- 2 months ago
From jealous rage to cult devotion, some TV stars' darkest impulses led them to commit horrifying crimes. Join us as we explore the disturbing motivations behind celebrities who went from fame to infamy. Our countdown includes Michael Jace, Allison Mack, Dustin Diamond and more! Which TV star's fall from grace shocked you the most?
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00:00Now a grand jury on Tuesday indicted a small lot on six counts of this orderly conduct.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're diving into 10 disturbing factors that drove TV stars to commit
00:10crimes. I'm a human being. I have faults and I've done things that I deeply regret,
00:17but I also know that I have a really good heart.
00:21Lane Garrison's drunken thrill-seeking. Before he ever went to a real prison,
00:25Lane Garrison played the inmate tweener in Prison Break.
00:28Like I said before, I ain't gonna tell you nothing.
00:34But in 2007, life imitated Art in the worst way when he landed behind bars for drunk driving and
00:39vehicular manslaughter. The tragedy began the year before when Garrison left a party with teenagers
00:44he barely knew and decided to drive under the influence. His car crashed, killing 17-year-old
00:49Bahagen Setien and injuring two others.
00:51And I found myself going from Prison Break, the show, to prison for two years.
00:56He also had an illegal substance in his system and supplied liquor to minors.
01:00Maybe he wanted to keep the night going or impress them.
01:03Either way, it all screams of careless thrill-seeking.
01:06You know, I'm just fortunate that I get to sit here and get a second chance.
01:10Jussie Smollett's career advancement. Before the 2019 alleged hate crime hoax stained his reputation,
01:15Jussie Smollett was once adored for his role as Jamal on Empire.
01:19But in 2019, his career collapsed after a police investigation revealed he had staged a hate-fueled attack on himself.
01:25Dozen detectives are pursuing new leads, including grainy photos of two persons of interest.
01:31Why he would pull something so malicious is not quite clear.
01:34But prosecutors argued he faked the incident for publicity.
01:37Higher pay and attention, especially after a threatening letter to the Empire set, didn't make waves.
01:42Oh, how can you doubt that? Like, how do you not believe that? It's the truth.
01:49Going by the flood of support he had got after his claim, they may not be far off.
01:52To this day, Smollett continues to insist on his innocence.
01:55I'm just not okay with accepting responsibility for something that I did not do.
01:59Nicholas Brendan's Troubled Mind.
02:01People may no longer remember Nicholas Brendan for his beloved role as Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
02:06but for the troubled path he has taken since.
02:09Nice. Look who's got a bad case of dark prince envy.
02:13His post-Buffy life has been marred by arrests, domestic abuse, prescription fraud,
02:17and incidents of public intoxication and property damage.
02:21His crimes, while serious, trace back to childhood trauma and substance use disorder.
02:25Brendan has spoken up about being abused and struggling with depression.
02:28I mean, I look at my life and I just think, you know, how things could have been different,
02:34you know?
02:35Coupled with substance use disorder and life struggles,
02:38these issues likely fueled his reckless and violent outbursts.
02:41Still, that's not enough excuse for all he did.
02:43It's heartbreaking for Buffy fans to see each headline drag him further from the lighthearted
02:47character fans once adored.
02:49Guy's a genius.
02:51Felicia Pearson's Dark Childhood.
02:53You watch someone play a terrifying role so well,
02:55you think it's all fiction until reality proves otherwise.
02:57You know, we work all over.
03:00Felicia's Snoop Pearson, who chilled people to the bone on the wire,
03:03lived a life that mirrored her character's darkness.
03:05At just age 14, she had already shot a girl,
03:08serving more than six years in second-degree murder.
03:10I'm the youngest one in here.
03:12I'm thinking I gotta go to war as soon as I come in here.
03:16Years later, even after finding fame,
03:18she was caught in a 2011 substance trafficking case.
03:21Her brutal backstory explains a lot.
03:22Born to parents with substance use disorder,
03:25raised in foster care,
03:26and growing up in a city plagued with drugs and violence,
03:29Pearson grew up in survival mode.
03:31If you've seen The Wire,
03:32you'll understand how such a harsh environment can shape the choices you make.
03:36You good?
03:38Yeah, man.
03:39Dustin Diamond's post-fame struggles.
03:41Dustin Diamond will forever be remembered as Screech,
03:44the nerdy sidekick on the Saved by the Bell franchise.
03:46Today, we're going to play a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach.
03:52A piece?
03:53Why can't we play the whole thing?
03:55Like many child actors,
03:56post-fame life didn't treat him that kindly.
03:58In December 2014,
04:00he was arrested after a bar fight where a man was stabbed.
04:02While Diamond claimed he only acted to protect his girlfriend,
04:05many wonder if his struggles beyond fame played a part.
04:08After all, for years,
04:09he tried and failed to escape the shadow of Screech.
04:12Looking back now, in my 30s,
04:15I realized that was really dumb.
04:17His tell-all book, Behind the Bell,
04:18painted a troubled picture
04:19while a sex tape further damaged his reputation.
04:22Together, these moments suggest a man
04:24weighed down by pressures, fame, and frustration.
04:26Despite all that,
04:27we honestly can't forget his comedic goal to Screech.
04:30He just didn't like the public ridicule.
04:31He just wanted to be a normal guy.
04:33I think he put it off because he wanted to live his life
04:35and he didn't want to have the public scrutiny.
04:37Skyler De Leon's financial scheme.
04:39Skyler De Leon once brushed against Hollywood.
04:42Even landing a minor role in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
04:44That fleeting moment is long forgotten
04:46compared to the chilling crime that made his name infamous.
04:49In 2004, De Leon and his accomplices
04:51targeted a retired couple,
04:53forcing them to sign over ownership of their yacht
04:55before throwing them overboard.
04:56Were you planning on buying the boat?
04:59Well, we didn't really have the money.
05:02Skyler and his wife had been facing a hard time financially.
05:05In fact, they were drowning in debt,
05:06so they decided crime was their way out.
05:08What did they do?
05:09They deceived and murdered an innocent couple
05:11just to take over their property and money.
05:14Instead of gaining financial freedom,
05:15Skyler earned a death sentence
05:17after he was convicted for the couple's murder.
05:19The prosecutor has called Skyler De Leon
05:21the best con man he's ever met.
05:24Isaiah Stokes' desire for revenge.
05:26Isaiah Stokes may not be a household name,
05:28but he carved out a career with roles in shows
05:29like Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order, SVU, and others.
05:32Working hell going on four years.
05:35That promising trajectory collapsed in 2021
05:37when the actor was charged
05:38with murdering Tyrone Jones in Queens.
05:41Stokes had tracked down Jones
05:42and fired 11 shots to his car, killing him.
05:45Prosecutors revealed a chilling motive, revenge.
05:48Just weeks earlier,
05:48Jones had kicked Stokes out of his birthday party
05:50after a heated altercation,
05:52and the actor sought retribution.
05:54What could have been a forgettable scuffle turned deadly.
05:56In 2025, Stokes was convicted of murder
05:58and sentenced to 25 years to life.
06:01Alice and Mac's devotion to Nixia,
06:02Best known as Chloe Sullivan on Smallville,
06:05Alice and Mac was adored for playing the loyal friend
06:07who always fought for good.
06:09Offscreen, though, she was far from angelic.
06:11In fact, Mac had a nasty scandal
06:13that saw her sentenced to three years in prison
06:15for very ugly crimes like racketeering.
06:18As a key member of Nixium,
06:23a cult which posed as a self-help group,
06:25Mac lured women into being branded,
06:27manipulated, all while serving the leader, Keith Rainier.
06:30While some argue she's a victim, too,
06:32prosecutors made clear her actions
06:33stemmed from blind loyalty and abusive influence.
06:36Too sucked into the group,
06:37she used her celebrity status to gain women's trust.
06:40Mac later denounced Rainier,
06:41but only after lasting damage was done.
06:44The 38-year-old tearfully apologized,
06:46saying she was, quote,
06:47filled with remorse and guilt,
06:49and that her actions were abusive,
06:50abhorrent, and illegal.
06:52Stephen Collins' dark secret.
06:54Sometimes people play a noble role on screen,
06:56but in real life, they're the complete opposite.
06:58On 7th Heaven, Stephen Collins played
06:59the gentle minister, Eric, who guided his family
07:01with faith and morality.
07:03Right now, I think we should stay focused
07:04on the problem at hand.
07:05In 2014, the world was stunned
07:07when audio recordings revealed
07:08his inappropriate conduct with minors decades earlier.
07:11Collins also later admitted
07:13to misconduct with three minors.
07:14I admit to, apologize for,
07:16and take responsibility for what I did.
07:19While we can't tell why he would do something so terrible,
07:21it appears he let his darker side
07:23get the better of him.
07:24It may also stem from deep psychological struggles
07:26and a warped mindset that contradicted
07:29the wholesome image he presented.
07:30Whatever the reason may be,
07:32his fall remains as chilling as his crimes.
07:34I would say, with all my heart, I am sorry.
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07:52Michael Jace's Jealous Rage
07:56Once best known for portraying
07:58Officer Julian Lowe in The Shield,
08:00Michael Jace became infamous
08:01for a horrific crime in real life.
08:03In 2014, Jace shot and killed his wife
08:06in their Los Angeles home
08:07in the presence of their children.
08:08Michael Jace was found guilty today
08:10of second-degree murder
08:11and the death of his wife, April.
08:13He shot and killed her in May of 2014.
08:16What was his reason for this unforgivable crime?
08:18According to reports,
08:19jealousy fueled this act.
08:21Prosecutors said Jace suspected
08:22his wife wanted to leave him
08:24and even feared she was seeing someone else.
08:26His twisted solution was to shoot her in the back,
08:28then in the leg, taunting her as she fell.
08:30For this, Jace was convicted
08:31of second-degree murder in 2016
08:33and sentenced to 40 years to life.
08:36His uncontrollable rage not only cost a life,
08:38but likely left his kids deeply scarred.
08:41It's really hard to come up with words for it
08:43when you've done what you've done
08:45and have to deal with the consequences,
08:47but he understands second-degree.
08:49Which of these TV actors' crimes chilled you the most?
08:52Let us know in the comments.
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