12 Celebs Who Got Real About Their Time Behind Bars

When badly behaved stars end up behind bars, they must face the harsh realities of jail or prison -- just like everyone else. For those who end up serving time, they quickly realize that jail is no joke and the conditions can be pretty rough.

Celebs like Teresa Giudice and Martha Stewart have gotten real about what it’s like spending time in the slammer -- and it’s definitely a place they don’t want to wind up in again.

Keep reading to find out what these stars said about doing time…

1. Jen Shah

Former Bravo star Jen Shah is currently behind bars serving a 78 month sentence after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was convicted for her role in a nationwide telemarketing scheme, in which many of the victims were elderly and working class people. Although she just began her sentence, she’s already sharing what life is like in jail, along with her roommate "Special K." She says that, together, the women are learning the ropes and getting settled, although it’s been incredibly difficult.

"I cried silently on my top bunk bed last night pretending to fall asleep reading a book, but in actuality my chest was hurting as if my heart had broken into a million pieces…As I stare into the dark, I think this has to be a dream -- but here I am," Jen wrote.

2. Tim Allen

In the '70s, Tim Allen spent over two years in jail after being arrested for possession of cocaine and pleading guilty on charges of drug trafficking. Looking back, he admits being in jail was the first time he learned to "shut up" and do what he was told after many years of acting defiantly. Tim added that it took almost eight months for him to get used to the conditions of jail.

"I just shut up and did what I was told. It was the first time ever I did what I was told and played the game...I learned literally how to live day by day. And I learned how to shut up. You definitely want to learn how to shut up," Tim said on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast. "There were okay times. Saturday we got better food. Eventually, I went from a holding cell arrangement to my own cell."

3. Teresa Giudice

"Real Housewife" Teresa Giudice served 11 and a half months in a federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple offenses, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bankruptcy fraud. She says her being incarcerated was like "living in hell" and she worked for just 12 cents an hour in the kitchen.

"I mean there was mold in the bathrooms. There was not running water constantly. The showers were freezing cold…I mean, the living conditions were really horrible. Like, horrible," she said during a "Good Morning America" appearance. "There were some nights that we didn't even have heat…It was hell."

4. Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. went through a period of time in the '90s where he faced a lot of trouble with the law. After being arrested on charges of driving under the influence and for having drugs in his car, he spent time in jail and rehab. When he later violated his parole and then missed a court-ordered drug test, he wound up at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison for an entire year. Although many people see jail as a terrifying place, Robert says he actually felt a sense of safety there.

"When the door clicks shut, then you are safe. There is nothing aside from a rogue correctional officer that can do you harm if you have the right cellie. You are actually in the safest place on Earth. Safe from the intruders. From anything that might thwart the mortal coil," Robert told Rolling Stone.

5. Paris Hilton

In 2006, Paris Hilton was arrested for driving under the influence and was sentenced to three years' probation. When she later violated her probation, she was sentenced to 45 days in jail but only ended up serving half of her sentence. During that time, she spent 23 hours a day in solitary confinement in an 8 by 12 cell.

"For the hour I got to shower and call my family. You only have an hour so you try to make the most of it," she said on "Larry King Live," adding, "The food was horrible…Lunch is basically a bologna sandwich -- they call it mystery meat. It's really scary. And two pieces of bread and some mayonnaise. With orange juice. The only hot meal that was again, this mystery kind of -- they call it jail slop, so it wasn't that tasty."

6.  Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino spent eight months in prison in 2019 after being sentenced for tax offenses related to nearly $9 million in income. While serving his time, Mike says he kept busy by reading, working out and watching television but the scariest part of the experience was the bunk searches.

"At times, I thought I was in the really cool prison, like a federal camp," he told Us Weekly. "But there was times when they did searches, and they found like shanks and stuff! I was like, ‘Damn, I'm actually in prison! I better tighten up! I better tighten the hell up!’ You know what I'm saying? You start to ease, like, ‘Oh, I'm in the cool prison with white collar’ …and next thing you know, they searched a couple guys, and they found some shanks. I was like, 'Wow, shit just got real! I better keep my head on a swivel and call the missus.' Like, 'Hey, baby! I'm okay!'"

7. Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland wound up in jail for 48 days after several drunk driving incidents. He was sent to a county jail in Los Angeles which he says it was an "overcrowded" and "dangerous" place to be.

"County jail in the US is not a great place -- it’s not a safe place. And they’ve got too much to worry about to actually take you into consideration. And I knew for a fact, during my time there, that I was a giant nuisance to the sheriff’s department [because they] had to make sure something didn’t happen to me," Kiefer told NME. "This isn’t like prison, this is kind of a warehouse. In a way, prison is a refined experience compared to county jail."

8. Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan has been behind bars more than once. In 2007, she was incarcerated for just one day after she pled guilty to two counts of being under the influence of a controlled substance and pled no contest to DUI and reckless driving. Then in 2011, she was sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating probation in the DUI case as well as a necklace theft case. When she arrived in jail she was put in solitary confinement for safety reasons -- and she says the whole thing was actually a relief for her.

"The weirdest part for me was I finally had silence in my life. As terrified as I was and as scared as I was, I finally felt like I didn't have to answer to anyone, and I didn't have to do anything for anyone. That was the weirdest part of it," Lindsay said on "The Jonathan Ross Show."

9. Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart was sent to prison in 2004 after being convicted on numerous felony charges, including conspiracy and making false statements to investigators looking into the sale of a stock. She spent five months in a federal prison in West Virginia and she says the whole experience was "horrifying."

"It was horrifying, and no one -- no one -- should have to go through that kind of indignity, really, except for murderers, and there are a few other categories," she shared on Katie Couric’s podcast. "But no one should have to go through that. It’s a very, very awful thing."

10. Lil' Kim

Lil’ Kim spent almost a year in a federal prison after being convicted of perjury following a shooting outside of a New York City radio station. The rapper says she was actually "greeted with open arms" by the women inside her prison and the first few weeks were actually really easy for her.

"When I first got to prison, I slept so good for the first three weeks. I was working that whole two months before, nonstop, trying to finish an album, doing promo, doing the TV show, doing shows, doing all types of things. So I never slept, never [rested] at all for two months straight…When I got there, I kind of just collapsed," she told MTV News.

11. Sean Penn

In 1987, Sean Penn faced criminal charges stemming from an incident when he assaulted an extra on a movie set. Paired with a reckless driving charge, Sean was sentenced to 60 days in jail. While behind bars, Sean said he felt a kinship with his fellow inmates although that all changed when he encountered serial killer Richard Ramirez. Richard was apparently a fan of Sean and penned him a letter asking for an autograph.

"So, I get this thing from him and it says, ‘Hey, Sean, stay tough and hit them again -- Richard Ramirez, 666,’ with a pentagram and a rendition of the devil. I said, ‘You know, Richard, it’s impossible to be incarcerated and not feel a certain kinship with your fellow inmates. Well, Richard, I’ve done the impossible, I feel absolutely no kinship with you. And I hope gas descends upon you before sanity does, you know? It would be a kinder way out.’ And they gave it to him. And then my house burned down years later, and that damn thing of his burned with it," Sean said during a Q&A at Loyola Marymount University.

12. Mike Tyson

In 1992, Mike Tyson was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was accused of rape. Mike denied the claims but still faced time behind bars, getting released after three years due to good behavior. Looking back, Mike says those years in prison were actually the best three years of his life.

"I had peace. That money doesn't mean anything if you don't have your peace, your stability and your balance. You need your sanity to dictate any part of life. I had good food, everybody was nice to me, they treated me well. I would run around the yard 8 or 9 miles and in the evenings I would jump for four hours, in my cell. Everybody treated me good in jail, they were afraid of me, but I was always a good person," Mike said on "The Pivot Podcast."