Celebrities get away with stuff more often than we would like to admit, even crimes. Whether it’s the celebrity status or the gobs of money they are throwing around, it seems that a lot of people have an aversion to throwing celebrities in jail. Even when they’ve done something wrong. If the old saying “you do the crime, you do the time,” were actually true, then these celebrities who committed crimes should have seen jail time but instead went unpunished.
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is another celebrity is has had his fair share of odd and icky behaviors throughout the years, and molesting a 13-year-old girl tops the list. In the late 1970s, Polanski was 43-years-old when he gave a 13-year-old girl alcohol so he could have his way with her.
When the police came to talk to him, he fled the country to France and he has been there ever since. Since Europe does not have an extradition treaty with America, there is nothing that can force him to come back. Polanski did speak out against the incident, even though we don’t think his statement made him look any better. He said, “I asked when she’d first started having sex… But I could sense a certain erotic tension between us.”
Ariana Grande
Now, we’re not totally sure this next one is a crime. But it definitely violates some health codes somewhere. Ariana Grande was caught licking a donut on camera. Not so bad, right? Well, the bad part comes when she puts the freshly licked donut right back on the shelf without paying for it!
And in the video, she can be heard saying, “What the f*** is this? I hate Americans. I hate America. That is disgusting.” After the video hit the internet, Grande caught a lot of flack for the incident. In fact, she had to issue a statement apologizing and claimed that she just cared about eating healthy foods a whole bunch.
R. Kelly
R. Kelly has been in the headlines more and more recently for numerous scandals, and it is bringing more light to the fact that he married the late, great singer Aaliyah when she was just 15-years-old.
It happened in a secret wedding after Kelly bribed a government employee to get Aaliyah a fake ID for the ceremony. More witnesses are coming forward saying they noticed that the couple had a relationship going back to the time Aaliyah was 13 or 14. Considering all the other allegations against Kelly right now, no one can say they’re surprised.ADVERTISEMENT
Megan Fox
Back when she was 14 or 15, Megan Fox was caught stealing Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen cosmetics from a Wal-Mart. And she actually ended up in court because of it! As punishment, she had to wrap gifts for Christmas which she admitted didn’t really seem like that much of a punishment.
The other punishment? Well, we’ll let her tell you that one. She said, “They were gonna make me wear a sign that said I stole from Wal-Mart and stand outside Wal-Mart for three days.” She definitely got the better end of the deal!
Rebecca Gayheart
In one of the more tragic accidents on this list, actress Rebecca Gayheart swerved around a car in 2001 only to strike a kill a 9-year-old boy who had been chasing his toy. In court, she pled No Contest to the charge of Vehicular Manslaughter, but she was only sentenced to 3 years of probation for killing the child.
Ever since Gayheart has stayed out of the limelight and even confessed that she had felt suicidal at one point. We told you this one was tragic.
David Bowie
Ever since David Bowie hit the music scene in the mid-1960s, he was the total rockstar package. Every song of his eas a hit and the ladies would line up for miles to get a glimpse of the singer.
However, many of his fans are surprised to find out that he dated several women who were rather young. In fact, he took the virginity of a 14-year-old girl when he was in his mid-twenties. Her name is Lori Maddox and she was a groupie of Bowie’s. But she doesn’t regret it. She said, “I feel like I was very present… I saw the greatest music ever. I got to hang out with some of the most amazing, most beautiful, most charismatic men in the world. I went to concerts in limos with police escorts. Am I going to regret this? No.”
OJ Simpson
Many people know the story of OJ Simpson. He was once a star athlete who appeared in comedy movies until he was suddenly caught up in a high-speed police chase in a white bronco on national television and was the prime suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
However, in the trial that followed, the jury found him not guilty of the crime and that was the end of it. Right? Maybe. Simpson later wrote and published a book literally called If I Did It where he detailed how he would have committed the murders if he had actually been the murderer. And at this point, most people have to wonder how much of his writing is actually theoretical.
Mila Kunis
Before coming to America and starring in the hit sitcom That 70s Show, Mila Kunis was born and raised in the Ukraine where she once stole a pet chicken. And after 25 had gone by, her childhood friend practically took her to court over it. She wanted $5,000 for emotional distress over the chicken.
Kunis was sarcastic when she said, “I was devastated. I was weeping. I was dumbfounded… I was obviously in the village when I stole these chickens so I apologized to this woman.” This woman doesn’t sound like much of a clucking good friend to us.
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber has been a heartthrob for well over a decade now. But in 2014, he came very close to being a jailbird when he was pulled over in Florida. Especially after he was charged with several things such as driving without a valid license, drunk driving, and resisting arrest.
Average people who get pulled over and slapped with all those charges get put in jail almost immediately. But Bieber barely got reprimanded. He ended up getting away with making a charitable donation and taking manager management classes as his punishment. And if that isn’t special treatment because of his celebrity treatment, we don’t know what is.
Britney Spears
Britney Spears has had her share of highs and lows throughout her career. Now that her conservatorship is over, hopefully, she is in the midst of a permanent high! But before now, there were several low spots, including the time she stole a wig right off of a mannequin in a Los Angeles Hustler store when she was in her 20s. Afterward, she ran away without paying for the wig.
Even though she was seen doing it, no charges were ever filed against Spears. Maybe they understood what she was going through, or they like the free publicity. Either way, Spears is on her way back to the comeback of all comebacks and we are here for it!
Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie is one of the few Hollywood actresses who are considered to be incapable of doing wrong. So what is she doing on this list?
It appears that she has actually done some thieving of her own! However, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Robbie said, “I was saying goodbye to a friend who was staying at a hotel, and she was like, I’m getting on a plane to go to Australia so take whatever we’ve got leftover,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, great!’ So I packed up a bag and I was like, ‘Toilet paper! Yes!’ And then I walked out and I got papped outside the hotel.”
Bruce Jenner
Before becoming Caitlyn Jenner, Bruce Jenner was involved in a fatal car crash that not many people know about. According to little-known reports, the accident was a four-car pile-up and an old lady ended up dying. More victims were pretty seriously injured.
However, Jenner never faced any criminal charges. Police determined that Jenner tried to avoid the crash by using brakes and slowing down. Not to mention, a civil case resulted in Jenner paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to the victims. So, that helps!
Michael Jackson
Anyone who was around in the early 2000s heard about the Michael Jackson scandal involving small children. As the King of Pop, there was a lot he was allowed to get away with according to a newly released documentary. Specifically, he spent a lot of time alone with other people’s children in his room. He was also not shy about admitting that he had little boys sleep in his bed. But there are new details emerging that he had an alarm system that would notify him when someone was approaching his master bedroom.
Once, Jackson was even quoted saying, “When I see children, I see the face of God. That’s why I love them so much. That’s what I see.” All of that combined doesn’t sound so innocent to us.
Khloe Kardashian
The Kardashian/Jenner family loves to party, and on several occasions, it has led to getting some of them in trouble. Once, Khloe Kardashian was arrested for drinking and driving and given a DUI. Her penance was three years of probation, taking a liquor training class, and cleaning up trash on the side of the road.
However, she did do all the steps like she was supposed to and ended up in jail. But instead of serving all her time, they had to release her early because crazy fans kept calling in bomb threats to the jail. The prison staff told her, “You’re the one causing all the issues here… There are all together these bomb dangers, and we believe they’re a direct result of you.”
Kesha
Kesha is a pop icon nowadays. But before she got to this point, she was down on her luck as a teenager. In fact, there was a point where she was homeless as a teen and had to steal things to get by.
She said, “There were points when I was really broke. The low points would be stealing food and selling clothes to make money for food.” Now that she is worth $10 million, Kesha will never have to steal to be able to eat again! Thankfully, she was never caught stealing before she could become the pop star we know her as today.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato had a rough few years! Between an overdose, suffering brain damage, and taking some much-needed time away from the public eye, Lovato has been working hard to get back to square one. Lovato said, “I know my past will always be a part of me, but I don’t want it to define me… I’m excited to live in the present and looking forward to the future.”
However, with all the coming clean Lovato has been doing, have they mentioned the fact that they have taken a pillow from every hotel room they have ever been in?! It is something Lovato has talked about often in old interviews. We just wonder if this is one habit they still have…
Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes was a billionaire entrepreneur before it became a pretty standard thing. Back in 1936, Hughes hit and killed a man walking across the street with his car.
But did Hughes go to jail for manslaughter? Nope. He wasn’t charged with anything after the accident. He got off scot-free. In fact, a movie was later made about his life! You’ve probably heard about it- The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio. It seems he also flew planes! Now, that seems like a disaster waiting to happen considering how he drove his car!
James Franco
In 2018 some allegations were thrown in the air about James Franco and another man exploiting female actors in his acting school named Studio 4 in a class called "Sex Scene". Back then he said that it never happened and these were false allegations. In Feb. 2021 he even reached a preliminary settlement with one of the women. Franco agreed to pay US$ 2.2 million.
In a recent interview with The Jess Cagle Show, Franco really opened up and talked about his battle with sex addiction and about what happened back then. "I didn't sleep with anybody in that particular class, but over the course of my teaching I did sleep with students, and that was wrong," He said that his behavior was at a point where he was "hurting everybody."
Al Capone
Everyone knows Al Capone was an American gangster in the 30s who did all kinds of crimes and was eventually arrested on tax evasion of all things! But what’s really whacky about Capone is the fact that he whacked so many people and they were never able to make a murder charge stick.
In the end, Capone basically got away with all of his crimes, including the murders! This is because no one wanted to snitch on the gangster who murderer all his rivals, even after he was behind bars. And, as it turns out, Capone didn’t even die behind bars! He was given a compassionate release because he was dying of serious health problems.
Stephen Collins
Stephen Collins, the father from the wholesome television show 7th Heaven, recently shocked everyone when he came out of nowhere to admit he had molested three young girls a long time ago. Maybe Collins had a guilty conscience and wanted to get things off his chest. Or maybe his ex-wife recording his confessions during couples therapy had something to do with his public admission.
Either way, his career is totally over. And while these incidents were past the statute of limitations, it doesn’t make his crime any less icky. He said, “Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret. I have been working to atone for it ever since… As difficult as this is, I wanted people to know the truth.”
Christian Bale
Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale is no stranger to going the extra mile for his craft. He has transformed his body time and time again for his roles and learned all kinds of new skills to perfect his delivery.
In fact, for his role in Ford v Ferrari, Bale actually trailed like a real race car driver at Bondurant High-Performance Driving School. However, Bale’s past history with vehicles isn’t quite so glamorous. When he first arrived in American from the United Kingdom, he took his sweet time getting an American driver’s license. In fact, he has said on numerous occasions that he used to drive around Los Angeles with one all the time!
50 Cent
Nowadays, 50 Cent is none for walking the straight and narrow. In fact, he is totally sober even though he has his own liquor brand! However, this wasn’t the case when he was younger. As a teenager, 50 Cent was actually convicted of selling illegal substances on the street.
The judge sentenced him to serve three to nine years in jail, but he never really served his actual sentence. For reasons that are still unclear, 50 Cent was allowed to spend six months in boot camp instead. While in boot camp, he earned his GED and eventually went on to make music!
Steven Tyler
It seems that Ted Nugent wasn’t the only rockstar with a penchant for underage girls. When Julia Holcomb turned 16, she went to see Aerosmith in concert in Portland, Oregon and was able to make her way backstage. Tyler made a move on her and also much like Nugent, filed to get legal guardianship over her.
Perhaps it made it easier for Tyler to take Holcomb over state lines as she toured with them. Either way, Holcomb’s mother approved and Holcomb later turned up pregnant. However, Tyler made her get rid of the baby. Holcomb then moved back up and Tyler never came to see her again. But she doesn’t hold any grudges since she found her religion. She said, “In spite of everything, I do not hate Steven Tyler, nor am I personally bitter. I pray for his sincere conversion of heart and hope he can find God’s grace.”
Ted Nugent
‘70s rock star Ted Nugent has had his share of extreme behaviors in his day. One of them was the fact that he wanted to date an underage girl so bad, he asked her parents to become her legal guardian.
And to our surprise, it worked. Nugent and this young woman were actually together for nine years. To make things even creepier, Nugent has a song titled “Jailbait” that seems to explain the situation a little too well. The song says, “Well, I don’t care if you’re just 13, you look too good to be true. I just know that you’re probably clean… It’s quite all right, I asked your mama. Wait a minute officer. Don’t put those handcuffs on me, put them on her, and I’ll share her with you.”
Kanye West
Before he had tons of money, his own clothing line, and a wardrobe to die for, Kanye West was just scraping by. And when he worked at The Gap, he seems to have had a case of sticky fingers.
In his song “Spaceship,” he even said, “Let’s go back, back to the Gap. Look at my check, wasn’t no scratch. So if I stole, wasn’t my fault. Yeah, I stole, never got caught.” That’s an admission if we ever heard one. And clearly, The Gap isn’t hurting for business. In fact, they probably do better business because of him!
Ted Kennedy
The story of Chappaquiddick is a 50-year-old unsolved mystery and conspiracy theory all wrapped up into one that is still talked about to this day. Senator Ted Kennedy (and brother to JFK) was driving home from a party with his mistress, Mary Jo Kopechne when he drove off a bridge and into a river. Kennedy was able to swim away from the sinking vehicle but left Kopechne inside.
This is where the real mystery comes into play. Kennedy did not inform the authorities about the accident until the next day after the car had been found by others! Many people suspected that he was waiting for the alcohol to leave his bloodstream. In the end, Kennedy was never prosecuted for Kopechne’s death. He was, however, given a two-month suspected sentence and a temporary driving ban. It also ended all of his chances of becoming president in the future.
Solange Knowles
When Jay Z admitted to cheating on his wife, Beyonce, the world was shocked, including Beyonce’s sister Solange. Although it appears that Solange actually did something with her anger!
Security camera footage caught Solange entering an elevator with Jay Z, cornering him, and beating him all savagely. But she was never arrested for the assault. Even afterward, he had nothing be nice things to say about her. He said, “We’ve always had a great relationship… we’ve had one disagreement. Before and after, we’ve been cool. That’s my sister. Not my sister-in-law, no, my sister. Period.”
Matthew Broderick
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off premiered in 1986, catapulting Matthew Broderick into the limelight. But, in 1987, he and his girlfriend, Jennifer Grey, who had made her own waves with the premiere of Dirty Dancing that year, were involved in a catastrophic car accident in Ireland.
Broderick was driving when he suddenly swerved into the other lane, though we don’t know why. He then hit another car that contained a mother and daughter. They were both killed in the accident, but Broderick and Grey were reportedly fine. In the end, Broderick was only charged with dangerous driving so he saw no jail time. Many people wonder if he wasn’t such a famous celebrity at the time, would he have gotten off so easily?
Jerry Lee Lewis
This one is one of the creepier items on this list. Back in the 1950s, Jerry Lee Lewis was 22-years-old when he was interested in a 13-year-old girl. But, wait. It gets creepier. The girl was actually his cousin!
Brown’s parents let her marry Lewis when she was just 13 and when she moved out, she packed all of her belongings into a dollhouse, of all things. To round things out, Brown then had a child at 14. However, Lewis and Brown’s marriage did not last and Lewis got married many more times. In a sad statement, Brown wrote later in her life, “It’s been as if my life has gone on without my permission. I have been a bystander in my life.”
Jimmy Page
Remember Lori Maddox from earlier? Well, it appears David Bowie wasn’t the only rockstar she slept with! Apparently, being a groupie was a lifestyle for Maddox, and eventually ended up in bed with the guitarist for Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, when he was 28 and she was 14.
She said, “What happened is that I was kidnapped, literally… Next thing you know, I’m at the [Hyatt House] hotel, and I’m walking down the hall, and next thing you know, I’m pulled into this door… And I turned around and, look, there was Jimmy sitting gin the corner of the room with a hat and a cane saying, ‘I told you I’m gonna have you.’” But Maddox doesn’t see that incident as traumatic in any way. She said, “It was worth every minute, truly. He was a beautiful person and he touched my life, deeply.”
Bill Wyman
Yet another rockstar having relations with a minor. Maybe we should have created BINGO cards… Bill Wyman, the bassist for the Rolling Stones for 30 years, started a relationship with a girl named Mandy Smith. She was 13-years-old when the relationship was started and 14 when it was consummated. Wyman was in his mid-30s.
When Smith turned 18, the pair actually got married! To make things even wilder, her mother was okay with the entire relationship. She said, “It’s not about being physically mature. It’s emotional maturity that matters. I don’t think most 16-year-olds are ready. I think the age of consent should be raised to 18 at a minimum, and some girls aren’t even ready then.”
Bob Dylan
Back in 2009, some people called the cops when a man was wandering around their homes and creeping them out. As it turns out, it was actually Bob Dylan! But no one either knew or believed it was Dylan at the time, so he ended up getting away with it.
The responding officer said, “We got a call for a suspicious person. It was pouring rain outside, and I was right around the corner so I responded. By that time he was walking down the street. I asked him what he was doing in the neighborhood and he said he was looking at a house for sale… We see a lot of people on our beat, and I wasn’t sure if he came from one of our hospitals or something.”
Vince Neil
Vince Neil, the lead singer of Motley Crue, drove drunk in 1984 and got into a car crash that involved several other people.
Two people were critically injured, resulting in brain damage, while another musician was killed. In normal circumstances, a serious car crash like this would have resulted in serious jail time for the driver. But, for a rockstar like Neil, he was only sentenced to 30 days behind bars and actually only served 18! He was also given 5 years of probation, made to do 200 hours of community service, and had to pay millions of dollars to the victims of the crash.
Miranda July
Director Miranda July used to be quite the petty thief. She started shoplifting when she was in college, she once admitted. She took a tube of Neosporin and never paid for it. But it wasn’t a one-time-only situation. It snowballed out of control. She said, “I discovered that stealing required loose, casual energy, a sort of oneness with the environment, like surfing or horse-whispering. And once I knew I could do it I felt strangely obliged to. I remember feeling guilty for not stealing, as though I were wasting money.”
We almost get the part about wasting money. But how did she not get caught all those years? Apparently, she had a technique. She said, “My preferred purse was gigantic and discreetly rigid, like a suitcase. I packed it with blocks of cheese, loaves of bread, and lots of soy products because I was a vegetarian.” Clever.
Prince Andrew
Jeffrey Epstein’s case is still upsetting the lives of many public figures, including the royals, apparently. According to Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked in the mansion on the island as a teen, she was made to sleep with men in Epstein’s circles including Prince Andrew who was always around.
Prince Andrew had denied these allegations, but they did result in a police investigation. Though the investigation is over and no action has been taken, Prince Andrew gave a strange interview on British TV that left many thinking he was suspicious. And now, Prince Andrew has pretty much withdrawn from public life as a royal. It definitely seems fishy.
Michelle Rodriguez
Fast and Furious star Michelle Rodriguez was arrested for a DUI and only served 18 days out of her 180-day sentence due to prison overcrowding.
But what’s even wilder is the fact that she wrote on her blog about the fact that she thought she shouldn’t have been monitored afterward. She said, “I hire some lawyer from Hawaii, lose my 28 acres of land and my home in Jersy paying him off, just so I can get the same treatment I would have gotten from a public defender… I get a sentence to wear a bracelet for three months to detect liquor content in your sweat… I started to feel a bit like a pawn. For someone like me, this level of control just isn’t necessary.”
Lori Loughlin
Aunt Becky doesn’t seem so innocent anymore! It seems that since leaving Full House, Lori Loughlin has gotten herself into some trouble. She paid a bribe of $500,000 to get her daughter into a better college than her grades allowed.
Loughlin said, “I made an awful decision. I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admission process. In doing so, I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass. I thought I was acting out of love for my children, but in reality, it only undermine and diminished my daughters’ abilities and accomplishments.” Technically, Loughlin did commit fraud and ended up being given a two-month jail sentence.
Jackie Chan
Before becoming a kung-fu movie star worth $350 million with blockbuster movies like Shanghai Noon and Rush Hour, Jackie Chan lived in poverty.
Chan had to resort to stealing things he could resell just to get by, like others on this list. And he never got caught! It was probably a sign of all those fast reflexes he was developing! Now, Chan is definitely shoplifting. He lives his life simply. He said, “I do small things. I try to do good things every day.”
Kid Cudi
When a wallet was thrown on stage during a Kid Cudi concert in Vancouver in 2009, he tried to throw it back to its owner. However, he accidentally threw it at the wrong person.
When the wallet came sailing back onstage, it hit Cudi pretty hard. And instead of calmly getting to the bottom of things, he jumped down into the crowd and started swinging. A fan’s face ended up getting injured and they could have pressed charges. But, they were such big fans, they decided not to. So, Cudi got off pretty lucky there.
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is just another rockstar who had an illegal relationship with an underage girl. This time, the girl was Sable Starr who was 13 at the time.
He sang about her in his song “Look Away” when he said, “I slept with Sable when she was 13. Her parents were too rich to do anything. She walked her way around L.A. till a New York Doll carried her away.” Iggy Pop was in his mid-20s at the time of their relationship. And, looking back, Starr said she went through a lot of emotional turmoil from dating several musicians as a teenager.