10 Celebrity Arrests That Went VIRAL
10 Celebrity Arrests That Went Viral
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re discussing the celebrity run-ins with the law that people couldn’t stop talking about.
Justin Timberlake (2024)
Lots of celebrities get pulled over for driving while intoxicated. Most of the time, they pay their fine, we have a few laughs about their mugshot, and everyone moves on. Unfortunately for Timberlake, his comments during a late-night encounter with police spawned a viral meme. While the officer was assessing his condition, he apparently muttered, “This is going to ruin the tour.” But the cop didn’t know who Timberlake was, so naturally, he responded, “What tour?” Timberlake answered, “The world tour.” The internet had a field day with this. Meanwhile, Timberlake pled guilty to a minor traffic offense, paid his fine, and moved on.
Jack Doherty (2025)
An influencer getting in trouble while doing something stupid? That’s nothing new. But posting his own arrest video and monetizing his mugshot? You don’t see that every day. Doherty was arrested in Miami for standing in the middle of a busy street at 3 a.m., blocking traffic, and refusing to move when cops told him to. They also found illicit substances when they searched him. The whole thing was caught on cell phone video – of course – as well as police bodycams. Doherty spent a few hours in jail and was back on TikTok the next morning, trying to squeeze as much content out of the experience as possible. Sadly, this arrest will probably end up being profitable for him.
Marlena Velez (2024)
Don’t post videos of yourself committing crimes on the internet. That should be common sense, but it wasn’t for Marlena Velez. The TikToker and lifestyle influencer loves to create videos of herself shopping and showing off her hauls. The problem is that she wasn’t always paying for the things she took home. In 2024, after a Florida Target store reported some theft to the police, cops posted the security footage online. People identified Velez immediately – because she’d already uploaded a TikTok of herself taking home the stolen items! The young mom just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. She’s been arrested for stealing and crashing a friend’s car, shoplifting from Walmart, stealing from the same Target twice, and violating her probation.
Haley Joel Osment (2025)
When cops were called to a California ski resort to deal with an intoxicated guest in April 2025, they were probably surprised to find the star of “The Sixth Sense.” Osment was disoriented, stumbling, and his pants were falling down. It’s pretty shocking to see the former child actor in this condition. When you watch the bodycam footage, you almost feel sorry for the guy … until he starts calling the officers anti-Semitic slurs. Osment has since apologized and promised to make amends, saying he’s been going through a rough few months since his house burned down in a wildfire.
Jonathan Majors (2023)
He was quickly becoming one of the biggest names in Hollywood, until it all came crashing down after he was arrested for domestic violence. In 2023, Majors starred in two blockbusters – “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Creed III” – plus a well-received indie drama. His MCU character, Kang the Conqueror, was set to become a major player in the franchise. But after Majors was convicted of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend, Disney dumped him and changed its plans. Since his initial arrest, at least two other women have accused Majors of emotional and physical abuse. His fall from grace happened even faster than his rise to stardom.
Trey Songz (2025)
Like Marlena Velez, Songz can’t seem to stay out of trouble. He had two separate run-ins with the cops less than two weeks apart in December 2025. In the first incident, Songz was partying at a Times Square night club in the wee hours of the morning and became enraged when a worker told him they had to close. He allegedly started a fight, punching and kicking a person, and was charged with assault. Just ten days later, he was accused of destroying property at a hookah lounge, causing over $1,500 worth of damage. It’s the latest in a long list of clashes with the cops over the last decade.
Lil Nas X (2025)
This incident was all over the news, thanks in part to the videos captured by onlookers. Lil Nas X was filmed strutting down Ventura Boulevard wearing only his underwear and cowboy boots in the middle of the night in August 2025. When the police showed up, he supposedly charged at them. He was arrested for battery and injuring an officer, and was ordered to go to treatment for substance use disorder after he was released on bail. It’s obvious from the footage that Nas is going through something in this moment, but we can only speculate about what it is.
Morgan Wallen (2024)
In April 2024, this country music star became the latest celebrity to get intoxicated, do something stupid, and get arrested for it. Wallen was at Eric Church’s bar in Nashville when he apparently threw a chair off the roof of the six-story building. He might have gotten away with it if the chair hadn’t landed right next to two cops. He’s lucky it didn’t land on the cops – or anyone else. Wallen eventually pled guilty to a couple of misdemeanors and was sentenced to two years’ probation and a week in a DUI education center. Hopefully the incident will be a cue for Wallen to clean up his act, and not the start of a downward spiral.
Jussie Smollett (2019)
A lot has happened since the “Empire” star was supposedly the victim of a hate crime that he actually perpetrated against himself, so you might have forgotten how crazy this story was. In 2019, Smollett claimed that he’d been beaten by two men who shouted slurs at him, put a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him. Celebrities and politicians were quick to condemn the attack, but it didn’t take investigators long to discover that it was staged. Smollett had paid two coworkers to fake the beating, hoping it would be caught on security footage. The arrest, plea deal, and trial that followed were a whole other mess, but ultimately Smollett got off pretty easy.
Before we unveil our last entry, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
Reese Witherspoon (2013)
She Really Tried to Play the “Do You Know Who I Am” Card With the Cops
Hugh Grant (1995)
He Was Caught With a Sex Worker in His Car Just as He Broke out into Stardom
Paris Hilton (2006, 2010)
She’s Been Nabbed for Reckless Driving & Possession, But Somehow Always Gets off Light
Matthew McConaughey (1999)
Police Don’t Often Respond to a Noise Complaint to Find a Man Playing Bongos in the Nude
Sean “Diddy” Combs (2024)
After the Department of Homeland Security raided three of Diddy’s houses in March 2024, he had to know an arrest warrant would be coming soon. He was suspected of sex trafficking, and agents found all kinds of illicit stuff on his properties: illegal guns, drugs, and a horrifying quantity of baby oil. The arrest didn’t happen until six months later, when Combs was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering and denied bail. Following a highly publicized trial, he was ultimately acquitted of the worst charges and sentenced to just four years in prison. Many people feel that wasn’t nearly enough for the terrible crimes he was accused of.
Did any of these celebrity arrests shock you? Which stars do you think got off too easy? Let us know in the comments.
