Hugh Grant Is Still Telling Jokes About His 1995 Arrest for Lewd Behavior

Some jokes never get old. 

While introducing his new film Heretic last night at the AFI Fest in Hollywood, Hugh Grant needed less than 60 seconds to crack a joke about his most infamous moment, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film’s directors took the podium first, telling the audience about their new religious horror film before imploring the actor to join them. “Mr. Hugh Grant, will you just say a few words please?”

“I have nothing interesting to add to that except that it is very nice to be here,” he obliged. “Hollywood Boulevard has always been a lucky place for me.”

That line broke up the audience, clearly made up of attendees old enough to get the reference. The other time Grant got lucky on Hollywood Boulevard? That would have been in 1995 when cops caught him allegedly receiving oral sex in his BMW from sex worker Divine Brown. Grant was arrested and charged with lewd conduct. 

Today, that kind of behavior might get you elected President of the United States, but back in 1995, it was considered pretty scandalous stuff. Grant had to go on an apology tour and decided the best way to win back America’s affection wasn’t the crying route with Barbara Walters or Oprah. Instead, he headed for an appearance on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.

Grant entered The Tonight Show stage looking properly (and comically) embarrassed, a naughty boy whose hand had been caught in the cookie jar. After letting the audience get a good laugh at Grant’s chagrin, Leno led off the interview with an exasperated, “Let me start with question number one: What the hell were you thinking?” 

The Tonight Show drummer punctuated the question with a rim shot, just in case anyone believed this would be a serious mea culpa. Grant tried to explain, getting plenty of laughs between each stammer. “I keep reading new psychological theories — that I was under pressure, I was overtired or I was lonely or I fell down the stairs when I was a child. I think it would be bollocks really to hide behind something like that.”

The bottom line? “I did a bad thing,” he confessed. “And there you have it.” Cue the laughter and applause.

Grant probably saved his career that night, but his appearance was a crime more heinous than lewd conduct — it saved Jay Leno’s ass. His Tonight Show was getting killed by David Letterman’s new Late Show over on CBS, and the late-night wars appeared to have been won. But viewers were insanely curious to see what Grant had to say, and millions tuned in that night to witness his jokey apology. The Tonight Show’s ratings immediately improved, eventually catching and overtaking Letterman’s Late Show. 

Leno got a lot of career mileage by joking about the scandal, but Grant is the one still milking it for laughs.