Social media exploded after news broke of Michael Avenatti’s arrest on Wednesday afternoon, with former ally Alyssa Milano announcing she is “disavowing” him and conservatives including media figures and the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. going after the attorney over alleged domestic violence charges.
According to multiple reports, Avenatti, 47, was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence on Wednesday. He was in Los Angeles Police Department custody as of Wednesday evening.
{mosads}“A report for domestic violence was taken yesterday and an individual has been arrested for that report today and he is in the process of being booked,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told The Hill, although the spokesperson would not confirm the man was Avenatti.
Avenatti is a fixture on cable news, particularly on CNN and MSNBC, where he has appeared hundreds of times since exploding onto the scene in March due to his representation of Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Daniels is suing President Trump and alleges the two had an affair.
Avenatti has also become notable for his possible aspirations to become a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. He has become a public figure associated with progressive causes, and staged protests outside the White House alongside people like Milano, who is also a leading voice in the “Me Too” movement against sexual assault.
The news of his arrest quickly catapulted Avenatti into the top-trending topic on social media, spawning plenty of reactions, including from the president’s eldest son, Trump Jr., who has sparred on social media with the attorney in the recent past.
Avenatti did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.