‘Sixth Sense’ Star Haley Joel Osment Arrested at California Ski Resort: Hollywood’s Ghost Whisperer Faces New Trouble

Haley Joel Osment, the unforgettable face from "The Sixth Sense," has landed in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The former child star was arrested for public intoxication and possession of an unidentified controlled substance at Mammoth Lakes, a well-known California ski resort. The incident happened in the chair two parking lot—certainly not the kind of scene you want to be recognized in.

Authorities confirmed Osment was booked and released on April 8. Now, the Mono County district attorney has the task of deciding whether to pursue charges. For a guy who spent his childhood dodging paparazzi, it seems avoiding trouble is still a work in progress.

This isn’t Osment’s first brush with the law. In 2018, he made headlines after a heated exchange at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport when he missed a flight. Airport staff had to call police after Osment’s frustration with the airline boiled over—airports do seem to bring out the worst in all of us, but most of us don’t end up with a police escort.

His legal history also includes a 2006 misdemeanor drunk driving charge after an accident at age 18. Osment pled no contest and got three years’ probation. Not exactly the kind of resume you want on IMDb, but hey, child star life is no walk in the park.

Despite the drama, Osment has been open about the pressures of Hollywood. He took a break from the spotlight in 2006 to study theater at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He later reflected on the intensity of LA’s celebrity culture and expressed relief at escaping the aggressive tabloid scene. "Those were pretty tense years," he recalled, highlighting the predatory attention celebrities faced at the time.

After a brief hiatus, Osment returned to acting, taking roles in indie films and voice work for video games. He split 15 years between New York and Los Angeles, noting that the paparazzi culture has cooled off since his early days in the business. "We’re in a different era than we were," he told E! News, admiring how younger actors now juggle the demands of social media.

Osment’s career may have started with "Forrest Gump," and skyrocketed with "The Sixth Sense," but it’s clear that surviving Hollywood, much like seeing dead people, is not for the faint of heart.