Actors who Managed to Buy Their Way Out Of Jail

People sometimes say someone “bought their way out of jail” when what really happened is that they posted bail or bond—money or collateral a court allows so a person can leave custody and return for later hearings. In the entertainment world, several male actors have been arrested, booked, and then released after paying a court-approved amount, which is how the bail system works in many U.S. jurisdictions.

Below are cases where well-known male actors were arrested and then left custody by posting bail or bond. For clarity, this list focuses on the legal mechanics—arrest, booking, charges, and the bail or bond that allowed release—without implying favoritism beyond what the law permits.

Mel Gibson

In July 2006, Mel Gibson was arrested in Malibu on suspicion of driving under the influence after deputies recorded a blood-alcohol level above California’s legal limit. He was booked at the Lost Hills station and, after several hours in custody, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recorded that he was cited and released with bail set at $5,000.

Following the arrest, prosecutors filed misdemeanor DUI charges. Gibson ultimately entered a no contest plea to a lesser alcohol-related offense and received probation and treatment requirements under California law, which are separate from the bail decision that enabled his initial release from jail.

Shia LaBeouf

In July 2017, Shia LaBeouf was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, on charges including disorderly conduct, obstruction, and public drunkenness after an early-morning encounter with police. Local authorities reported that he was released from the Chatham County jail after posting a $7,000 bond.

Court records show the charges proceeded through the local system, and LaBeouf later publicly acknowledged the incident while addressing substance-use issues; those statements, and any disciplinary outcomes, were separate from the bond that allowed him to leave custody the day of the arrest.

Jussie Smollett

In February 2019, actor Jussie Smollett was arrested in Chicago and charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report related to a staged attack. He was booked and released after posting a $100,000 bond, a standard mechanism that allowed him to await further proceedings outside jail; he later forfeited $10,000 in bond money as part of an initial resolution before a special prosecutor brought a subsequent case.

Litigation around the case continued for years; in 2024, an Illinois appeals court vacated his conviction on double-jeopardy grounds tied to that earlier bond-forfeiture agreement, underscoring how bail, bond forfeiture, and later appellate rulings can intersect in complex ways.

Nicolas Cage

In April 2011, Nicolas Cage was arrested in New Orleans after a late-night domestic incident and booked on several counts, including disturbing the peace. He was released from the Orleans Parish lockup after a $11,000 bond was posted, which was publicly attributed to Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman.

Prosecutors later declined to pursue charges, noting insufficient evidence; that decision, made weeks after the arrest, was independent of the bond posting that secured Cage’s same-day release from custody.

Robert Downey Jr.

In November 2000, Robert Downey Jr. was arrested in Palm Springs on drug-related charges while he was already facing court oversight from earlier cases. According to contemporaneous reports, he was released on $15,000 bail soon after booking, allowing him to leave jail while the new charges were processed.

Downey’s legal issues in the late 1990s and 2000 included multiple arrests, probation violations, and custodial sentences; the ability to post bail after particular bookings depended on the judge’s orders in each matter and does not negate the later custodial terms that some of those cases carried.

Charlie Sheen

On December 25, 2009, Charlie Sheen was arrested in Aspen, Colorado, after a domestic dispute and booked on suspicion of offenses including second-degree assault and menacing. He was released later that day after posting an $8,500 bond, as confirmed by local authorities.

Sheen’s bond conditions—set by the court at the initial appearance—included standard directives about future hearings and contact restrictions. Those terms governed his conduct while out of custody and existed separately from the criminal case’s ultimate plea negotiations and sentencing.

Hugh Grant

In June 1995, Hugh Grant was arrested in Los Angeles on a misdemeanor lewd-conduct charge following a late-night vice sting. He was booked and quickly released after posting $250 bail, a routine process for such a misdemeanor arrest at the time.

Grant later entered a no-contest plea to the misdemeanor charge and paid fines and performed service ordered by the court; those post-arraignment consequences were part of sentencing and were unrelated to the small bail amount that allowed his immediate release from jail.

Paul Reubens

In November 2002, Paul Reubens—best known for creating the Pee-wee Herman character—was booked in Los Angeles on a misdemeanor obscenity count after a search-warrant investigation. Court records and news reports at the time noted he was free on $20,000 bail while contesting the charge.

The city attorney later accepted a plea to a lesser misdemeanor obscenity offense in 2004, with the more serious allegations dropped; the earlier bail simply governed his pretrial release and ensured his appearance in court while the case moved toward resolution.

Share your thoughts in the comments: which other cases should we examine where an actor posted bail or bond to leave jail after an arrest?