Cheer Star Jerry Harris Has Been Arrested And Charged With Production of Child Pornography

Jerry Harris, one of the breakout stars of Netflix’s cheerleading docuseries Cheer, was arrested on Thursday and charged with production of child pornography. This development comes three days after news broke that Harris was under investigation by the FBI for allegations of soliciting nude photos and sex from minors.

According to The Guardian, after FBI agents raided Harris’s home on Monday he allegedly admitted during an interview that he had “asked one of the teens to send him photographs and videos of his penis and buttocks on Snapchat.” Harris allegedly also admitted to repeatedly asking the teen for photos and videos of that nature between December 2018 and March of 2020. The criminal complaint also claims that “Harris admitted to requesting and receiving on Snapchat child sexual abuse images from ‘at least between 10 to 15 other individuals he knew were minors.’” The criminal complaint lists five minors who allegedly had sexual contact with Harris.

During his court appearance on Thursday, Harris’s lawyer said that he intended to argue for his client’s release on bail, in part because Harris has asthma and is therefore at increased risk of contracting covid-19 while in jail.

Although Harris himself has not spoken publicly, on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Harris told People:

“We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager. We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed.”