Disgraced 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Star Re-Emerges for Fan Event After Horrific Series of Sex Offender Offenses
Jeffrey Jones has re-emerged at a special event to celebrate the film 20 years after a child porn scandal ended his career.
June 9 2025, Published 3:29 p.m. ET
An eighties movie star has re-emerged 20 years after a child porn scandal ended his career.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Jeffrey Jones, who featured in cult comedy movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, reunited with some of the film's cast members for a panel discussion at The Hollywood Show.
Career Ender
Jones, played high school principal Ed Rooney in the classic comedy, did not explain his absence from the industry.
Jones, 78, played high school principal Ed Rooney, whose efforts to catch Ferris skipping school were foiled by the charismatic teen at every turn.
He later went on to star in the 1988 movie Beetlejuice, and his character was killed off as part of the plot of last year's long-awaited sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
When discussing life after the film, Jones told the audience he had left Los Angeles, without revealing exactly why.
He said: "I moved to live in the desert. I didn't want to be in L.A. anymore, but I got my family here, and so little kids get old fast. I'm driving back and forth."
Showbiz Recluse
Jones says he's now moving back to L.A. after growing tired of commuting to and from the 'desert' to see his children.
Jones, who was last seen in 2019's Deadwood: The Movie, added: "I'm getting a place now in L.A. I've given up because I can't keep going back and forth from Burbank to the desert."
Jones was arrested in 2002 on charges of soliciting a minor for nude photos and possession of child pornography.
He pleaded no contest to soliciting a minor, and prosecutors dropped the child pornography charge. The actor was sentenced to five years of probation, one year of psychological counseling, and two years of drug and alcohol abuse counseling.
The deal also required him to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and prohibited him from possessing any pornography.
"I am sorry that this incident was allowed to occur. Such an event has never happened before, and it will never happen again," he told reporters following his sentencing.
Child Porn Scandal
Jones was arrested in 2002 on charges of soliciting a minor for nude photos and possession of child pornography.
In 2004, he was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender when he moved to Sarasota, FL, and again in 2010 for failing to register when he moved back to Los Angeles. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 250 hours of community service and three years of probation.
On Friday's panel, Jones spoke about what it was like for him to work with legendary director John Hughes, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 59.
When asked if Hughes collaborated with his actors, Jones answered: "He certainly was. Yes, he was. He entertained."
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Jones failed to register himself as a sex offender when he made moves to two separate regions.
Jones took some credit for one of his character's most embarrassing moments.
"Ed is trying to look into the house, and there was a window with a hose bed. So the shot was simply me standing on the hose bed trying to look into the window to see if I could find Ferris.
"So I went to the ground people and borrowed a shovel, and they had some peat moss, and I turned it into a swamp because I had nothing else to do. So it wasn't a plot point, particularly, it was just an attention to detail. That was the kind of thing that John liked," he explained.
