While celebrities are often viewed as figures who are larger-than-life, it isn’t unheard of for some of the biggest names to end up in serious trouble. After all, no one is above the law.
So, when the individuals we idolize face a downfall, it’s scrutinized immensely by the public—especially when it involves a prison sentence.
From Diddy to Tiger King’s Joe Exotic, here are 18 known figures who have been or currently are the topic of that conversation.
#1 Sean "Diddy" Combs
American rapper and record producer “Diddy” was arrested on September 16 and has been charged with federal racketeering and human trafficking, just months after authorities raided his home and found “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.”
While he has not been convicted or sentenced, he is currently in jail awaiting a trial set for May 5.
Image credits: Gareth Cattermole / Getty
#2 Danny Masterson
According to ABC News, former That ‘70s Show actor Danny Masterson was convicted of two counts of rape involving three women. He was found guilty by the jury in September 2023 and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The women accused him of raping them between 2001 and 2003. The third count was labeled a mistrial and has been dismissed by prosecutors.
Image credits: Michael Tran / Getty
#3 Amy Locane
American actress Amy Locane is best known for her role in John Waters’ 1990 musical comedy Cry-Baby, where she co-starred with Johnny Depp. But the 52-year-old was convicted of vehicular homicide in New Jersey in 2010.
Locane’s blood-alcohol level was three times above the legal limit when she hit another car, killing its 60-year-old passenger. The driver of the car was the victim’s husband, who was seriously injured.
The mother of two was released in 2015 but was re-sentenced to eight years in prison in 2020 after her original sentence was ruled too lenient. She will be eligible for parole in December 2024.
Image credits: Jean-Paul Aussenard / Getty
#4 Joe Exotic
The infamous “Tiger King” was found guilty on two counts of hiring someone to kill Carole Baskin, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act by falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act after he killed five tigers and sold the animals across state lines, as reported by Pensacola News Journal.
Originally, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison on January 22, 2020, but was re-sentenced to 21 years, two years later.
Image credits: Joe Exotic
#5 Roy Estrada
Roy Estrada was a bassist for Frank Zappa when he was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for molesting a female family member under the age of 14, as reported by RTT News.
A representative for the Tarrant County district attorney said, “The victim’s family was unaware that he was a convicted sex offender. Estrada was sentenced to 25 years in a plea bargain agreement and is not eligible for parole.
“He will be 93 years old before he is released from prison.”
Image credits: paPisc / Flickr
#6 Kris Wu
Kris Wu was an ordinary kid from Vancouver when he transformed into one of China’s biggest pop stars—until his downfall in 2021.
The court in the Chaoyang district, China, showed he had raped three women between the months of November and December of 2020.
The former singer was sentenced to 13 years in jail and will be deported from China after his release.
Image credits: Edward Berthelot / Getty
#7 Jen Shah
Back in January of 2023, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star, Jen Shah, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, “from at least 2012 until her arrest in March 2021, SHAH was an integral leader of a wide-ranging, nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people.”
Image credits: Bravo / Getty
#8 Harvey Weinstein
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein will very likely spend the rest of his life in jail, according to NPR.
He had previously been serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York when, in 2023, he was sentenced again on charges of rape and sexual assault, adding an additional 16 years.
Weinstein spoke up in court, denying his involvement, saying, “I maintain that I’m innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1. I never knew this woman, and the fact is she doesn’t know me. This is about money,” reported CNN.
Image credits: Pool / Getty
#9 Josh Duggar
Back in May 2022, Josh Duggar was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for possessing and downloading child pornography. Earlier on, he was also accused of molesting five girls, two of which were his sisters, when he was a teenager.
He is best known for being a part of the reality show 19 Kids and Counting.
Image credits: D Dipasupil / Getty
#10 Michael Jace
Back in 2014, Michael Andrew Jace shot his wife to death in their Los Angeles home right in front of his two kids. Two years later, he was sentenced to prison for 40 years.
The actor, who played a cop in the drama series The Shield, was upset when his spouse wanted a divorce and repeatedly convinced himself she was seeing someone else, said CNN.
Image credits: Jean-Paul Aussenard / Getty
#11 R. Kelly
Former singer and record producer R. Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison in early 2023 for three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticing minors into intimate relationships.
Nineteen years of his sentence will be served concurrently with his existing New York sentence, which convicted him of human trafficking and racketeering, meaning he will spend an extra year in jail.
Image credits: Gregory Bojorquez / Getty
#12 Austin Jones
Austin Jones, best known as a personality on YouTube, was sentenced to 10 years in prison back in 2019.
According to BBC, he admitted to encouraging six underage girls to send him sexually explicit videos in private messages as a way to “prove” that they were his biggest fans.
Both his YouTube and X account have been deleted, which amassed more than 700K followers.
Image credits: The Hollywood Reporter
#13 Elizabeth Holmes
According to NPR, Holmes is the “most high-profile tech executive to be sentenced to prison time.” Back in January 2022, a jury in San Jose, California, convicted the now 40-year-old of fraud and conspiracy over false claims related to her blood-testing company, Theranos.
She is scheduled to be released on August 16, 2032.
Image credits: CNBC / Getty
#14 Jared Fogle
A former spokesperson for Subway restaurants, Jared Fogle went from talking about sandwiches on live TV to making them for his fellow prison inmates.
The 47-year-old was sentenced to more than 15 years behind bars for receiving and keeping child pornography, as well as repeatedly having intimate relationships with minors, as reported by NPR.
Image credits: Janette Pellegrini / Getty
#15 Tory Lanez
Back in July 2020, Tory Lanez was leaving a party at Kylie Jenner’s house in Los Angeles when he shot Megan Thee Stallion in the foot, according to NBC News.
The Canadian rapper was admitted to North Kern State Prison in September of last year and will spend the next ten years there.
Image credits: Joseph Okpako / Getty
#16 Suge Knight
In January 2015, Marion “Suge” Knight, an American record executive, crashed his car into two men—his friend and co-founder of Heavyweight Records, Terry Carter, was killed, while filmmaker Cle Soan suffered fractures and head injuries.
He is now serving a 28-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter.
Image credits: Jesse Grant / Getty
#17 Shannon Richardson
American actress Shannon Richardson, who had minor roles in series like The Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead, was allegedly involved in sending ricin-laced letters to politicians such as Former President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
She was arrested on June 7, 2013, and was sentenced to an 18-year prison term.
Image credits: Leslie Morris / Getty
#18 Julie And Todd Chrisley
Reality show stars Julie and Todd Chrisley are both serving prison sentences after being indicted on 12 counts of bank and wire fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy back in 2019.
Todd was given 12 years in prison after a jury found him guilty in June 2022, while Julie received a seven-year sentence.
Image credits: Michael Tran / Getty
