Celebrities, although rich and famous, are not exempt from the legal system — including arrests, charges and civil lawsuits.Rappers, actors, athletes and more faced a number of legal issues in 2024. Some of the allegations made include sex trafficking, domestic violence, fraud, impaired driving, reckless endangerment and more.Here are some of the celebrities that were arrested, sued or went to trial in 2024:Garth BrooksCountry music star Garth Brooks was accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit from a “Jane Roe” who says she worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist for the award-winning singer.The complaint, filed in a state court in California on Oct. 3, 2024, states the alleged incidents occurred in 2019. She claims she was once raped by Brooks during a work trip.Brooks has denied his accuser’s claims.Pierce BrosnanActor Pierce Brosnan pleaded guilty on March 14, 2024, to stepping off a trail in a thermal area during a November visit to Yellowstone National Park.Brosnan was fined $500 and ordered to make a $1,000 donation to Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization that supports the park, according to court records.The actor issued an apology on his Instagram account, saying he “made an impulsive mistake” and calling himself an environmentalist with “the utmost respect for and love of our natural world.”Isaiah BuggsFormer Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs was convicted on two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik sentenced Buggs on July 19, 2024, to a year of hard labor, ordering him to serve 60 days. The rest would be suspended for two years “pending the behavior of the defendant.”Buggs, 27, also is not allowed to have or be around firearms or own dogs or cats.Artem Chigvintsev”Dancing with the Stars” pro Artem Chigvintsev was arrested on Aug. 29, 2024, in Napa County, California, on suspicion of felony domestic violence.Chigvintsev was booked at the Napa County jail. He was held on $25,000 bail and was released more than three hours later. Napa police and prosecutors have not shared the identity of the alleged victim.Julie ChrisleyOn Sept. 25, 2024, a federal judge re-sentenced Julie Chrisley to seven years in prison for her conviction on bank fraud and tax evasion charges, declining the reality TV star’s request for less time in prison than was originally imposed.Chrisley and her husband, Todd Chrisley, gained fame on their show, “Chrisley Knows Best,” which followed their tight-knit family and extravagant lifestyle. A jury in 2022 found them guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans. The Chrisleys were also found guilty of tax evasion by hiding their earnings.Sean ‘Diddy’ CombsSean “Diddy” Combs faces federal sex trafficking charges in New York. He has pleaded not guilty.An indictment alleges Combs coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees while silencing victims through blackmail and violent acts, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.A May 5 trial date has been set in the case.Tom GirardiDisbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi was convicted on Aug. 27, 2024, of embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients, including several with severe physical injuries and families of people killed in accidents.A federal jury in Los Angeles found the 85-year-old Girardi guilty of four counts of wire fraud.Girardi is the estranged husband of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show himself dozens of times between 2015 and 2020.He was once among the most prominent lawyers in the nation, often representing victims of major disasters against powerful companies. One lawsuit against California’s Pacific Gas and Electric utility led to a $333 million settlement and was portrayed in the 2000 Julia Roberts film “Erin Brockovich.”But his law empire collapsed, and he was disbarred in California in 2022 over client thefts.Jay-ZA woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Sean “Diddy” Combs amended her lawsuit to include allegations that she was also assaulted by Jay-Z at the same party.The lawsuit was initially filed against Combs in October, but on Dec. 8, 2024, the woman added Shawn Carter, the rapper and businessman known as Jay-Z, as a defendant.Carter is the first celebrity to be accused of sexual assault in connection to Combs.Carter has denied the allegations, and his attorney outlined a range of evidence that he said showed the accuser’s account to be “provably, demonstrably false.”Jay JohnstonAn actor known for his roles in the television comedies “Bob’s Burgers” and “Arrested Development” was sentenced on Oct. 28, 2024, to one year in prison for his part in a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol nearly four years ago.Jay Johnston, 56, of Los Angeles, joined other rioters in a “heave ho” push against police officers guarding a tunnel entrance to the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Johnston also cracked jokes and interacted with other rioters as he used a cellphone to record the violence around him, prosecutors said.Johnston expressed regret that he “made it more difficult for the police to do their job” on Jan. 6. He said he never would have guessed that a riot would erupt that day. James Kennedy”Vanderpump Rules” star James Kennedy was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly throwing his girlfriend to the ground.Late on the night of Dec. 10, 2024, officers in Burbank, near Los Angeles, were sent to a residence after a report of a man and woman arguing, according to police records. A woman told officers that her boyfriend lifted and threw her to the ground.Kennedy, 32, whose legal name is James Kennedy Georgiou, was arrested and released from jail after posting bail. The Burbank city attorney was to determine whether he would be charged.Authorities did not name the woman involved, but Kennedy is in a relationship with his “Vanderpump Rules” co-star Ally Lewber.Sean KingstonRapper and singer Sean Kingston and his mother were indicted in July 2024 in South Florida on federal charges of committing more than $1 million worth of fraud.Kingston, 34, and his mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, are accused of participating in a scheme to defraud victims of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry and other goods through the use of fraudulent documents.According to the federal indictment, Kingston and Turner falsely claimed that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers for high-end items when no such transfers had taken place. Investigators said Kingston and Turner then kept over $1 million worth of fraudulently purchased items despite not paying for them.The warrants for the state charges say that from October to March, they stole almost $500,000 in jewelry, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from a Cadillac Escalade dealer, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank and $86,000 from the maker of customized beds.MadonnaMadonna was sued by fans over the late start times of her concerts.A lawsuit filed on Jan. 17, 2024, in New York, accused the performer of false advertising and negligent misrepresentation after the singer started her concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center after 10:30 p.m. on all three nights when the tickets advertised that the shows would start at 8:30 p.m.Another lawsuit filed on April 19, 2024, in Washington D.C., claimed Madonna had a “total disrespect for her fans” after she began her concert two hours late. The lawsuit also claimed that the start time for the concert amounts to “false advertising.”Vince McMahonA lawsuit filed in October 2024 alleged that Vince McMahon knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a WWE employee in the 1980s.The suit, filed on behalf of five former WWE “Ring Boys,” alleges McMahon, his wife Linda McMahon, the WWE, and TKO Group Holdings, the league’s parent company, knowingly allowed former ringside announcer Melvin Phillips, Jr. to use his position to sexually exploit children as young as 12 and 13 years old.Jabrill PeppersNew England Patriots captain and safety Jabrill Peppers faces several charges, including assault, strangulation and possession of drugs, after an altercation with a woman at a Massachusetts apartment.Braintree police responded on Oct. 5, 2024, to a residence for a disturbance call involving an altercation between Peppers, 29, and his girlfriend. The caller said Peppers “hit her, choked her, took off her clothing and put her outside,” according to the police report.The woman told responding officers that Peppers put his hand on her neck and smashed her head against the wall before he allegedly pushed her down the stairs after an argument. Peppers pleaded not guilty to the charges.. He was held on $2,500 bail and ordered to stay away from the alleged victim.Peppers’ attorney said there is evidence that “sheds real doubt on the allegations.”A$AP RockyA$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty on Jan. 8, 2024, to firing a gun at a former friend during a standoff in Hollywood back in November of 2021.A judge has ruled that Rocky must stand trial. He could face up to 24 years in prison if convicted.His trial has been scheduled for January 2025.Darius RuckerCountry singer Darius Rucker was arrested in February 2024 in Tennessee and charged with simple possession, casual exchange and violation of registration law.He was taken into custody and released on a $10,500 bond.Travis ScottAmerican rapper Travis Scott was arrested on Aug. 9, 2024, after getting into a fight with his bodyguard.Police were called to the George V luxury hotel to break up the fight. Scott was subsequently arrested for “violence against another person,” according to a police spokesman.Scott was released from police custody in Paris the following day without charges. The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence to support the alleged offense, the city’s prosecutor’s office said.Justin TimberlakeJustin Timberlake pleaded guilty on Sept. 13, 2024, to impaired driving, resolving the criminal case stemming from his June arrest in New York’s Hamptons.The judge sentenced Timberlake to a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge and 25 hours of community service at the nonprofit of his choosing.Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, a little after midnight on June 18 after police said he ran a stop sign in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol.Police in court filings also said the 43-year-old Tennessee native’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and that he had “slowed speech,” was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly on all sobriety tests.During court proceedings, Timberlake gave a statement in which he expressed remorse for his actions.Morgan WallenCountry music star Morgan Wallen pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2024, to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment for throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-story bar in Nashville and nearly hitting two police officers with it.Wallen was sentenced to spend seven days in a DUI education center and be under supervised probation for two years.According to the arrest affidavit, Wallen was accused of throwing a chair off the roof of Chief’s bar on April 7. The chair landed about a yard from the officers, who spoke to witnesses and reviewed security footage. Witnesses told officers that they saw Wallen pick up a chair, throw it off the roof and laugh about it.Shortly after the incident, Wallen issued a statement in which he said he accepted “responsibility” and was “not proud” of his behavior.Harvey WeinsteinHarvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Sept. 18, 2024, to a new sex crime charge in New York, as he awaits retrial in his landmark #MeToo case.Details of the new allegations were not immediately available. He was charged with committing a criminal sex act.The jailed ex-movie mogul has long maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on additional sex crime charges that weren’t part of the case that led to his now-overturned 2020 conviction. But the new indictment was sealed until his arraignment.NBA YoungBoyA Louisiana-based rap artist pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2024, to his role in a large-scale prescription drug fraud ring that operated out of his multimillion-dollar home in Utah.Rapper NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was originally charged with 46 charges related to the alleged crime. He pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree felony identity fraud, two counts of third-degree felony forgery, and six counts of misdemeanor unlawful pharmacy conduct. Gaulden entered a “no contest” plea to the remaining charges.As part of a plea deal, Gaulden will not serve prison time in Utah. Instead, his four felony charges were reduced to Class A Misdemeanors and he was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.
Celebrities, although rich and famous, are not exempt from the legal system — including arrests, charges and civil lawsuits.
Rappers, actors, athletes and more faced a number of legal issues in 2024. Some of the allegations made include sex trafficking, domestic violence, fraud, impaired driving, reckless endangerment and more.
Here are some of the celebrities that were arrested, sued or went to trial in 2024:
Garth Brooks
Country music star Garth Brooks was accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit from a “Jane Roe” who says she worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist for the award-winning singer.
The complaint, filed in a state court in California on Oct. 3, 2024, states the alleged incidents occurred in 2019. She claims she was once raped by Brooks during a work trip.
Brooks has denied his accuser’s claims.
Pierce Brosnan
Actor Pierce Brosnan pleaded guilty on March 14, 2024, to stepping off a trail in a thermal area during a November visit to Yellowstone National Park.
Brosnan was fined $500 and ordered to make a $1,000 donation to Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization that supports the park, according to court records.
The actor issued an apology on his Instagram account, saying he “made an impulsive mistake” and calling himself an environmentalist with “the utmost respect for and love of our natural world.”
Isaiah Buggs
Former Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs was convicted on two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.
Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik sentenced Buggs on July 19, 2024, to a year of hard labor, ordering him to serve 60 days. The rest would be suspended for two years “pending the behavior of the defendant.”
Buggs, 27, also is not allowed to have or be around firearms or own dogs or cats.
Artem Chigvintsev
“Dancing with the Stars” pro Artem Chigvintsev was arrested on Aug. 29, 2024, in Napa County, California, on suspicion of felony domestic violence.
Chigvintsev was booked at the Napa County jail. He was held on $25,000 bail and was released more than three hours later.
Napa police and prosecutors have not shared the identity of the alleged victim.
Julie Chrisley
On Sept. 25, 2024, a federal judge re-sentenced Julie Chrisley to seven years in prison for her conviction on bank fraud and tax evasion charges, declining the reality TV star’s request for less time in prison than was originally imposed.
Chrisley and her husband, Todd Chrisley, gained fame on their show, “Chrisley Knows Best,” which followed their tight-knit family and extravagant lifestyle.
A jury in 2022 found them guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans. The Chrisleys were also found guilty of tax evasion by hiding their earnings.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
Sean “Diddy” Combs faces federal sex trafficking charges in New York. He has pleaded not guilty.
An indictment alleges Combs coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees while silencing victims through blackmail and violent acts, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
A May 5 trial date has been set in the case.
Tom Girardi
Disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi was convicted on Aug. 27, 2024, of embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients, including several with severe physical injuries and families of people killed in accidents.
A federal jury in Los Angeles found the 85-year-old Girardi guilty of four counts of wire fraud.
Girardi is the estranged husband of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show himself dozens of times between 2015 and 2020.
He was once among the most prominent lawyers in the nation, often representing victims of major disasters against powerful companies. One lawsuit against California’s Pacific Gas and Electric utility led to a $333 million settlement and was portrayed in the 2000 Julia Roberts film “Erin Brockovich.”
But his law empire collapsed, and he was disbarred in California in 2022 over client thefts.
Jay-Z
A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Sean “Diddy” Combs amended her lawsuit to include allegations that she was also assaulted by Jay-Z at the same party.
The lawsuit was initially filed against Combs in October, but on Dec. 8, 2024, the woman added Shawn Carter, the rapper and businessman known as Jay-Z, as a defendant.
Carter is the first celebrity to be accused of sexual assault in connection to Combs.
Carter has denied the allegations, and his attorney outlined a range of evidence that he said showed the accuser’s account to be “provably, demonstrably false.”
Jay Johnston
An actor known for his roles in the television comedies “Bob’s Burgers” and “Arrested Development” was sentenced on Oct. 28, 2024, to one year in prison for his part in a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol nearly four years ago.
Jay Johnston, 56, of Los Angeles, joined other rioters in a “heave ho” push against police officers guarding a tunnel entrance to the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Johnston also cracked jokes and interacted with other rioters as he used a cellphone to record the violence around him, prosecutors said.
Johnston expressed regret that he “made it more difficult for the police to do their job” on Jan. 6. He said he never would have guessed that a riot would erupt that day.
James Kennedy
“Vanderpump Rules” star James Kennedy was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly throwing his girlfriend to the ground.
Late on the night of Dec. 10, 2024, officers in Burbank, near Los Angeles, were sent to a residence after a report of a man and woman arguing, according to police records. A woman told officers that her boyfriend lifted and threw her to the ground.
Kennedy, 32, whose legal name is James Kennedy Georgiou, was arrested and released from jail after posting bail. The Burbank city attorney was to determine whether he would be charged.
Authorities did not name the woman involved, but Kennedy is in a relationship with his “Vanderpump Rules” co-star Ally Lewber.
Sean Kingston
Rapper and singer Sean Kingston and his mother were indicted in July 2024 in South Florida on federal charges of committing more than $1 million worth of fraud.
Kingston, 34, and his mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, are accused of participating in a scheme to defraud victims of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry and other goods through the use of fraudulent documents.
According to the federal indictment, Kingston and Turner falsely claimed that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers for high-end items when no such transfers had taken place. Investigators said Kingston and Turner then kept over $1 million worth of fraudulently purchased items despite not paying for them.
The warrants for the state charges say that from October to March, they stole almost $500,000 in jewelry, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from a Cadillac Escalade dealer, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank and $86,000 from the maker of customized beds.
Madonna
Madonna was sued by fans over the late start times of her concerts.
A lawsuit filed on Jan. 17, 2024, in New York, accused the performer of false advertising and negligent misrepresentation after the singer started her concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center after 10:30 p.m. on all three nights when the tickets advertised that the shows would start at 8:30 p.m.
Another lawsuit filed on April 19, 2024, in Washington D.C., claimed Madonna had a “total disrespect for her fans” after she began her concert two hours late. The lawsuit also claimed that the start time for the concert amounts to “false advertising.”
Vince McMahon
A lawsuit filed in October 2024 alleged that Vince McMahon knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a WWE employee in the 1980s.
The suit, filed on behalf of five former WWE “Ring Boys,” alleges McMahon, his wife Linda McMahon, the WWE, and TKO Group Holdings, the league’s parent company, knowingly allowed former ringside announcer Melvin Phillips, Jr. to use his position to sexually exploit children as young as 12 and 13 years old.
Jabrill Peppers
New England Patriots captain and safety Jabrill Peppers faces several charges, including assault, strangulation and possession of drugs, after an altercation with a woman at a Massachusetts apartment.
Braintree police responded on Oct. 5, 2024, to a residence for a disturbance call involving an altercation between Peppers, 29, and his girlfriend. The caller said Peppers “hit her, choked her, took off her clothing and put her outside,” according to the police report.
The woman told responding officers that Peppers put his hand on her neck and smashed her head against the wall before he allegedly pushed her down the stairs after an argument.
Peppers pleaded not guilty to the charges.. He was held on $2,500 bail and ordered to stay away from the alleged victim.
Peppers’ attorney said there is evidence that “sheds real doubt on the allegations.”
A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty on Jan. 8, 2024, to firing a gun at a former friend during a standoff in Hollywood back in November of 2021.
A judge has ruled that Rocky must stand trial. He could face up to 24 years in prison if convicted.
His trial has been scheduled for January 2025.
Darius Rucker
Country singer Darius Rucker was arrested in February 2024 in Tennessee and charged with simple possession, casual exchange and violation of registration law.
He was taken into custody and released on a $10,500 bond.
Travis Scott
American rapper Travis Scott was arrested on Aug. 9, 2024, after getting into a fight with his bodyguard.
Police were called to the George V luxury hotel to break up the fight. Scott was subsequently arrested for “violence against another person,” according to a police spokesman.
Scott was released from police custody in Paris the following day without charges. The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence to support the alleged offense, the city’s prosecutor’s office said.
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty on Sept. 13, 2024, to impaired driving, resolving the criminal case stemming from his June arrest in New York’s Hamptons.
The judge sentenced Timberlake to a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge and 25 hours of community service at the nonprofit of his choosing.
Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, a little after midnight on June 18 after police said he ran a stop sign in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol.
Police in court filings also said the 43-year-old Tennessee native’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and that he had “slowed speech,” was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly on all sobriety tests.
During court proceedings, Timberlake gave a statement in which he expressed remorse for his actions.
Morgan Wallen
Country music star Morgan Wallen pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2024, to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment for throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-story bar in Nashville and nearly hitting two police officers with it.
Wallen was sentenced to spend seven days in a DUI education center and be under supervised probation for two years.
According to the arrest affidavit, Wallen was accused of throwing a chair off the roof of Chief’s bar on April 7. The chair landed about a yard from the officers, who spoke to witnesses and reviewed security footage. Witnesses told officers that they saw Wallen pick up a chair, throw it off the roof and laugh about it.
Shortly after the incident, Wallen issued a statement in which he said he accepted “responsibility” and was “not proud” of his behavior.
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Sept. 18, 2024, to a new sex crime charge in New York, as he awaits retrial in his landmark #MeToo case.
Details of the new allegations were not immediately available. He was charged with committing a criminal sex act.
The jailed ex-movie mogul has long maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.
Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on additional sex crime charges that weren’t part of the case that led to his now-overturned 2020 conviction. But the new indictment was sealed until his arraignment.
NBA YoungBoy
A Louisiana-based rap artist pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2024, to his role in a large-scale prescription drug fraud ring that operated out of his multimillion-dollar home in Utah.
Rapper NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was originally charged with 46 charges related to the alleged crime. He pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree felony identity fraud, two counts of third-degree felony forgery, and six counts of misdemeanor unlawful pharmacy conduct. Gaulden entered a “no contest” plea to the remaining charges.
As part of a plea deal, Gaulden will not serve prison time in Utah. Instead, his four felony charges were reduced to Class A Misdemeanors and he was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.
