12 Shortest Celebrity Jail Stints Ever
Published on September 1, 2015.When it comes to time served in the clink, you’re pretty much guaranteed better treatment when you’re a celebrity. Yes, there have been many celebrities who have served serious time, but for the most part, being a celebrity is a ticket to a slap on the wrist and a stern “Don’t do this again” from a judge. Here are 12 examples of short celebrity jail stints factored into a formula of what they could have served, yet actually ended up serving. In other words, the more ridiculous will be found toward the top five.
12. Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney was toking in Tokyo, and he enjoyed his stash so much, he attempted to take it with him when he left the country. He was apprehended by Japanese authorities, and searched to find a half-pound of marijuana. His arrest meant little more than delaying his travel plans, as he was only sentenced to nine days in jail. The crime came with a potential seven year maximum sentence, but it seems someone in the Japanese justice system was a serious fan of Paul McCartney, The Beatles and not being murdered for putting Paul in the clink for longer than necessary. Why nine days? Why not nine days, people? It does seem random vs. arbitrary though, does it not? For those who are curious, yes, that is Paul’s mugshot in Tokyo that he used for the album cover of McCartney II in 1980.
Source: Amazon11. Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton. Remember her? We can pretty much blame her for the Kardashians being a thing. Before Paris Hilton, being a socialite meant being a socialite. For Paris, she had the heiress thing down, but she was also able to manipulate the media into thinking that she did things that were worthy of press. One thing she did that attracted a lot of press was drive without a license following a second arrest for DUI. She was sentenced to 45 days in jail by a California judge, but she was released after five days. The American public turned on the justice system, and the judge demanded that Paris reappear and return to jail for her entire sentence. Her second stint only lasted 18 days, and then she was released due to overpopulation of the prison community, and exceptionally dityz behavior no doubt.
Photo by Rex Features10. Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor. This old gal is a true survivor. One of three Hungarian sisters who became serious acting, glamour, socialite celebrities in the United States of America, Zsa Zsa was most famous for being married nine times. Together, the three sisters fished 20 husbands. Eight of Zsa Zsa’s marriages ended in divorce. Her current husband, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, serves as her caretaker. Zsa Zsa is 98 years old, and has lost the spunk that brought her fame, fortune and several rich husbands, but looking back to her 70s, she still had some serious spice. Zsa Zsa was pulled over by a Beverly Hills Police Officer, and found to have an open container — Jack Daniels…atta girl — in her $200,00o Rolls Royce. She could have been cited for that infraction, but she upped the ante when she slapped the cop. She served three days in the slammer.
Everett Collection9. Nicole Richie
Nicole Richie joins some of her friends on this list, having served a very short jail stint for a similar crime: DUI. Nicole wasn’t drunk, rather high on some illegal substances. What’s up with these people? When money is no object, you can literally take a cab (this was pre-Uber) anywhere you need to go. Perhaps that’s offering too much credit in the department of common sense. Nicole has since cleaned up her act, and enjoys living life as a doting mother of two, but she did officially serve time for her crime. She was sentenced to the minimum four days, but only served a whopping 82 minutes of the time. She was released early due to overcrowding, and she was alleged to be a sweetheart to everyone in the clink.
Source: CBS News8. Lindsay Lohan
What a mess Lindsay Lohan’s court appearances have been. How many times has this girl been in and out of courts stemming from an accident and/or a DUI? There was the initial appearance, where she was sentenced to do some time, then another appearance for violating the terms of her parole. Then, she had another appearance where her team of attorneys requested community service to pay her debt to society, then another appearance after it was found that Lindsay was way behind on her community service hours, and would have to go to jail if she didn’t complete them… this went on for years. Fortunately, for Lindsay, and her loyal fans, she seems to be doing much better. Through it all, she never spent more than two hours in jail.
X177. Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown is a bullet dodger. Considering all of the illegality he has indulged in over the years, it’s amazing that he hasn’t done serious time in prison. Not to pick on a guy who is mourning the loss of his daughter, but he certainly belongs on this list. Bobby offered a plea of guilt stemming from a 2012 DUI arrest, and agreed to an 18 month alcohol treatment program. Bobby was also to report for a 55 day prison sentence as part of his plea. Due to overcrowding, and what was deemed “good behavior,” Bobby only spent a few hours behind bars before he was released. Due to his infamy — born of his tumultuous relationship with pop star, Whitney Houston — the American public cast the shadow of shame on Bobby for his special treatment. Many wanted him to do the time.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Picture Perfect / Rex Features6. Amanda Bynes
2012 to 2014 served as rough years for Amanda Bynes. The former Nickelodeon star that became an industry darling completely lost her gourd, and began spinning toward the celebrity event horizon. Like so many on this list, Amanda’s first arrest came from a DUI, then her legal woes compounded when she was caught driving with a suspended license in Burbank. In 2013 she was arrested in NYC on suspicion of drug use. This was the incident alleging the bong being thrown out the window. Her parents famously said they thought a real stint in jail would help their daughter, but Amanda kept prolonging the hard sentence. Regardless of her downward spiral and legal woes, Amanda never saw more than a few hours in jail, pre-sentencing. How she avoided jail time…? She should write a book.
Photo by Rex Features5. Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf is an interesting dude. He is someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously, yet within the same breath, he takes himself way too seriously. He has shown himself to be less than a reputable real life character, or perhaps just a plagiarist, and once upon a time, he was arrested for disorderly conduct. This landed Shia in jail for a 24 hour stint, and according to the actor, it was a very scary ordeal. Shia’s real problem is likely that he’s always acting. He always seems to be “on.” The recent ordeal with the living art display, where he himself was the piece of art, and he claimed that one of the women who observed the exhibit raped him? This is some oddball stuff. Regardless, he has remained out of legal trouble — other than the plagiarizing incident — ever since his arrest and short jail stint.
Photo by Broadimage/REX4. Michelle Rodriguez
We could take any number of the actors and actresses who worked on LOST, and throw them into this mix, but we’ll go with Michelle Rodriguez since she played the most unlikable character of all the people arrested in Hawaii. That’s not a knock on Michelle; we love her. She’s the contemporary prototype of American, feminine muscle. But… she did get in trouble for driving under the influence while on location in Hawaii working on LOST, then she violated her parole agreement, and was forced to appear before the judge, where she was sentenced to 60 days in the clink. She had the opportunity to avoid jail time by committing to a community service schedule, but she opted for time behind bars knowing it would be cut down. As it turns out, she was right. She served a mere 12 hours.
Source: Digital Spy3. Justin Bieber
Who didn’t take great pleasure in seeing Justin Bieber arrested for being a complete and total idiot. It’s cool to say that, because Justin has admitted it. He was acting the fool. The person who should be most ashamed of the incidents that led to Justin’s arrest in Florida is the Biebs’s daddy. He was allegedly part of his son’s drug-fueled entourage that evening. Then, of course, there was Justin’s Canadian issues that were cause for arrest north of the border… and his Argentinian warrant that calls for his arrest way south of the border. This guy… As it stands, he has proven to be a better magician than musician, avoiding serious jail time with some stellar plea deals. He has only served a few hours, and it wasn’t really time served, rather time held, waiting to post bail.
Photo by Miami-dade Corrections/REX2. George Clooney
When you get arrested on purpose, it’s often because you’re some sort of activist. It was a quick debate for #2: George Clooney or Jane Fonda. We’ll go with Clooney, and Fonda as the honorable mention. George has famously stated that his prank war with Brad Pitt may actually land him in jail, serving time, but his first legitimate stint in local lockup was after a protest at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. George was protesting with his father, Nick, and the two were arrested by Secret Service, then hauled off to the local jailhouse. His time served was in the minutes category, because the entire ordeal was planned, and he was ready to post bail. That’s the way it goes when the money flows. His arrest actually served for some good, casting light on Chinese occupation in North Africa.
Photo by Patsy Lynch / Rex Features1. Khloe Kardashian
Ah, this was a good one. Even if you don’t watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians, you were likely privy to Khloe Kardashian’s short stint in jail after violating her parole following a DUI arrest. The drop-off was featured on an episode of the reality show, and it featured Kris Kardashian drumming up some crocodile tears, while chastising Kim — who was taking selfies — and Khloe, who was giddy and laughing about the entire thing, because DUIs are hilarious. Short story made long for the sake of TV and faux celebrity, Khloe was dropped off, checked-in, then called her family for a pick-up less than three hours later, because the jail was overcrowded. Celebrity luck strikes again. Khloe later told Ryan Seacrest that she was sent home, because the prison was on lock-down when they tried to admit her to the population.
Source: Us Magazine