Pop Culture | Celebrities | 90s

An Evening Stroll Down The Sunset Strip Almost Destroyed Hugh Grant's Career

Up until 1995, life had been good for Hugh Grant. The 34-year-old British actor recently got his shot at stardom for his role in the movie, Four Weddings and a Funeral, he was dating supermodel Elizabeth Hurley, and was out promoting his latest flick, Nine Months, in Hollywood.

Then everything came crashing down.

On the evening of June 26, 1995, Grant had been caught in a sexual act with a prostitute. He had been strolling down LA’s notorious "Sunset Strip," and met Estella Marie Thompson, who went by the name Divine Brown. He had paid her $50 to perform oral sex on him in public, but the pair were discovered by undercover police officers.

Grand and Brown had been caught in the act and were promptly charged with “lewd conduct in a public place.”

The Guardian

It wasn’t long until media outlets got wind of Grant’s scandal, and he and his PR team were immediately forced to do damage control.

“Last night I did something completely insane,” Grant said in a statement released the next day. “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 then the prostitute, Divine Brown, came forward to tell her side of the story.

Tabloids from across the Atlantic had a field day with Grant’s fall from grace, but they also duked it out to interview Brown, in order to be the first to publish her side of the story.

In the end, News of the World scored the coveted tell-all, by paying her a rumored $100,000. Among the intimate details, Brown said Grant reportedly told her, “I always wanted to sleep with a black woman. That’s my fantasy.”

News of the World

The following month, Grant was ordered to pay a fine of $1,000, attend an AIDS awareness class and sentenced to two years of probation. Conversely, Brown was sentenced to 180 days in prison and fined $1,350 after pleading no contest. She had already been on probation due to previous prostitution charges.

Grant went on a mass “apology tour,” begging for the public’s forgiveness on late-night television, beginning with an appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

“I’ve done an abominable thing, and she’s [Liz Hurley] been amazing about it, and contrary to what I read in the paper today, she’s been very supportive, and we’re going to try to work it out,” he said during the interview.

Since then, Hollywood seemed to forget about Grant’s high-profile scandal, and he was able to revive his shattered career. He starred in a series of successful movies, including Notting Hill, Bridget Jones Diary, About a Boy, and Love Actually. The well-known playboy has become a father of four, and is still friends with his ex-girlfriend, Hurley.

But he wasn’t the only one who’s done well for himself.

In 2010, Daily Mail interviewed Brown - who reverted back to her given name, Stella Thompson - to see what her life had been like since the sensationalized ordeal.

The mother of three said she prefers to remember the infamous incident as “God’s work” that’s brought her to where she is now.

She has moved away from Los Angeles to Atlanta, Georgia where she had wisely invested a portion of the $1 million she had made from multiple interviews and appearances.  

Thompson’s  two oldest children are in college, she has long since quit prostitution, and runs a music production company with her fiancé Richie Fediccinni. She said her life couldn’t get any better.

“I have the most wonderful life now,’ she said. “I’ve got a nice new home with three bedrooms and four bathrooms. It’s very pretty and I have a beautiful garden with flowers. There’s no pool, but I do have a picket fence. I thank the Lord every day.”

Sources: The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Mail,

More Throwbacks

Celebrities

'Mighty Ducks' Star Shaun Weiss Arrested Again Only Months After Leaving Rehab

After Shaun Weiss' arrest in August left everyone worried about the former child star, the actor was forced to re-evaluate his choices. His mugshot showed a gaunt, sickly, and unrecognizable man, but Weiss believed this was his "rock bottom" and hoped to come back from it stronger than ever. In a statement released to his Facebook page after the arrest, Weiss revealed that he realized he was in "danger." Oroville Police Department"At this time, in an effort to break free from the self destructive patterns of behavior and drug abuse that have landed me at rock bottom, (to be

Celebrities

91-Year-Old 'Boy Meets World' Star Scared Off Burglars After They "Kicked In" His Door

Mr. Feeny will forever be a character that every 90s kid cherishes. He was the teacher. The one teacher we all wished we could have in real life, the one teacher who could have given us helpful advice, and above all else, he was the one teacher who would have been the best neighbor ever.William Daniels was a legend and an icon long before Boy Meets World, because he was the voice of KITT in Knight Rider. Not only that, but he won two Emmy awards for his role on St. Elsewhere. Daniels is a talented man, and his

70s

James Karen, Legendary Actor Known For 'Poltergeist' And So Much More, Dead At 94

You probably don't know his name, but you definitely know James Karen's face. The prolific character actor, best known for his role as the unscrupulous developer Mr. Teague in 1982's Poltergeist, passed away in his Los Angeles home on Tuesday at the age of 94.MGM/UA Entertainment Co.Over the course of his seven-decade career, Karen racked up over 200 acting credits across movies, television, and even video games. If you watch just about any of the most popular television shows from the 1970s, 80s, or 90s, you're guaranteed to see him pop up sooner or later. Born Jacob

80s

His Small Part In 'Ferris Bueller' Became Iconic, But Where Is Ben Stein Now?

The words "Bueller...Bueller...Bueller?" can only be read in one way, and with that simple, monotone delivery, a star was born. Ben Stein played the economics professor in the iconic John Hughes classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and that role managed to launch his career in a way that you may not expect for someone with such a small part. Sure, he's on screen for less than five minutes, but it's the delivery you remember. Yes, obviously the other characters are more present, and you can remember some of the more iconic moments as well, but it's Stein's line

Celebrities

'Free Willy' Star Jason James Ritcher Arrested For Domestic Violence

Former child actor Jason James Richter, star of the iconic movie Free Willy, has recently gotten himself arrested. Many of us have forgotten about Richter, especially because he had stepped out of the spotlight for several years. He only started acting again in guest spots on shows like Bones and Criminal Minds in 2009, but nothing seemed to relaunch his career. Warner Bros. He continued working though, taking small parts in a variety of projects, with several movies set to be released this year, but apparently there's been a lot going on behind the scenes. The actor-turned-musician was arrested on

Pop Culture

Busy Philipps Says James Franco Assaulted Her On The Set Of 'Freaks And Geeks'

The show Freaks and Geeks was the launching point for a lot of Hollywood's biggest stars. That's where we were first introduced to people like Seth Rogen, Jason Segal, and Linda Cardellini. While the series only lasted one season, it managed to be the stepping stone a lot of successful actors needed to get noticed. One of the stars of that show has gone on to have remarkably successful career, but apparently her time on set wasn't as magical as it may have seemed.Busy Philipps played the rebellious and often misunderstood Kim Kelly. She was a new friend of