Fame and fortune don't make you immune to consequences! Join us as we examine celebrities who acted as if rules didn't apply to them, only to face the music later. From slapping police officers to tax evasion, these stars learned the hard way that entitlement has its limits. Which celebrity fall from grace shocked you the most?
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00:00The former producer is now confined to New York and Connecticut,
00:04reportedly wearing an ankle bracelet like this.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at celebrities who acted as if the rules didn't
00:10apply to them, yet would ultimately face consequences, including jail time in some cases.
00:15What exactly happened? Tell people what exactly happened.
00:20Reese Witherspoon.
00:21In 2013, America's Sweetheart had a not-so-sweet moment when she pulled the
00:25celebrity card on a police officer.
00:27It has become Reese Witherspoon's most talked-about performance of the year,
00:32captured by a Georgia State Troopers dash cam and beamed around the world.
00:36Yep. Reese Witherspoon was riding with her then-husband, Jim Toff,
00:40when he was pulled over for suspected DUI in Atlanta.
00:43However, during the stop, Witherspoon reportedly got out of the car despite being told to stay
00:47inside and threw out the old do-you-know-my-name line.
00:50Do you know my name, sir?
00:51Don't need to know.
00:52You don't need to know my name?
00:53Not quite yet.
00:54To make things worse, she added,
00:55You're about to find out who I am.
00:57You're about to find out who I am.
00:59That's fine. I'm not real worried about you, ma'am.
01:01I done told you how things work.
01:03Reese later admitted she was, quote,
01:05deeply embarrassed by the incident.
01:06But that doesn't stop this from being a textbook example of celebrity entitlement.
01:10I have no idea what I was talking about.
01:13And I am so sorry.
01:15I was so disrespectful to him.
01:16And I have police officers in my family.
01:18I work with police officers every day.
01:20I know better.
01:21Zsa Zsa Gabor.
01:24Ah, this happens every f***ing time when I go shopping.
01:28It was the slap heard round Hollywood.
01:30The late Zsa Zsa Gabor was known for her glamour and sass.
01:32But in 1989, she let her ego get the best of her during a traffic stop.
01:36After being pulled over in Beverly Hills for driving without a valid license and registration,
01:41the Hungarian-American actress and socialite slapped the police officer across the face.
01:45She was promptly arrested and charged with battery, among other offenses.
01:49So why did you, why were you found guilty?
01:52Because I was charged at Gabor.
01:54Gabor later claimed the officer was rude.
01:57But let's be honest.
01:58Slapping law enforcement because you didn't get red carpet treatment isn't exactly a solid legal defense.
02:03Ryan Lochte.
02:04Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte's reputation took a nosedive during the 2016 Summer Games in Rio,
02:09going from national hero to scandal magnet almost overnight.
02:12You see, after a night of partying, Lochte made a dramatic claim,
02:16saying that he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint.
02:19I was with a couple swimmers.
02:21We were coming back to my train house.
02:23And we got pulled over in our taxi.
02:28The problem?
02:29It was all made up.
02:30In reality, the athletes vandalized a gas station and were confronted by security.
02:34Now, two of the quartet of swimmers in this now infamous video blaming Lochte for inflaming a standoff
02:40that had them hauled into two police stations in Rio.
02:44Lochte's decision to lie, then flee the country, caused an international incident
02:48and revealed a staggering sense of entitlement.
02:51Ryan eventually issued a public apology, but by then, the damage to his name was already done.
02:56Lochte had released his own tepid apology on Friday for, quote,
02:59not being more careful and candid in how I described the events.
03:03Wesley Snipes
03:04Wesley Snipes might have played several badasses over his career,
03:13including the vampire hunter Blade, but it turns out he couldn't dodge the IRS.
03:17In 2008, the actor was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns,
03:22despite the many warnings and notices.
03:25Wesley Snipes has received the maximum sentence.
03:28Meanwhile, his legal team argued that he was misled by bad advisors.
03:31The court, however, wasn't buying it.
03:34Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison and served time from 2010 to 2013,
03:39showing that not even Hollywood stars are immune from Uncle Sam.
03:42So why'd you get locked away?
03:46Tax evasion.
03:47Shia LaBeouf
03:48Shia LaBeouf's past behavior has earned him a reputation for volatility, and sadly, a long history of run-ins with the law.
03:55We're going to turn now to that story breaking overnight on Shia LaBeouf taken out of a Broadway theater in handcuffs after an outburst.
04:01However, his 2017 arrest in Georgia highlighted just how entitled the actor could be.
04:06While in Savannah filming The Peanut Butter Falcon, LaBeouf was detained for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.
04:12He's out of jail tonight on $7,000 bond.
04:15The actor has been arrested several times on similar charges.
04:19He could be heard berating officers in police body cam footage, even threatening their jobs.
04:23His racist and profanity-laden rant also included the actor saying,
04:27I'm an American.
04:28I pay my taxes.
04:29As if that granted him immunity.
04:31I got more millionaire lawyers than you know what to do with, you stupid f**k.
04:36LaBeouf later showed remorse for his behavior, calling it, quote,
04:39A New Low
04:40Robert Downey Jr.
04:41Before winning over audiences as Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes,
04:45Robert Downey Jr. was much better known for his tabloid scandals than his on-screen roles.
04:49Robert Downey Jr. is opening up about his time in prison in the late 90s,
04:54saying it was the worst thing that happened to him.
04:56One of the actor's most infamous moments came in 1996,
04:59when he broke into a neighbor's home while under the influence and passed out in their child's bed.
05:04It marked the second time in three weeks that the police had booked Downey.
05:07By continuously violating his probation, Downey showed a blatant disregard for the rules.
05:12Downey eventually served nearly a year in prison,
05:14and spent years rebuilding his career and public image,
05:17leading to one heck of a redemption arc.
05:19Take that off.
05:20What are you?
05:21Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.
05:24Michael Phelps
05:25Like Ryan Lochte,
05:26Michael Phelps is another Olympic swimmer who found himself in hot water.
05:29In 2009, a British tabloid published a photo of the renowned athlete using a bong at a party.
05:34But a British tabloid ran a full-page picture of him smoking pot.
05:38The picture was taken just months after he won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
05:43It didn't take long for the photo to go viral, sparking major backlash.
05:47When you knew that picture was coming out, how did you feel?
05:50Uh, not too good.
05:53Phelps didn't face any, quote, marijuana charges,
05:56but the incident cost him sponsorships and led to a three-month suspension.
05:59Many critics saw the incident as proof that, like others at the top of their game,
06:03Phelps believed his achievements made him untouchable.
06:06Vince McMahon
06:07Former WWE owner and CEO Vince McMahon has never backed down from controversy.
06:12In fact, he's often leaned into it.
06:14This is one of the most brazen examples in a company setting that I've seen
06:19where an executive isn't really taking a lot of steps to hide the behavior.
06:25Throughout his career, including in recent years, he's been hit with serious allegations,
06:30from misconduct to cover-ups, revealing a troubling pattern of unchecked power.
06:34Vince accuses McMahon of sharing sexually explicit photographs and videos of her with
06:39the wrestlers and recruiting men to have a threesome at the WWE headquarters even during
06:46working hours.
06:47McMahon blurred the lines between fiction and reality by transforming his on-screen persona
06:52into a cartoonishly vile figure, openly flaunting traits he was being accused of in real life.
06:57Some of what was played for laughs as part of the character was not that funny and was,
07:05in fact, very, very serious.
07:06Given what's now publicly known, that character feels less like satire and more like a chilling
07:12reflection of his entitlement and belief that he could manipulate both fiction and reality.
07:16From her point of view, Vince responded by writing stories whose sole purpose was to just
07:21embarrass her.
07:22You're gonna cry now?
07:23Don't do this!
07:25Don't do this!
07:26You're gonna cry!
07:27You're gonna cry!
07:28You're gonna cry!
07:29You're gonna cry!
07:30Justin Timberlake
07:31In 2007, Justin Timberlake accepted a Brit Award.
07:35During his pre-recorded speech, the pop star pleaded with a certain somebody to, quote,
07:39stop drinking, and that they were, quote, going to get sloppy.
07:42You know who you are.
07:44I'm speaking to you.
07:45Stop drinking.
07:46You're gonna get sloppy.
07:47While he didn't mention anybody by name, this clip would come back to haunt Timberlake
07:51and delight Britney Spears' stans 17 years later.
07:54During the early hours of June 18, 2024, in the Hamptons, Timberlake was arrested for
08:00driving while intoxicated in addition to ignoring a stop sign and not staying in his lane.
08:04We didn't hear anything about any accidents or any other aggravating circumstances.
08:08Timberlake allegedly claimed that he only had, quote, one martini, although he refused
08:13to take a chemical test three times.
08:15Within the next day, he was being arraigned while his mugshot was made public.
08:19What is this song?
08:21Oh!
08:22What?
08:23What?
08:24Ezra Miller
08:24Fans were shocked in 2020 when a video surfaced appearing to show Miller choking a woman in
08:30an altercation at a bar in Iceland.
08:33Ezra Miller couldn't slow down in 2022, igniting controversy left and right.
08:38On a trip to Hawaii, Miller racked up charges such as harassment, disorderly conduct, and
08:42second-degree assault.
08:44Miller walked away with a restraining order and a $500 fine, but they didn't learn their
08:48lesson.
08:48Throughout the remainder of the year, Miller was accused of grooming and burglary.
08:52While Miller pleaded not guilty to the burglary charge, they pleaded guilty to a trespassing
08:57misdemeanor, receiving a year probation.
08:59So to that count here, how do you plead?
09:02Guilty.
09:02Some argued that Miller got off easy, as Warner Bros. stood by the Flash star leading up to
09:07the film's premiere.
09:08Between that movie's historic financial failure and Miller's legal troubles, though, the industry
09:13seems to be turning on them, even recasting some of their roles.
09:17While the allegations against the star continue to mount, Warner Bros. is still slated to release
09:22The Flash next year, despite canceling a slew of other projects.
09:27Martha Stewart
09:28The face of a homemaking empire, Martha Stewart seemed like the last person who would find
09:40herself behind bars.
09:41That turned out not to be the case when Stewart sold her M-Clone Systems shares, sparking an
09:46illegal insider trading investigation.
09:48In 2004, Stewart was found guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and making false statements.
09:54Stewart only spent five months in prison with two years of probation.
09:58But some wondered if her reputation would recover.
10:00Yet it wasn't long until Stewart was back hosting TV shows, writing books, and even defining
10:05friendship goals with fellow ex-con Snoop Dogg.
10:08Whether or not Stewart's career actually benefited from the negative press, it's safe to say
10:12her prison stint didn't hurt.
10:13I made, uh, uh, every now and then I would make jokes about...
10:17I heard.
10:18Yeah.
10:19We had a TV.
10:21Elizabeth Holmes
10:22Her boast was, serious diseases like cancer would be prevented before they happened.
10:27Elizabeth Holmes built herself up as the Steve Jobs of the medical world, promising to change
10:32healthcare through her company Theranos.
10:34Investors, the government, and the public wanted to believe Holmes' blood tests were
10:38as revolutionary as she claimed.
10:39Maybe it was wishful thinking, but people were given various reasons to trust Holmes until
10:44a select few looked closer.
10:45What is your view of that, that they're happy to go live with a system that's still being
10:51tested and is actually failing?
10:53Yeah, it's unconscionable.
10:54It's unethical.
10:55When Theranos was revealed to be a colossal hoax, Holmes' reputation and net worth were
10:59wiped out.
11:00Things only got worse for Holmes from there, being found guilty on four criminal fraud counts.
11:05Some were upset that Holmes wasn't also found guilty of defrauding patients, but a form
11:10of justice had been served, with the face of Theranos starting her 135-month prison sentence
11:15in May 2023.
11:17Elizabeth Holmes set the report to prison in less than 24 hours to start her 11-year sentence.
11:23Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin
11:24Two actresses facing real-life drama in a cheating scandal made for Hollywood.
11:30What do Lynette from Desperate Housewives and Aunt Becky from Full House share in common?
11:34That's right, they both have twin sons.
11:36The actresses behind these characters also have something in common.
11:39The 2019 Varsity Blues scandal
11:41Huffman and Loughlin were among several others accused of buying their children's way into
11:45college.
11:46Loughlin and her fashion designer husband are accused of paying half a million dollars
11:51to guarantee admission for their two daughters into USC.
11:54In Huffman's case, she reportedly paid someone $15,000 to take the SATs for her daughter.
12:00Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiracy, as did Loughlin.
12:03Along with fines and community service, both would do time.
12:06Huffman was sentenced to 14 days, serving only 12, while Loughlin faced a harsher punishment
12:11of two months.
12:13Since then, Loughlin made fun of herself on Curb Your Enthusiasm, while Huffman booked
12:17a guest spot on Criminal Minds Evolution.
12:19Well, you gotta give the guy your ballet ticket.
12:21Oh no, I'm good, I've got this.
12:24A handicap sticker?
12:26That's fantastic.
12:28I can park anywhere.
12:29Lindsay Lohan.
12:30I want you to listen carefully.
12:33You were to serve 300 days in the county jail.
12:36Substance use and an intrusive paparazzi didn't help Lindsay Lohan during her darkest hours.
12:41At the end of the day, though, her actions were her own.
12:44The actress was given plenty of chances, going to rehab following one DUI arrest, only to
12:49be caught driving under the influence again shortly after.
12:52While Lohan got off with probation and the shortest of jail stints, she repeatedly failed
12:56to meet the court's demands.
12:57Fans and photographers tried to catch a glimpse of the young star as if they were watching a
13:02celebrity strut the red carpet.
13:05For violating her probation, Lohan was ordered to spend 90 days in jail and another three months
13:10in inpatient rehab, although she only served 14 days supposedly because of overcrowding.
13:15Lohan later faced jail time for the theft of a necklace and violating probation, but
13:20overcrowding cut her stay short again and again.
13:22I said I made a mistake, I went to a club, and then I drank and I drove home, and I, you
13:27know, that's not the right thing to do.
13:29But to put someone in that position, it was very scary, it was very jarring.
13:33Paris Hilton.
13:34In 14 years of doing this show, I have never experienced anything close to the reaction
13:39I get when I say the following sentence, Paris Hilton is in jail.
13:44Paris Hilton is another name that couldn't stay out of the tabloids in the 2000s.
13:48In Hilton's case, she seemed to relish the mentality that any publicity is good publicity.
13:53Hilton's notoriety climaxed in 2006 when the LAPD caught her driving intoxicated.
13:58The heiress walked away with three years probation, a $1,500 fine, and a suspended license.
14:04Really pretty incredible.
14:11Actually, we guess you could say she drove away as Hilton got caught speeding a month
14:15later, which was just one of her probation violations.
14:18The judge threw the book at Hilton.
14:20Of course, it was a thin book with Hilton receiving 45 days in jail.
14:24Forty of those days were spent under house arrest, but Hilton seemingly learned her lesson
14:28until her next arrest in 2010.
14:31In what way do you think you're taking back the narrative on this?
14:34I feel that my narrative and story for the past two decades has been told by the media.
14:40Jussie Smollett.
14:41In a statement, Chicago police say they have not identified any suspects.
14:44With the hit show Empire in its fifth season, Jussie Smollett seemed to have it all.
14:49Jamal Lyon was not only seen as a breakthrough role for Smollett,
14:52but a trailblazing character for LGBTQIA plus people of color.
14:56Those who looked up to Smollett started to sing a different tune after 2019.
15:00At first, it appeared that Smollett was the target of a hate crime at the hands of two brothers.
15:05At 2 a.m., investigators say two men approached Smollett,
15:08who may have recognized the actor, yelling racial and homophobic slurs.
15:12Upon further investigation, authorities deduced that Smollett orchestrated the whole thing,
15:17paying the brothers to participate in the so-called attack.
15:20While the initial charges against Smollett were thrown out,
15:23he'd soon face another indictment regarding the false report.
15:26In 2022, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail.
15:30However, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the ruling,
15:33noting that he should not have been prosecuted a second time
15:35after the charges against him had been dismissed with a negotiated agreement.
15:39Sean Diddy Combs.
15:40Sean Diddy Combs has long been recognized for wielding significant influence
15:44both within the music industry and beyond.
15:46However, behind the mogul persona lies a pattern of behavior
15:50that can only be interpreted as deeply entitled.
15:52Several incidents and accusations have reinforced a perception
15:55that Combs believed his wealth and fame enabled him to control and intimidate others.
16:00More legal trouble for Sean Diddy Combs.
16:02Six new lawsuits filed against him.
16:04Diddy is currently facing a mountain of lawsuits
16:07and a federal prosecution alleging abuse and indecent misconduct, among other things.
16:11The indictment alleges that Combs abused and exploited women
16:14and other people for years, and in a variety of ways.
16:18While he has denied all allegations,
16:20the sheer number of claims, paired with past behavior,
16:23paints a picture of a man who has long believed he was above accountability.
16:27Sean Diddy Combs, a music mogul, is facing a series of new civil lawsuits,
16:31including allegations he sexually assaulted two teenagers.
16:35O.J. Simpson.
16:36Are you capable of killing somebody?
16:38You know, I would say, actually, I would say no.
16:42In 1994, former NFL running back and megastar O.J. Simpson
16:46was charged with the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
16:50The ensuing trial, dubbed the trial of the century, ended in an acquittal.
16:54Many continue to believe Simpson's fame and fortune gave him an unfair advantage in court,
16:59bolstered by a dream team of high-profile lawyers.
17:01But Simpson's belief that he was untouchable didn't end there.
17:04In 2007, he led an armed group into a Las Vegas hotel to retrieve sports memorabilia,
17:10resulting in a conviction for robbery and kidnapping.
17:13The victim stated that one of the suspects involved in the robbery was O.J. Simpson.
17:20Simpson would continue to flaunt his tainted celebrity status right up until his passing in 2024.
17:26Harvey Weinstein.
17:27We're going to begin this half hour with the latest on Harvey Weinstein's arrest
17:31and a look at what his defense strategy may be,
17:33as some of his accusers speak for the first time since he was charged.
17:37The Me Too movement has shined a spotlight on numerous big names accused of abusing their power,
17:42including Bill Cosby, Danny Masterson, and R. Kelly.
17:45Yet no downfall shook up the industry more than Harvey Weinstein's.
17:49For decades, Weinstein's aggressive behavior was something of an open secret.
17:53It wasn't until dozens of women came forward in 2017 that many realized the full extent of Weinstein's crimes.
18:00Weinstein is a vicious, serial, sexual predator.
18:04With his list of accusers eventually exceeding 100,
18:07Weinstein would be trialed in New York and Los Angeles, being found guilty in both cases.
18:12Weinstein's New York verdict was controversially overturned in 2024 due to, quote,
18:17egregious errors.
18:18While a retrial is planned, his separate California conviction ensures his continued incarceration.
18:24Once one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood,
18:26tonight Weinstein is now behind bars.
18:28He faces up to 29 years in prison.
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18:46Donald Trump
18:47Count one is guilty.
18:50That is a felony charge.
18:52Count one, falsifying business records.
18:53Count two, also guilty.
18:56Donald Trump has faced a revolving door of court appearances since 2023,
19:01but the most prominent trial thus far concerned hush money allegedly paid to Stormy Daniels amid the 2016 election.
19:07On May 30th, 2024, the former president was found guilty on all 34 counts regarding falsifying business records.
19:14Well, if he's guilty on 12, I'm going to assume he's going to be guilty on all 34 because it means that the jury bought what the prosecution's theory was.
19:24This wasn't the first time Trump lost a high-profile case, being found liable for defamation and abuse against E. Jean Carroll only a few months earlier.
19:31However, this was Trump's first criminal conviction.
19:35Regardless of his legal woes, Trump would go on to win the 2024 presidential election, becoming the 47th president of the United States.
19:43Former president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, a convicted felon 34 times over.
19:52What's the most criminal example of entitlement you've ever witnessed on the celebrity circuit? Let us know in the comments.
19:58What exactly happened? Tell people what exactly happened.