Once Rich Celebs Who Are Now Scraping By
The following article includes brief references to child abuse, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, mental health struggles, and addiction.
The Internet loves to say millennials don't know how to save cash, but they clearly haven't taken a close look at the playbook for ultra-rich celebs. No student loan-owing young professional is squandering a not-so-small fortune on jewelry, plastic surgery, and healing crystals. But apparently, money evaporates faster than water in Hollywood. Whether you're locked in a bad contract (we've long heard the evils of selfish management) or you've resigned yourself to hawking teeth whitener and weight loss tea on Instagram while your album sales tank, once the money goes, so does the team that helped you make that money.
It's a vicious cycle that early aughts mega-stars like Lindsay Lohan, the late Aaron Carter, and Bow Wow learned the hard way. Though, to be fair, while Lohan may not be as in-demand as she once was, she did remind us that she's the queen of the jingle hop in 2022 when she starred in the Netflix holiday film "Falling for Christmas." And her net worth has increased to an estimated $2 million, to boot, as of this writing.
That said, though most of us could probably make a few hundred thousand a year work (it'd be a major upgrade from our sardine-sized apartments), the following celebs are barely scraping by in their mansions. If only they ate less avocado toast (or simply paid the IRS like everyone else).
Drake Bell
Drake Bell was once one of the most recognizable faces on children's TV. During the late '90s and early '00s, he rose to fame on beloved Nickelodeon classics like "The Amanda Show" and "Drake & Josh." Sadly, he's the ultimate proof of why you don't ever want to peak in high school.
When Josh Peck, Bell's comedic co-star, lost a massive amount of weight, you knew things were changing. During the final seasons of "Drake & Josh," Peck rose to fame as an acclaimed Hollywood actor and widely popular YouTuber. On the flipside, Bell's career completely floundered. His 2014 album "Ready Steady Go!" sold just 2,000 copies during its first week (which is typically the best week for any record's sales), and he was forced to file for bankruptcy. According to TMZ, the actor claimed to owe a whopping $581,000, but made just $14,099 the year prior. This was a huge decrease from his typical earnings of over $400,000 a year. He allegedly had $2,820 in monthly income and $18,771 in monthly expenses (which didn't even include legal fees from his various DUIs). Eventually, his $1.5 million home was foreclosed.
At the time of this writing, Bell's net worth is reportedly around $600,000 with little hope for improvement. He possibly put the final nail in the coffin of his career in 2021, when he pleaded guilty to endangering a 15-year-old girl at one of his concerts and sending her inappropriate messages on social media, per AP News.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino
In 2018, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino had a bigger situation on his hands than simply being short on cash. Per People, he learned that he would be taking a long break from the GTL lifestyle, unless you count being assigned laundry detail as an inmate or working out in the prison yard. He found himself getting well-acquainted with another acronym, IRS, after he failed to pay taxes on nearly $9 million of his earnings between 2010 and 2012. Needless to say, the IRS wasn't thrilled, and Sorrentino pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. He was slapped with an 8-month prison sentence that ended in September 2019.
While the reality TV star was busy fist-pumping on MTV's "Jersey Shore," he reportedly pulled in a whopping $2.55 million per season. But on "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," Sorrentino's financial woes were painfully documented. Throughout the series, he shrugged about downsizing his car (from a custom Ferrari, whose used tires he sold on eBay for $9,999), squirmed at the cost of engagement rings, and was the butt of more than a few jail-time jokes. His net worth is just $300,000 at the time of this writing, and that's with The Situation allegedly continuing to dodge Uncle Sam. According to The U.S. Sun, he reportedly owed over $2 million in back taxes in 2022.
Teresa Giudice
We're used to seeing Teresa Giudice's mansion on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," but in 2011, the table-flipping reality star was allegedly in the hole for $11 million. Why? Teresa and her then-husband, "Juicy Joe" Giudice, had some pretty juicy crimes. After mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud — and a combined 56-month prison sentence — the reality TV family reportedly owed $414,588 in restitution.
According to Page Six, the Giudices managed to pay off half of their restitution by 2016, just in time for Juicy Joe to buy Teresa a brand-new Lexus as a get-out-of-jail present. Due to their restitution payment schedule, they were pretty much only allotted enough cash to pay for food, shelter, and other necessities. Where did the Lexus come from? Who knows. Maybe a Lexus is a necessity if you're a Real Housewife. Either way, the Jersey girl was at least broke enough for a pal to threaten a paparazzo with a beat-down for asking about her finances in 2017.
There were divorce attorneys to pay when Teresa and Joe divorced in 2020, and Teresa's money woes didn't end after she remarried Luis Ruelas in 2022. Per The U.S. Sun, Teresa was hit with a $17,000 tax lien in 2023. That's $7,500 more than she spent on her wedding day hairstyle. But a source assured Page Six that Teresa wasn't spending the money she owed the government on living large and was making payments toward her tax debt every month.
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt from MTV's "The Hills" may have high net worths, but that means nothing when you're blowing through millions. In 2016, the reality TV couple admitted to squandering their six-figure paychecks, which they reportedly earned for various staged paparazzi shoots, public appearances, and their leading roles as MTV's favorite villains.
"I was kind of playing house," Montag told People. "I felt like I was someone I wasn't. We had business managers who told us to stop spending but we acted like we knew what we were doing."
Speidi ended up squandering the vast majority of their fortune — between the $1 million Montag spent on plastic surgery and the $1 million Pratt dumped into his crystal obsession. To save on cash, the celebs told ET that they began staying at Pratt's parents' rental property in 2010. When rent is zero, you can scrape by on almost nothing. But when they added a brand-new baby to the equation in 2017, they made it exponentially harder to live on the cheap. We're betting they wish they had back that $10 million they told OK! (via MTV News) that they spent on doomsday prepping for the Mayan apocalypse that didn't happen in 2012.
Shad 'Bow Wow' Moss
If you've forgotten about Bow Wow, the charming young rapper who dropped the "Lil" in front of his name after reaching the age in which his cars could be repossessed, you might recognize him from being roasted online. The once-rich star, who raked in millions for flicks like "Like Mike" and "The Fast and the Furious," was caught posting stacks of someone else's money online with the caption "Liquid cash." He was also dragged by fans for pretending he had chartered a private flight and for editing himself into a picture with Tupac and Dr. Dre and passing it off as real. By now, you probably get the idea: Bow Wow's lux-looking social media is apparently totally fake.
For the decade or so, Bow Wow has been having some real financial problems. According to TMZ, the star owed nearly six figures in back taxes in 2011. He reportedly fell behind on his $300,165 business loan, owed $100,000 to a tour bus company, got his Lamborghini repossessed, and was being sued for the $25,000. Debt collectors were also allegedly trying to shake the star down for more than $283,000, which he owed for leasing a Ferrari in 2008.
During a 2012 child custody case, Bow Wow admitted he was pulling in just $4,000 a month and had only $1,500 in his bank account. The 2016 cancellation of his show "CSI: Cyber" was another financial blow, and in a 2019 tweet, 50 Cent accused the cash-strapped singer of pocketing dollar bills meant for strippers.
Dennis Rodman
In a strange turn of events, Dennis Rodman was put in a position to potentially save us from a nuclear war in 2018 — just don't expect him to pay for his airfare (or his wedding dress) if he ever accepts a role as an official U.S. diplomat. The star, who appeared to be the missing link between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, somehow squandered the $27 million he made playing in the NBA. According to the Daily Mail, Rodman pulled in $9 million in a single year with the Chicago Bulls at his peak.
In 2012, the Los Angeles Times reported that Rodman was behind on over $800,000 worth of spousal and child support payments and could barely afford his own living expenses. The star was reportedly "extremely sick," and in legal documents, he had to admit that he just wasn't as marketable as he used to be (such is the cruel world of Hollywood and professional sports).
As of this writing, Rodman is estimated to be worth just $500,000, per Celebrity Net Worth, but he's pretty used to being broke, at least in other ways. According to a 2016 interview with "Viceland," the former NBA star broke his sensitive nether regions three — yes, three — times. We're not exactly sure which part of this is the hardest to believe.
Scott Stapp
Rolling Stone readers rated Creed the worst band of the 1990s, but for a time, lead singer Scott Stapp was rolling in success. The band won a Grammy for their hit "With Arms Wide Open" and sold over 40 million copies of their albums. So, where did it go wrong?
Between 2000 and 2009, the group went from selling out arenas in seconds to hawking 75-cent tickets and being sued by their fans for a historically terrible performance. By 2014, Stapp was penniless and living in a Holiday Inn. Prior to that, he was living in his truck and unable to afford food or gas. According to the Chicago Tribune, Stapp became convinced he was a member of the CIA in 2014, and he threatened the life of then-President Barack Obama. In a jarring Facebook post, the singer claimed his money had been stolen and he hadn't been paid royalties. His wife had filed for divorce days prior, citing the star disappeared from home and became a "paranoid shell who threatened to kill himself and harm his family" after taking a dangerous combination of drugs.
In 2015, Stapp was admitted to a psychiatric facility where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, per People. He eventually started touring again, and in 2023, Creed announced that they would reunite for the first time in over a decade for a 2024 performance on the Summer of '99 cruise.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Joey Lawrence
Throughout the early '90s, Joey Lawrence made teenage hearts pitter-patter on the hit coming-of-age comedy "Blossom." The young actor starred as Blossom's same-named older brother, had a Billboard-charting pop single, and graced the pages of teen magazines like Teen and Tiger Beat (in true teen heartthrob form). Lawrence seemed to have it all, but there were no words to describe his finances as an adult other than woah!
As an adult, Lawrence starred alongside Melissa Joan Hart in the hit sitcom "Melissa & Joey" (as if anything could be more perfect for two '90s teen stars). After the series ended in 2015, the star found himself in some financial hot water. According to The Blast, Lawrence made $534,000 the year "Melissa & Joey" ended but had just $8,060 to his name by 2017. His expenses exceeded $25,000 a month, and he was pulling in a monthly wage of just under $7,000. On top of that, the star and his wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson, had over $355,500 worth of liabilities.
Celebrity Net Worth claimed the star was worth negative $400,000 in 2018, but Lawrence managed to settle his debt that same year. By 2023, steady work, including roles in the rom-coms "Mistletoe Mixup" and "Frankie Meets Jack," had helped him get that net worth number up to $250,000.
Geoffrey Owens
According to the Los Angeles Times, "The Cosby Show" was "the most-watched program on TV for five straight seasons." It's unclear how much Geoffrey Owens made for his portrayal of Elvin Tibideaux, but with 60 million viewers, he was probably pulling in a pretty penny. Yet, somehow, he ended up working at Trader Joe's (which supposedly has great health benefits, so is it really that bad?).
Owens has steadily worked in Hollywood since "The Cosby Show" ended in 1992. Aside from a recurring role in the short-lived TV series "Built to Last," the star has mostly resigned himself to bit parts and one-offs, which worked out with his "Cosby Show" residuals. At least until Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand after drugging her, according to The New York Times, and accused of similar crimes by dozens more. A legal technicality led to the conviction being later overturned, but when "The Cosby Show" was pulled from the air amidst scandal, Owens was left scrambling to support his family.
"I said to myself, 'I have to do something' ... the answer ended up being Trader Joe's, which is actually a wonderful situation for me in many ways," Owens told People. After the news of Owens' job hit the internet, the star scored a recurring role in the Tyler Perry drama "The Haves and The Have Nots," and the work kept coming: he also appeared in "The Good Fight," "The Rookie," and "All Rise." He told Inside Edition he quit his Trader Joe's job in 2019, but there's still no shame in his side hustle.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Willie Aames
With roles in series like "We'll Get By," "Swiss Family Robinson," and "Eight Is Enough," it almost seems like you could turn on the TV at any given time during the '70s and see Willie Aames. After landing the role of Buddy in "Charles In Charge," he managed to make the difficult transition from child star to adult actor. According to ET (via HuffPost), the star was making over $1 million a year at the height of "Eight Is Enough," but as of this writing, he's worth an estimated $100,000.
According to The Kansas City Star, 1997 saw Aames file for bankruptcy twice, face a foreclosure on his home, and put together a yard sale to attempt to dig himself out of financial ruin. "I found myself virtually homeless," he told ET. "I stayed with friends when I could, slept in parking garages or slept in the park. It was shameful. I remember laying underneath the bushes thinking, 'Is this how it turns out? Is this how my life really turns out?'"
Through the years, Aames struggled to find a job, even getting rejected or a gig as a wilderness guide. Eventually, he found work in construction, and he was hoping to become a financial advisor. In 2010, he unexpectedly found work on a cruise ship, and worked his way up to becoming cruise director (perfect job for a former '70s star, no?). He made a steady return to TV a couple years later.
R. Kelly
If R. Kelly could turn back the hands of time, would he throw away his fortune — and his freedom — again? In the '90s and '00s, Kelly was flying high, releasing so many charting tracks that he earned the top position on Billboard's 2010 list of the top 50 R&B and hip-hop artists of the last 25 years. By then, the singer had sold over 30 million records — and was already experiencing some serious financial woes.
Kelly's lavish purchases included a Chicago mansion once valued at $5.2 million. But after he quit making mortgage payments, it was sold for a fraction of that price in a 2013 foreclosure auction, per NBC Chicago. A year prior, TMZ had reported that Kelly owed over $6 million in back taxes. Among the many shocking revelations in Kelly's 2018 song titled "I Admit" was that this amount eventually ballooned to $20 million.
Kelly must have just been throwing all his bills in the closet and forgetting about them. In 2019, The Blast reported that he was left with just over $600 in his bank accounts after his funds were seized to satisfy a judgment awarding one of his former landlords $173,000 in unpaid rent. Of course, money wasn't the worst of Kelly's problems by far. In 2022, he was handed a 30-year prison sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking charges. At the time of this writing, Celebrity Net Worth lists his net worth as negative $2 million.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Kate Gosselin
Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin earned themselves a prominent spot in TLC's cabinet of curiosities when they added sextuplets to their family of four. In a 2009 appearance on "Larry King Live," Jon told CNN host Larry King that they had been getting paid $22,500 per episode of "Jon & Kate Plus 8," which premiered in 2007. But Kate really hit the jackpot after the couple's 2009 divorce. For wrangling the kids without Jon's help on "Kate Plus 8," she reportedly received $250,000 an episode.
Kate reportedly began spending big on her appearance, with stylist Ted Gibson telling Radar that she got hair extensions worth $7,000 in 2010. At one point, Kate's net worth was estimated to be around $5 million. But in 2013, Kate told People (via Yahoo! Entertainment) she was struggling with financial insecurity. She wasn't filming "Kate Plus 8" at the time, and returning to her former career as a nurse was not an option. "I'd spend everything I made on the babysitter," she explained.
Kate Gosselin got to cling to her reality fame a little longer when TLC resumed filming "Kate Plus 8," but that chapter ended for good in 2017. In 2022, The U.S. Sun obtained legal documents in which Kate admitted to taking $100,000 from her children's trust fund. "I will have to keep borrowing from it to survive," she said. That same year, the Daily Mail reported that she had, indeed, resumed working as a nurse.
Amber Heard
Amber Heard should have been riding a wave of success after joining the DCEU as the "Aquaman" character Mera. But during Heard and Johnny Depp's 2022 defamation trial over abuse allegations, ex-producer Kathryn Arnold testified that Heard only got paid $2 million for her role in "Aquaman 2" after her co-star, Jason Momoa, and director James Wan fought to keep her in the movie, per the Daily Mail. Arnold also testified that comments by Depp's attorney had severely damaged Heard's rep, costing her up to $50 million in potential future income over a five-year period.
After jurors awarded Depp over $10 million, Heard appealed the case. But according to The Daily Beast, Depp accepted a $1 million out-of-court settlement to avert another costly legal fight. While this was a great deal less than the original judgment, it was still apparently a sum that wouldn't be easy for Heard to come up with. In June 2022, sources told the New York Post that she was allegedly broke after overspending to maintain her Hollywood lifestyle and paying her hefty legal fees.
Per TMZ, Heard sold her Yucca Valley home for a little over $1 million that July, but as of this writing, Celebrity Net Worth estimates the value of her assets to be around $500,000. The actor has since decided to get a fresh start in Spain, where the cost of living is over 40% lower than that of the United States. This should help make what money she does have stretch further.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Brett Butler
Brett Butler was a sitcom darling of the '90s, earning around $250,000 an episode for her hit ABC series "Grace Under Fire," per The Hollywood Reporter. But the comedian came under fire for her diva demands and mercurial on-set behavior. Per Entertainment Weekly, she also struggled with substance use issues, undergoing treatment for an addiction to painkillers for the second time in 1997. A year later, her show's five-year run ended, much to her dismay. "All in one day, like a bad country song, my husband left me, I got fired and he even gave my dog to my sister," Butler told TV Guide.
Butler revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that she recklessly spent some of the $25 million she made from her show and generously gave some of it away. "I really just felt so guilty for having it," she explained. After getting sober, it took her until 2012 to score a steady gig: starring alongside another troubled sitcom star, Charlie Sheen, in "Anger Management." Butler revealed that Sheen lobbied for her to get the role, saying, "It literally saved me."
But by 2021, a lack of work had Butler in dire financial straits again. To save her from eviction, a friend convinced Butler to let him launch a GoFundMe campaign to help her keep a roof over her head. The initial goal was $15,000, but Butler received almost $50,000 from generous fans. As of July 2023, Celebrity Net Worth estimates her net worth to be just $10,000.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Duane Chapman
We don't know what Duane Chapman was paid for chasing down fugitives on his series "Dog the Bounty Hunter," but another A&E star, Dave Hester, revealed that his earnings were $25,000 per episode when he got fired from "Storage Wars" in 2012, per Entertainment Weekly. Duane filmed 139 episodes of his popular reality show and also appeared alongside his wife, Beth Chapman, in a CMT spinoff series titled "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt."
In 2009, the couple purchased a six-bedroom home in Colorado for $750,000. They expanded their property portfolio in 2015 with the acquisition of a $2.2 million home in Hawaii. But in 2018, the Chapmans were sued when they stopped making payments on their Hawaii property, per The U.S. Sun. After Beth's 2019 death, Duane told The New York Times, "I'm broke," attributing his financial issues to medical debt and being the father of over a dozen children.
Duane Chapman feared losing his Colorado property but managed to hang onto it until 2022, when he sold it for around $1.6 million and moved to Florida with his new wife, per the New York Post. That same year, The U.S. Sun reported that he owed $1.6 million in back taxes. "I've been working diligently to satisfy these outstanding debts," he said. But it doesn't help that his mouth appears to threaten his employment opportunities; per legal documents obtained by The U.S. Sun, his planned reality series "Dog Unleashed" was scrapped in part because he'd allegedly used homophobic and racist language.
Jocelyn Wildenstein
On the internet, Jocelyn Wildenstein's likeness is ubiquitous, thanks to the surgical procedures that have earned her the nickname "Catwoman." But this isn't her only claim to fame; in 1997, the socialite made headlines for claiming that her uber-wealthy ex, Alec Wildenstein, threatened her with a gun after she caught him cheating on her, per Washington Monthly. Alec was an art dealer whose family owns works by the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, and Monet. While married to Alec, Jocelyn had a chauffeur, chambermaid, butler, personal assistant, and chef. She also accrued a $10 million jewelry collection, including a number of pieces inspired by big cats, per The Guardian.
Jocelyn was able to continue living the lavish lifestyle she was used to, thanks to a $2.5 billion divorce settlement and annual payments of $100 million from Alec. But Alec died in 2008, and Jocelyn said that his family cut her off from her only source of income in 2015. She had to file for bankruptcy three years later and was forced to vacate her Trump Tower digs.
In a 2023 interview with The Telegraph, Jocelyn said that she agreed to appear in an HBO documentary because she was unhappy with her ex's family for ending her cash flow. While she still had no income, she did have a designer fiancé, Lloyd Klein, who expressed his hope that Jocelyn Wildenstein's story would also be told in movie format someday. "I would like to have Jennifer Lawrence as a young Jocelyn," he said.
Armie Hammer
Armie Hammer comes from wealth, but his family didn't make their fortune in baking soda; his great-grandfather, Armand Hammer, was an oil tycoon whose estimated net worth was around $200 million in 1986, four years before his death, per Forbes. But Armie set out to make his own fortune in Hollywood, landing roles in movies including "The Social Network," "J. Edgar," "The Lone Ranger," and "Call Me by Your Name." By 2019, he had built a net worth of $16 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
But in 2021, multiple women brought the hammer down on Armie. It started with a woman named Effie, who alleged that he had raped and physically assaulted her, per USA Today. Other women shared screenshots of messages describing cannibalistic fantasies that were purportedly from Armie. "He said to me he wants to break my rib and barbecue and eat it," his ex, Courtney Vucekovich, claimed to Page Six.
Effie ultimately lost her criminal case against Armie because there wasn't enough evidence to bring charges against the actor, but his career still hit the skids. He was dropped from the movies "Shotgun Wedding," "The Offer," and "Billion Dollar Spy," per Variety. By 2022, he had found work elsewhere, with People reporting that he had become a timeshare salesman in the Caymans. "His dad won't help him anymore and he's been cut off, so he got to work," a source alleged. His net worth also took a massive hit and is $100,000, as of this writing.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Richard Dreyfuss
With roles in beloved classics including "Jaws," "American Graffiti," and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," you'd think Richard Dreyfuss would have it made in the shade. But the Oscar-winning actor hasn't been spending his golden years relaxing on a beach whenever he pleases, watching swimmers put their lives and limbs at risk. Instead, he found himself back in the ocean when he joined the cast of the 2006 movie "Poseidon." Of why he decided to do the film, he told MovieWeb, "Money! Big surprise, they offered like a lot of money and I love money and didn't have a lot and I thought this is a good way of doing this."
Dreyfuss attempted to retire after that shoot and spent some time studying civics at Oxford. But in 2016, he told the Daily Mail that he had resumed acting because he was "broke." Said the star, "I have to say I've worked for money a great deal recently, because I've had to." He also confessed, "I was never good with money. I spent too much and didn't think about the consequences."
Two years later, retirement was still proving elusive for the actor. "I am going to do it until I don't have to and hopefully I will find some other sources of income," he told The Daily Telegraph. "I am writing and teaching, maybe that will be a way." But his efforts proved futile; in July 2023, he had five upcoming projects listed on his IMDb page.
Chuck Person
At the height of his NBA career, Indiana Pacers forward Chuck Person earned the nickname "The Rifleman" for his uncanny ability to nail three-pointers. The former NBA Rookie of the Year played in the league for 13 years, with his annual earnings averaging around $1.75 million. He then spent almost two decades coaching for various NBA teams and his alma mater, Auburn University. But in 2017, a corruption scandal threatened his legacy. He was arrested for accepting $91,500 in bribe money for directing college athletes to consult with a specific financial adviser — who was helping the FBI conduct a sting operation.
In 2019, Person's legal team said that he only accepted the bribes because he was in serious financial trouble. "Chuck spent too freely, gave to anyone who asked, made dreadful investment decisions, and turned to high interest loans as his financial circumstances deteriorated," read court documents obtained by AP News. The $30,000 a month he was paying his ex-wife further hastened the draining of his savings.
Person's altruism helped keep him out of prison. He was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service, as reported by AP News. He even received some glowing praise from U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who told him, "The worst thing you have to say is that you were charitable to a fault." Unfortunately, it's become difficult for him to be as generous as he once was; at the time of this writing, Person's net worth is negative $100,000, per Celebrity Net Worth.
Hannah Spearritt
As a member of the British pop group S Club 7, Hannah Spearritt contributed to three platinum records and won two Brit Awards. But according to the Mirror, her parents decided to take the group's manager, Spice Girls mastermind Simon Fuller, to court in 2003 because Spearritt was getting paid a pittance compared to what he was pocketing; his earnings were reportedly around €75 million, while Spearritt and her bandmates were given annual payments of €150,000 apiece. "When we do get payments through, it's normally been after chasing them," Spearritt's father said. After the group split up that same year, Spearritt decided to pivot to acting, landing roles in the 2004 horror movie "Seed of Chucky" and the television series "Primeval."
While Spearritt earned a great deal more than the average Brit as a pop star, it wasn't nearly enough to keep her living comfortably for years to come. In fact, she told The Sun that she and her family found themselves homeless during the holidays in 2022. They were given two months' notice to vacate their London home, but Spearritt recalled, "Our landlord needed the money and the property sold so fast. We ended up with under two days to leave." Because short-term rentals were so expensive, the family wound up living in a pal's office before moving between multiple other temporary residences. At the time, Spearritt and her personal trainer partner were working toward opening a cafe that would hopefully help them get back on their feet.
Blac Chyna
Blac Chyna shares a child with a member of one of reality television's wealthiest families, but in a since-deleted 2022 tweet, the model and music video star complained that Rob Kardashian wasn't paying child support. She also said that she had to sell three of her vehicles because she was so financially strapped. But in the comments section of The Shade Room's Instagram post about her claim, Kardashian wrote, "I pay 37k a year for my daughter's school. I handle every single medical expense. I pay for all her extracurricular activities. I have my daughter from Tuesday-Saturday. Why would i pay child support lol."
Chyna tried another tactic to get some cash from the Kardashians by taking them to court, but she lost her $108 million defamation suit against the family. She'd accused them of successfully getting one of her sources of income terminated, her "Rob & Chyna" reality series. In June 2022, TMZ reported that the Kardashians were seeking to recover their litigation costs from Chyna, which came to around $390,000, as well as their attorney's fees. Chyna's lawyer told the outlet that coughing up that kind of cash would "financially ruin" the model.
In a 2023 interview with TikTok star Mister Lewis, Chyna described herself as a broke business owner and entrepreneur, revealing that she had just $3,000 in her checking account. However, she did say that she owned her $3.8 million home, so at least she has that valuable asset.
Sinbad
No, Sinbad never played a genie in a movie called "Shazaam," but he did magically make his money disappear. That mythical movie would have been a godsend for Sinbad in 2013. After he filed for bankruptcy that year, the comedian told HuffPost Live that his financial issues didn't stem from making extravagant purchases but from racking up debt on business costs for his company. "I spent money, and I kept thinking, 'I get one more movie and I'll wipe these bills out,' but that movie never came," said the "Jingle All the Way" star. "That Black pride, I said, 'Man, I'm going to hang in there, I'm going to pay these bills.'" Per TMZ, he owed over $8 million in back taxes. He'd previously tried to file for bankruptcy in 2009 due to his tax debt at that time, but his first attempt was unsuccessful because he didn't use the correct paperwork.
Sinbad was apparently still experiencing financial difficulties in 2020 when he sadly suffered a stroke. Per Instagram, his family turned to fundraising to come up with the money to pay his medical bills and even started selling a Sinbad figurine to give fans an extra incentive to help out. "The costs of therapy far exceed what insurance covers and it has taken its toll on the family financially," they wrote on a website that included an update on Sinbad's recovery. They also said, "Sinbad has already beaten the odds and has made significant progress beyond what anyone expected."