Judge Clocks Brian Hickerson for Showing Up High to TMZ Interview—Record Expungement Denied

Brian Hickerson caught an L.A. judge's attention for all the wrong reasons recently. During a TMZ sit-down, he was visibly intoxicated—so noticeably that prosecutors brought it up in court, and the judge took notice.

Hickerson was trying to clear his 2020 domestic violence case from his record through an expungement motion, which is a legitimate legal move. But showing up high to a media interview before your hearing? That's not the energy a courtroom needs to hear from someone asking the judge to erase a conviction.

The move backfired. The judge denied his motion, and you can't really blame them. It's a hard look when you're publicly appearing altered while asking for a second chance on the legal front. Sometimes what happens in front of the cameras matters just as much as what happens behind closed doors—especially when the law is watching.

Read the full story at TMZ → https://www.tmz.com/2026/08/21/brian-hickerson-scolded-for-being-high-by-district-attorney-during-interview/