Celebrities accused of domestic violence

Stories of Johnny Depp's alleged violence towards ex-wife Amber Heard emerged during a libel battle in 2020. Depp sued The Sun newspaper for referring to him as a "wife beater," and the crux of the trial became whether or not Depp had truly been violent towards Heard. Heard had already been granted a restraining order against Depp shortly before their divorce in 2016, and was photographed with bruises.

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Johnny Depp -

She appeared at the libel trial and accused him of assaulting her at least 14 times, leaving her with a broken nose, black eyes, and a split lip. Although it wasn't a criminal trial, the courts sided in favor of The Sun, saying that the claims of domestic abuse were "substantially true."

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Sean Penn -

Rumors that Sean Penn has a violent side have been circulating for decades, dating back to his marriage to Madonna in the 1980s. It was reported that Penn snuck into her home after they had become estranged, tied her to a chair, and beat and tormented her for hours.

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Charlie Sheen - Charlie Sheen is another star with a dark and troubled past. His struggles with substance abuse are notorious, and he has been accused of domestic violence by multiple women. He was convicted of beating girlfriend Brittany Ashland in 1996, and two of his ex-wives have alleged serious emotional and physical abuse.

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Nicolas Cage - Nicolas Cage was arrested for domestic battery and disturbing the peace in 2011. It was reported that he grabbed his wife by the arm and dragged her down the street before proceeding to punch nearby parked cars in a fit of rage.

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Mel Gibson -

Mel Gibson pleaded no contest to beating his girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva when he was charged with domestic assault in 2010. Grigorieva alleges that Gibson punched and choked her while she was holding their baby daughter.

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Emma Roberts - Emma Roberts dated her 'American Horror Story' co-star Peter Evans for seven years, and it seems like it was a complicated romance. They were said to have public spats on set and on one occasion Roberts was arrested for assaulting Evans. It's reported that she bit him hard enough to make him bleed, and he was seen with a bloody nose.

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Chris Brown - Chris Brown's assault of Rihanna is one of the most famous cases of domestic violence in history. Brown was charged with the assault and discussed the incident in the 2017 documentary 'Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life.'

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Mickey Rourke -

Carré Otis accused ex-husband Mickey Rourke of domestic abuse during their marriage. She claimed that he beat her repeatedly and even held a gun to her head on one occasion.

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Axl Rose - Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose's ex-wife Erin Everly accused him of physical abuse during their marriage, claiming he used to beat her and drag her by her hair.

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Slash -

Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash was also accused of domestic violence. It was alleged that he had beaten his ex-girlfriend in 1999.

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Steven Adler - Last but not least, Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler was convicted of domestic violence multiple times. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail for attacking two different women in 1998. This assault violated the probation of his previous conviction for domestic violence in 1997.

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Ozzy Osbourne -

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have been together for over 40 years, but it hasn't always been smooth sailing. Ozzy was notoriously wild at the height of his fame and heavily addicted to drugs. He has admitted that he was once so out of it that he decided he wanted to kill his wife, and proceeded to choke her. Luckily, Sharon had pressed the panic button and the police arrived in time to stop it.

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Mike Tyson -

Actress Robin Givens was married to Mike Tyson for eight months in 1988. She spoke out publicly about the alleged domestic abuse in their relationship, claiming he regularly became violent and threatened to kill her.

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Christian Slater -

Christian Slater is another successful actor with a history of addiction and violence. In 1997, he was arrested for repeatedly punching a woman he was with and biting a male friend on the chest. Slater couldn't remember the incident.

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James Brown -

In 2014, James Brown's daughter Yamma Brown released a book about her experiences growing up with her famous father. She detailed horrific instances of alleged violence against her mother. Brown was arrested for domestic violence on multiple occasions throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

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Gary Busey - Gary Busey has been arrested on charges of domestic violence more than once. He was accused of beating women in both 1999 and 2001, and in 1995 a flight attendant claimed that he struck her after she bumped into him.

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Tommy Lee - Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee famously married Pamela Anderson in the '90s after they had been dating for four days. The relationship ended a few years later, shortly after Lee was arrested on domestic abuse charges and sentenced to six months in jail. It's alleged that he kicked Anderson while she was holding their baby son.

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Terrence Howard -

Terrence Howard has been accused of domestic violence on several occasions. In 2001, he pleaded guilty to beating his estranged wife, Lori McCommas. In 2011 his next wife, Michelle Ghent, accused him of beating her, nearly throwing her off a balcony, and threatening her with a knife.

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Josh Brolin -

In 2004, Diane Lane called LA police to report that her husband, Josh Brolin, had attacked her. Brolin was arrested and charged with spousal battery for the alleged assault.

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Floyd Mayweather - The champion boxer has been accused of domestic violence multiple times. In the early 2000s, he was accused of beating and stalking his ex-girlfriend, but the charges were dismissed. In 2011, Mayweather pleaded guilty to charges of domestic battery and harassment, serving 60 days in jail. He has been accused of domestic violence on several other occasions as well.

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Steven Seagal - Actress Kelly LeBrock was married to Steven Seagal for nine years and claims that he was abusive towards her throughout their relationship.

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Bobby Brown -

Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston were rumored to have a tumultuous relationship involving drugs and violence. In 2003, Houston called police claiming that Brown had hit her in the face. She later dropped the charges.

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Vanilla Ice -

Rapper Vanilla Ice has been arrested twice for domestic violence towards his wife, Laura Giaritta. In 1991, he allegedly punched and pulled out her hair while driving. In 2008, she called the police to say that he had punched and kicked her in front of their children.

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XXXTentacion - Rapper XXXTentacion was gunned down and killed in 2018 when he was only 20 years old. Prior to his death, he had been awaiting trial for charges of aggravated battery and false imprisonment of a pregnant woman. After his death, tapes were released in which he allegedly admitted to the crimes.

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Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra -

Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra were married for a year in the late '90s during the height of Rodman's basketball career. They were both arrested for assault when a fight between them got out of hand in 1999. Rodman has been accused of domestic violence by his two other ex-wives as well.

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Michael Lohan -

Michael Lohan, best known for being Lindsay Lohan's father, was arrested for assaulting his wife in 2020. She told police that he had become verbally and physically abusive, threatening to kill her.

Sources: (BBC) (ET Canada) (The Guardian) (BBC) (Ranker) (Insider) (CNN) (Insider)

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Celebrities accused of domestic violence

These stars have been called out, and in some cases convicted, for violence towards their partners

24/03/21 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Abuse

Domestic violence is a problem that has been hidden behind closed doors as long as humans have walked the Earth. In the past, spousal abuse wasn't even a crime, so why bother to speak out about it? In recent years, however, the tides have changed. Since the start of the Me Too movement in 2017, survivors of abuse, many of them high-profile celebrities, have been breaking their silence.

Indeed, many a star has fallen from their pedestal. Click through this gallery to see which celebrities have been accused of domestic violence.