- Hugh Grant was arrested in 1995 for having sex in his car with a sex worker
- He had to pay a fine and attend an AIDs education program as a punishment
- Fans were upset at his cheating as well as the disproportionate sentences
Hugh Grant is known for some of his iconic roles in classic romcoms like Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral (and his cameo in the horror movie Heretic).
But thanks to a recently resurfaced news article, many younger fans are only just learning about a brush with the law he had 30 years ago.
One Reddit user recently shared a picture of the front page of The Sun newspaper on June 28, 1995 which featured the headline, ‘HUGH AND HIS HOOKER.’
Right as he was riding the high of his rising stardom thanks to Four Weddings and a Funeral, Grant was arrested for having sex in his car with Divine Brown who happened to be a sex worker.
Grant was caught on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, where he had met Brown (whose legal name is Estella Marie Thompson) and paid $60 to have oral sex performed on him.
At the time, he faced the possibility of six months in jail for ‘lewd conduct’ in a public place.
Instead, he got away with just paying a $1,000 fine (which, in today’s terms would be a little over $2,000) and attending an AIDs education program.
Brown, on the other hand, was sentenced to 180 days in prison, as she had violated her parole for previous prostitution charges.
Hugh Grant was arrested in 1995 for having sex in his car with a sex worker
Divine Brown, the sex worker who Grant was caught with, had to face 180 days in jail while Grant had to pay a fine and attend an AIDs education program
After making headlines, Grant – who was linked to long term girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley at the time – released a statement the day after getting arrested.
‘Last night I did something completely insane,’ he said.
‘I have hurt people I love and embarrassed people I work with.
‘For both things I am more sorry than I can ever possibly say.’
But even 30 years later, some Hurley fans can’t believe Grant was unfaithful to her.
‘He was dating Elizabeth Hurley… some people are never satisfied with what they have,’ one user said.
‘How could you do that to Elizabeth Hurley,’ another wrote followed by a sad face.
Other Redditors seemed more concerned with the disproportionate sentences that he and Brown received.
After the incident, Grant released a statement saying he did something ‘completely insane’
Other Reddit users expressed their anger over the disproportionate punishments Grant and Brown received for the act
‘The double standard in that sentencing is insane,’ one Redditor commented.
‘The f**k, I never knew she spent time in jail for this,’ another said.
‘I shouldn’t be surprised I guess at how unfair she was treated.’
‘This is whyyyyy we need [decriminalization]. Complete insanity for her to be in prison for SIX MONTHS,’ another user shared.
