Celebrities are always on the lookout for glamour, and we admire the perfect lives they’ve built for themselves. That’s what makes it surprising and exciting when they do horrible things and find themselves in the back of a cop car, reminding us for a moment that they’re just like us – they face struggles and make errors.
When these guys are arrested for making a mistake, we get to see their photos in all their humiliating glory. Granted, looking your best is definitely not a priority when you find yourself in trouble with the law, but some celebrities just looked embarrassing in their photos. However, others have shown us that it’s still possible to look fresh and impeccably stylish in mugshots. Here’s a list of the 10 best and worst celebrity mugshots you probably haven’t seen.
Best celebrity photos
1. Jay-Z
Before Jay-Z became the main business and proper world-class bump/artist we know today, he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty or rough up anyone who crossed him. The rapper caught the world’s attention early in his career (in 1999), not because he broke another outstanding record, but because he was arrested for felony assault.
He allegedly stabbed a record executive, LanceRiviera, with a 5-inch knife, puncturing his stomach for leaking his album. Lance filed a civil lawsuit for over $500,000 in settlement. Jay-Z was arrested by the police and his picture was taken. He managed to look casual like he was in the middle of a photo shoot for his next album cover, even though he wasn’t wearing anything fancy. We’ve seen plenty of celebrity mugshots over the years and this is definitely one of the best.
2. Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton was the ultimate “It Girl” before the dawn of the Kardashians. Paris is many things: a socialite, a TV personality, a model, an actress, a businesswoman, a singer, a famous DJ and an occasional lawbreaker. During her heyday, she was arrested several times. In 2010, she was arrested outside a Las Vegas nightclub for possession of cocaine. After a wild night of clubbing, drug-taking and dealing with law enforcement, Paris still managed to look better than most on her best day on her mugshot.
In fact, it became an instant pop culture sensation. There are other photos of her from other arrests, each more stunning than the last. You’d be forgiven for arguing that the photos were cropped from a red carpet shoot, rather than a mugshot. That’s how fantastic she looks in them.
3. Justin Bieber
In January 2014, Bieber was arrested for driving under the influence, with an expired license, and resisting arrest. The Canadian singer confessed he took a mix of alcohol, marijuana and the anxiety drug Xanax – a combination that could have landed him in the ER had things gone further south. The young pop star smiled in his pic like he was on the red carpet and not on his way to jail, proving once again that getting a bad photo of him is nearly impossible. Check out all the beautiful celebrity mugshots you’ve ever seen, you won’t find any cooler than what we have here.
4. Bruno Mars
Shortly after the release of his hit single Just As You Are, Bruno Mars blessed us with one of the best celebrity mugshots ever when he was arrested in a Las Vegas casino and later charged with possession of cocaine. His charming smile made us pay less attention to the crime he committed. If anything, it reminded us why we all adore the Grammy-winning singer who made us throw our hands in the air and make the dance floor rise or come closest to tears just listening to his lyrics. fearless.
Bruno Mars pleaded guilty to the offence, swearing he had never tried drugs before and it was just a wild attempt at experimentation. He managed to escape prison but had to pay a fine, seek drug counseling and serve the community. It has remained trouble-free since, but his photo is forever immortalized.
5.David Bowie
Taken almost half a century ago, the legendary rock singer David Bowie’s snap from his arrest for possession of a huge amount of marijuana, right after a concert, is one of the coolest you’ve ever seen . He was then only 29 years old and was at the height of his career. The rock musician was looking at over 15 years in prison for the drugs found on him, but luckily a grand jury convicted him and the charges were dropped. Bowie can be seen wearing a perfectly fitted English suit and staring at the camera with soulful eyes. The mugshot is definitely one of his best shots you’ll come across.
6. Michelle Rodriguez
The Fast and Furious star was arrested in December 2005 for driving under the influence, which violated her current probation. While undergoing treatment, she continued to shout and insult the officers but managed to look calm, wearing a smug, satisfied smile for her mugshot.
She said the combination of steroids she was using to treat allergies, her irregular periods, shedding skin from the medications she was taking and general stress, made her really manic and full of energy which had to be suppressed in one way or another. She certainly doesn’t look like her issues on the mugshot. When given the choice between jail time or community service, Michelle opted to spend 5 less savory nights in jail.
Worst celebrity photos
For everything stupid, there is an equivalent measure of uncool. So, here are some of the celebrities who have entertained us with non-trendy fashion photos.
7. Gary Coleman
The actor who shot to fame playing Arnold in Different Shots, an 80s American sitcom, was arrested in 2010 on a domestic assault charge, which he was later convicted of, but not before he told us gave one of the most haunting mugshots in history. Gary Coleman’s attitude seemed to gradually worsen and take several bad forms after the show ended – he once intentionally hit a fan with his truck. Whatever it was that was pissing him off, that might explain why he was staring at the camera while the photographic portrait was being taken. Seriously,
8. Shia Labeouf
Former child star and actor, Shia Labeouf has had several run-ins with the law. He was arrested for public intoxication, drunk driving, disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing. His first arrest came in 2005 when he threatened a neighbor with a gun for obstructing his parking space. He was in police custody again in 2007, later in 2011, and again in 2014. It was the last arrest that produced this embarrassing mugshot of him with teary eyes after being arrested for criminal trespassing and disorderly behavior. To this day, no one knows what he was crying about, perhaps he was deeply ashamed of his lousy behavior, including spitting on the officers who had come to drag his law-breaking a*** to jail.
9. Heather Locklear
This should not be omitted from the list of worst celebrity photos. The Melrose Place star was arrested in 2008 on a charge of reckless driving and driving under the influence after struggling to leave a parking lot and continued driving on a pair of sunglasses. It was later discovered that she was not drunk or on drugs, but was simply suffering from a side effect of the anxiety medication she was taking.
Heather looked disoriented like she hadn’t slept for a few days in her mugshot, and you can’t see it. However, this was not his first or only brush with the law. She had been arraigned on hit-and-run charges, and more recently on charges of domestic violence and assault, the latter of which she committed against the officers who first appeared at the scene. Heather hasn’t had the easiest life, she’s battled mental health issues and that might explain why she sometimes ends up on the wrong side of the law.
10. Eminem
The award-winning rapper has been arrested twice in 2000 on firearms charges – he illegally possessed a firearm. His picture was taken after the second arrest as he assaulted a bouncer in a parking lot for kissing his wife, speaking out in a scorned lover’s fury. From her haircut to the frown on her face, nothing in the photo worked. Perhaps the lyrical genius was going for a tough, menacing gangster look, but that turned out to be far less flattering.
Despite his many brushes with the law, Slim Shady has never been to jail, but this mugshot remains one of the worst celebrity mugshots we’ve had the displeasure of seeing. The rapper himself admits that after this meeting he decided that enough was enough and it was time to pull himself together and settle his affairs. Luckily, he’s managed to do that over the years.