Cheer Star pleaded guilty to two counts of pedophilia
Jerry Harrisone of the stars of To cheerthe documentary series of Netflixwas sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to pedophilia and consumption of child pornography (via CNN).
Harris, who appears on the show as one of the production’s accompanying cheerleaders, was arrested in December 2020 for seven acts of inappropriateness. Now the actor has pleaded guilty to two of them: possession of child pornography and sex with a 15yearold boy. He was over 21 years old at the time of the incident.
Jerry Harris was one of the highlights of the first season of Cheer, a Netflix docuseries that follows the life of a college cheerleading team in Texas. Shortly after the first season aired in 2020, two 14yearold brothers, with the help of their mother, sued Harris for sexual misconduct.
Season 2 of Cheer gave brothers Charlie (left) and Sam (right) space to talk about the abuse they suffered from Jerry Harris
According to the initial report, even after discovering the boys’ ages, Harris sent suggestive messages to both children, asking for explicit photos. Once he even tried to convince one of the boys to have sex with him in a bathroom.
Cheer returned for a second season in 2022, and the fallout from the Jerry Harris case was portrayed in the series. Aside from being absent in the New Year, one episode was devoted solely to speaking with victims and examining the team’s response to what happened. At the time of filming, Harris was only charged and awaiting trial.
After his conviction, Jerry Harris will be jailed for 12 years, after which he will be paroled for eight years.