Celebrities are used to the spotlight being focused on them, but sometimes they end up in the wrong hands. Several of our favorite celebrities have landed in jail overseas due to a combination of not knowing local customs and breaking obscure rules.
Learn about the surprising circumstances that led to the arrests of some of your favorite stars when they were on foreign soil. These events, from Justin Bieber’s run-in with the law in Argentina to Martha Stewart’s gaffe in Iceland, show that not even the rich and famous are immune to the law and that misunderstandings can arise out of nowhere due to cultural differences.
1. Courtney Love
Courtney Love, an American singer and actress, was arrested in 2003 for alleged drug possession in London, UK. Love was arrested after allegedly breaking windows and attempting to enter the home of her ex-boyfriend, British documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield.
2. Snoop Dogg
After his performance at a music festival in Sweden in 2015, Snoop Dogg was temporarily held by police on suspicion of drug use. He was cleared of any wrongdoing after denying the charges. Snoop Dogg and other musicians temporarily boycotted Sweden after the incident caused uproar.
3. Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant was arrested in Los Angeles, California, in 1995 for public indecency with a prostitute. He admitted guilt for obscene behavior and was punished with a fine, probation, and AIDS education classes and community service.
Hugh Grant is an English actor who has starred in various films and TV programs.
4. Boy George
The New York City police detained English singer-songwriter Boy George in 2007 and accused him of falsely imprisoning a male escort. He was charged with attacking the escort with a metal chain when he was chaining him to a wall in his Manhattan residence, where the incident took place. George refuted the accusations, but he was later found guilty and given a 15-month prison term. After serving his four-month term, he was freed.
5. George Michael
An undercover police officer arrested George Michael, the English singer-songwriter, in a public lavatory in Beverly Hills, California, for participating in a “lewd act.” The incident gained extensive media publicity, and Michael publicly admitted to being gay shortly after his incarceration.
Notwithstanding the drama surrounding his imprisonment, George Michael had a successful music career, releasing several hit singles and albums in the 1990s and 2000s.
6. Jerry Hall
Jerry Hall and her then-boyfriend, the singer Bryan Ferry, were caught with a little amount of marijuana in their luggage in 1988 while traveling to the island nation. Hall was arrested and booked on drug possession charges. After posting bond, she was ordered to appear in court. Nonetheless, the allegations against Hall were eventually dismissed, and he was granted exit visa.
7. Ozzy Osbourne
In 1982, English musician and lead singer of the band Black Sabbath Ozzy Osbourne was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, for being drunk in public. Osbourne was on tour to promote his album “Diary of a Madman” when he urinates on the Alamo Cenotaph, a historical monument on the grounds of the Alamo. He was locked up for the night before he was let out on bail.
8. Paul McCartney
In January 1980, customs officials at Tokyo’s Narita Airport caught Paul McCartney as he attempted to enter the country with a large quantity of marijuana. Once around eight ounces of marijuana were found in his suitcase, he was imprisoned for nine days. The incident caused McCartney to cancel his tour, but he was eventually expelled from Japan without facing any charges.
