Former ‘Cheer’ Star Jerry Harris Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

Jerry Harris, the former star of Netflix‘s docuseries Cheer, is pleading guilty in the federal child pornography case against him.

Previously pleading not guilty, this new development comes from The New York Times which revealed that Harris reached an agreement with the prosecutors. The agreement involves pleading guilty to two of the seven federal charges against him, including soliciting sexually explicit photos from a minor and having illegal sexual misconduct with a minor as well.

(Credit: Netflix)

Manish S. Shah, the judge presiding over the case, claims that once the sentencing on these two charges is carried out, prosecutors will ask for the remaining five charges to be dropped, per the Times. In a statement shared by Harris’ lawyers to the Times, they stated that the Cheer alum plans to “take responsibility for his actions and publicly convey his remorse for the harm he has caused the victims.”

The statement also reveals that Harris was also a victim of sexual abuse as a child, claiming, “There being no safe harbor to discuss his exploitation, Jerry instead masked his trauma and put on the bright face and infectious smile that the world came to know. As we now know, Jerry became an offender himself as an older teenager.”

Related

‘Cheer’ Returning For Season 2 in January, Watch Trailer (VIDEO)

Debuting in January 2020, Cheer became an overnight hit on Netflix as it chronicled the efforts of cheer students and their cheer coach Monica Aldama in the small town of Corsicana, Texas. The competitive athletes at Navarro College won the hearts of viewers, making the September 2020 arrest of Harris all the more shocking.

As previously stated, Harris initially pleaded not guilty. The scandal surrounding this reveal was addressed in Cheer‘s second season, which arrived in January 2022.

Cheer, Streaming now, Netflix