Former child star Haley Joel Osment, known for his unforgettable line "I see dead people" in "The Sixth Sense," has publicly apologized after bodycam footage revealed he used antisemitic slurs during his arrest at a California ski resort earlier this month.
The 37-year-old actor was arrested on April 8 at Mammoth Lakes after police received reports of someone behaving erratically. According to reports that emerged over the weekend, when officers attempted to arrest Osment, who appeared intoxicated and under the influence of drugs, he was documented verbally abusing the officers with profanities that included antisemitic remarks, leading to widespread public outrage.
Witnesses reported that Osment was confused, shouting, and attempting to leave the area against police instructions. When officers approached him, he began yelling and trying to move away, claiming, "You're harassing me because of who I am." But footage from the officers' body cameras revealed even more troubling behavior. Osment was seen screaming at an officer while already inside the police vehicle, calling him a "f***ing Nazi and a f***ing k***." The slur was redacted from the released footage, but police sources confirmed it was a well-known antisemitic expression.
In the video, Osment appears handcuffed, red-faced, and speaking incoherently. He looks at the camera and says, "You don't know who I am. All you want is to bring down the Jews in Hollywood."
In body camera footage obtained by People magazine on Thursday, Osment can be seen being arrested and heard repeatedly saying, "I'm being attacked." When asked for his name, Osment repeatedly answers, "I'm an American." Officers searched the actor and found a $20 bill, then placed him in the patrol car. While the officer was speaking with bystanders, he opened the bill and discovered a suspicious substance inside, which a police source later confirmed to People was likely cocaine.
The footage also includes testimony from a bystander who tells the officer that Osment had been drinking at a nearby bar, but servers stopped serving him alcohol after he spilled a drink. He became "agitated and combative" and tried to board a ski lift, but staff prevented him and called the police, according to the witness.
Haley Joel Osment hurls anti-Jewish slurs at cops in shocking arrest video, releases apology: 'Absolutely horrified by my behavior' https://t.co/oI0aszylsA pic.twitter.com/0pueqL16F0
— New York Post (@nypost) April 18, 2025
Public reactions to his antisemitic slurs came swiftly. Jewish organizations, human rights groups, and even longtime fans condemned the outburst. Many responses emphasized the urgency of denouncing antisemitism in popular culture. Two days later, on April 18, Osment published a public apology on his Instagram page and official website, as well as in a statement provided to People: "I am absolutely horrified by my behavior. If I had known I used this deplorable language when I was in a state of complete loss of control, I would have addressed it much sooner," he said. "Months of loss and emotional instability completely broke me down."
Osment, who lost his home in Altadena, California, in January fires, continued, "There is absolutely no excuse for using that despicable word. I apologize from the bottom of my heart to anyone who was hurt. What came out of my mouth was shameful nonsense. I've let down the Jewish community and it torments me."
This is not Osment's first run-in with the law. In 2006, he was arrested after a car accident while under the influence of alcohol, and marijuana was also found in his vehicle. He was sentenced to three years of probation and required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Osment began his career in the industry at age four and was considered a "child prodigy" during his best years, with a series of memorable roles, including in "Forrest Gump" and, of course, "The Sixth Sense" alongside Bruce Willis, a role that earned him an Oscar nomination. He continued to appear in films such as "Pay It Forward" and "Artificial Intelligence," but struggled to recapture his glory days and, as mentioned, found himself in trouble with the law in a series of incidents. His court hearing is scheduled for July 7, 2025.
