Ezra Miller had all the potential of becoming Hollywood’s next big star. The actor, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, got their start on Californication and showed a lot of promise in feature films like 2008’s Afterschool, 2011’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2012.
Miller was cast in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016, along with the two sequels that followed, as Credence Barebone—a role that further proved they could be a force as an actor. Miller was also introduced as The Flash in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that year, and continued portraying the character in Suicide Squad and Justice League. They later filmed the standalone The Flash film, due out in the summer of 2023.
Their star seemed bright, but the actor has also been plagued by odd behavior, like telling KKK members to kill themselves using their own guns, along with run-ins with the law which has made their future in Hollywood uncertain. Miller has had a slew of scandals since their start, including a marijuana charge while filming The Perks of Being a Wallflower, allegedly choking a woman on video in 2020, a series of arrests in Hawaii, as well as recent accusations of grooming minors. The allegations and Miller’s conduct were said to possibly affect their career and involvement in the Warner Bros. films, but the studio proceeded and The Flash was released in June without a hitch.
In case you are not in the loop about all the scandals and chaos plaguing the actor, here is a timeline of some of the most bizarre moments and legal troubles Miller has faced so far. We will update you with more information about their recent scandals as they come out.
Ezra Miller had all the potential of becoming Hollywood’s next big star. The actor, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, got their start on Californication and showed a lot of promise in feature films like 2008’s Afterschool, 2011’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2012.
Miller was cast in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016, along with the two sequels that followed, as Credence Barebone—a role that further proved they could be a force as an actor. Miller was also introduced as The Flash in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that year, and continued portraying the character in Suicide Squad and Justice League. They later filmed the standalone The Flash film, due out in the summer of 2023.
Their star seemed bright, but the actor has also been plagued by odd behavior, like telling KKK members to kill themselves using their own guns, along with run-ins with the law which has made their future in Hollywood uncertain. Miller has had a slew of scandals since their start, including a marijuana charge while filming The Perks of Being a Wallflower, allegedly choking a woman on video in 2020, a series of arrests in Hawaii, as well as recent accusations of grooming minors. The allegations and Miller’s conduct were said to possibly affect their career and involvement in the Warner Bros. films, but the studio proceeded and The Flash was released in June without a hitch.
In case you are not in the loop about all the scandals and chaos plaguing the actor, here is a timeline of some of the most bizarre moments and legal troubles Miller has faced so far. We will update you with more information about their recent scandals as they come out.
Ezra Miller faces charges for marijuana possession
Date: June 2011
While in the Peters Township area of Pennsylvania, Miller—who was then shooting the film adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower—was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by local law enforcement. In a regional report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the time, it was alleged that law enforcement initially stopped the vehicle for a “faulty” brake light.
During the stop, police alleged, Miller was observed lighting a cigarette, at which point “the odor of marijuana” was detected. Ultimately, a search resulted in the discovery of what was reported as being roughly 20 grams of marijuana. The marijuana-related charges were later dismissed, with TMZ reporting in July 2011 that Miller was instead given a pair of disorderly conduct citations.
Miller alleges an unnamed director and producer harassed them when they were underage
Date: November 2018
As part of The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen coverage in 2018, Miller briefly addressed their then-impending Flash standalone film, as well as spoke out for the first time about the alleged harassment they experienced earlier in their career. The harassment, per THR, was at the hands of an “unnamed director and producer” who also offered Miller a film part.
“They gave me wine and I was underaged,” Miller said. “They were like, ‘Hey, want to be in our movie about gay revolution?’ And I was like, ‘No, you guys are monsters.’”
In the same interview, Miller also expressed support for the larger #MeToo movement, which had become a frequent source of news coverage in the wake of Harvey Weinstein revelations the year before. “It’s a great fuckin’ age of being like, ‘You know what? That shit’s unacceptable,’” Miller said. “And it’s amazing for a lot of us to watch.”
Concern builds about Miller’s ‘Flash’ movie amid delays
Date: December 2019
As 2019 came to a close, the Miller-starring Flash was given a new release date, marking the latest in a series of delays for the DCEU entry. As first announced in 2014, the film—which would go on to endure director changes and pandemic-spurred setbacks—was first slated for a 2018 drop date. By the time the original date came up, however, the film was reported to not even be in production. By December 2019, a summer 2022 release had been (relatively) set in stone, resulting in reworked timeline breakdowns of the film’s long journey to cinemas. As DC fans are well aware, however, the 2022 release didn't happen, and the film was pushed to June 2023.
Footage surfaces purporting to show Miller choking woman at bar
Date: April 2020
As Variety reported at the time, a short video was shared showing a person later identified by “a source at the bar” to be Miller. In it, they were seemingly seen choking a woman and throwing her to the ground. Initial coverage of the clip—the original tweet about which was ultimately removed—caused confusion, with several noting the woman in question appeared to be laughing in the footage initially. However, Variety’s source claimed the incident was “a serious altercation,” with Miller said to have been escorted away from the scene.
The same source alleged the incident was preceded by a group of “pushy” fans confronting Miller at a bar named Prikið Kaffihús in the Reykjavik area of Iceland.
Miller involved in multiple alleged altercations in Hawaii
Date: March–May 2022
In March of this year, as first reported by regional outlet Hawaii News Now, Miller was arrested on disorderly conduct and harassment charges. The incident is alleged to have involved fellow patrons at a bar on Silva Street in Hilo, with local police claiming Miller was initially “agitated” due to karaoke-related proceedings at the establishment. They are then alleged to have started “yelling obscenities” before later commandeering the mic and lunging at a man playing darts.
Also in March, two people who alleged that Miller burst into their bedroom and threatened them in the Hilo area were confirmed by the Associated Press to have been granted a temporary restraining order against Miller. The AP further reported that Miller was also charged with harassment, but as part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped the harassment charge along with an unrelated traffic charge.
The following month, the aforementioned restraining order was dropped. Miller, however, was also reported to have again been arrested in Hawaii, this time on suspicion of assault. Miller was accused of having thrown a chair that struck a woman in the head, an allegation that was also heard being mentioned in a 911 call released in May by TMZ.
Miller and Depp scandals complicate ‘Fantastic Beasts’ rollout
Date: April 2022
As detailed by Variety and others surrounding the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which sees Miller returning to the cast after appearing in two previous Fantastic Beasts entries, studio officials behind the sequel’s rollout were more or less forced to back off any previous plans of centering promo around the headlines-generating presence of Miller. The reason, of course, were reports that same month of Miller’s aforementioned Hawaii incidents.
Miller’s scandal combined with Johnny Depp’s resulted in a uniquely challenging headache when it came to promo. Depp was forced out of his role as Grindelwald after being ruled against in a defamation suit in England focused on The Sun tabloid’s coverage of abuse allegations from Amber Heard.
Miller accused of grooming 18-year-old activist
Date: June 2022
Tokata Iron Eyes’ parents have accused Miller of grooming their 18-year-old activist daughter. Legal documents obtained by TMZ claim the actor met Tokata in 2016 at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. Miller was 23 at the time, and Tokata was 12. The activist’s parents said the two became friends and Miller even flew Tokata to London in 2017 to visit Miller while they filmed Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Tokata was 14 at the time. The parents also alleged that Miller decided Tokata is nonbinary transgender who would now go by the nickname, Gibson.
The parents have also accused Miller of providing their daughter with alcohol and drugs when the teen was underage. In December 2021, Tokata dropped out of a private school in Massachusetts, and their parents believe Miller is to blame. The parents said they visited Miller’s home in Vermont to see their daughter in January, and alleged that Tokata appeared to have bruises and did not have their driver’s license, bank cards, or car keys. “Ezra uses violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions, and drugs to hold sway over a young adolescent Tokata,” the legal docs read, adding that Miller has shown signs of “cult-like and psychologically manipulative, controlling behavior.”
A judge signed a protective order that would prohibit Miller from contacting Tokata and the family, but they cannot be served because the authorities don’t know their whereabouts. A hearing is scheduled for July 12.
“We’re just concerned about Ezra’s state of mind and whether they’ll lash out at Tokata for the actions that we’ve taken on Tokata’s behalf,” Tokata’s father Chase Iron Eyes told Newsweek. However, it wasn’t long before Tokata took to Instagram to deny the claims and later shared a video to confirm they wrote the statement.
“I dropped out of [Bard] five months ago, my friend and comrade William passed shortly there after, my mind was incredibly impacted and I’ve needed space and time for the processing of grief. My comrade Ezra Miller for the entirety of the aforementioned era has only provided loving support and invaluable protection throughout this period of loss,” Tokata wrote in the post. “My father and his allegations hold no weight and are frankly transphobic and based in the notion that I am somehow incapable of coherent thought or opposing opinions to those of my own kindred worrying about my well being. I am now aware of the severity of emotional and psychological manipulation I was made to endure while in my parents home.”
12-year-old granted order of protection against Miller
Date: June 16, 2022
A mother and her 12-year-old child from Massachusetts were granted a temporary harassment prevention order against Miller after alleging that the actor threatened their family with a gun in their neighbor’s home and acted inappropriately toward the child, who is also nonbinary. In an interview with The Daily Beast, the mother said things got tense when she used the words “her tribe” to refer to her group of friends, which led Miller to say that was cultural appropriation. Miller also got into an argument about the board game Parcheesi having Rastafarian roots with the neighbor, who is half-Black. “At this point, Ezra explodes and started screaming directly into my face,” the neighbor reportedly said. “They said, ‘You don’t even know what the fuck you’re talking about. What did you say to me? What did you just say to me?!’”
“I was very caught off-guard,” the neighbor, said, adding that Miller was armed. “Then they opened up their jacket—they had this, like, big Sherpa jacket—and they opened up one side of their jacket, you could see a gun, and they said, ‘Talking like that could get you into a really serious situation.’” Miller then reportedly turned their attention onto the child, saying they had “a lot of power to them” and that “they would be lucky to have someone like me guide them.”
“They automatically were just weirdly drawn to me and kept talking about how they love my outfit and love my style, and kept going on and on about how it was great,” the child told the publication about the interaction. “It was really uncomfortable. I was really nervous. I was scared to be around them after the’d yelled at my mother and she was crying.”
Warner Bros. holds emergency meeting over their behavior
Date: Mar. 30
Warner Bros. and DC executives reportedly held an impromptu emergency meeting to discuss Miller’s future with the studio following the actor’s arrests. A source told Rolling Stone that they decided to “hit pause on any future projects involving Miller, including possible appearances in the DC Cinematic Universe.” The insider also told the magazine that the actor had “frequent meltdowns” during The Flash production last year, saying that while it wasn’t violent, Miller was “losing it” on set. “Ezra would get a thought in [their] head and say, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’” the insider told the magazine. However, a source told IndieWire that “no such meeting took place.”
Miller reportedly has mother and three kids living in “unsafe” farm
Date: June 23, 2022
Rolling Stone reported that Miller has been hosting a 25-year-old mother and her three young children aged 1 to 5 at their Vermont farm. They met in Hawaii and the family has been staying there since April. The living arrangement has raised concerns from the children’s father and two additional sources who have said the farm is an “unsafe environment” for children. The sources say there are unattended guns around the property, and one source said a 1-year-old allegedly picked up a loose bullet and put it in her mouth. However, the mother claims Miller helped her escape from a “violent and abusive ex,” and provided a “safe environment” for her children. “[Ezra’s] home ranch has been a healing haven for us,” the mother explained. “They may have firearms for self-defense purposes and they are stored in a part of the house that the children never go in… My kids are able to relax more into their healing because of the safety and nurturing Ezra has been providing for them.”
The mother filed one domestic abuse case and one paternity case against the father in May 2021 in Hawaii but he has denied all abuse allegations, and the domestic case was terminated when they both failed to appear in court.
Warner Bros. might replace Miller in ‘The Flash’
Date: June 27, 2022
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has a big decision to make. The Flash is slated for a June 23, 2023 release, but Zaslav must decide if to continue with the theatrical release without promotion or a press tour involving the actor, or if to just premiere it on HBO Max. A source told Deadline that the studio tried to get Miller help, but the headlines about their behavior keep mounting. “There is no winning in this for Warner Bros.,” one studio source said. “This is an inherited problem for Zaslav. The hope is that the scandal will remain at a low level before the movie is released, and hope for the best to turn out.” Per Deadline, “The studio won’t likely keep Miller in The Flash role in future DC films” even if the actor is able to avoid more allegations surfacing.
Miller accused of abusing woman in Berlin
Date: June 30, 2022
A report from Variety detailed the accusations from a woman named Nadia who accused the actor of harassing her after inviting them to her Berlin, Germany apartment in February 2022. Nadia said she had a two-year friendship with Miller, but they hadn’t met in person since a consensual sexual encounter in 2020. Then in February, Miller reportedly flipped out when they were told they couldn’t smoke inside the woman’s apartment. “That just set them off,” Nadia told the publication. “I asked them to leave about 20 times, maybe more. They started insulting me. I’m a ‘transphobic piece of shit.’ I’m a ‘Nazi.’ It became so, so stressful for me. They were going around my house, looking at everything, touching everything, spreading tobacco leaves on the floor. It felt disgusting and very intrusive.”
It took them approximately half an hour to leave and Nadia felt the actor “could somehow attack me physically,” and that she felt “unsafe.” She later filed a criminal complaint that has since been dropped because Miller is no longer in the country.
Sources claim Miller's paranoid about FBI and KKK
Date: August 2022
An in-depth new piece from Insider, published on Aug. 4, includes comments from a number of anonymous sources, including remarks expressing concern for Ezra’s well-being.
“It’s really hard to intervene when someone has as many resources as Ezra,” one source, described as a friend of the family, told the outlet.
Sources also said Miller has been, in the words of the report, “driving around the U.S. carrying at least one gun and wearing a bulletproof vest.” Allegedly, they have grown “paranoid” about potentially being “followed” by members of the FBI and the KKK (Note: Miller made headlines earlier this year after sharing a video to social media directed at a North Carolina chapter of the hate group).
In the same report, it’s alleged that their time in Iceland in early 2020 included the renting of an Airbnb that would ultimately come to be criticized as akin to a commune, with locals in the Reykjavik area expressing concerns over alleged cult-esque behavior.
‘The Flash’ Still a Go, Per Warner Bros. Discovery Boss
Date: August 2022
Amid a flurry of reports about the status of HBO Max and related properties, David Zaslav—president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery—listed the Miller-starring Flash movie as among those the team was “very excited about” for the future.
“DC is something that we think we can make better, and we’re focused on it now,” Zaslav said, per AlphaStreet. “We have some great DC films coming up. Black Adam, Shazam, and The Flash. And we’re working on all of those. We’re very excited about them. We’ve seen them. We think they’re terrific, and we think we can make them even better.”
While this confirms the film will be released, it doesn’t necessarily offer any insight as to whether any tweaks will be made, or whether the projected 2023 release will hold.
Miller hit with felony burglary charge in Vermont
Date: August 2022
On Aug. 8, Vermont State Police announced that Ezra Miller had been charged with felony burglary into an unoccupied dwelling after an investigation into an incident alleged to have occurred on May 1. Per a statement from the department, it’s alleged that “several bottles of alcohol” were stolen from a residence while the owners of the space in question were not home. The investigation into Miller’s alleged involvement, per police, included the use of surveillance footage and witness statements.
On Aug. 7, Miller was issued a citation to appear in court, with a date for their arraignment on the charge set for Sept. 26.
Miller apologizes, says they’re seeking mental health treatment
Date: August 2022
Miller opened up about their mental health in a statement to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter in August, and apologized to those they “alarmed and upset” with their “past behavior.”
“Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment," the statement read. "I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life."
Two weeks later, THR also reported that Miller and their CAA agent Scott Metzger had a “very positive meeting” with Warner Bros. film chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, where the actor apologized for "bringing negative attention to the production and the company.”
“The actor was apologetic and affirmed their commitment to both getting care and to the production,” the outlet wrote at the time.
Miller pleads not guilty to burglary
Date: October 2022
The Bennington Banner reported that the actor entered a plea of not guilty in connection with the alleged liquor-stealing incident in Vermont. Miller pleaded not guilty during a virtual court appearance and was banned from entering the home or speaking to the owner of the residence where the incident took place. If convicted, Miller faced a maximum sentence of 26 years behind bars. Their attorney Lisa B. Shelkrot confirmed to Complex that her client had accepted the aforementioned conditions.
"Ezra Miller this morning pled not guilty to one count of burglary and one count of petit larceny in Vermont Superior Court and accepted the court-imposed conditions of not contacting or entering the home of the inhabitants,” Shelkrot told Complex. “Ezra would like to acknowledge the love and support they have received from their family and friends, who continue to be a vital presence in their ongoing mental health.”
Date: January 2023
Miller reached a plea agreement in connection with the Vermont burglary case. The actor initially pleaded not guilty, but then changed their plea to guilty to trespassing. The docs show that the guilty plea on the trespassing count carried a $500 fine and a $192 surcharge, as well as a one-year period of probation.
Miller thanks DC executives for their "grace" at The Flash premiere
Date: June 2023
After all the controversy and rumors that the scandals could derail the film's release, the studio carried on and The Flash made it to the big screen in June as planned, but with a limited press run. Miller walked the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of the film, making it their first public appearance since the controversies.
Miller gave a speech inside the theater and thanked director Andy Muschietti, James Gunn, Peter Safran, and others for their "grace and discernment and care in the context of my life and in bringing this moment actually to fruition.”
The film had received glowing reviews from critics during early screenings. Miller will also reportedly continue being the Flash, and the role won't be recast as long as Muschietti is at the helm of the franchise.