Photo: Instagram
He's been charged with assault.
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Nov 12, 2019
Why was Jared Padalecki arrested?
Supernatural star Jared Padalecki is in some trouble with some totally human cops in Austin. The on-screen ghost fighter was out at a bar when he got into a fight with some of the employees, eventually punching one of them in the face. Cops showed up to settle the problem and Padalecki could be seen on video getting handsy with the officers. They eventually carted the drunk actor away and now he has been charged with assault and public intoxication.
Padalecki is in the process of filming the final season of the show and he also has a history of depression and anxiety. It's unclear at this time what started the fight, though witnesses in the bar say he was the one at fault. His reps aren't commenting on the altercation or the arrest but the CW assures fans that this won't disrupt filming on the show.
Read on for all the details, including his statement about the incident.
1. Long-time TV star
Padalecki broke into acting by winning the Claim to Fame Contest in 1999, which won him an appearance on the Teen Choice Awards. He got an agent after that and started acting in TV movies like Young Macguyver and the feature films House of Wax and Flight of the Phoenix.
He is currently known for his role on Supernatural. He plays Sam Winchester, one of a two-brother team who travels the country fighting otherworldly creatures. The show is currently in its 15th and final season. Before becoming a ghost-hunting hero, he starred opposite Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel on The Gilmore Girls. He played Rory Gilmore's on-again, off-again love interest Dean Forrester.
He has been on Supernatural for 15 years.
2. Altercation at a nightclub
According to KTVU, police were called to the 90s themed nightclub Stereotype on reports that Padalecki was involved in a fight. Witnesses say he was arguing with people inside before taking the fight outdoors. Once he was outside the bar, video footage confirms that he slapped the assistant manager and punched the general manager, causing his eyebrow to bleed. One employee told officers Padalecki was "the antagonist one hundred percent," according to an affidavit. Once the police arrived, he was smiling and laughing but was not cooperative. He refused to speak to officers and allegedly put his hands on one of them. That was the point they cuffed him and took him to jail. He's now being charged with public intoxication and assault.
3. This won't affect production
Padalecki wasn't in custody any longer as of October 28 though he has not made any public statement about the incident. Page Six reports that sources close to the Supernatural production don't anticipate any changes to the shooting schedule for the show's final season.
4. Struggles with depression
In 2015, Padalecki launched a t-shirt campaign for charity. The shirts, emblazoned with the words "Always Keep Fighting" benefitted To Write Love On Her Arms, an organization that helps people struggling with depression and anxiety. Padalecki himself has experienced depression and has seen people close to him struggle with severe depressive episodes and he wanted to shed light on this common problem.
He talked about his own issues in an interview with Variety in 2015. "Maybe a lot of people don’t know this, but Season 3, we were shooting an episode, and I went back to my trailer to get changed and just kind of broke down," the actor recounted. "A doctor came to set and talked to me for about 30 minutes or 45 minutes and said: 'Jared, I think you’re clinically depressed. I think I should write you a note and we can shut down production for five days and then we can take it from there.'"
His castmates and friends on the crew were there for him that day and in the weeks after when he was working on recovering from that initial episode. "Luckily, two of my great friends, Jensen who everybody knows very well, and my friend Kelly who I work with, came to my trailer to check in on me and talked to me for probably an hour or so and then, I was like, 'All right guys, I’m going through a tough time right now. I don’t know what it is, but I’m just going to keep my legs moving. I’m going to keep fighting.' They let me go that day. They were like, 'Hey buddy, go home. Call your family, and you’re off work. Come back to work tomorrow,'" he says. "So I went home, and the next day I showed up for work and just kind of gradually got better, but it’s something that I’ve been passionate about for a while."
5. Taking inspiration from fans
Padalecki told To Write Love on Her Arms that one of the things that really motivated him is meeting fans of the show. Like many actors who work in the sci-fi genre, he makes a point to go to events where he can meet fans and be accessible to them. "I get to meet fans face-to-face several times a year, and they always amaze me and inspire me. They are, by and large, smart and strong, and their stories motivate me to be a better actor and person," he says. "I wish I could tell each and every one of them 'thank you.' I hope this [Always Keep Fighting] campaign is a step in that direction."
Sales of his shirts benefitted To Write Love On Her Arms.
6. Next career moves
Supernatural is currently filming the final season of its record run. At 15 seasons, it is the longest-running sci-fi show ever. Padalecki plans to stay on TV after the series wraps. He will be playing the role popularized by Chuck Norris in a reboot of Walker Texas Ranger called Walker. The show is set to run on The CW, where Supernatural and Gilmore Girls were produced.
7. Padelecki's statement
On November 4, Padelecki took to Twitter to break his silence after his arrest in Austin, Texas last month. He wrote: “I want to sincerely thank my family and friends for all of your love and support. So sad to miss the #SPNFamily at #dccon but I hope to see y’all soon." He was scheduled to appear at a convention dedicated to Supernatural in Washington, D.C. The event's organizers announced that he would not attend and refunds would be issued to anyone who purchased meet-and-greets with Padalecki.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.