Tony Award-nominated playwright and former Emily in Paris actor, Jeremy O. Harris, was detained in Japan in December 2025 due to drug-related accusations.
As reported by Reuters, Harris was apprehended at Naha Airport in Okinawa on November 16, 2025. He faced allegations of attempting to smuggle drugs into the country. An official from Okinawa Regional Customs claimed that an officer discovered MDMA, a synthetic drug, in Harris’ possession.
Harris remains in custody under Japan’s stringent drug laws. Efforts to reach his representative for comment have been made by Us Weekly.
Harris appeared in the second and third seasons of Emily in Paris as the fashion designer Grégory Elliott Duprée, and has also been seen in Gossip Girl and What We Do in the Shadows. He co-produced the second season of Euphoria. His 2018 play, Slave Play, was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, setting a record.
Lily Collins ventures to Italy in the fifth season of Emily in Paris. On August 20, Netflix unveiled images of Collins’ character, Emily, in Italy, leading Agence Grateau Rome. One photo shows her on a boat, dressed in a polka-dot ensemble.
Read on for further details regarding Harris’ arrest.
Details on Jeremy O. Harris’ Arrest
An Okinawa Regional Customs official informed Reuters that Harris traveled from Britain to Taiwan before arriving in Okinawa for a sightseeing visit on November 16, 2025. During a customs inspection, officers reportedly found 0.78 grams of MDMA in his possession.
Harris was accused of breaching Japan’s Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act. Prosecutors began formal charges on December 4, 2025. He remains detained in Tomigusuku, Japan, and has not yet entered a plea.
The Hollywood Reporter noted Harris was set to appear at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia in December 2025 to promote Erupcja, a film he co-wrote and stars in alongside pop star Charli XCX. The festival has not commented on his situation, but he has been removed from promotional materials.
Harris has not publicly addressed his arrest.
About Jeremy O. Harris
Jeremy O. Harris earned a Master of Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama in 2019.
His breakthrough came with the 2018 play Slave Play, exploring race and trauma, earning 12 Tony nominations. This record was surpassed by Stereophonic in 2024.
Harris secured a development deal with HBO and joined Euphoria as a co-producer for season 2. He co-wrote the 2021 black comedy Zola, starring Colman Domingo, which received seven Independent Spirit Award nominations in 2022.
He collaborated with Charli XCX on the road movie Erupcja, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025. The film follows two childhood friends, played by Charli XCX and Lena Góra, during a volcanic eruption.
Harris portrayed fashion designer Grégory Elliot Duprée in Emily in Paris and appeared as himself in the 2021 Gossip Girl revival. He was also featured in What We Do in the Shadows and had a supporting role in the 2023 film The Sweet East with Talia Ryder and Jacob Elordi.
Japan’s Drug Regulations
Japan enforces some of the world’s strictest drug laws, categorizing offenses separately for marijuana, stimulants, opioids, and narcotics and psychotropics.
Harris is charged under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law, established in 1953.
The U.S. Embassy in Japan cautions American visitors against bringing certain medications, even with a U.S. prescription, as they may be illegal in Japan.
“Possessing a valid U.S. prescription for a drug that is illegal in Japan does not exempt you from arrest and detention by Japanese authorities,” the Embassy warns.
Jeremy O. Harris is not the first celebrity to encounter Japan’s rigorous drug laws. DJ David Morales was arrested in October 2018 at Fukuoka airport when officials allegedly found 0.3 grams of MDMA in his possession, as reported by The Asahi Shimbun. Morales denied knowledge of the drug.
A statement from Morales’ management confirmed his release without charge two weeks later, expressing gratitude for the support received.
One of the most notable celebrity arrests in Japan involved Paul McCartney, who was detained in Tokyo in 1980 for allegedly attempting to bring 219 grams of marijuana into the country. He was held for nine days before being deported without formal charges.
