From BuzzFeed · · 2m
Celebrities Who Used Fame to Break Laws
Celebrities avoided legal consequences using their fame: speeding tickets, sexual abuse, and more.
In brief
Celebrities avoided legal consequences using their fame: speeding tickets, sexual abuse, and more. Celebrities used their fame to avoid legal consequences including speeding tickets and sexual abuse allegations. Originally reported by BuzzFeed.
Rita Ora's Birthday Party
In 2020, Rita Ora broke London's lockdown rules by offering a restaurant £5,000 to host her birthday party.
“I attended a small gathering with some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday. It was a spur of the moment decision... I'm deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk.”
Tom Holland Avoids Ticket
Tom Holland avoided a speeding ticket after his wife Zendaya told police he was Spider-Man.
“They recognized that he was Spider-Man, and we were fine. We got a warning, and everything was okay.”
Kit Harington's Game of Thrones Spoiler
Kit Harington gave police a Game of Thrones spoiler to avoid a speeding ticket.
“I was going over the speed limit. And I feel the sirens go off behind me, and this policeman comes up, pulls me over. A bit sheepish, I said, 'I'm really sorry. I didn't... I wasn't looking at the clock.'”
Alec Baldwin's NYC Bike Ride
Alec Baldwin got arrested for riding his bike the wrong way down NYC streets in 2014.
“How old are these officers, that they don't know who I am?”
Nathan Fillion's Autograph Trick
Nathan Fillion got out of a speeding ticket by giving an autograph to a police officer's wife.
“I said, 'Great. ... What's your wife's name?' He said, 'Lily.' So I wrote, 'To Lily…'”
Deric Augustine's Tinted Windows
Deric Augustine avoided a ticket for tinted windows after police recognized him from The Rookie.
“I recently got pulled over because of my tinted windows, and the officer recognized me from The Rookie. He let me go.”
Jimmy Savile's Sexual Abuse
Jimmy Savile sexually abused hundreds of people over 60 years, including children, from the 1940s to 2009.
“It is now clear that Savile was hiding in plain sight and using his celebrity status and fundraising activity to gain uncontrolled access to vulnerable people across six decades.”
R. Kelly's Child Sexual Abuse
R. Kelly sexually abused girls and women for nearly 30 years, leading to a 30-year prison sentence.
“He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children and producing child sexual abuse images.”
Chris Brown's Assault on Rihanna
Chris Brown choked, bit, and hit Rihanna during a 2009 Grammy performance.
“He choked her, bit her, hit her, and tried to push her out of a car.”
Harvey Weinstein's Sexual Assaults
Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted multiple women over decades, leading to a 23-year prison sentence.
“He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual misconduct, oral copulation, and rape.”
Harvey Weinstein's Legal Battles
Harvey Weinstein faced multiple legal battles after being accused of sexual assault, including a 2024 overturned conviction.
“In 2024, Weinstein's NYC sex crime conviction was overturned by the New York State Court of Appeals.”
Harvey Weinstein's Current Status
Harvey Weinstein is currently serving 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a Project Runway production assistant.
“In September 2026, Weinstein was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, a Project Runway production assistant, in 2006.”
Rita Ora's Apology
Rita Ora apologized for breaking lockdown rules by hosting a birthday party.
“I'm deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk.”
Rita Ora's Fine
Rita Ora was fined £10,000 for breaking London's lockdown rules.
“She was fined ten thousand pounds.”
Rita Ora's Mother
Rita Ora disappointed her mother, who works for the NHS, by breaking lockdown rules.
“She was upset with me, that was the worst bit, seeing her working every day and coming home exhausted and knowing what I did was obviously avoidable.”
The one thing
Celebrities used their fame to avoid legal consequences including speeding tickets and sexual abuse allegations.
