Celebrities who had scrapes with the law before they were famous

Before he was a household name, Dazed and Confused star Matthew McConaughey was arrested in 1999 at his Austin home after police responded to a noise complaint. The 29-year-old actor was famously found dancing naked and playing the bongo drums, and was arrested on both noise violation and marijuana possession charges, though the latter was later dropped. 

The Oscar-winning actor pleaded no contest to his outstanding charges and was ordered to pay a $50 fine. He’s since managed to poke fun at the event, staging an ad in 2025 for tequila brand Pantalones featuring his wife Camila reciting the police report and the actor playing the bongos.

Though the Parks and Recreation star has never been arrested, Chris Pratt revealed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he once had a warrant out for his arrest. Chris was a coupon salesman in his teens, which he described as a “multi-level marketing pyramid scheme” – the actor eventually opened his own office, but later lost money over an insurance ticket, leading to the warrant being issued.

“My mom had to fly me home,” he said, adding that he’s “always nice” to salespeople now – “whatever you’re selling, you got it, I’ll buy three!”

Prior to his breakout role in Cheers, a 21-year-old Woody Harrelson was arrested after a raucous night out in Cleveland, Ohio. Speaking to The Guardian, the actor, who once aspired to become a policeman, shared that he “jumped out the truck, wearing the cuffs, and ran across the parking lot”, which “ended any fascination I’d ever had with being a cop”.

The Emmy-winning star has since found success playing a police officer in several hit films, notably Bill Willoughby in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Early fans of the Kardashians and their hit reality show may remember Khloé Kardashian’s DUI arrest in 2007, documented in the third season of the show and immortalised by Kris Jenner’s line, “Kim, would you stop taking pictures of yourself? Your sister’s going to jail!”

Khloé spent less than three hours in jail, and the Good American founder revisited the event in a 2022 episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians, sharing that she did her own makeup for her mugshot, which Kris has framed. “I’ve never been to jail since,” she said. “So I’ve learned my lesson.”

The same year John Mayer dropped his debut album Room for Squares (2001), he also had a brief run-in with the law; the “Gravity” hitmaker was arrested for driving with a suspended license in Atlanta, Georgia, though the case was dismissed a month later.

Following his chart-topping success, John took to Twitter in 2009 and pledged to donate $25,000 to charity if TMZ could track down his mugshot – which they did.

After bursting onto the music scene in 2010 with “Just the Way You Are”, a 24-year-old Bruno Mars was arrested that same year on drug possession charges at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The singer received a year of informal probation and a $2000 fine as well as community service, which he successfully completed.

“That was the reality check I needed,” he later told CBS News’ 60 Minutes in 2016. The Grammy-award winning star has since become one of the best-selling artists of all time with hits like “Locked Out of Heaven” and “24K Magic”. 

Shortly after releasing The Slim Shady LP in 1999, rapper Eminem was arrested the following year after an incident outside a Michigan nightclub – he later pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and received two years of probation. 

The 15-time Grammy Award-winner has since gone on to release worldwide hits like Encore (2004), as well as amass a huge $300 million net worth, and has also co-founded the record label Shady Records.