Supernatural is now into its fifteenth and final season, but has made further headlines recently due to the arrest of star Jared Padalecki on charges of assault and public intoxication after an altercation with a nightclub’s bartender and manager. No mention of it has been made for a while, but people’s memories of it have now been refreshed after Padalecki attended a convention for the show in Jacksonville, Florida wearing a T-shirt adorned with the mug shot from his arrest.
The media cycle moves so quickly that there’s always some new outrage to eclipse a current one, and were it not for this reminder, some people might have forgotten about the incident. All that’s been seen of the events is video footage obtained by TMZ that doesn’t show very much, and besides, when it comes down to it, people being prone to engage in obnoxious behavior after getting drunk is not exactly a revelation, even if the closest Padalecki has come to actually apologizing for his actions is a tweet thanking family and friends for their support and stating his disappointment at missing a convention in Washington DC.
The cast and crew were inclined to make light of the incident recently, with co-star Jensen Ackles leading him onto set in handcuffs and a plan for the crew to wear orange jumpsuits only falling though because they couldn’t be acquired on time. Padalecki’s decision to treat the incident with that same sense of humor is most likely indicative of his own desire to move forwards.
He’s been open in the past about his mental health problems, specifically issues with anxiety and depression, and if the comments that came from the show’s legions of fans are anything to go by, most people saw the incident as symptomatic of his struggles and are inclined to forgive the Supernatural star for his actions.