Celebrities Who Aren’t As Rich As You Thought They Were
It is easy to assume that the celebrity that you follow on Instagram who is always wearing high-fashion clothes and is vacationing in Bora Bora every other weekend is wealthy beyond belief. Why would they live that kind of lifestyle if they can't afford it, right?
Well, it's one thing to look rich, but for some celebrities, actually being wealthy is an entirely different story. Whether it's from bankruptcy or just mismanaging money, these celebrities talk the talk but they don't walk the walk when it comes to having money. You might have thought these celebs were well off but you'll be surprised what their actual net worth is.
Lindsay Lohan's Partying Got The Best Of Her Fortune
Even though LiLo made bank from The Parent Trap and Mean Girls, she slowly began chipping away at her fortune partying in the mid-2000s. Her hard-partying ways meant she wasn't landing many acting roles to pay the bills, and on top of all that, she owed $200,000 in back taxes.
In 2013, she did a six-part interview with Oprah that landed her $2 million, but it all went towards taxes and overdue rehab fees. Now, she's barely worth $800,000.
Mike Tyson's Career And Fortune Went Downhill In The '80s
At the height of his career, this former heavyweight boxer had a net worth of $700 million. In 2003, he declared bankruptcy. The decline was all thanks to $23 million in debts, $13.4 million of unpaid American taxes, $4 million in unpaid British taxes, and a costly $9 million divorce settlement. Going to jail for alleged rape also didn't help.
Shockingly, through cameos like in the movie The Hangover, Tyson has managed to claw back some of his fortune and reputation. Today, he's worth only $3 million.
Aaron Carter Didn't Know How To Save As A Teenager
Even though Aaron Carter was the apple of every teenage girl's eye in the early 2000s, he openly admitted that he just didn't know what to do with the fame and the fortune. In 2016, Carter spoke with Oprah and said that by the time he was 18, he had a net worth of $200 million.
But unnecessarily large houses and back taxes cost him all he was worth. Today, he's in the red with a net worth of negative $2 million.
Chris Tucker Is Still In The Red
In 2007, Chris Tucker was the highest paid actor in Hollywood. He had just taken home a $25 million paycheck for Rush Hour 3 and had negotiated a $40 million two-movie contract with New Line Cinema.
Unfortunately, years of unpaid taxes and several foreclosed homes left him owing $14 million to the government and with a negative $11.5 million net worth. Yes, you read that right, negative. Tucker eventually worked out a payment deal but he'll be in the red for a while.
Heidi Montag Is Worth A Paltry $100,000
Is anyone really shocked that one of the least-liked reality stars in recent history barely has any money left? While Montag probably made a killing appearing on The Hills and even did a stint on Celebrity Big Brother, Forbes shows she only has an estimated net worth of $100,000.
Montag admits to blowing nearly $10 million in a few years, ordering $4,000 bottles of wine at dinner, and frequently dropping $30,000 when shopping at the mall.
Evander Holyfield Suffered The Same Fate As Mike Tyson
Minus the nasty divorce and abuse allegations, former boxer Evander Holyfield had a remarkably similar downfall to Mike Tyson. His impressive 20-year-long career left him with a net worth of $230 million.
Over-the-top spending, mortgages, and IRS issues left him with a measly $500,000 net worth. To pay the IRS, Holyfield even had to sell off the bronze medal he won in the Olympics. Talk about going from riches to rags.
No One Is Surprised To Hear Gary Busey Is Broke
Despite having a rather successful fifty-year career in Hollywood, the last decade saw Gary Busey turn to substance abuse and crazy behavior. Instead of starring in films like Point Break, he was being featured on Celebrity Big Brother. This led him to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2012.
Even though he still lands bit parts regularly, he allegedly owes money to just about every financial corporation. Forbes estimates his net worth to be anywhere from $500,000 to negative $1 million.
MC Hammer Was Having A Bad Hammer Time
MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" is not only one of the catchiest songs but it broke records. Even though it was the first rap song to be nominated for Record of the Year, it wasn't enough to keep MC Hammer rich.
At the song's peak, Hammer had a $33 million fortune but he also had a 17-car garage and an entourage of 240 staff members. Now, MC Hammer is worth a mere $1.5 million because he just couldn't keep up the lifestyle.
Kanye West Is No Longer In Debt
We're all used to Kanye West's Twitter ramblings now but back in 2016 people were shocked when seemingly out of the blue, he tweeted that he was $53 million in personal debt. While he didn't tweet how this happened, analysts have estimated most of the debt came from his early failures in the fashion industry.
Now with sales of his Yeezy line, he seems to be in the black again and is even reported to have a net worth of $160 million, but who knows what to believe with Kanye.
Dennis Rodman's NBA Riches Didn't Last
If you grew up in the '90s, then Rodman was the star of the Chicago Bulls and was making over $1 million a season. If you are part of Gen Z, then he's the weird guy that was able to visit North Korea.
Rodman tried every career possible to keep up his fortune, including professional wrestling, acting, and having his own reality TV show. Unfortunately, he's now worth closer to $500,000 and in 2012 even claimed he couldn't afford his child support payments.
Amanda Bynes Briefly Lost Control Of Her Finances
The rise and fall of Nickelodeon star Amanda Bynes was well-documented in the media. The fortune she gained from The Amanda Show and movies like She's The Man was quickly put under lock and key after she suffered a very public mental breakdown in 2013.
A judge placed her finances under control and she left the spotlight. Bynes regained control over her fortune in 2017 but after all the medical bills, court fees, and tuition for fashion school, she only has $4 million left to her name.
Lauryn Hill Used To Be On Top Of The World
In the late '90s, musician Lauryn Hill was on the way to being the most talented musical icon of the next decade. Her solo album sold 8 million copies and won her five Grammy awards.
The fame was too much though, as she dropped out of the public eye and decided to become a serial tax evader. In 2013, she was sentenced to pay back the taxes and do a three-month jail stint, and now her net worth is only $2 million.
Nicolas Cage's Net Worth Is Much Lower Than You'd Think
At the height of his career circa his National Treasure years, the eccentric actor had more than $150 million in the bank. He was actually raking in $20 million per film on average.
Then he made a slew of unique purchases including an authentic dinosaur skull, the original Superman comic, two albino king cobras, and two private islands. That, combined with owing $13 million in taxes, has left him with only a $25 million net worth.
Allen Iverson Is Waiting For His Reebok Trust To Kick In
This eleven-time NBA All-Star should still be raking in the cash, but his fans have watched his slow decline over the years. From being the league's MVP in 2001 to playing for a second-tier basketball team in Turkey in 2010, Iverson just became more and more desperate for cash.
Over his entire career, he was estimated to have made over $200 million. Today, he's barely worth $1 million. His only silver lining is that when he's 55, a $30 million trust with Reebok should get paid out.
T-Boz From TLC Got Screwed By The Music Industry
T-Boz was one-third of the girl group TLC and their financial struggles as a group were well-documented. They filed bankruptcy in 1995 after getting screwed over in their recording contract with Pebbitone.
While the group eventually rebounded, T-Boz's medical bills for treating her Sickle Cell Anemia and a brain tumor left her with less than $1 million to her name. On the bright side, she and remaining TLC member Chili were able to use Kickstarter to fund their 5th studio album.
DMX Is One Of The Poorest Celebrities On This List
Despite releasing seven studio albums and being responsible for some of the best rap tracks up the '90s, DMX has had one of the hardest falls from grace. It all began with him having to pay child support payments for fifteen children. Yes, fifteen.
Add in the $2 million owed to banks, $2.3 million in tax evasion, drug addiction, and bankruptcy, and DMX is now worth negative $10 million. Things are so bad that he sold his platinum albums on eBay for $1000 a piece.
Pamela Anderson Isn't As Rich As You'd Expect
Many people would think that one of the most popular Playboy models in history would have a constant stream of revenue coming in, but Pam Anderson's net worth is only about $5 million since royalties for modeling campaigns usually just last 1-8 months.
Unfortunately, she spent most of her fortune of lavish items. Now, most of her revenue comes from reruns of Baywatch and special appearances at events and clubs.
Teresa Giudice Tried To Blend Into The Real Housewife Lifestyle Too Much
If you're a fan of terrible reality TV, in particular, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, then you'll be well acquainted with Giudice's crazy antics. While she may have been a fan favorite, banks weren't thrilled with her. She and her husband filed for bankruptcy in 2011, claiming to be more than $11 million in debt.
Two years later, the couple was found guilty of bank fraud, wire fraud, and bankruptcy fraud. She alleges that her net worth is back up to $11 million after returning to the show for season seven, but for all anyone knows, it could also be yet another fraudulent claim.
Stephen Baldwin Is The Least-Wealthy Of The Baldwin Brothers
Stephen is the youngest and the poorest of the Baldwin brothers. Not only did he never land the heavy-hitting roles his older brothers did, but he had no idea how to handle the finances he did receive. In 2009, he was more than $2 million in debt and owed $350,000 in back taxes.
Today, he's worth barely $500,000 and his claim to fame is being the father of model Hailey Baldwin, who recently married pop superstar Justin Beiber.
Janice Dickinson Went From Supermodel To Super-Broke
How did the world's first supermodel (self-proclaimed) go from landing million-dollar ad campaigns to having a net worth of only $500,000? Well, she couldn't accept the fact she was aging. Now in her sixties, Dickinson is reported to owe thousands of dollars to different doctors.
Her dermatologist reportedly claimed she didn't pay him $8,000 for surgeries, and she owes even more to her anti-aging consultant, Dr. Reiss. It sounds like she should just accept that she'll never look like she did in her twenties.
Cappadonna Got Played By Wu-Tang Clan
The rapper Cappadonna is only of the original and most forgotten members of Wu-Tang Clan. He was with the group since their debut album, but it took more than a decade for him to be recognized as a member of the Clan.
Even when that did happen, Cappadonna reportedly had to get a second job as a taxi driver in Baltimore to make ends meet. He was featured on Wu-Tang Clan's last album, which bumped his net worth up to $100,000.
Warren Sapp Bought Too Many Air Jordans
According to statistics, 78% of all former NFL players end up filing bankruptcy, and all-star defensive tickle Warren Sapp is no different. Over his eleven-year career, he earned more than $82 million and blew it all. His crazy purchases include a $4.1 million mansion and buying over 240 pairs of Air Jordan sneakers.
In 2012, he filed for bankruptcy claiming $6.7 million in debt. Thanks to an appearance on Dancing With The Stars, Sapp now has a net worth of $1 million.
50 Cent Is Counting His Cents
Rapper 50 Cent has been pretty honest about just how little money he has. 50 Cent peaked in 2015 with a net worth of $155 million, but he's down to only $20 million thanks to finally paying his dues.
The rapper finally paid back $22 million in personal debt, millions more in legal fees, and even had to pay one woman $6 million after he added illegal commentary to the sex tape she posted online.
Sinbad Might Be Turning His Debt Back Into A Fortune
This legendary '90s comedian didn't know how to keep up his fame in the new millennium. He filed bankruptcy not once, but twice, in 2009 then again in 2013. Sinbad owed $8.3 million to the IRS and another $2.3 million in taxes just to California. It was so bad that in 2009, California put him in the Top 10 worst tax debtors in the state.
Things might be on the up-and-up for Sinbad though since he landed the lead role in the Fox sitcom Rel.
Britney Spears Has A Lot Of Money...But No Control Over It
Despite her very public breakdown in 2007, this pop star still has a net worth of $215 million. The only problem is, thanks to her meltdown, all her finances are still controlled by her father, Jamie Spears. She needs his permission to pay any bills, do any shopping, and even pay child support for her two sons.
The decision by the court was probably best at the time, but it's been more than a decade and Britney is back on track. Things might change soon though as it's been reported her father's health is in a critical condition.
Randy Quaid Claims An Underground Cult Made Him Broke
Many of us would remember Randy Quaid for his roles in A Streetcar Named Desire, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Independence Day. Starring in huge movies like that should leave you with a hefty fortune, but today, Quaid is work negative $1 million.
Quaid and his wife claim their misfortune is because of "Hollywood Star Whackers"—an underground "cult" that defames movie stars. More likely, it's due to spending problems like the thousands of dollars in unpaid hotel tabs.
Andy Dick Is Hollywood's Weirdest Bad Boy
The comedian and actor is best known for his deprecating sense of humor and self-titled TV show, but the revenue from it wasn't enough to pay for his rap sheet. Even though he looks like the strange guy you'd avoid in a hallway, he's one of Hollywood's notorious bad boys.
Dick has been arrested for everything from grand theft auto to drug possessional and sexual misconduct. Thanks to his legal troubles, he's only worth $3 million.
Natasha Lyonne Came Close To Being Another Failed Child Star
Lyonne began her acting career when she was only six years old on Pee-Wee's Playhouse. After starring in huge films like American Pie and racking up a considerable fortune, Lyonne did what most Hollywood child stars do and blew it all.
When she was admitted to a hospital in 2005 for heroin addiction and a collapsed lung, she barely had a cent to her name. After revitalizing her career and being a regular on Orange is the New Black, her net worth is up to $3 million.
Danny Bonaduce Now Makes A Living As A Disc Jockey
Yet another child star that turned bad and has finally begun to straighten out. Danny Bonaduce stole hearts as Danny Partridge in The Partridge Family, but struggled after the show ended.
Bonaduce struggled with drug addiction in his teenage years and was even homeless for some time. After squandering away his Patridge Family fortune, he built himself back up as a radio disc jockey and is now worth $3 million.
A Custody Battle Ruined Kelly Rutherford's Fortune
It's not as if this actress hasn't kept well-paying jobs over the year. Rutherford has lasted throughout the decades, starring in shows like Melrose Place and Gossip Girl. The problem for her was a nasty custody battle in 2013 for her two children, Hermes and Helena.
A judge granted her ex-husband full custody after Rutherford didn't return them after summer vacation. She fought for seven years in courts and her legal fees maxed out, which left her filing for bankruptcy. Today, she has a net worth of only $1 million.
