43 Mug Shots Showing That Even Celebrities Aren’t Above The Law

Some mug shots look like they belong to strangers, until you realize the “strangers” have famous faces. One minute it’s a headline about a celebrity, the next minute it’s a booking photo, and suddenly nobody’s above the law, not even the people who live under spotlights.

Start with Martin Luther King Jr., pictured in 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama, tied to the bus boycotts sparked after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. Then flip to the chaotic side of fame, where Justin Bieber ends up arrested for DUI and suspected drag racing, and Frank Sinatra gets nabbed in 1938 on a charge that was basically “seduction,” a term that meant something very different back then.

It’s a wild mix of justice, scandal, and bad timing, all caught in the same kind of frame.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Pictured in 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama, took part in the historic bus boycotts sparked by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat. These protests challenged the deep-rooted segregation on public transportation and quickly grew into a powerful movement for equal rights. King became one of the leading voices during this time, helping turn a local act of defiance into a nationwide push for justice and change.

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George Carlin - Bad Language

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Keanu Reeves - Suspicion Of DUI

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Hugh Grant - 1995 Caught engaging in inappropriate behavior in a public space.

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Justin Bieber - arrested for DUI and suspected drag racing.

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Shailene Woodley - Arrested for Trespassing During a Protest

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Bill Gates - For A Traffic Violation.

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Frank Sinatra

Back in 1938, a 23-year-old Frank Sinatra found himself in trouble with the law. He was arrested on a charge called “seduction,” a term used at the time when a man convinced a woman to sleep with him under the false promise of marriage.

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Cher, back in 1959 at just 13, found herself in trouble after taking her mother’s car without permission and getting arrested.

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Ozzy - Charged With Public Intoxication

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Tiger Woods - DUI In 2017

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Khloe Kardashian - DUI

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Vampire Diaries Cast Caught Shining Flashlights at Passing Drivers from a Bridge

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Nick Nolte - DUI

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Prince

Once, he grabbed a megaphone from a plane with his keyboardist. At least, that’s how the story goes, and honestly, it fits his chaotic genius energy perfectly.

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Lisa Left Eye, Arson

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Lindsay Lohan (One Of Many), This One’s From A Probation Violation

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Al Pacino In 1961 For Suspicion Of Attempted Robbery

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Mel Gibson 2011 DUI

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And if you thought the stakes were done, Kim Kardashian breaking down after Kanye West claimed her Paris robbery was fake

Tyler, the Creator was arrested in March 2014 for allegedly inciting a riot during a performance at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

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Justin Timberlake - DUI arrest.

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Nicole Richie - DUI

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Macaulay Culkin was taken into custody back in 2004 for possession of controlled substances.

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Reese Witherspoon and Her Then-Husband Jim Toth

Back in April 2013, Reese Witherspoon and her then-husband, Jim Toth, found themselves in trouble with the law while in Atlanta, Georgia. It started when police pulled Toth over on suspicion of driving under the influence. As officers began the arrest, Witherspoon repeatedly stepped out of the vehicle and questioned what was happening, even after being told to remain inside.

Her refusal to follow instructions eventually led to a separate charge of disorderly conduct, making the night memorable for all the wrong reasons.

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James Brown - Dui Of Pcp

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Paul Reubens, AKA Pee Wee Herman - Indecent Exposure In An Adult Movie Theatre, 1991

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Morgan Wallen - Threw A Chair At Someone

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Ronnie Radke - When He Was Arrested For Domestic Assault In 2012.

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Woody Harrelson - 1982, Columbus, OH. Disturbing The Peace

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Kurt Cobain - May 1986. He ended up in handcuffs after spray-painting the strange phrase “Ain’t Got No How Watchamacallit” across several parked cars.

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Patrick Stump Of Fall Out Boy - Driving Without A License

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Jim Morrison (One Of Several) - Inciting A Riot, Indecency, And Public Obscenity

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Zsa Zsa Gabor - Slapped A Cop Who Had Stopped Her Car, And She Ended Up Doing A Few Days In Jail

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Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros

Arrested for DUI, and not long after, both characters mysteriously disappeared from the storyline. Producers insisted the timing was just a coincidence… but let’s be honest, nobody really bought that explanation.

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Eminem - Carryiang Concealed Weapon

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Shia LaBeouf, 2007 - Trespassing At A Walgreens

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Mischa Barton - DUI

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John Mayer, 2001 - Speeding And Driving Without A License

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Mitchell Musso - Arrested in 2023 for public intoxication and theft. The towel wasn’t a fashion choice—he was only in board shorts when police caught him.

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Superman from Smallville, Himself, Tom Welling - DUI, 2025

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Future - Theft

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Wesley Snipes - Failure To File Tax Returns

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Drake Bell - Charged With DUI In 2015

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When you go from King in Montgomery to Bieber’s DUI and alleged drag racing, it hits you how fast a public image can collapse into a mug shot.

That same messy energy shows up with Hugh Grant in 1995, Shailene Woodley getting arrested for trespassing during a protest, and Bill Gates pulled over for a traffic violation.

Even the “old Hollywood” stories get messy, like Frank Sinatra’s 1938 “seduction” arrest and Cher getting arrested in 1959 at 13 after taking her mother’s car.

And then it snowballs into a full celebrity crime collage, from Tiger Woods’ DUI in 2017 and Khloe Kardashian’s DUI to Lisa Left Eye’s arson and Macaulay Culkin’s 2004 drug possession.

Fame doesn’t shield anyone from slipping up. Sometimes it’s a bad decision, sometimes it’s being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and other times it’s just a split-second lapse in judgment. Every mug shot has a story behind it, a moment that changed someone’s path, for better or worse.

Some celebrities brushed it off with humor, some worked hard to move forward, and others reinvented themselves entirely. At the end of the day, everyone makes mistakes.

The booking photo does not care who you are, it only cares that you got caught.

Want the internet to pick your new middle name? Read Macaulay Culkin letting fans choose and reacting to their pick.