim since then and has credited his time in prison for helping turn his life around.
Robert Downey Jr
Before he suited up as Iron Man in Marvel Universe in 2008, Robert Downey, Jr. had a tumultuous past, including multiple stints in prison for drug possession between 1996 and 2001.
After a series of arrests for drug use, substance abuse, and trespassing, the Sherlock star was sentenced to three years in a substance abuse facility/prison in California run by the state for failing to appear on a court-ordered drug test in 1999.
He was released after serving for 12 months, but his drug problems continued. The actor claims to be drug-free since 2003 and credits his current wife, Susan Levin for cleaning up his act.
Martha Stewart
Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart, who became a household name in America thanks to her innovating SUI, and cookbooks, had her brush with the wrong side of the law.
At the age of 63, Martha was convicted of insider trading, as she sold ImClone stock in December 2001, just before the stock price plunged. In 2004, she served five months at the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia.
Talking about her experience behind bars, Martha famously said in 2016, ‘When you live through something like Orange Is the New Black … the real characters are better.’
Paris Hilton
The heiress was handed a 45-day jail sentence for violating her probation following a DUI arrest in 2007. Despite some back and forth time between jail and home, the reality star has served a total of 23 days in prison.
Paris, however, vowed to learn from her past as she admitted in a 2017 interview, ‘Just being away from everything…you know, the craziness, the paparazzi. I’ve had a lot of alone time to think and read and write.’
Lindsay Lohan
Mean Girls star Lindsay Lohan is undoubtedly more famous for her multiple arrests than for her acting skills. She has served a handful of very brief jail stints, dating back to 2007 when she was arrested for Driving Under The Influence (DUI) and possession of cocaine.
Lindsay has been arrested on several other counts of DUI, reckless driving, assault, skipping court dates etc. But she has served two weeks of a 90-day sentence in 2010 for violating her probation and was released early due to overcrowding.
Matthew McConaughey
It’s not Alright Alright Alright! Matthew McConaughey was arrested for possession of marijuana, drug called paraphernalia and resisting transportation at 3 am on October 1999. He was released on bond later that day, and here’s the fun part- when the cops came to arrest him, he was allegedly dancing completely naked and playing the bongos.
In a 2016 interview with Playboy, McConaughey candidly admitted, ‘What’s wrong with beating on your drums in your birthday suit? I have no regrets about the way I got there. But what’s the lesson? Shut the window that has the beautiful scent of jasmine blowing in because it’s two in the morning and you might wake a neighbour.’
Justin Bieber
The Sorry singer was arrested for DUI in Miami Beach in 2014 after admitting to police that he had been smoking marijuana and had taken prescription medication.
Bieber spent a day in jail and vowed to never do it again in an Instagram post. Alongside photos of his mugshot, he wrote,- Mugshot #jailsnotacoolplacetobe, #notfun #neveragain.”
Paul McCartney
Legendary Beatles member, Paul McCartney, spent 10 days in a Japanese jail after he was caught with 8 ounces of cannabis at Tokyo’s Narita International airport in 1980.
Explaining his arrest, the singer said, “When the fellow pulled it out of the suitcase, he looked more embarrassed than me. I think he just wanted to put it back in and forget the whole thing, you know, but there it was.”
