10 Celebs Who Got Famous After Serving Time

10 Celebs Who Got Famous After Jail

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the celebrities who hit rock bottom before they could reach the top.

Will Smith

Just before he became one of the most beloved actors of the 90s, he had a slight run-in with the law. In between his stint with DJ Jazzy Jeff and his role on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Smith was arrested after having been accused of attacking a promoter. He was hit with several charges, ranging from assault to criminal conspiracy. They were eventually dropped. However, he still served a single night in jail. He turned his image around, seemingly determined to leave his past behind. He managed to achieve that early on in his career, quickly exiting his messy era and becoming synonymous with other wholesome TV personalities. From there, his career only skyrocketed — and it’s wild to think it was almost completely derailed.

Khloé Kardashian

Just as her career on television was about to begin, the youngest sister of the infamous family was caught driving under the influence of alcohol. While she was able to evade hard time, she was paroled. As the show took off, Kourtney became less stringent about meeting her guidelines. In 2008, she was detained for violating the terms of her parole. She was sentenced to up to 30 days in jail. While the sentence was already lax, she ended up being released after just a few hours due to overcrowding. However, Khloé has made it clear that she’s learned from her mistakes. She has recentered her focus in recent years and has become both a successful businesswoman and a loving mother.

50 Cent

Some people are born into unfortunate circumstances, where they have to do what they can to survive. This was the case for rapper 50 Cent, who started selling drugs as a teenager. This culminated in him selling to an undercover cop, which led to his arrest at 19 years old. Things only got worse as more paraphernalia was found in his home. He came close to receiving a harsh sentence. At the last second, he was sent to boot camp instead. This ended up being the best possible situation for him, as it helped him earn his GED. After being released, he became the rapper we know and love today. His story is important, as it focuses on what the prison system should be about – rehabilitation.

Bruno Mars

Around the time of the release of his debut album, the singer was nearly imprisoned after being caught with cocaine. The court took leniency on Mars and commuted his sentence in favor of a fine, community service, and swearing to not get into legal trouble for at least a year. He was also enrolled in an addiction program, which helped him keep himself out of hot water. He took the second chance to heart, immediately turning everything around and becoming one of the biggest musicians of his generation. He’s expressed regret for his actions and has since denounced the entire night. We can’t help but be thankful for his second chance as well, seeing the amount of pure bops he’s dropped since then.

Stephen Fry

Anyone can turn to misdeeds — even those you least expect. While Fry is seen as one of the most clean-cut celebrities of his time, he still had his run-ins with the law in his youth. After indulging in a bout of credit fraud, Fry was sentenced to serve time in a remand center in the United Kingdom. While these events could have been the start of a lifetime in and out of jail, Fry proved to himself and others that he could change. After his sentence, Fry applied and was accepted into Cambridge University — already showing that his previous brushes with crime were behind him. From there, he completely reinvented himself, morphing from a troubled teen into one of the greatest intellectuals of his time.

Felicia Pearson

She had lived a whole life before even hitting adulthood. At 14, Pearson was taken in and convicted on a murder charge, resulting in two back-to-back sentences. While this could have ended her life before it even started, she was given the ultimate second chance. She was freed early and was determined to shift things around. A few years after that, she happened to meet one of the actors from “The Wire” and from there, the rest is history. She was able to tap into her darker past and delivered a realistic, yet emotional performance that still resonates with people to this day. While she doesn’t have a perfect record, she’s more than proven that she’s no longer the impulsive teenager she once was.

Snoop Dogg

He’s re-invented his image so drastically that it’s hard to believe he was once on trial for murder. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Snoop had been in and out of jail for various drug and weapons charges. However, his most prominent and controversial charge occurred in the 1990s, when he was being accused of first-degree murder. He was eventually acquitted, giving him the opportunity to drop his debut and become the iconic rapper and persona we know today. He has shown genuine development throughout his adulthood and has visibly softened over the years. From appearing in children’s shows to collaborating with Martha Stewart, he has shown that anyone can grow and change– even the people you least expect.

Tim Allen

Before he was starring in children’s movies, he was doing time behind bars. In the late 1970s, Tim Allen was caught with copious amounts of illegal substances, which he had been trying to bring onto an airplane. He was hit with a drug trafficking charge, and a plea deal was the only thing keeping him from receiving a life sentence. He was eventually paroled, and a few years later, he began his career as a comedian. It seems hard to believe that someone who has taken on several wholesome roles— such as Buzz in “Toy Story”— would have such a sordid past, but he has showcased that he isn’t the same man he used to be several times throughout his career.

Mark Wahlberg

While he’s become a popular entertainer now, he didn’t have the easiest start. As a teenager, Wahlberg assaulted two Vietnamese-American men while allegedly under the influence of hard drugs. He was arrested for these crimes and was sentenced to a few months although he only ended up serving 45 days. The event remains a dark spot on his reputation, although he atoned for his actions. This included an apology to one of the victims – who ended up forgiving him. While the road to forgiveness – both from himself and others – was a long one, he eventually made it. He’s now one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood and has made a 180-degree turn from his past self.

Danny Trejo

He's the ultimate success story. While most celebrities ended up behind bars after just one incident, he spent the greater part of his youth locked up. Trejo had been in and out of prison for various crimes, from childhood into adulthood. He even nearly received the death penalty after an altercation with a guard. However, he’s refused to let his old decisions control him. He worked hard to build himself back up, and by the 1970s, he had been released. Trejo worked for years at various jobs before finally getting his big debut in the 1980s. Since then, he’s gone on to become a beloved actor. He’s the ultimate proof that your past doesn’t have to define you for the rest of your life.

Have any of your favorite stars had a brush with the law? Let us know in the comments below!