California Governor Pardons Robert Downey Jr.’s 1990 Drug Sentences

Robert Downey Jr. (Photo: Getty Images)

Robert Downey Jr.’s record has been scrubbed clean, an early Christmas gift from California Gov. Jerry Brown. The Iron Man star was one of 91 people who received special Christmas Eve pardons for their past crimes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Robert Downey Jr. suffered with drug addictions throughout the ‘90s and was arrested several times from 1996 to 2001. In all, he served 15 months in prison and completed his parole in 2002.

Each person pardoned Thursday by Gov. Brown had commit non-violent crimes and most were minor drug charges which are no longer illegal.

Downey maintains he has been sober since July 2003. In the years since his arrests, he’s gone on to become the highest-paid actor in Hollywood for several years running, thanks to his stake in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In October, Downey got an order from a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, finding that since his arrests, he’s “lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character, and conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen.” With that order, Gov. Brown issued a full pardon for Downey’s past crimes.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s pardon of Robert Downey Jr. (Photo: Office of Gov. Jerry Brown)

“[T]he thing is to get out and recognize the significance of that aggressive denial of your fate, come through the crucible forged into a stronger metal. Or whatever,” Downey has said of his struggles in the ‘90s. “But I don’t even know if that was my experience. It’s funny: five years ago, I would’ve made it sound like I’m conscious of my own participation in seizing the similarities. But so many things have become less certain. I swear to God. I am not my story.”