Jeremy O. Harris was released from custody after being arrested in Japan and spending three weeks in jail on the suspicion that he was smuggling drugs into the country.
According to The New York Times, the Tony-nominated American playwright was detained when he flew into the Japanese island of Okinawa on November 16 from Taiwan; police officers say they found 780 milligrams of MDMA in his tote bag.
Although Harris was detained for three weeks, the public did not hear of his arrest until last Thursday. A spokesperson for the Tomishiro Police Station in Okinawa’s Tomigusuku City declined to tell the Times whether or not Harris was charged with a crime, but a representative for Harris told the publication that he was not and that he would stay in Japan to continue researching and writing for a new project.
Japan is known for having some of the strictest drug laws in the world. If Harris were found guilty, he would have faced up to seven years in prison. The country has arrested entertainers in the past who allegedly brought drugs into Japan. Most notably, Paul McCartney was banned from the country after being arrested for possession of marijuana in 1980.
The out playwright is known for his 2018 drama Slave Play, which received a record-breaking 12 nominations at the 2021 Tony Awards. He also served as a cowriter on the A24 movie Zola starring Riley Keough and Taylour Paige, as well as a coproducer on HBO’s Euphoria and as a supervising producer on Olivier Assayas’ Irma Vep. He also had a memorable acting role in Emily in Paris.
