Warning: This post mentions rape, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and racially motivated violence.
There are plenty of celebrities who've destroyed their careers with terrible behavior. They crossed a line, and fans and the industry rightfully no longer wanted anything to do with them. Sometimes, however, not even a serious criminal conviction is enough to sway the court of public opinion, and celebrities manage to stay in the spotlight.
Here are 10 famous people who were convicted of horrible crimes, but they managed to have careers:
1. THE CRIME: On the day that Chris Brown and his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, were both scheduled to perform at the 2009 Grammys, he reportedly choked her, bit her, hit her, and tried to push her out of a car.
THE CONSEQUENCES: Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault. He was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community labor, with the judge specifying that she wanted him to do physical labor rather than community service, such as mentoring youth. He was also ordered to stay away from Rihanna for five years. Alongside canceling his Grammys performance, Brown was also dropped by several sponsors and blocked from radio stations.
THE CAREER: Despite allegations of violent behavior and ongoing legal issues (including involving his ex-girlfriend, Karrueche Tran who was granted a permanent restraining order in 2017), Brown has remained a critically and commercially successful artist. His latest album, Brown, became his 13th top 10 hit. He's also racked up Grammy nominations, and his most recent win was Best R&B Album in 2025. In 2026, Rep. Jasmine Crockett joined Brown and Usher onstage at their joint concert to honor him.
2. THE CRIME: IN 1977, Academy Award-winning director Roman Polanski reportedly met up with a 13-year-old girl alone for a photoshoot, drugged her, then raped her.
THE CONSEQUENCES: After his initial arrest, Polanski faced six charges, including statutory rape, lewd and lascivious acts involving a minor, sodomy, and drug use. He was indicted on six felonious counts, but he made a plea bargain for one count of committing an unlawful sexual act with a minor. He was sentenced to 90 days in a federal penitentiary, where he was to undergo therapy and psychiatric testing. However, he was permitted to delay his sentence so that he could wrap up a movie. Polanski's lawyers believed those 90 days would be the end of his sentencing, but the director still faced potentially up to 50 years in prison. So, he fled to London, then to Paris. He's a French citizen, and France wouldn't extradite its own citizen to the US.
THE CAREER: Polanski has continued to make films and be nominated for major awards. In 2003, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Pianist. When he was arrested on a warrant in Switzerland in 2009, more than 100 film industry professionals — including Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Tilda Swinton — signed a petition calling for his release. At the time, he was put on house arrest in Zürich, but Swiss authorities rejected the US's extradition request and set him free. Polanski's most recent film was 2023's The Palace.
3. THE CRIME: In 2007, Boy George reportedly invited model/escort Audun Carlsen into his bedroom after a nude photo session at his apartment in London. They took cocaine. George briefly stepped out to buy cigarettes and milk, but upon his return, he and another man ambushed Carlsen. George allegedly believed Carlsen had tried to hack into his computer. The singer declared, "Now you're going to get what you deserve," and beat him and handcuffed him to a wall fixture. Next, George brought sex toys, leather straps, and chains into the room and told him, "Now you're going to get it." Carlsen managed to escape by wrenching the fixture from the wall, but as he fled, George allegedly beat him with a chain.
THE CONSEQUENCES: In 2008, George was convicted of false imprisonment and sentenced to 15 months in prison. According to the judge, his offense was "so serious that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment can be justified." He was released after four months and wore an ankle monitor for the remaining 11.
THE CAREER: George has continued releasing music and appearing on TV. Notably, he's appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here Season 22, and he was a coach on Season 5 of The Voice UK. In 2026, he was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the British LGBT Awards.
4. THE CRIME: In 1988, then-16-year-old Mark Wahlberg hurled racial insults at two Vietnamese men and beat them up, using a five-foot wooden pole on one.
THE CONSEQUENCES: Wahlberg was initially charged with attempted murder, but he was ultimately convicted of assault. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail. In a separate incident, he was handed an injunction for reportedly chasing, throwing rocks at, and hurling racial insults at Black children and their teacher. Then, in 1992, he reportedly "viciously and repeatedly kicked" a man in the head.
THE CAREER: In 1991, Wahlberg started his entertainment career as a rapper under the stage name Marky Mark in the hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He went on to become a successful actor, earning nominations for Academy Awards, Emmys, and Golden Globes. In 2014, he applied for a pardon for his 1988 conviction — a decision that was criticized by Asian American activists — but he later withdrew it. He told the Wrap, "It was one of those things where it was just kind of presented to me, and if I could've done it over again I would never have focused on that or applied."
5. THE CRIME: In 1991, Mike Tyson was accused of raping 18-year-old Miss Black America Pageant contestant Desiree Washington. Tyson, who was 25 at the time, met Washington and her fellow contestants at a hotel in Indianapolis, where he appeared in a video with them. She testified that he called her at a quarter till 2 in the morning, picked her up in his limo, then took her back to his hotel. She went to the bathroom, and when she returned, she saw Tyson "sitting on the side of the bed with nothing on but his underwear." Washington said that he then pinned her to the bed and raped her, adding, "He was mean, evil. I got on top and started to try to get away, but he slammed me down again."
THE CAREER: Tyson returned to boxing. In 1996, he reclaimed the heavyweight champion title, but the following year, his boxing license was revoked temporarily after he bit off a chunk of rival Evander Holyfield's ear during a title fight. He also had legal, financial, and addiction issues. Tyson officially retired from boxing in 2005. However, in 2024, he made headlines with a match against Jake Paul, whom he ultimately lost to after eight rounds.
6. THE CRIME: In 1997, Charlie Sheen reportedly grabbed his then-girlfriend, Brittany Ashland, by her hair and slammed her onto their marble floor. Her lip burst, requiring seven stitches, and she was knocked out. She claimed that he forced her to strip off her bloody clothes and toss them out and threatened to end her life if she spoke to anyone regarding the attack.
THE CONSEQUENCES: At first, Sheen pleaded not guilty, but he later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery with serious injury. He was handed a one-year suspended prison term and two years of probation. Additionally, he was required to pay $2,800 in fines and restitution and complete eight counseling sessions.
THE CAREER: Sheen's acting career didn't slow down, and in 2003, he booked the leading role in Two and a Half Men, which later made him the highest-paid actor on TV. In 2009, his then-wife, Brooke Mueller, accused him of threatening her with a knife. In exchange for two other charges being dropped, Sheen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. He was sentenced to 30 days in rehab and 30 days of probation, as well as being required to undergo 36 hours of anger management. However, he wasn't fired from Two and a Half Men until 2011, when he publicly ranted about series creator Chuck Lorre.
7. THE CRIME: In the '80s, director Victor Salva molested 12-year-old child actor Nathan Winters, who starred in his slasher Clownhouse.
THE CONSEQUENCES: In 1988, Salva pleaded guilty to procuring a child for pornography, oral copulation with a person under 14, and lewd and lascivious conduct. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but he only served 15 months.
THE CAREER: In 1995, three years after completing his parole, Salva made his return to mainstream movies by directing Powder for Disney. Winters, who was 20 at the time, and his friends picketed an industry screening of the film. One leaflet they passed out read, "Please don't spend your money on this movie. It would just go to line the pockets of this child molester." Winters told the New York Times that Salva's return to directing made him "sick."
Salva wrote and directed his most successful movie, Jeepers Creepers, in 2001. However, his films continued to face backlash. Following the release of 2003's Jeepers Creepers 2, he told the LA Times, "I pled guilty to a terrible crime, and I've spent the rest of my life trying to make up for it. For almost 20 years, I've been involved with helping others, I've been in therapy, and I've made movies. But I paid my debt to society and apologized to the young man. And all I can hope is that people will give me a chance to redeem myself." In 2016, a casting call looking for an 18-year-old to play a 13-year-old survivor of sexual abuse in Jeepers Creepers 3 was removed after the talent agency was alerted to Salva's child sexual abuse conviction.
8. THE CRIME: In 1998, Tommy Lee physically assaulted his then-wife, Pamela Anderson, because she wouldn't call and ask her parents not to come over. At the time, Anderson was holding one of their infant sons, and she suffered bruises and a torn fingernail. She also became afraid for the boys' safety.
THE CONSEQUENCES: Lee pleaded no contest to one federal charge of spousal battery. He was given a suspended three-year sentence, six months in county jail, and three years of probation. He was also required to pay $6,200 to a domestic violence fund, a shelter for DV survivors, and a victim restitution program. Additionally, he was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and enroll in rehabilitation and counseling services.
THE CAREER: Lee continued releasing music with Mötley Crüe and other groups, and he also has a solo career. In 2009, he and Mötley Crüe were nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammys. Lee has also continued to face legal issues, including an allegation of sexual assault, which he denies as "bogus and false."
9. THE CRIME: In 2010, Floyd Mayweather attacked his then-girlfriend, Josie Harris. He reportedly twisted her arm and pulled her hair in front of two of their kids while the oldest child ran for a security guard. Harris told Yahoo Sports, "Did he beat me to a pulp? No, but I had bruises on my body and contusions and [a] concussion because the hits were to the back of my head. I believe it was planned to do that … because the bruises don't show …"
THE CONSEQUENCES: Initially, Mayweather faced up to 34 years in prison, but many of his felony and misdemeanor charges were dropped. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery and was sentenced to 87 days in jail (he was credited for three days previously served). Additionally, he was fined $2,500 and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and a yearlong domestic violence counseling program.
THE CAREER: In 2013, Mayweather made his return to the ring in a match against Robert Guerrero. Showtime promoted the fight with the documentary 30 Days in May, which alleged that Harris and her children lied and that Mayweather shouldn't have been imprisoned. He's retired and unretired from boxing several times. Most recently, in early 2026, he announced his plans to unretire after an exhibition match with Mike Tyson.
10. And finally, THE CRIME: Fashion designer John Galliano was accused of making public racist rants three separate times between October 2010 and March 2011. He reportedly went on antisemitic rants and one anti-Asian rant at a bar in Paris. In a video that went viral, he reportedly told a woman at the next table that he "love[s] Hitler" and that "people like you" would have been killed in the Holocaust. Galliano denied the allegations at the time.
THE CONSEQUENCES: Christian Dior fired Galliano from his role as creative director after the aforementioned video circulated. Several months later, the designer admitted to making the antisemitic remarks, but claimed that he didn't remember the incidents and attributed them to alcohol and drug addiction. He also denied being racist. Galliano was charged with "public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity." He faced a potential six months in jail, but instead, he was ordered to pay €6,000 in suspended fines, a symbolic €1 to each victim and five anti-racism groups, and the plaintiffs' legal fees.
THE CAREER: In 2013, Galliano went to work for Oscar de la Renta for three weeks. At the time, the Anti-Defamation League put out a statement that they "welcomed the decision by Oscar de la Renta to invite fashion designer John Galliano to spend time in his design studio following Mr. Galliano's long recovery from alcoholism and his demonstrated effort to learn from his remarks about Jews, Hitler, and the Holocaust."
Then, after what the Guardian described as "a four-year exile," Galliano was hired as the new creative director for Maison Margiela. His previous attempts at returning to the spotlight had been met with fierce criticism. He was denounced by Jewish leaders, groups, and retailers, and he was protested by students whose schools he was scheduled to speak at. Though his hiring at Maison Margiela received backlash, he stayed in the role for 10 years.
In 2026, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced its plans to honor Galliano at the next Met Gala and a nine-month exhibition. Public criticism was swift, especially given that the gala would've been held on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day). The Met's board members and trustees considered rescheduling the event. Jewish leaders opposed the museum's decision to honor Galliano, and donors said they'd take their money back. Eventually, Galliano pulled out of the event and the exhibition.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
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