Haley Joel Osment has issued a fulsome apology after police bodycam footage from his recent arrest showed him using “disgraceful language.”
The 37-year-old former child actor was picked up on Tuesday by authorities at the Mammoth Mountain ski resort in Mammoth Lakes, California, and charged with public intoxication and cocaine possession.
Following Osment’s arrest, police bodycam footage was obtained by the New York Post. In it, the Sixth Sense star is seen using hostile language with the arresting officer, calling them a “f***ing Nazi.” Once in the patrol car, he can be heard hurling an antisemitic slur at the officer.
The Pay It Forward actor has since apologized in a statement for his behavior.
“I’m absolutely horrified by my behavior. Had I known I used this disgraceful language in the throes of a blackout, I would have spoken up sooner,” Osment shared with People magazine. “The past few months of loss and displacement have broken me down to a very low emotional place.”
The incident comes months after he lost his home in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The actor has struggled to obtain any financial payout from his insurance company, sources told TMZ.
“But that’s no excuse for using this disgusting word,” Osment acknowledged. “From the bottom of my heart, I apologize to absolutely everyone that this hurts. What came out of my mouth was nonsensical garbage — I’ve let the Jewish community down and it devastates me. I don’t ask for anyone’s forgiveness, but I promise to atone for my terrible mistake.”
The Mono County District Attorney’s office announced the misdemeanor charges Thursday against the actor, who is due to be arraigned on July 7.
This isn’t Osment’s first run-in with the law. In 2006, he was arrested after driving his car into a brick pillar, which flipped his vehicle over and left him with a broken rib and injured shoulder.
A month after the incident, Osment was charged with misdemeanor DUIs and pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of marijuana.
Get Apple TV+ for £2.99/month for 3 months
Offer ends 24 April 2025. £2.99/month for first 3 months, then £8.99/month. Terms apply.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Get Apple TV+ for £2.99/month for 3 months
Offer ends 24 April 2025. £2.99/month for first 3 months, then £8.99/month. Terms apply.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
He was ordered to attend 60 hours of an alcohol rehabilitation program as well as Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for six months. He was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.
In a 2019 interview with The Independent, Osment insisted that childhood fame didn’t affect him the way it has for many other child stars.
“I think sometimes there’s an expectation for there to be that darkness,” he said. “But I think there are a lot more stories of people who had positive experiences working as children and didn’t have that kind of cliched storyline going forward. And that’s been the case for me.”
Osment added: “I realize that I’m very lucky, because there were other kids who maybe didn’t have parents that looked out for them, or worked on film sets that were not wholesome, or where they were not protected. But that was not my experience.”
