Aren’t famous people the best? Yes, we know that they’re basically gods up there on the screen and seemingly can do no wrong. But, even they get in trouble every now and then, like us common folk. Sometimes, it’s a horrible situation and people get hurt and even die. But, sometimes it’s a situation where nobody gets hurt and it ends up just being hilarious.
Wouldn’t you know it? We’ve got ten of those right here.
Pee Wee Herman Gets Busted at a Porno Theater.
Things were going so well for Paul Rubens in 1991. His character, the bowtie clad man-child Pee Wee Herman, had already been featured in two films (the Tim Burton directed Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and Big Top Pee Wee from the same guy who directed Grease, believe it or not) and he had just ended a five year run on his CBS TV show. But, just as he was getting ready to take a break from the character, he got caught getting a little too relaxed in an adult theater in Sarasota, FL.
Rubens was arrested and charged with indecent exposure. Suddenly, parents were horrified to realize that this man they had allowed their children to watch was arrested for punching the clown in a porno house. Sadly, all good joke fodder for late night comedians must come to an end. Since then, Rubens has resurrected his career with non-Pee Wee roles in films like Blow and the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just recently, he signed a deal to make a new Pee Wee Herman film for Netflix, with Judd Apatow producing.
Winona Ryder Arrested For Shoplifting
The woman who starred in a movie where she killed her classmates and got away with it (Heathers) wasn’t able to get away with stealing clothing from Saks Fifth Avenue.
On December 12, 2001, Ryder was arrested in Beverly Hills for attempting to steal $5,500 worth of clothing and accessories. She was sentenced to 480 hours of community service plus fines and restitution and to apologize for starring in Alien: Resurrection (that last part might not be entirely true). Since then, she’s attempted to rebuild her career and recently had small roles in JJ Abram’s Star Trek reboot and Darren Aranofsky’s Black Swan.
Hugh Grant Is Caught With a Hooker
Hugh Grant became a household name in America after Four Weddings and a Funeral and did his best after that to continue to be a household name. He starred in Chris Columbus’ (Home Alone, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) Nine Months and was dating British supermodel Elizabeth Hurley. It looked like he was about to take over the world, and then, he got caught with a prostitute.
Grant was picked up by Los Angeles police with Divine Brown in his car — while still dating Hurley, mind you — which slightly tapped the brakes on any momentum his career before people forgot all about it and he continued to reign supreme as the UK-born rom-com King.
Rush Limbaugh Condemns Drug Users, Gets Caught Forging Prescriptions
There’s a certain sense of perverse karmic enjoyment one gets from watching a public figure getting caught doing the very thing they have spent years speaking out against. This is precisely what happened with radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh in 2003. After years of using his show to demand that more efforts needed to be made in order to find, arrest and jail users of illegal drugs… he was arrested on an illegal drug charge.
On the October 10, 2003 edition of his show, Limbaugh confessed to his listeners that he was addicted to painkillers and planned on entering an outpatient treatment facility as soon as he was done yelling about liberals for the day. He then turned himself in to police and was charged with violating Florida’s “doctor shopping” laws — basically, going from doctor to doctor until one gives you the prescription you want.
He avoided jail time and is still doing his show to this day.
Kanye West Doesn’t Like George W. Bush
Hurricane Katrina was, without a doubt, one of the worst natural disasters in American history. Right up there with Hurricane Andrew and the San Francisco earthquake. As per usual, a telethon was set up and aired in the hopes of raising money for relief effort. Numerous celebrities got involved, answering phones and speaking live on the air. “Live” being the key phrase here.
In a segment on the actual conditions in New Orleans, Kanye West (alongside Mike Meyers) began to decry the way poor black families were portrayed in the media coverage of the disaster. Then, in what George W. Bush called the “worst moment” of his presidency (no, seriously, he actually said that), West informed us all how the president really felt about black people.
Don’t worry. We’re not done with Kanye West yet.
Tim Allen Was a Coke Dealer
Tim Allen is known for a lot of things. Starring in Home Improvement for eight years. The voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story movies. That annoying grunting noise he does. But, in 1978, Allen was known by the federal government as a drug trafficker. And we’re sure he loves having it brought up at parties.
On October 7, 1978, Allen was arrested in the Kalamazoo, MI airport with 650 grams of cocaine in his possession. That’s nearly two and a half pounds of coke. He eventually served a little over two years in prison, a sentence that was only reduced after he ratted out some of his other fellow dealers. Since then, he’s made a name for himself in the non-drug dealing business.
Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift
So, Kanye West showed up at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards expecting Beyonce to win the award for Best Female video. Which she didn’t. Taylor Swift won it. So, West took to the stage during Swift’s acceptance speech promising Swift that he was “gonna let [her] finish” but had to let the world know that Beyonce had one of the greatest videos “of all time.. OF ALL TIME!”
Even the president (different one) called him a “jackass.”
Martha Stewart Goes To Prison
In 2001, Martha Stewart was allegedly tipped off by her stockbroker that the CEO of ImClone, a company that Stewart was heavily invested in, was planning on selling a whole bunch of his stock. She sold all of her stock, as well, and avoided a loss of over $45,000 when the stock dropped by 16%. Unfortunately, that’s what is known as “insider trading,” which is a no-no and lands you jail time. Which she got to the tune of five months in 2004.