MTV and NBC Childhood Star Bobb’e Thompson Handed Federal Prison Sentence - Newsweek

Bobb'e Thompson, the actor who appeared on NBC's 30 Rock and MTV's Wild 'N Out, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm.

Thompson, 30, was arrested in September 2025 after Iowa law enforcement stopped the vehicle he was driving for speeding and found a loaded .40-caliber handgun inside that had been reported stolen from Kansas City, Missouri.

The vehicle was traveling 104 mph in a 70 mph zone and contained several bags of marijuana along with the handgun, prosecutors said.

Thompson is known for playing Tracy Jr. on 30 Rock, the trickster Stanley on That's So Raven, Ronnie Shields on Role Models and Jimmy Mitchell on The Tracy Morgan Show.

Along with the prison sentence, Thompson must serve a three-year term of supervised release, as ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand in Sioux City.

The actor is being held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa noted in a news release that Thompson has a prior criminal record that includes convictions for battery, assault and illegal firearm possession.

Newsweek contacted Thompson's attorney via email on Thursday outside regular working hours.

Thompson's arrest last September came after law enforcement in Cerro Gordo County stopped his vehicle for speeding.

An officer said he observed Thompson and the passenger switching seats, which Thompson later disputed. However, prosecutors said in court documents that the officer reported the female passenger said she switched seats because she was "trying to be a good spouse."

As the officer approached the vehicle, he noticed an odor of marijuana, according to prosecutors. During a search of the vehicle, the marijuana and firearm were discovered in a backpack belonging to Thompson.

Thompson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person at a hearing in April.

Court documents show that he had previously been convicted of battery with serious bodily injury and assault with force in 2020, as well as prohibited possession of a firearm in 2022.

His attorneys argued ahead of the recent sentencing that the 2020 battery conviction should not be treated as a "crime of violence" under federal sentencing guidelines, which could have increased his recommended sentence.

The guideline sentencing range was 18 to 24 months, with a maximum possible sentence of 15 years. Thompson was ultimately sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

Thompson previously discussed his legal issues and described getting into trouble over "dumb" things in a 2024 appearance on the Eating While Broke podcast.

The former child actor said he "started catching cases and lawyer fees and bond money."

"I caught a gun case," Thompson said on the podcast. "And then before that, I caught a case. I got in a fistfight and broke the boy jaw. And because of the jaw being broken, it was a great bodily injury, and it became a felony."

He also discussed how mismanaging his finances meant he couldn't afford to hire a lawyer, adding that he "went on the run for six months" before returning to Los Angeles and being "locked up."

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Shakeema Edwards.