15 Celebrities Accused of Sexual Misconduct

Public allegations against well known figures have unfolded in very different ways, from criminal trials and civil verdicts to investigations that ended without charges. The entries below summarize what was alleged, what authorities and courts did, and how each person responded.

These summaries focus on timelines, filings, and outcomes as of the time of writing. Where cases are ongoing, you will see the current procedural status and any scheduled next steps.

Harvey Weinstein

Beginning in 2017, dozens of women publicly accused the former producer of sexual misconduct and assault. In New York, his 2020 convictions were overturned in April 2024 after an appeals court ruled certain testimony should not have been admitted, which led to new proceedings. Prosecutors sought new indictments and a retrial plan, and a jury in 2025 returned a mixed outcome that included a conviction for assault related to a 2006 incident involving Miriam “Mimi” Haley and no verdict on another charge.

Weinstein remains imprisoned because of a separate Los Angeles case in which a jury convicted him in 2022, resulting in a sixteen year sentence. In New York, sentencing for the Haley count has been scheduled for late September 2025 unless the court sequences another trial first. Weinstein has continued to deny the allegations.

Bill Cosby

A Pennsylvania jury convicted Cosby in 2018 in a case stemming from a 2004 incident, but the state supreme court overturned that conviction in 2021 based on due process issues tied to a prior non prosecution assurance. Cosby was released and cannot be retried on those specific charges under that ruling.

In a separate civil case in California in 2022, a jury found Cosby liable for sexually abusing Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in the 1970s and awarded her damages. Cosby has denied wrongdoing in public statements and through his attorneys.

Kevin Spacey

Multiple people accused Spacey in 2017, triggering internal reviews and civil filings. In 2022, a New York federal jury found in his favor in a civil suit brought by actor Anthony Rapp. In 2023, a London jury acquitted Spacey of criminal charges related to allegations from four men after a multi week trial.

Spacey has denied criminal wrongdoing and has continued to contest allegations in public and in court. Separate employment arbitration over his conduct on the series ‘House of Cards’ resulted in a damages award against him for breach of company policy.

R. Kelly

Federal prosecutors secured a racketeering and sex trafficking conviction in New York in 2021 and obtained a thirty year sentence. A second federal case in Chicago in 2022 yielded additional convictions and a twenty year sentence, with most of that term ordered to run at the same time as the New York sentence.

Appeals courts have since upheld the convictions and the sentences. As of mid 2025, the United States Supreme Court declined to disturb the New York judgment, and Kelly remains incarcerated in federal custody.

Marilyn Manson

Beginning in 2021, several women filed civil complaints and public statements alleging sexual assault and abuse. Some cases were later settled, including a suit by actor Esmé Bianco, while others were dismissed or did not result in criminal charges after review by prosecutors. In 2023, Manson entered a no contest plea in New Hampshire to a misdemeanor arising from a 2019 concert incident that was unrelated to the assault allegations and completed the sentence terms in 2024.

A defamation lawsuit he filed in 2022 against Evan Rachel Wood was dropped in 2024, with a court ordering him to reimburse her legal fees. In January 2025, Los Angeles prosecutors announced no charges would be filed on several older allegations due to evidentiary and time limit issues. Manson has denied the accusations and has said relationships were consensual.

James Franco

Two former acting students sued Franco in 2019 alleging exploitation at a film school he co owned. In 2021 and 2022, the parties reached a class action settlement valued at about two point two million dollars that resolved the claims after court review. The settlement included class relief and releases without any criminal charges being filed.

Several additional public accusations were reported in the same period, which Franco addressed in interviews while acknowledging inappropriate conduct. He has not been criminally charged in connection with the school allegations.

Louis C.K.

In 2017, five women described incidents of sexual misconduct by the comedian in a report that prompted industry responses. Louis C.K. issued a statement the next day acknowledging the accounts and describing his misuse of power, and multiple companies terminated projects and business relationships.

There were no criminal charges related to those incidents. He later resumed releasing material and won a major industry award in 2022, while the women and their advocates continued to discuss the broader workplace and cultural impacts.

Bryan Singer

Beginning years earlier and crystallizing in detailed reports in 2019, several men accused the director of sexual misconduct, including incidents they said occurred when they were underage. Singer has denied the accusations through counsel, and he has not been charged with crimes related to those claims.

After the reports, projects and associations changed course, including the loss of work on planned films and public statements by producers and studios. Civil litigation activity around some allegations has included filings, withdrawals, and confidential resolutions.

Russell Brand

In 2023, a media investigation collected allegations from several women, and police received additional reports. In April 2025, prosecutors authorized charges in the United Kingdom related to alleged offenses from 1999 to 2005, and Brand appeared in court and was granted conditional bail while denying the allegations.

By May 2025 he had entered not guilty pleas. Court schedules have moved forward with hearings and procedural steps toward trial under active criminal proceedings.

Sean “Diddy” Combs

Beginning in late 2023, multiple civil lawsuits accused Combs of sexual assault and other abuse, and federal agents searched his properties in March 2024 during a wider investigation. In 2025, a New York federal jury acquitted him of racketeering and sex trafficking counts but convicted him on two prostitution related offenses tied to transporting people for paid sex.

Combs remains in custody pending sentencing set for October 3, 2025. He has denied the civil allegations and has contested the criminal case while issuing a public apology for a separate 2016 hotel incident captured on video that showed him assaulting Casandra Ventura.

Matt Lauer

NBC terminated Lauer’s employment in November 2017 after a workplace complaint and an internal review. In 2019, journalist Ronan Farrow’s book reported a detailed allegation from former colleague Brooke Nevils regarding a 2014 incident during the Sochi Olympics.

Lauer has denied that allegation and asserted the encounter was consensual. There have been no criminal charges reported against him in connection with the claims, and he has largely remained outside broadcast roles since his dismissal.

Chris Noth

The actor was accused in December 2021 by multiple women of sexual assault in incidents they said occurred between 2002 and 2015. Noth denied the allegations and said the encounters were consensual. After the reports, brand partners and employers ended relationships, including his removal from ‘The Equalizer’ and changes to ‘And Just Like That’.

No criminal charges were filed against him related to the public allegations. In 2025, he booked his first screen role since the reports, while continuing to deny wrongdoing.

Armie Hammer

In 2021, accusations of sexual assault and abuse surfaced publicly and were investigated by Los Angeles police. In May and June 2023, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced it would not file charges, citing insufficient evidence to prove crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.

Hammer has denied criminal wrongdoing and addressed the controversy in public statements. He lost several film roles and representation during the period when the allegations first became public.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

New York prosecutors charged Gooding in 2019 in cases involving multiple accusers. In April 2022 he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of forcible touching related to a 2018 incident, and in October 2022 the court allowed him to withdraw that plea and plead to a noncriminal harassment violation after he completed counseling under the terms of a conditional agreement.

A separate civil case alleging a 2013 assault was settled just before trial in June 2023. Gooding’s counsel has stated that disputed encounters were consensual.

Russell Simmons

Since 2017, several women have accused Simmons of sexual assault and related misconduct. He has denied the allegations. Civil litigation has continued in New York, where suits have been filed or revived under state laws that allow a lookback window for older claims, including filings in 2024 by a former Def Jam executive.

In 2025, court filings in New York alleged that Simmons had not completed payments under confidential settlements with multiple women who had accused him. Simmons has also filed his own defamation suit against the makers of a 2020 documentary as part of his ongoing legal strategy.

Do you think we forgot some? Let us know in the comments.