When Hugh Grant Joked About His Infamous 1995 Scandal on ‘The View’: “I Have Hurt People”

Hugh Grant has been involved in several scandals over the years but one specific event in 1995 particularly tarnished his image. The Los Angeles police caught him in a compromising situation with Divine Brown, a sex worker, in a public place. At the time, he was in a serious relationship with the gorgeous Hollywood actress and model, Liz Hurley. Appearing as a guest on The View last year, he reflected on the same and joked about the controversial incident , as reported by The Independent .

Grant’s feature on the daytime talk show was part of his promotion for his movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves . During a chat with co-host Sunny Hostin , the conversation drifted towards the invasive tactics of British tabloids. Seizing the moment, he slipped in a joke about his infamous sex scandal . Grant said, “Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, well he’s just bitter because he got arrested with a hooker in 1995.'” In response to his remark, the entire studio erupted into laughter. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg interjected, “But you know what, really, who hasn’t?”

Grant explained, “But actually it had nothing to do with that because that was never uncovered by tabloids. It was that the bloody police gave everyone the information. It was nothing to do with that.” At the time, as reported by Daily Mail , he had said, “Last night I did something completely insane. I have hurt people I love and embarrassed people I work with. For both things, I am more sorry than I can ever possibly say.”

According to People , in 2018, during his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he shared, “I was just an idiot. I didn’t try to say, ‘I’ve got this psychological problem.’ I just said, ‘I did it.’” He added, “You know in life what’s a good thing to do and a bad thing to do. I did a bad thing.” Talking to Jess Cagle about his film Nine Months on The Jess Cagle Interview , he further stressed, “There were very talented people who made that film and really brilliant actors. Only one booby who let them down, and that was me. Not only was I terrible in the film, but I then chose to get arrested in Hollywood a week before the film came out.”

As per Entertainment Tonight , Grant subsequently voiced, “These big newspaper owners — largely non-tax-paying newspaper owners — are living above the law and invading the privacy of people whose kids are being killed in a road accident or whatever to get the sensational article.” He argued, “No one dares to take them on in Britain because they’re so scared of them, especially the politicians. That’s why politicians, really in my country, are chosen by the press…That’s what my campaign is about.”