'00s Sitcom Stars Accused Of Serious Crimes
The '00s birthed some of the most memorable and beloved sitcoms. As a result, this era highlighted a class of talented actors known for their wit and charm. Some of these stars, like Lori Loughlin of "Fuller House," were Hollywood veterans who had successfully snagged yet another TV role to add to their impressive resumes. Others, like Sarah Hyland of "Modern Family," made a name for themselves for the first time during this era. While '00s sitcom stars entertained us for years, some found themselves at the center of controversies.
It is no secret that even some of Hollywood's most elite have faced disturbing allegations, and sitcom stars are no exception. For example, Tim Allen was among the many '90s sitcom stars accused of terrible crimes. The former "Home Improvement" actor spent time in prison after authorities discovered cocaine in his belongings at an airport, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Like Allen, quite a few '00s sitcom stars have made headlines in relation to some concerning allegations. Here are some '00s sitcom stars accused of serious crimes.
Drake Bell
Drake Bell of Nickelodeon's "Drake and Josh" made headlines following his disturbing child endangerment case. According to People, the former teen actor pleaded guilty to "attempted endangering children." Bell's victim, who is now an adult, was reportedly 12 years old at the start of her interactions with the musician. She alleged that Bell sent her inappropriate text messages and later sexually abused her. In the courtroom, she shared a lengthy statement detailing her experience with the former "Drake & Josh" actor. "He was calculating," she alleged in part. "He is a monster and a danger to children." Bell was ultimately sentenced to 2 years of probation.
Although the star pleaded guilty, he later took to Instagram to seemingly claim that some of the details of his case circulating online were false. "I know that this has moved very quickly for you, but for me, it's been a three-year, thorough investigation into every false claim that has been made," Bell said in a video shared to the platform after news of this court case broke. "And, it's not me telling you that the claims are false, but the state of Ohio has proven the claims to be false. If these claims were remotely true, my situation would be very different. I would not be here at home with my wife and my son."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Kyle Massey
You might remember former Disney Channel star Kyle Massey from "That's So Raven" and "Corey in the House." The Los Angeles Times reported that the actor allegedly sent sexually explicit Snapchat videos to a minor. Massey was later charged with "immoral communication with a minor" in 2021. As reported by NBC News, the minor's mother helped law enforcement by providing a flash drive that contained the star's inappropriate content. These allegations first came to light in 2019 when Massey was sued by this underage victim in relation to the same sexually explicit content, as reported by TMZ.
The actor's lawyer, Lee A. Hutton III, spoke to TMZ regarding the charges. He shared that Massey "intends to aggressively defend these accusations again and will seek civil damages from those that refuse to hear the facts." The lawyer also claimed that Massey wasn't informed of his court hearing, which might relate to later reports that revealed the actor failed to appear in court twice. Massey's second court absence led a judge to issue a $100,000 arrest warrant. He was photographed exiting a gym just one week later. This case is still pending as of December 2022.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Charlie Sheen
The infamous Charlie Sheen has faced a number of allegations throughout his career. Abuse allegations came to light after Sheen's ex-wife, Denise Richards, filed for divorce in 2005, according to NZ Herald. Court documents revealed that Richards claimed Sheen had gotten violent with her. She later filed and eventually extended a restraining order against the actor. Sheen's second ex-wife, Brooke Mueller, was reportedly a victim of similar abuse. People revealed that the star was arrested in 2009 on domestic violence charges after a fight with Mueller. An anonymous source later shared alleged details on the case. "Charlie intends to go to court on June 7 [to] plead to a misdemeanor and immediately begin serving his 30 days in jail," they said in a separate article from People. "With good behavior, he could end up doing 15 or so days."
Sheen faced another allegation in 2020 following actor Corey Feldman's documentary, "(My) Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys." In the film, Feldman claimed that Corey Haim, who starred in the movie "Lucas" alongside Sheen, said he was sexually assaulted by the "Two and a Half Men" star. In "(My) Truth" (via Entertainment Weekly) Feldman shared, "This wasn't like a one-time thing he said in passing. It wasn't like, 'Oh, by the way, this happened,'" in reference to the assault Haim allegedly said he endured. Sheen denied these allegations in a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly. "These sick, twisted and outlandish allegations never occurred. Period," he told the outlet.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Lori Loughlin
Lori Loughlin is arguably most well-known for her role as aunt Becky in "Full House." She went on to revive her role in the show in its spin-off, "Fuller House," in 2016. This gig ended prematurely because the once-beloved actor found herself at the center of a media frenzy following the shocking celebrity college admissions scandal of 2019. Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid to have their two kids recruited to the University of Southern California's crew team, per People. Their daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli, had no history of actually playing the sport.
Mossimo was sentenced to five months in prison while Loughlin was sentenced to two months for "conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery" among other charges, per People. Loughlin addressed her crimes in the courtroom during her sentencing. "I made an awful decision," the actor said (via People). "I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process. In doing so, I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass." Olivia spoke in-depth about the scandal for the first time during a visit to "Red Table Talk" in December 2020. "I'm not trying to victimize myself," she said on the talk show. "I don't want pity. I don't deserve pity. We messed up. I just want a second chance to be like 'I recognize I messed up.'"
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes got her start on Nickelodeon's "All That" and later went down the dark path traveled by many former child stars. Although Bynes appears to be doing well these days, it once seemed that she couldn't stay out of legal trouble. The actor was reportedly pulled over in March 2012 for taking a phone call while driving. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she allegedly drove off while an officer was in the process of issuing a ticket for the offense. Bynes later made her way to the police station to sign the ticket.
In April 2012, TMZ reported that Bynes had gotten into trouble on the road once again. This time, she was arrested and later charged with a DUI after swiping a police officer's vehicle. However, Bynes later took to Twitter (via The Hollywood Reporter) to seemingly imply that she was innocent. "I don't drink," she wrote in a since-deleted tweet in which she tagged then-president Barack Obama. "Please fire the cop who arrested me. I also don't hit and run. The end." It appears that Bynes stuck with this story because she pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge. Unfortunately for the star, this wasn't the end of her run-ins with the law. In September 2012, she faced charges for two hit-and-run incidents and her license was suspended as a result. Bynes was later sentenced to 3 years of probation after being caught driving while her license was suspended.
Chris Tavarez
Chris Tavarez snagged roles in a few '00s sitcoms. He took on the role of Christopher in Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns" and played Darien in the Disney Channel hit "K.C. Undercover," per IMDb. The actor was arrested for domestic violence in 2019, per TMZ. Anonymous sources said that the star had gotten violent with his girlfriend during an argument. Tavarez reportedly fled the scene at the time and was arrested two days later. TMZ also revealed that the actor had been convicted of two "counts of spousal battery" prior to this incident, so this wasn't the first time he'd faced domestic violence allegations.
That first set of charges occurred in 2017 and resulted in Tavarez serving 180 days in jail. He was also required to take part in a domestic violence awareness program. As for the 2019 incident, the actor received a suspended 5-year prison sentence and only spent 300 days in jail as a result. Tavarez was also required to complete another domestic violence awareness program.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.