People

Kiefer Sutherland’s Nightmare Scenario Unfolding

Kiefer Sutherland going to surrender to New York police to answer an assault complaint after head-butting a designer at SubMercer the other night. This could end in torture for Sutherland’s show, 24. Such delightful turnabout!

Sutherland’s behaviour, like his corrosive and overtly propagandist TV serial, was gratuitously savage; undisputed is that he head-butted designer Jack McCollough at the nightclub, and that McCollough never laid a hand on the actor or presented an imminent threat to anyone else. The only fact in question is whether McCollough stumbled into actress Brooke Shields before getting slammed (Sutherland’s people apparently mark this as sufficient justification).

Still, it’s a minor charge: Third-degree assault. Sutherland is unlikely to face jail time — in New York.

But Los Angeles is a different matter. There, Sutherland is in the midst of a five-year probation term for his second drunk driving conviction, and will be in violation of that probation if he is found to have broken any laws. Los Angeles prosecutors have already told People they plan to “review the incident” in New York.

A finding of intoxicated battery could draw an especially harsh penalty, of 48 days or more. And that, in turn, could mean delays for 24, set to start production on its eighth season at the end of May, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The show already had a hellish, truncated season 7 due to the writer’s strike.

Never let it be said that Kiefer Sutherland doesn’t know how to get out of a jam like this one when the clock is ticking. But take away his ability to magically solve all problems by beating the crap out of someone and suddenly his situation, not to mention Fox’s, looks a lot more precarious.

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • VachelGaloolie

    "undisputed is that he head-butted designer Jack McCollough at the nightclub, and that McCollough never laid a hand on the actor" I thought McCollough did push Keifer away before their heads met.

    VachelGaloolie

  • Jsmoke

    Mental note: Don't Fuck with Kiefer Sutherland

    Jsmoke

  • Not The Red Baron

    Third degree assault is pretty minor. If he goes down, I'm going to convince myself he is finally facing justice for his part in making Dark City a bit shitter than it needed to be.

    And Richard O'Brien, you can't hide forever!

    Not The Red Baron

  • trucha

    When head-butting someone, always yell AAAHHH CHOOO!

    trucha

  • bettysue

    First Russell Crowe throws a phone there, now Kiefer butts heads in the basement. Did the Mercer Hotel take out an ad as NYC's best Fight Club?

  • Mike Jahn

    Wait. You head-butt designers?

  • pkellen2313

    Clearly, the headbutt is part of a much larger plot...

    pkellen2313

  • croush1211

    So I guess the next season of 24 will come out sometime in... 2013?

    croush1211

  • badasscat

    Season 7 was truncated? It seems to be going the full 24 hours to me...

    Season 7 was *delayed* by an entire season, but that was so it *wouldn't* be truncated.

    That said, I wonder if the NYPD are going to jam a pen in Sutherland's leg during the interrogation.

  • transbastard

    Gotta love a man who headbutts people for real.

    transbastard

  • GoEliGo????

    @[gawker.com]

  • sirjohnoldcastle

    But if "24" gets delayed how will the Republicans know what to do next?

  • chenry

    Kiefer forgets when he's not on the set.

  • Spirit Fingers

    Wait, but don't the Baldwin brothers and Vince Vaughn like head-butt people daily to the glee of most everyone? Why is this so special?

    Also didn't someone slap Tommy Hilfiger a couple years ago? What? Just because you're fabulous you can't be in a smackdown. I think not.

    Spirit Fingers

  • FormerEnglishMajor

    Kiefer was just asking McCollough "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?", and thought the guy was referring to Brooke when he replied "Ho ends the show - her."

  • Wendy_Kroy

    I'm honestly looking forward to reading Kiefer's memoirs 20 years from now, written at a time in his life when he'll also pop up on talk shows nostalgically telling anecdotes about his excitement-filled days on the sauce, a la Peter O'Toole and Richard Harris. That's when we'll find out what he did to that Christmas tree when the camera were off...

  • theodicey

    @SecureLocation: If I were the face of American torture advocacy, I would be drinking more heavily than Sutherland.

    theodicey

  • gladys_kravitz

    As if Brooke Shields couldn't easily administer a beatdown to a Proenza or a Schouler without any help from Kiefer.

    No one is buying his excuse.

    gladys_kravitz

  • SecureLocation

    It's a pity. Sutherland is a very decent guy (when he's not hammered). The fact that he's still drinking heavily after booze has caused him so many problems means he's in serious trouble..and the law is the least of it.

    SecureLocation

  • nicepony

    Those proenza schouler guys.

    have you seen those two twee wunderkinds? So headbuttable.

    nicepony

  • fakeplant

    @transbastard:

    Gotta love a belligerent drunk who headbutts a guy for interrupting his conversation. I saw it unfold, the man has some serious issues with the sauce.

    fakeplant

  • apocalypse-nowish

    @SecureLocation: I agree. I love him to pieces, and this just makes me sad. I mean the xmas tree thing was kind of funny, but it's gotten so bad that it's just no fun anymore.

  • TheSometimesWhy

    Let me get this straight--Kiefer brandishes his head as a weapon? Talk about an empty threat...

  • RogerGebronie

    At 5' 6" I'm surprised the head-butt didn't break the guys clavicle.

    RogerGebronie

  • thecatsmeow

    Ok, that seriously just made me laugh.
    I wonder how his fashionista girlfriend is taking this...

    thecatsmeow

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