PCP History – Hugh Grant cheats on Elizabeth Hurley.
My goodness it’s been a long time since I’ve done a PCP history, but this is a good one, so let’s get into it.
So Liz and Hugh were like *the* British couple of the 90′s. Like, the Posh and Becks before Posh and Becks were Posh and Becks. Should I say it one more time? Posh and Becks. They met in 1987, and in 1994 she made headlines when she wore this Versace dress to Hugh’s ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ premiere:
So things were all smooth sailing, you know, being a power couple and all, and then this happened:
These are the mugshots of Hugh Grant and Hollywood hooker Divine Brown, who were arrested on June 27, 1995 for ‘misdemeanor lewd conduct in a public place’, which translates to ‘he got caught getting a BJ from a hooker in his car’. In case you’ve forgotten what Liz looks like as you’ve been scrolling:
Babe. Also, can we just establish that Liz Hurley looks better in pink than basically anyone else ever will?
Here’s how shit played out.
Hugh was in America to promote his film ‘Nine Months’, his first major studio film which was being released two weeks from his arrest.
Hey there, Julianne Moore.
He was scheduled to do the promo circuit, and despite his arrest, appeared on Jay Leno that same week.
Ugh, Jay Leno. This is the show that put him over Letterman in the ratings. As for Hugh, damn, that’s some PR person’s iconic moment. Seriously, whoever was in charge of prepping him for this interview deserves a fucking medal because by the end of this interview I’m impressed with his decision to face the scandal head on and not claim any excuses, I’m reminded of all the reasons that I liked him to begin with, I’m entertained and charmed by his humour, and in under 3 minutes I’ve basically forgiven him.
Liz, meanwhile, chose to forgive Hugh and stick by him. In an interview with Barbara Walters, she said that she heard the news first from her agent, who called seconds before Hugh Grant did:
‘I felt like I’d been shot. I ran out. I think I was–I think I was in shock.’
On July 11 she accompanied Hugh Grant to the premiere of ‘Nine Months’, although she told Barbara that she was ‘miserable as sin’ on her arm, which looks about right:
She said that she chose to attend the premiere because she didn’t ‘think you should hit someone when [they were] down.’
Hugh plead no contest, paid $1,180 in fines and was placed on probation for 2 years. He was also sentenced to attend an AIDS eduation class.
Divine Brown (real name Estella Marie Thompson), for her part, milked the shit out of the incident, appearing on talk shows, in commercials, and posing for soft-core photoshoots. She also starred as herself in a porno docu-drama based on the incident called ‘Sunset and Divine: The British Experience’ that was directed by Ron Jeremy. Here she in on Danny Bonaduce’s talk show ‘Danny!’:
I like how she says she won’t do porn and her ‘haters gon’ hate’ attitude to people who think that her milking the situation for all it’s worth is distasteful. I also like how she talks about how she was using all the opportunities to get herself out of that life and to make money for her children, when she was arrested again in ’96 for soliciting undercover cops aaaaand those fake-ass acrylics don’t pay for themselves.
Anyway, she managed to suck $1.6 million out of the incident. Good for her, I guess. I don’t know, I mean, I know she doesn’t have any real responsibility in the situation, but if it was me in her shoes I would at least feign empathy for Liz Hurley and not call the situation a ‘blessing’. When I add up all the pieces of information I have about her, what I’m left with is a puzzle that tells me that she’s kind of a bitch but was smart enough to buy a house and put her kids through private school.
For the Hugh Grant incident, Divine also plead no contest and was sentenced to attend an AIDS education class, to pay $1,150 in parole violations and to serve 180 days in jail, as well as 5 days of community service.
Oh, and to finish up the tale of Liz and Hugh, they stayed together until 2000 and then broke it off, but they’re like BFFs and I’m pretty sure he’s the godfather of her son. Also, as a sidenote to this, she kind of has a thing for bad boy cheaters because hello, she’s dating engaged to notorious cheater Shane Warne now. When did they get engaged?! And why, Liz? You could do better than him, he’s disgusting in every imaginable way.
Are there any scandals or pop culture milestones you’d like me to cover? Let me know in the comments!
Related posts:
PCP History – JonBenét Ramsey.
