Several well-known musicians, actors, and athletes have faced criminal charges or accusations related to inappropriate conduct. Some of these individuals were cleared of allegations, while others were found guilty of serious offenses. Who are some of the most notable figures involved in such cases? This list explores a range of accusations, from minor indiscretions like public exposure to more serious legal cases involving allegations of assault. One high-profile example is Bill Cosby, who faced multiple accusations over several years. Other public figures, including Danny Masterson and Roman Polanski, were also accused of similar crimes. Musicians like The Doors’ Jim Morrison and Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee have faced charges for public incidents, and several actors and other celebrities have also been involved in similar cases. This list provides a closer look at some of the most notable public figures who faced allegations or charges related to misconduct.
Tap upor downto vote. Your vote is added to Ranker's counts.
Voting identifies your browser with an anonymous fingerprint, stored only as a salted hash, to count one per visitor. Privacy
Source: Ranker, ranked by its voters.
In 2024, a civil jury in Ireland awarded over €250,000 to Nikita Hand, who accused mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. Despite McGregor's testimony claiming the encounter was consensual, the jury found him liable for assault. McGregor announced plans to appeal the verdict, while Hand expressed relief at the decision and thanked her supporters.
Jerry Harris, who gained celebrity on the Netflix docuseries Cheer, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on July 6, 2022, for soliciting sex from minors and pressuring young boys to send him inappropriate photos and videos. In February 2022, Harris pleaded guilty to two charges for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old in the bathroom during a cheer competition, and for paying a 17-year-old to send him sexually explicit photos and videos via Snapchat, per court records. He admitted to similar conduct involving other minors, but those charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Harris had initially been arrested in September 2020, an event which sparked others to share their own accounts of abuse in the world of competitive cheerleading.
R. Kelly was charged with statutory rape and child pornography in 2002 after a video surfaced that appeared to show Kelly having sex and urinating on an underage girl. After several delays, Kelly was found not guilty in 2008. In 2019, Kelly was charged with 10 counts of "aggravated criminal sexual [misconduct]" involving girls between the ages of 13 and 16. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx urged victims to come forward after a 2018 documentary, Surviving R. Kelly. At least two women reportedly responded. In September 2021, R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering, including acts of bribery and sexual exploitation of a child, along with separate sex trafficking charges.
Former Disney Channel star Kyle Massey was charged with a felony in June 2021 for allegedly sending pornographic photos to a 13-year-old girl. This is tied to his 2019 civil lawsuit, in which the child in question is sued him for $1.5 million for allegedly sending “numerous sexually explicit text messages, images, and videos” via Snapchat.
On June 23, 2020, adult film star Ron Jeremy was charged with three counts of rape by the Los Angeles District Attorney. In addition to being charged with raping three women, the 67-year-old was separately charged with the assault of a fourth. The assault allegedly took place in 2014, while the rapes were dated between 2017 and 2019. Jeremy was set to be prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson. Thompson was also prosecuting Harvey Weinstein at the time. Jeremy has asserted his innocence on all counts.
In 2020, former That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson was charged with raping three women. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced that the crimes had occurred between 2001 and 2003, with the victims including two 23-year-olds and a 28-year old (at the time). Masterson had been under investigation for sexual misconduct since 2016. The District Attorney’s office also mentioned in their statement that they declined to press charges against Masterson in another two cases (due to insufficient evidence).
In 2004, Bill Cosby was accused of sexual misconduct by 13 different women. The civil lawsuit claimed he drugged and sexually assaulted the women. Cosby settled with undisclosed terms. In April 2018, Cosby was tried for the 2004 rape of a woman named Andrea Constand. He was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault and faces up to 10 years in prison.
In 2012, CeeLo Green was accused of sexually assaulting a woman whom he had eaten dinner with in Los Angeles. The LA District Attorney did not have enough evidence to bring rape charges, and Green was later charged with furnishing a controlled substance. He pled no contest to the drug charge.
In 2014, X-Men director Bryan Singer was accused of sexually abusing a male teenager. The accuser has since filed additional lawsuits against other prominent members of the entertainment industry. Singer was also charged with raping a 17-year-old boy in 2017; the incident allegedly occurred in 2003.
Musician Gary Glitter was convicted of child pornography in 1999 and child molestation in 2006 in Vietnam. He was subsequently imprisoned in the United Kingdom for offenses that occured in the 1970s.
In 1988, Sean Penn was charged with domestic violence for an incident involving his then-wife Madonna. Allegedly, Penn tied Madonna to a chair and gagged her before leaving the house to get alcohol. Madonna has since denied the reports of abuse, saying that the press exaggerated the story.
Brad Pitt was charged with indecent exposure in 1988 for an incident in which the Fight Club actor allegedly mooned drivers on the Pacific Coast Highway in California.
Director Roman Polanski was charged with statutory rape, sodomy, and child molestation after he had sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl. Most of the charges were dropped and Polanski pled guilty to statutory rape. The sentence was set to be probation, but when Polanski learned that the judge wanted to cause a media storm by sentencing him to jail time, he fled the United States.
Mike Tyson was convicted of a rape charge in 1992 after sexually assaulting 18-year-old Desiree Washington, who was the reigning Miss Black Rhode Island at the time. Tyson served three years in prison for the crime.
In 1969, Jim Morrison was arrested for indecent exposure after performing a concert in Miami with The Doors.
Writer Oscar Wilde was convicted of sodomy and indecent acts in 1895. He spent two years in prison.
Tupac Shakur was charged with sexual battery and sodomy in 1993. Shakur admitted to having consensual sexual relations with the woman who accused him of the assault and was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse.
Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was charged with indecent exposure after he dropped his pants while taking a bow at a 1990 concert. He was fined $1,647 for the incident.
Rapper Nelly was arrested in October 2017 while on tour in Washington state. He was booked for second-degree rape following an encounter that allegedly took place on his tour bus. Nelly was quickly released, and tweeted that he is "completely innocent."
Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis was charged with indecent exposure and sexual battery after performing a concert in 1989.
Marilyn Manson was charged with sexual misconduct in 2001 by a male security officer. The charges were later reduced to disorderly conduct and Manson paid a fine of $4,000.
In 1991, Paul Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure while he was at an adult movie theater. In 2003, Reubens was charged with child pornography, but the charge was later reduced to obscenity.
In 1993, former professional wrestler Jerry Lawler was charged with rape and sodomy of a 13-year-old girl. The charges were later dropped when the accuser admitted that she made up the story.
Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong was arrested for indecent exposure in 1995.
NFL player Jim Brown was charged with rape and sexual assault in 1985. The charges were later dropped.
Woody Allen has been suspected of having sexual relations with minors since 1992, when Allen was found with nude photos of his partner Mia Farrow's 20-year-old adopted daughter, Soon-Yi. Allen and Soon-Yi were married in 1997. In 2014, Allen's adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, accused Allen of sexual assault. The accusations were examined in depth in the 2021 documentary Allen v. Farrow.
In 2009, a cruise ship worker claimed that John Travolta sexually assaulted him. The man says that Travolta exposed himself during a neck massage and later offered the man $12,000 to keep quiet. Travolta denies all allegations.
In 2012, Britney Spears was accused of sexual harassment by former body guard, Fernando Flores. He claimed the pop star flashed him and invited him into her bedroom while she was nude.
In 2007, magician David Copperfield was accused of sexually assaulting a woman. After a grand jury investigation, officials determined that there was not enough valid evidence to press charges against Copperfield.
In 2009, a civil lawsuit was filed when a woman accused Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room. In 2010, it was revealed that the NFL player was also being investigated for another instance of sexual assault. Criminal charges were not filed in either case.
In 2006, Al Gore was accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards a female masseuse. In 2010, the former Vice President was cleared of any wrong-doing.
NBA player Kobe Bryant was accused of rape in 2003. The charges were eventually dropped in 2004, but Bryant did admit to having consensual sex with a woman who was not his wife.
A$AP Bari, co-founder of A$AP Mob, was sued for sexual assault in November 2017. In July, a video surfaced online apparently showing Bari attempting to force a woman into performing oral sex. The unnamed woman is seeking more than $1 million in her suit. He also pled guilty to sexual assault in a criminal case.
In December 2017, an anonymous woman accused comedian T. J. Miller of sexually assaulting her and choking her when they were in college. She said they had at least two violent encounters, and though she eventually reported the incidents to campus police, the matter was never resolved. Miller denies her claims.
Actor Errol Flynn was charged with statutory rape in 1943. He was found not guilty, but the publicity negatively impacted his film career.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off actor Jeffrey Jones pled no contest to charges of child pornography. However, he was sentenced to five years probation and is a registered sex offender.
The Wu-Tang Clan rapper was kicked out of a hotel in Germany for indecent exposure in 1998.
Rev Run was charged with rape in 1991, but the charges were later dropped.
In 1993, Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation. The 1994 civil trial ended with a settlement between Jackson and the alleged victim. In 2003, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child sexual abuse and was found not guilty in 2005.
Marv Albert was charged with forcible sodomy and assault and battery in 1997. He pled guilty to the assault charge and was given a 12-month suspended sentence.
Sean Kingston was accused of sexual assault from a woman who visited his hotel room in 2010. Police determined that the woman did not seem credible, so charges were not filed.
Jazz legend Charlie Parker was charged with indecent exposure in 1946, but the charges were later dropped.
Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter was accused of rape in November 2017 by Dream member Melissa Schuman. She says the assault happened in 2002, and that she didn't press charges at the time because she was afraid of the potential impact on her career. She filed a police report, but the charges were dropped because the statute of limitations had passed. Carter denied the allegations.
Soccer player George Best was charged with child molestation in 2005, but the charges were later dropped.
R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills was arrested for indecent exposure in the 1980s.
So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Alex Da Silva was charged with several counts of rape. He was found guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Model Jason Boyce filed a suit against fashion photographer Bruce Weber in December 2017. Boyce says Weber forced him to strip and touch himself during a 2014 photo shoot, and later made the model kiss him. A few days later, a second model named Mark Ricketson also said Weber sexually harassed him.
Singer Seal was accused of sexual misconduct by actress Tracey Birdsall in January 2018. The incident reportedly took place in the fall of 2016, when Birdsall – who was then Seal's neighbor – said she went to his house to retrieve a borrowed salad spinner. She says the singer lunged at her and groped her while making crude remarks about her outfit. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department eventually dropped the charges.
Timothy Heller accused fellow musician Melanie Martinez of rape on Twitter. Martinez claimed Heller "never said no to what we chose to do together."
Jon Heely, Disney's director of music publishing, was charged with three felony counts of child sexual abuse in December 2017. The abuse allegedly took place a decade earlier. Heely pleaded not guilty; if convicted, he faces up to nine years behind bars.
Jess Cliffe, the co-creator of computer game Counter-Strike, was arrested in Seattle, WA, in February 2018. He allegedly paid a 16-year-old girl for sex; he claimed he believed she was 23. According to the teen, Cliffe also recorded her during sex without her consent.
American Ninja Warrior Winner Drew Drechsel was arrested on multiple child-sex-related charges including "manufacture of child pornography, enticement of a minor to travel for illicit sexual conduct, travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and use of interstate commerce to entice a minor."
“A Springdale man was arrested yesterday for receiving and possessing material depicting the sexual abuse of children. According to court documents, Joshua James Duggar, 33, allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material. Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019," read an April 30, 2021 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Arkansas. Duggar was released from jail in May 2021, and was allowed to see his children with supervised visits, but is not permitted to live with them.
