Gigi Hadid at jury duty.Photo: Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock
Turns out, being famous doesn’t get you out of jury duty.While it might get you dismissed — which was the case with bothMadonnaandBrad Pitt— it is still part of life as an American adult, and celebs likeTaylor SwiftandKim Kardashianhave answered the summons when called.Here, read about 12 stars' time on jury duty, fromAnna Kendrick’s live tweets toOprah Winfrey’s experiences on a trial.
Turns out, being famous doesn’t get you out of jury duty.
While it might get you dismissed — which was the case with bothMadonnaandBrad Pitt— it is still part of life as an American adult, and celebs likeTaylor SwiftandKim Kardashianhave answered the summons when called.
Here, read about 12 stars' time on jury duty, fromAnna Kendrick’s live tweets toOprah Winfrey’s experiences on a trial.
01of 12Kim KardashianKim Kardashian.Rosalind O’Connor/NBC/NBCU Photo BankTheKardashiansstar and aspiring lawyer spent several days at the Van Nuys Courthouse in Los Angeles in October 2023,TMZ reported.The outlet said Kardashian’s bodyguard was with her the whole time, though she “made herself part of the group … eating snacks in the courthouse hallway during the breaks with other prospective jurors.”
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Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian.Rosalind O’Connor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
Rosalind O’Connor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
TheKardashiansstar and aspiring lawyer spent several days at the Van Nuys Courthouse in Los Angeles in October 2023,TMZ reported.
The outlet said Kardashian’s bodyguard was with her the whole time, though she “made herself part of the group … eating snacks in the courthouse hallway during the breaks with other prospective jurors.”
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Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid at jury duty in N.Y.C.Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock
On Jan. 13, 2020, the 24-year-old model was called to Manhattan Supreme Court andquestioned as a potential jurorfor the high-profile rape trial of disgraced Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein.
Hadid told the judge that she had met Weinstein and potential witness Salma Hayek, but said, “I think I am still able to keep an open mind on the facts,“according toBuzzFeed News.
Before Hadid knew that she would be part of Weinstein’s trial, shewrote on Instagramon Jan. 5, 2020, “This week a dream came true. I’ve been summoned for jury duty, y’all.”
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Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
A spokesman for the Davidson County district attorney’s office (where she was being considered) said that Swift asked to be left off of the jury because she wasinvolved in a civil case at the time that involved sexual assault. The spokesman said that the pop star offered to serve on a jury for a different case.
04of 12Tom HanksTom Hanks.Michael Buckner/Variety/ShutterstockThe actor was serving on a jury in a Los Angeles domestic violence case when the defense attorneysasked for a mistrialon the grounds that a member of the L.A. City Attorney’s Office approached the actor and thanked him for his service.According to TMZ, Hanks said was just doing his best to “serve justice.”
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Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks.Michael Buckner/Variety/Shutterstock
The actor was serving on a jury in a Los Angeles domestic violence case when the defense attorneysasked for a mistrialon the grounds that a member of the L.A. City Attorney’s Office approached the actor and thanked him for his service.
According to TMZ, Hanks said was just doing his best to “serve justice.”
05of 12Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey.Steve Granitz/WireImageThe mogul served as a member of the jury for a Chicago murder trial in August 2004. Winfreytold reporters outside of the courtroomwhile being considered for the task, “If I were a lawyer, I wouldn’t pick me. I can have an open mind, but I’m really too opinionated.“At the time she said: “I’m hoping it won’t take longer than a week because I’ve got shows to do.“But she was chosen, and in the end she and the other jurors made the decision to convict 27-year-old Dion Coleman of first-degree murder in the February 2002 shooting death of 23-year-old Walter Holley.Shesaid onTodayafter the trial, “I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh gee, I put somebody away’ … In the end it just felt sad.”
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Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey.Steve Granitz/WireImage
The mogul served as a member of the jury for a Chicago murder trial in August 2004. Winfreytold reporters outside of the courtroomwhile being considered for the task, “If I were a lawyer, I wouldn’t pick me. I can have an open mind, but I’m really too opinionated.”
At the time she said: “I’m hoping it won’t take longer than a week because I’ve got shows to do.”
But she was chosen, and in the end she and the other jurors made the decision to convict 27-year-old Dion Coleman of first-degree murder in the February 2002 shooting death of 23-year-old Walter Holley.
Shesaid onTodayafter the trial, “I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh gee, I put somebody away’ … In the end it just felt sad.”
06of 12George W. BushGeorge W. Bush.Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty ImagesThough he wasn’t chosen to serve on a jury, the former President of the United States did his civic duty andshowed up for jury selectionin Dallas in August 2015.A spokesperson for the former president said, “He recognizes how vital jury service is to our judicial system - and that with the great privileges of being a citizen in America and having the right to vote come important responsibilities like this one.”
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George W. Bush
George W. Bush.Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images
Though he wasn’t chosen to serve on a jury, the former President of the United States did his civic duty andshowed up for jury selectionin Dallas in August 2015.
A spokesperson for the former president said, “He recognizes how vital jury service is to our judicial system - and that with the great privileges of being a citizen in America and having the right to vote come important responsibilities like this one.”
07of 12Brad PittBrad Pitt.Jordan Strauss/ShutterstockTheOnce Upon a Time … in Hollywoodactor was just trying to be a good citizen in 2014 when he showed up for jury duty in L.A., but he was dismissed for being “too distracting,“according toThe Daily Mail.It wasn’t the actor’s first time being called for jury duty — he also showed up for court in 2007, the outlet added.
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Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt.Jordan Strauss/Shutterstock
TheOnce Upon a Time … in Hollywoodactor was just trying to be a good citizen in 2014 when he showed up for jury duty in L.A., but he was dismissed for being “too distracting,“according toThe Daily Mail.
It wasn’t the actor’s first time being called for jury duty — he also showed up for court in 2007, the outlet added.
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Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman.Gotham/FilmMagic
In 2008, theKill Billactress was excited to be summoned for jury duty in New York.
09of 12Anna KendrickAnna Kendrick.Robert Kamau/GC ImagesThePitch Perfectactress live-tweeted her jury duty experience in September 2015. She was initially excited about serving, tweeting, “Night 3 of calling in for jury duty…thought I was off the hook, but I’ve got a date with justice…and the b*tch wants an early morning tryst.““Lunch break. Haven’t been selected yet. Think my favorite thing so far is the overriding feeling that I’m about to get yelled at. #juryduty,” she added.But just when we thought she’d get her day in court,Kendrick tweeted, “Holy s—. Got called, but as we were walking to the courtroom they settled the case. Which I didn’t know was a thing. #WorkItOut #juryduty”
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Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick.Robert Kamau/GC Images
ThePitch Perfectactress live-tweeted her jury duty experience in September 2015. She was initially excited about serving, tweeting, “Night 3 of calling in for jury duty…thought I was off the hook, but I’ve got a date with justice…and the b*tch wants an early morning tryst.”
“Lunch break. Haven’t been selected yet. Think my favorite thing so far is the overriding feeling that I’m about to get yelled at. #juryduty,” she added.
But just when we thought she’d get her day in court,Kendrick tweeted, “Holy s—. Got called, but as we were walking to the courtroom they settled the case. Which I didn’t know was a thing. #WorkItOut #juryduty”
10of 12Kelly ClarksonKelly Clarkson.John Salangsang/ShutterstockThe singer revealed that she too did jury duty after seeing Anna Kendrick’s tweets. She wrote that she had the same experience, only with an added bonus. “Happened to me 2 & then since we were there we had 2 b witnesses to two 18 yr olds getting married #poordecisionpartyfortwo,” the talk show hosttweeted.
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Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson.John Salangsang/Shutterstock
The singer revealed that she too did jury duty after seeing Anna Kendrick’s tweets. She wrote that she had the same experience, only with an added bonus. “Happened to me 2 & then since we were there we had 2 b witnesses to two 18 yr olds getting married #poordecisionpartyfortwo,” the talk show hosttweeted.
11of 12MadonnaMadonna.Rob Latour/ShutterstockWhile some of us spend a whole day at the courthouse for jury duty, the superstar was dismissed after just two hours in July 2014. The reason? Partly because there were plenty of jurors to pick from and partly because having Madonna in the room would just be too big of a distraction.“The greater good here is that her appearance really goes to show that everyone gets called,” David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the court system said. “The intent here was not to create a distraction to other jurors or the business of the court.“She may have been let go quickly, but not before she couldpost an Instagram picof a Manhattan courthouse doorknob. “Serving my country!” she captioned the picture. “Reporting to jury selection! #itshotinhere”
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Madonna
Madonna.Rob Latour/Shutterstock
While some of us spend a whole day at the courthouse for jury duty, the superstar was dismissed after just two hours in July 2014. The reason? Partly because there were plenty of jurors to pick from and partly because having Madonna in the room would just be too big of a distraction.
“The greater good here is that her appearance really goes to show that everyone gets called,” David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the court system said. “The intent here was not to create a distraction to other jurors or the business of the court.”
She may have been let go quickly, but not before she couldpost an Instagram picof a Manhattan courthouse doorknob. “Serving my country!” she captioned the picture. “Reporting to jury selection! #itshotinhere”
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Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker.Daniele Venturelli/WireImage
TheSex and the Cityactress did her civic duty in 2011 and disputed the rumors that suggested she was a diva who attempted to get out of serving.
source: people.com
