Possible Ways Tori Spelling Spent Her Entire Inheritance
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Audiences have watched Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott's rocky relationship play out on the small screen, but it looks like the mother of five's marriage isn't the only thing that's in crisis. Her finances have apparently gone down the tubes as well, and it's starting to finally sink in for her.
An insider dished to Entertainment Tonight: "Tori was so caught up in the day-to-day life of caring for five children, she didn't take care of herself. Tori has a long road ahead, but she is finally realizing she needs to focus on her health and clean up her financial and marital problems. She loves having kids, but they have become her main focus and the stress of that with her marriage, and endless debt, left her no time for herself."
While this shouldn't be a problem for the daughter of the late Aaron Spelling and an actress who's also starred in countless movies, TV shows, and reality series — rumor has it that the Hollywood darling has blown through her entire fortune — and her spending habits are supposedly the reason why.
Let's take a closer look at some ways that Tori could have spent her entire inheritance.
Tori Spelling has a shopping problem
Tori's Spelling's father was worth $600 million at the time of his death in 2006. Despite the fortune he'd amassed, he left only $800,000 to Tori. Her mother, Candy Spelling, told The New York Times that was because she and Aaron didn't trust Tori not to squander his hard-earned cash.
"She would close a store and drop $50,000 to $60,000," Candy said. "I never did anything like that. She just went crazy."
In her 2013 memoir, Spelling It Like It Is, Tori admitted, "It's no mystery why I have money problems. I grew up rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams. I never knew anything else. Even when I try to embrace a simpler lifestyle, I can't seem to let go of my expensive tastes. Even when my tastes aren't fancy, they're still costly."
Tori told People in 2016, "Growing up in my family we didn't talk about money a lot. I don't blame anyone, but that probably set me up for not knowing too much about how to handle money a little bit ... I haven't bought a purse in three years and it's fine. I look back at the girl who shopped at Gucci in my twenties and I can't even relate. I can't believe I thought that was important."
Candy has reportedly been subsidizing Tori's habits for the sake of the kids, telling TMZ, "I've been paying all her bills now ... just for the house, and the kids' schools, and their food."
Growing up rich was somehow a disadvantage for Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling admitted in December 2019 that she never actually learned to manage her money. "I am not great with money, and I know a lot of people read a lot of stuff about my financial things going on," Spelling said on her YouTube series Tori True And True. "I had a business manager since I was 18 years old, so I never handled any of my money. Like, everything — everything went to them, so unfortunately, I never quite learned about money. Which, now raising kids of my own, I'm like, that is so important."
Thankfully, Spelling doesn't want her kids to make the same mistakes that she did. "And because I've never been good with money and was never taught to deal with money properly, that's something that's really important for me to do as I'm learning myself now, in my 40s," she said. "I really want my kids to know about it before they move out on their own."
Creditors took Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott to the cleaners
In April 2017, Page Six reported that the Internal Revenue Service drained Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott's bank accounts to recoup back taxes the couple owed going back years.
In July 2016, People reported that Spelling and McDermott owed more than $259,000 in unpaid state taxes from 2014. Later that month, it was revealed that the couple also owed more than $700,000 in federal taxes. But the feds weren't the only creditors who came after the couple. In August 2016, E! News reported that Spelling was ordered to pay a nearly $38,000 debt to American Express in a default judgment.
In March 2019, E! News reported that after Spelling missed a court hearing, a judge issued a bench warrant for her arrest, listing her bail at $5,000. City National Bank sued Spelling and Dean McDermott in 2016 for allegedly failing to pay back a huge chunk of a $400,000 loan years earlier. In May 2017, a judge ruled against Spelling and McDermott in a default judgment, so by April 2019, she owed $260,000 — including interest she'd accrued since the judgment. Later that month, the Daily Mail reported that the warrant had been lifted, and Spelling was due for a deposition in the case that July to examine her financial situation "under oath," including all of her assets that could potentially be used to repay her debt in the case.
Tori Spelling found out just how expensive kids are
At the time of this writing, Tori Spelling and McDermott are parents to five kids ages 10 and under: Liam, Stella, Hattie, Finn, and Beau — and Spelling told People in April 2017 that she was considering adding a sixth child to the mix. But even parents of just one kid know that raising children isn't cheap.
Perhaps to that point, Spelling told People in October 2013 that she and McDermott couldn't afford a vasectomy, which costs, per Planned Parenthood, between $350 to $1,000. "We're in the entertainment business, and things change year to year," she said. "We don't have a series on the air right now, so we have to be more restrictive of what we can spend, just like anyone who doesn't currently have a steady job."
Interestingly, in 2014, after McDermott was busted cheating on Spelling (more on that later,) she reportedly changed her tune on the matter. She said on their reality show, True Tori (via the Daily Mail), "Oddly enough we had talked about [him having a vasectomy] last year right before he cheated on me. Isn't that weird? And then right after that, he went out and cheated on me ... because of what I went through, I know that I don't want any more babies with him."
Here's hoping they spent at least some of her inheritance on that $1,000 snip, because the return on investment may be worth it for the troubled couple in the long run.
Tori Spelling is a party animal
Tori Spelling's outlandish spending isn't limited to her own wardrobe. She also spoils her kids and their pals for her children's birthday parties, even if it means breaking the bank. (To be fair, the themed affairs, from unicorns to arcades to rodeos, do look pretty great.)
When it comes to her children, Spelling spares no expense despite her financial issues. In 2014, Radar Online reported that the star spent around $6,000 on her daughter Stella's sixth birthday party. The swanky affair was held at the Le Chic Spa in Tarzana, Calif., and the actress supposedly spent around $90 per guest to give the little invitees the full spa experience, complete with services ranging from makeovers to organic facials. Guests pranced around in robes and light-up slippers and snacked on sushi and cupcakes. The female guests also left with backpacks full of party favors, including Disney DVDs, dolls, lip gloss, and more.
Though Grandma Candy may be paying for much of the family's living expenses, she may not have set the best example for her daughter by throwing her a $40,000 baby shower for her fifth child in 2017, reported the Daily Mail.
In 2019, however, Dean and Tori seemed to have turned over a new leaf — at least in terms of birthday party spending. They celebrated their youngest son Beau's 2nd birthday at the comparatively cheaper Giggles N' Hugs restaurant, where a party of up to 15 guests can range from $200 to $650.
Some wretched real estate choices cost Tori Spelling big time
Tori Spelling and McDermott have moved several times since their financial troubles began in 2011. That's when they sold their Encino, Calif. home for $2.5 million — a $400,000 loss on its $2.9 million purchasing price, reported the Los Angeles Times.
They purchased a smaller home in Malibu before putting that on the market just five months later, once more selling at a loss, according to the Daily Mail. They then moved to a $16,500 per month rental in Lake Sherwood, Calif., which she admitted later was far beyond their means, and soon downgraded to a "tacky" rental in Tarzana, Calif. for $7,000 a month. They reportedly left that place without telling their landlord, owing $7,000 in back rent.
In 2014, they rented a six-bedroom home in Encino, Calif. for $10,500 a month, which they left for unknown reasons to move into a five-bedroom home in Calabasas, Calif., despite it being a much longer commute to and from their kids' school. They ditched that property for a five-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Encino, then moved again in 2017 to Woodland Hills, Calif., bringing their rent down to $9,500 a month. Then they swung the other way, shipping over to Hidden Hills, Calif., renting a five-bed, five-bath home for $13,000 a month, via the Daily Mail.
In her memoir Spelling It Like It Is, Spelling summed up her family's bank account-draining habit of home-hopping: "I moved houses to simplify my life, but lost almost a million dollars along the way."
Tori Spelling's professional pursuits haven't been profitable
Tori Spelling is a lover of antiques and an unabashed "hoarder" of said items. To make those passions practical, she opened a specialty boutique called InvenTORI in 2011, which sold antiques, furniture, gifts, and other items, according to People. Sadly, Spelling's pet project didn't seem to bring in the big bucks. According to Radar Online, the store officially closed its door on Valentine's Day in 2014. While her side gig didn't do well, her primary job as an actress could still be sustaining her, right? Not so fast.
At the time of this writing, Spelling's stab at a career resurgence with BH90210 — the reboot/satire of the 90's classic that made her famous — is stalled. She did, however, make some nice cash on the nostalgia-heavy series: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spelling made $420,000 for starring on the revival, plus an extra $15,000 per episode as a co-creator of the show. At six episodes, Spelling made a total of $510,000 for the show — a sum that THR sources claim is actually pretty low relative to other TV show casts. Still, it was a major scripted TV role, something she hadn't had in years. But it didn't last: Fox declined a second season in November 2019, however, later reports — and remarks from show's star Gabrielle Carteris — suggested that there may be attempts to shop the show around to other networks and outlets.
Did vehicles and vacations drive Tori Spelling's balance sheet into the red?
A lot of Spelling and McDermott's funds have gone into their gas tanks and getaways, and it's not like they're driving Toyotas and taking day trips.
Radar Online reported that the couple's automobiles have set them back pretty pennies: Spelling frequently drives a Range Rover, which can cost upwards of $82,000. One of her backup rides is a Cadillac Escalade, which starts in the $75,000 range. McDermott was spotted riding a Ducati motorcycle; depending on the model, those range in price from $10,000 to $65,000.
When they're not getting around, they're going away. According to Radar Online, the family rented a $20,000 beach house in Malibu in May 2014. The site also noted that she frequently takes ski vacations with her family and once admitted that they blew a ton of money on trips, confessing that they were often "upgrading hotels at [her] instigation."
More like 'Dean McDeadbeat'
In February 2017, Radar Online reported that McDermott owed more than $100,000 in back child support to ex-wife Mary Jo Eustace. He faced jail time for contempt charges, but those charges were dismissed after he turned over $2,500.
In September 2017, McDermott was accused of missing multiple monthly $1,500 payments to Eustace, according to Page Six. In November 2017, Page Six reported that McDermott was accused of deliberately dodging a child support court appearance. The payments that were made were usually from Spelling.
"Tori reached out to me and basically said that she would be covering the alimony because Dean didn't have any money," Eustace told Us Weekly in March 2018, adding, "She did a couple of payments for it because she said she had gotten a job, so she could cover that. ... Usually I just text her and she's like, 'I got it covered, no problem,' and all amicable. And then I didn't hear from her ... I reached out to Dean and he didn't respond to me, and I reached out to both of them, and I didn't hear anything."
As of this writing, it's unclear whether McDermott's child support is all paid up. But in December 2019, Eustace, McDermott, and Spelling relationship apparently turned a corner. According to Spellings unlikely Instagram photo of her and Eustace posing for a photo together, the trio has "started a new blended family tradition celebrating the holidays together." A holiday miracle? Or was Eustace's gift that year a big check?
It costs a lot to look like Tori Spelling
Talk about a pretty penny. While beauty may only be skin deep, in Hollywood, beauty is a bankable asset, and the Mystery Girls actress has been known to invest in her looks.
Tori Spelling has reportedly admitted to having a nose job and breast implants (which she later told Entertainment Tonight she'd had removed because they were recalled).
In 2014, a source told OK! Magazine that Spelling regretted some of the plastic surgeries she'd had done on her face. "Everything is sagging because she doesn't have the money to maintain some of the major work she's had done," the insider said. "She's starting to deeply regret ever going under the knife."
In August 2015, Spelling was photographed leaving the Calabasas Medical spa with her face sporting some very red and blotchy skin. According to a dermatologist interviewed by Us Weekly, the cause of her appearance could have been because the star was getting a CO2 laser treatment. Those treatments can get very expensive, costing several thousand dollars a pop. The treatment supposedly removes layers of skin and is used to reduce signs of aging, such as wrinkles, spots, and scars.
Rehab and therapy for Dean McDermott isn't cheap
In December 2013, McDermott was accused of cheating on Spelling with Emily Goodhand, reported Radar Online. In January 2014, McDermott announced that he'd checked himself into rehab for sex addiction and substance abuse issues.
"I am truly sorry for the mistakes I have made and for the pain I've caused my family," he told People in a statement. "I take full responsibility for my actions and have voluntarily checked myself into a treatment center to address some health and personal issues. I am grateful to be getting the help I need so I can become the husband and father my family deserves."
McDermott's 30-day stint in rehab is rumored to have cost between $60,000 and $70,000, and Spelling is the one that apparently footed the bill.
He wasn't alone in seeking help for his issues. The couple chronicled their counseling together on True Tori. In March 2018, police were called to the couple's home because Spelling was allegedly suffering a meltdown, and one week later, McDermott sicced the cops on her for unknown reasons when she left their home with one of their sons.
Does mom guilt hurt Tori Spelling's career?
Tori Spelling once made a mint off of selling her family life on TV and social media, but she admitted to Us Weekly that being a mom may have actually stalled her earnings, because she feels bad leaving her five kids behind to go to work. "I live in a state of mom guilt, a perpetual state," she admitted. "It should be tattooed across my forehead. It's really bad."
Still, she and Dean McDermott typically don't work concurrently according to Spelling, which may be why she blew threw her inheritance instead of her actual income. "This morning, I was just realizing that a lot of people don't have this. He's up, he's waking the girls up, I'm waking the boys up and we're just doing it together," she said. "I'm like, 'I'm really lucky to have this.' When I'm working, he is there. When he's working, I'm there. We kind of just trade off, so it works." It works for their family relationships, sure ... but maybe not necessarily for their bank accounts.
Tori Spelling's financial woes are a PR nightmare
It never helps one's financial situation to have their problems made public, but that's what happened to Tori Spelling. The occasional actress' cash flow catastrophe made headlines on their own, but then the headlines made even more headlines. In August 2019, Good Day New York anchor Rosanna Scotto asked Spelling about including a meta storyline about her own financial problems on BH90210, telling the starlet (via Us Weekly), "Tori, it's got to hit a little close to home when you start talking about financial problems."
Spelling replied, "That was a decision I made and we made together to put that in there. That's such speculation, media loves to talk about it, so we were like, 'Let's face it straight on. Let's put it in there.'" Scotto, however, wasn't done with her line of questioning, and asked Spelling if she could afford to pay her bills. "Am I able to pay my bills? Yeah, thank you. I am," she replied. Scotto noted that that the BH90210 work could put some money in [Spelling's] pocket—and Spelling's co-star, Jennie Garth, cut the remark off at the pass by just saying it was "interesting." Spelling said they should write the tense interview moment into Season 2 of the series, to which Scotto — whether intentionally or accidentally shady — told her, "I hope you have another season, that would be great." Spelling retorted, "I know, it would be great."