A Look At Martin Lawrence's History Of Legal Trouble
Martin Lawrence was one of the biggest comedians of the '90s. Starting with stand-up, his career exploded when he became the host of HBO's "Def Comedy Jam." From that point on, he became one of the biggest names in Hollywood as he landed some impressive work like "Big Momma's House" and his own sitcom show, "Martin." But, his career slowly took a turn after he signed on for some failed projects and got in some legal trouble.
Instead of playing a detective busting bad guys in "Bad Boys," Lawrence was on the receiving end in real life. The actor got into some bad legal situations that made his career spiral. It seemed as though, for a short period of time, all anyone could talk about was the actor's troubled life. Lawrence claims the media spun a lot of what was actually true. He shared with ABC News, "They made a lot of things up to sell a better story. You don't know what it's like until you've been through it."
Still, the actor's career has taken a plummet since then, and we hardly see him on our screens anymore. So, what legal troubles led to Lawrence's demise? Well, we're here to fill you in on all the run-ins the actor had with the law.
The late '90s were rough for Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrence was riding a high in the early '90s, but that quickly turned south in the later half of the decade. In 1996, Lawrence had his first run-in with the law after he ran into a busy California street with a pistol, per the Los Angeles Times. According to a witness, the "Bad Boy" actor ran into the street when officers arrived and resisted arrest. After police detained the actor, he was taken to a local hospital as reps for the comedian revealed he suffered from "exhaustion and dehydration." That wouldn't be the last time the actor was found with a gun. Just a month later, Lawrence attempted to bring a weapon on an airplane but was caught when security spotted the firearm in the metal detector, per People. The comedian was detained and received probation for the incident.
Lawrence's legal troubles only continued in 1997. According to CBS News, the "Big Momma's House" actor was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after he allegedly assaulted someone. The comic had punched a man in the face after they had bumped into one another in a nightclub. Lawrence didn't end up doing any prison time, as he was sentenced to two years' probation and community service. Clearly, the actor had hit a rough patch in his life, but one of his biggest legal troubles came when his former "Martin" castmate accused him of some serious crimes.
Tisha Campbell accused Martin Lawrence of sexual harassment
Tisha Campbell may have played Martin Lawrence's love interest in the hit sitcom, "Martin," but there was nothing lovely about their relationship in the late '90s. In 1997, Campbell filed a lawsuit against her co-star, claiming he sexually harassed and "tormented" the star. According to Jet, the file explained, "The hostile working conditions on the show became unduly aggravated due to Lawrence's increased volatility, erratic and violent conduct, and his apparent obsession with Campbell, in which he focused his lust, anger, and violent tendencies on her." Lawrence continuously denied the allegations.
Not long after the accusations came to light, Lawrence's hit sitcom show "Martin" ended. Although there was a lot of speculation about the reasoning behind the series coming to an end, the comedian later revealed it was his decision to call it quits. He told GQ why the show ended abruptly, sharing, "Well, how can I say this? It just was time to end. Let's put it that way. It was just, at the time, there was some, um, there were some being things being said." When asked if he was referring to his situation with Campbell, he clarified and said, "Yeah." According to People, both Lawrence and Campbell settled the allegations out of court.