Grab the Popcorn, Here Are the Most Outrageous Celebrity DUIs

However, while most celebrity DUIs will get media attention, some of them are so outrageous that they go viral and, after some time, enter an unlikely hall of fame. Some may mark the end of a star’s career or the beginning of a public downfall from which they might recover after some time, but what they all have in common is a sense of entitlement unlike any you’ve seen. Don’t you know who I am?

Enter Mel Gibson, the figurative daddy of all celebrities ever caught driving while drunk. In 2006, he was pulled over in Malibu, California on suspicion of DUI and the occasion gave us iconic one-liners like “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” “what do you think you're looking at, sugar t*ts?” and “I own Malibu, I am going to f*** you.”

Subtlety was never Gibson’s strong suit. It’s true, even prior to the DUI arrest, he had said some pretty awful things, but it was this particular incident that pushed him out of Hollywood, as it revealed that he had not only a complete disregard for the law but also for large groups of people. It also marked a personal low for the star, as it was followed by his nasty split and custody fight with Oksana Grigorieva, which spawned even more iconic (and more NSFW) one-liners.

Worry not, though. Like the prodigal son, Gibson was eventually welcomed back within the ranks of Hollywood royalty. His DUI arrest was also expunged from his record, but we will never forget that, on this particular occasion, he showed the world what a horrible human being he is.

Justin Bieber’s DUI bust in 2014 was also the beginning of a bad phase in his life. There had been reports about his drunken and wild partying ways in the media, but he could still easily dismiss them as vile rumors. Then, while in Miami, he was pulled over by the cops for speeding in his yellow Lamborghini. He had been drag racing with pals and was also drunk: he failed the field sobriety test and argued with the cops who took him in. But hey, he still managed a smile for his booking photo.

Lindsay Lohan, the to-go celebrity for DUIs and court appearances. Back in the day, she made a career out of getting into legal trouble – and it ended her actual career as an actress. In 2007 alone, she had 2 separate DUIs, one in Beverly Hills and one in Santa Monica. Also then, she was busted for possession of cocaine, driving on a suspended license and hit and run, and transporting a narcotic into a custody facility in one incident.

The most hilarious part about one of the DUIs is that Lohan tried to pull the “I don’t know how those drugs got there” move by claiming the cocaine in her jeans pocket wasn’t hers because she was wearing her assistant’s pants. She couldn’t tell the cops why exactly she wasn’t wearing her own clothes.

Before Lindsay, though, there was Paris Hilton: the original socialite, the original famous-for-being-famous IT girl. Paris too has one DUI on her record, but it pales in comparison to what Lindsay did: he merely went partying one night in 2006 and got pulled over for driving erratically and speeding.

Hilton thought she could talk her way out of the charge by saying she’d had just one margarita on an empty stomach. She also said she was on her way to In-N-Out to grab a burger because she was starving. You see? She really is like us.

Another young, very popular female star to get media attention for her poor driving skills and even worse life choices was Amanda Bynes. In what was described as a Britney Spears-like meltdown, Amanda spent most of 2012 and 2013 in a drug haze, starting celebrity feuds on social media, giving the strangest interviews and making the most outrageous claims.

In between, she also got into a couple of hit and runs – with police cars, no less. She was eventually charged with DUI on 2 separate occasions, in 2012 and 2014, but had her charges dropped when she was put under conservatorship and sent to rehab.

Tiger Woods’ DUI bust in 2017 is another instance of celebrity arrests that made headlines around the world. He wasn’t drunk when Florida cops found him sleeping inside his running car, parked on the side of the highway with the right indicator on and the tires flat: he was drugged out of his mind.

The officer woke up the golf champ and found that he was slurring his words. Suspecting intoxication, he got him out of the vehicle and got confirmation: Woods was barely able to understand instructions, let alone actually perform the field sobriety tests. The golfer admitted he had taken prescription drugs before getting at the wheel, saying they must have interacted.

The toxicology report revealed he had 4 different drugs in his system, including painkillers, sleep drugs and marijuana, which was legal in Florida. One month later, Woods checked himself into rehab. He was able to make a comeback both in sports and the court of public opinion.

Whereas Woods admitted to taking pills some time before he set out to drive himself, former NBA star Charles Barkley tried to justify his running a stop sign in 2008 by saying he was in a rush to get intimate with his female passenger. If he thought he was being cute, the arresting officer didn’t: he performed a field sobriety test on Barkley, which Barkley failed.

And it got even stranger: as he was being processed down at the police station, Barkley tried to convince one civilian employee to get him out of the DUI charge. For that to happen, he offered instead to tattoo the civilian’s name anywhere on his body.

Hoping you’ve made it this far, one final word: while these celebrity arrests are fun in retrospect, don’t be that guy or gal. Drive responsibly, don’t drink and drive.