Usually the wildest part of Food Network star Ree Drummond’s life is the sweeping Oklahoma plain that surrounds the ranch she lives on. Drummond is famous for her show The Pioneer Woman, which she started as a blog in 2006, sharing recipes and stories from her and her husband’s working ranch near Pawhuska, OK, with their four kids and many animals. She eventually turned the blog into cookbooks (and later a children’s book series), and the first episode of her show aired in 2011.
A big part of the show’s appeal — aside from the belt-loosening Southwestern dishes — is that Drummond welcomes us into her charming family home, and she often talks about how much she loves sharing her love of food with her family members. She and her husband Ladd (aka “the Marlboro Man”) have four kids: daughters Alex and Paige, who are both at college, and sons Todd and Bryce, who are in their mid-teens. They often make cameos in episodes of The Pioneer Woman, and Drummond sometimes names her dishes after them, like this salad she made for 19-year-old Paige, who helps her dad on the ranch:
[fm_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3WvQk7nRMU"]When Paige left for the University of Arkansas last fall, Drummond shared her emotional goodbye.
Luckily, Paige is having a great time at school:
But recently, according to E!, Paige has caused a little bit of offscreen mischief for her mom. E! reported that they have seen court documents indicating that Paige was arrested in Oklahoma, in April 2019, for possession of alcohol by a person under 21 years of age, and for public intoxication. They added that according to the court documents, this is punishable by a year in jail and a $500 fee. (One Oklahoma criminal defense lawyer’s website lists the punishment for first offenses of this kind as a fine of up to $300 and/or 30 hours of community service.)
In addition, E! said that Paige was charged with being in possession of an open container of beer in a public place, which they claim is punishable by 30 days in jail and/or a $100 fine. However, they added that in May, a district attorney agreed to Paige’s request to expunge both counts from her record.
While we’re absolutely not endorsing underage drinking, let’s all take a moment to recall our own college days before we judge Paige too harshly…
One of my favorites was nearly getting caught by the RA in the college dorms for underage drinking. They were doing rounds up & down the hall so we had to sneak out one by one, hide in the bathroom, & then sprint back to our own rooms. If felt like Pac Man.
— 𝙺. 𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚜 - 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛 (@kdanielsstories) June 18, 2019
She’s not the first college student to push a few rules:
We really needed to print this? Yes Paige and half a million 19 year old college students across America got in trouble for underage drinking.
— Tracey B (@traybla3) June 20, 2019
And yes, it’s illegal — but it’s not exactly unusual:
Some think that having a famous mom may have helped Paige’s legal situation:
When you're famous & wealthy and your underage daughter gets arrested for public intoxication:
— Jo Anna (Jo) (@the4leafclover) June 20, 2019
●Record stricken
●Only $400 in fines
Paige Drummond: "Sorry, officer - can't touch this. My Mom is the #PioneerWoman. #IfoughtthelawandmyMomwon Cheers! 🍻" https://t.co/nuKW6uLEVg
But most people shrugged it off.
I live in a college town so I can’t believe they actually arrest people for underage drinking. In our town you get an ordinance violation if anything. Otherwise the jails would be overflowing! 😂
— Hope M (@hm_montes) June 20, 2019
Others were actually relieved to find out that she’s pretty normal. Celebrities, they’re just like us!
(In fairness, Paige was only described as appearing “in a drunken condition.” Just how drunk is unclear.)
I knew Paige Drummond had a rebel side to her...
— mercedes (@hellacedes) June 20, 2019
I mean, who didn’t drink in their teenage years 🤷🏻♀️
Plus, compared to what other teens have been criticized for this week, Paige’s arrest looks like less of a big deal:
How dare Harvard admissions judge someone for what they did in high scho-- oh, wait. pic.twitter.com/POtS1MBrUR
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 19, 2019
She’s not even the first high-profile minor to get busted over booze. Remember in February 2019 when 20-year-old Malia Obama was dragged for drinking rosé while on vacation with her friends?
Couple things learned from Malia Obama being documented with rosé:
— The Root (@TheRoot) February 19, 2019
1) Most college students her age are drinking Four Lokos & Everclear. Malia has taste.
2) Malia is a private citizen & should be allowed to enjoy life.
3) Malia needs new friends. ASAP: https://t.co/hmn6QjCjJy pic.twitter.com/IjOsKRKhVS
People came to Obama’s defense too.
Malia keep drinking. You’re doing amazing.
— AMAELLI (@Amaellion) June 8, 2019
She became an inspiration:
Down to her taste in wine:
To some, both of these incidents seem pretty minor, compared to what they were up to:
Yes, drinking alcohol while underage is illegal and it could land you in trouble. (And definitely do not drive while drinking — we’re pleased to note that there is no record in E!’s report that Paige did this.) But let’s not judge Paige too harshly. She’s only a pioneer human!
