5 Celebrities Who Actually Spent Time In Prison

Despite Hollywood A-listers frequently receiving free passes for bad behavior, some of them occasionally get caught, found guilty, and punished for their wrongdoings just like the rest of us. Charges relating to drugs or alcohol as well as more serious offenses have been included in their list of crimes. Do you still remember Robert Downey Jr. - the actor best known as Iron Man, and his abhorrent years-long drug and alcohol abuse?
Almost all of the famous people on this list have been freed after legal run-ins and, thankfully, some have displayed remorse, regardless of the crimes for which they may have been charged or found guilty. Many acknowledge that their time spent in prison has helped them grow as people.
In this post, we list out 5 stars who have broken the law and received prison sentences. This list is far from exhaustive, yet it's worth knowing. Check them out now.

#1 Felicity Huffman

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In the 2019 college entrance exam cheating scandal, the Desperate Housewives actress admitted to mail fraud after having someone pretend to be her daughter and take the SAT on her behalf. Her guilty plea resulted in a 14-day prison sentence, a fine, and one year of probation. She served 11 days. In the same scandal, actress Lori Laughlin of Full House received a two-month prison term.

#2 Lauryn Hill

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The former Fugees frontwoman failed to pay nearly $3 million in state and federal taxes in the mid-2000s, which she claimed was done on purpose to "resist a system intentionally opposing [her] right to whole and integral survival." She was sentenced to three months in prison in 2013, out of a possible three years. Hill was released early from a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, for good behavior.

#3 Martha Stewart

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In March 2004, the homemaking expert was found guilty of several felonies related to insider stock trading and sentenced to five months in federal prison. Stewart served her sentence at "Camp Cupcake" in West Virginia. Stewart has shown a sense of humor about her incarceration, cracking R-rated jokes about it during a televised roast of Justin Bieber and displaying a nativity set she made while imprisoned. But it hasn't all been fun and games—Stewart was denied a visa to visit the United Kingdom because of her criminal record.

#4 Robert Downey Jr.

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The actor was sentenced to three years in prison in 1999 for violating his probation on drug charges. Downey qualified for early release after serving a year in a California prison. "Prison culture is really something that's hard to explain. It's opened my eyes to a lot," he said. "You see razor wire fences, you see a lot of correctional officers. Some are armed, and some are not. All of whose job basically, is to protect society from you for the time being. And that sends a message."

#5 Tim Allen

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Tim Allen nearly derailed his own career when he was convicted of cocaine trafficking in 1978 and sentenced to two years and four months in prison. "I just shut up and did what I was told," Allen said of his confinement experience. "It was the first time ever I did what I was told and played the game. I learned literally how to live day by day. And I learned how to shut up. You definitely want to learn how to shut up."