Jeremiah Harris (born July 14, 1999) is a former collegiate cheerleader who received national recognition after appearing in the 2020

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Cheer Cheering involves the uttering or making of sounds and may be used to encourage, excite to action, indicate approval or welcome. The word cheer originally meant face, countenance, or expression, and came through Old French into Middle English" ...

''. In September and December 2020, he was charged by the

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(FBI) with production of

child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...

and other child-related sex crimes: "sexual exploitation of children, receiving child pornography, traveling with the attempt to engage in sexual conduct with a minor, and enticement", among other charges. On February 10, 2022, Harris pled guilty as charged to two of the seven indictments against him. On July 6, 2022, Harris was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and 8 years of court supervised probation to commence after his release from prison.

Early life and education

Harris was born in

Hinsdale, Illinois Hinsdale is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County. It is one of the wealthiest communities in Illinois. Hinsdale is a western suburb of Chicago with a population of 17,395 ...

and raised in

Bolingbrook, Illinois Bolingbrook is a village in Will County, Illinois, Will and DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago on Interstate 55 in Illinois, I-55 and U.S. Route 66 in Illinois, Historic Rou ...

. When he was 16 years old, his mother died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

. He attended Waubonsie Valley High School followed by Navarro College in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in and the county seat of Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 50 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. Its population was 25,109 at the 2020 census. Corsicana is considered an important ...

, where he was a member of the cheerleader team coached by

Monica Aldama Monica Aldama (born February 9, 1970) is an American cheerleading coach. She was the coach of the co-ed cheerleading team at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. Education A graduate of Corsicana High School, Aldama enrolled at Tyler Junio ...

. During the season one finale of ''

'', he received a Regional Scholars Award from the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

. He attended the school for the fall semester, but ultimately returned to Navarro College. He became famous for his eccentric personality.

Career

In January 2020, he appeared on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

'', along with other members of the ''Cheer'' team. In February 2020, DeGeneres announced that Harris would be ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'''s Oscars correspondent. He is known for his eccentric and over-the-top "mat talk," a cheerleading term, in which he yells and cheers on other people. During the

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, he made a guest appearance on the cheerleading themed song "Mas(k)ot" by

Todrick Hall Todrick Hall (born April 4, 1985) is an American singer, rapper, choreographer, and YouTuber. He gained national attention on the ninth season of the televised singing competition ''American Idol''. Following this, he amassed a following on Yo ...

from his album ''

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''.

2020 arrest

In September 2020, the FBI announced they had a warrant for Harris for allegedly soliciting sex from minors. The case involves twin brothers who were 13 when Harris, 19 at the time, sent suggestive messages asking for pictures and seeking sex. The boys' mother at first dismissed the contacts, but after another cheerleading coach allegedly assaulted them, felt there might be a pervasive atmosphere of tolerance of sexual abuse either in the sport or the companies that govern them. United States All Star Federation, Varsity Spirit and Cheer Athletics were later named as parties to the legal proceedings. On September 17, 2020, Harris was arrested by the FBI and charged in federal court in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

for production of child pornography. Harris allegedly admitted to soliciting and receiving explicit messages on

Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as "snaps", are usually availa ...

from other individuals he knew were minors; he also allegedly admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old in mid-2019 when Harris was 19, according to federal court records. Harris was suspended from at least one company, and faced the loss of several sponsorships. A spokesperson for Harris denied the allegations, "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." Harris's cheer coach

posted on Instagram that she was devastated by the news of his arrest. In a statement about his arrest, Netflix said "Like everyone we are shocked by this news. Any abuse of minors is a terrible crime and we respect the legal process." On December 12, 2020, it was reported that Harris faced an additional seven charges involving incidents with four other minors from August 2017 to August 2020, including a charge involving an alleged incident where Harris traveled from Texas to Florida to have sex with a 15-year-old in May 2019. Harris pleaded not guilty to the new charges. On February 10, 2022, Harris pleaded guilty to allegations of child sex abuse. He was obtaining photos of child sexual abuse and soliciting sex from minors. Harris was held without bond in a federal detention center and was set to be sentenced on June 28, 2022. Harris was instead sentenced on July 6, 2022, to 12 years in prison, followed by eight years of court-supervised probation.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Jerry 1999 births Living people African-American television personalities Navarro College cheer alumni People from Bolingbrook, Illinois Television personalities from Chicago People from Hinsdale, Illinois 21st-century African-American people African-American LGBTQ people American people convicted of child pornography offenses American prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government 21st-century American LGBTQ people