10 Celebrities Who Were Charged with Sex Crimes

10 Celebrities That Have Been Charged with Sex Crimes

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining 10 Celebrities That Have Been Charged with Sex Crimes.

For this list, we’ll be looking at famous individuals who have been legally charged with committing a sexual offense. We will also be including those who have settled lawsuits regarding said offenses. However, we will not be including those who have only been accused.

Which of these stories hurt the most? Let us know in the comments below!

James Franco

For a while there, James Franco was one of the biggest names in Hollywood. But that all changed in the late 2010s when it was reported that Franco was exploiting women through his acting school, Studio 4. According to various sources, Franco encouraged his students to perform intimate physical acts for favors and behaved inappropriately during sensual scenes. These allegations culminated in a lawsuit that was filed in October 2019. The two female defendants claimed that Franco held “sexually exploitative auditions and film shoots” at his studio and filmed the interactions. Franco settled the lawsuit for just under $1 million.

O Yeong-su

This South Korean actor made headlines in 2021 playing the sweet but ultimately deceptive Oh Il-nam in “Squid Game.” The role earned him widespread popularity and acclaim, not to mention an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. It wasn’t long after that O made headlines for an entirely different, and far more malevolent, reason. In November of 2022, O was charged with indecent assault after inappropriately touching a woman in 2017. O denied the charge, claiming that he “held her hand to guide the way around [a] lake.” He went to trial for the infraction in February 2023.

Danny Masterson

The Masterson brothers rose to fame in the early 2000s, with Christopher Masterson on “Malcolm in the Middle” and Danny on “That ‘70s Show.” While Steven Hyde is an icon to many, his legacy has undoubtedly been tarnished thanks to the legal snafus of his portrayer. It began in March of 2017, when Masterson was accused of sexual assault by three different women. This launched a years-long investigation that culminated in three separate charges. Masterson pled not guilty, and the trial ended in May 2023 with the actor being found guilty of two of the three charges. He faces up to thirty years in prison and will be officially sentenced in September 2023.

Mike Tyson

While undoubtedly one of the greatest boxers ever, Mike Tyson has always been a controversial figure. In early 1992, Tyson was the centerpiece of a very public trial regarding the sexual assault of Desiree Washington. The trial was extensively followed, as Tyson had just finished a years-long reign as the undisputed heavyweight champion. Thanks to testimony from emergency room physicians and Tyson’s own chauffeur, the boxer was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison. He ended up serving less than half that and was released in March of 1995. He went right back to boxing, with his August bout against Peter McNeeley being billed as “He's Back.”

Josh Duggar

“19 Kids and Counting” was a TLC reality show following Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their nineteen children. Yes, nineteen, you heard that right. The eldest child is Josh Duggar, born in 1988. In May 2015, In Touch Weekly published an old police report that showed Duggar had perpetrated multiple sexual offenses. Advertisers quickly pulled their support, and the show was canceled after ten seasons. But the controversy didn’t stop there. In April 2021, Duggar was arrested by U.S. Marshals after they found illicit material in his possession. He was found guilty in December of that year and sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison.

Kevin Spacey

There are falls from grace, there are terrible falls from grace, and then there’s Kevin Spacey. It’s amazing how fast his stock plummeted, going from one of the most beloved and respected actors of his generation to a disgraced has-been in the course of a day. His career ended on October 29, 2017, when Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexual misconduct. But this was only the tip of the iceberg. The floodgates opened and dozens more accused Spacey of similar inappropriate behavior. It also opened multiple criminal cases and lawsuits. One was launched in May of 2022 when Spacey was charged with four counts of sexual assault. A further seven charges were added the following November. Spacey was found not liable in the Rapp case and after facing further charges in a UK trial that began in June 20, 2023, he was cleared on all counts a month later.

R. Kelly

The King of R&B has sold over 75 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of the modern age. That kind of legacy doesn’t come easy, but R. Kelly completely threw it away thanks to some horrific behavior that landed him in prison. Some older fans may remember the controversy of the 2000s when Kelly was prosecuted but ultimately acquitted of a serious crime. But he didn’t get away with it for long, as Kelly was charged with ten counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 2019. This led to further federal indictments, which in turn resulted in a slew of criminal convictions and a prison sentence of 31 years.

Roman Polanski

In 1974, Roman Polanski released “Chinatown,” which garnered eleven Oscar nominations and cemented the director’s place in movie history. Just three years later, he was charged with six offenses relating to the sexual assault of Samantha Gailey. Polanski entered a plea deal and expected to receive probation, but he later learned that Judge Laurence Rittenband planned on rejecting the deal and sending the director to prison. Polanski then fled to France, knowing that he would not be extradited to the U.S. He was right, and the director has remained a fugitive ever since. However, that didn’t stop the Academy from awarding Polanski two more nominations (and one win) for Best Director.

Bill Cosby

Known as “America's Dad,” Bill Cosby was once the most beloved man on television. His warm demeanor and sharp eye for comedy earned him legions of fans - as did those very unique sweaters. But there was a much darker reality hiding just below the surface. Sexual assault allegations had followed Cosby since the mid-'60s, but nothing really came of them. But Cosby eventually faced his day of reckoning when he was accused by a woman named Andrea Constand. Her allegation was the only one that fell within the statutes of limitations, and it was her story that put Cosby away for up to ten years. However, he served just under three before a legal technicality resulted in his release.

Harvey Weinstein

For a movie producer, Harvey Weinstein was quite the celebrity. His name was plastered on The Weinstein Company and he helped produce a number of classic films, including “Pulp Fiction” and the Best Picture-winning “Shakespeare in Love.” But his name also sparked the #MeToo social campaign. Throughout late 2017, Weinstein was accused of sexual abuse by dozens of women, including prominent actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Rose McGowan. He was officially charged with various sexual offenses in May 2018 and has received a combined prison sentence of 39 years.