The Crazy Amount Of Money Celebs Get Paid For Private Events
In addition to the massive amount that celebrs get paid just for doing their jobs — whether singing, acting, or DJing — they also rake it in via other avenues. Anyone who has spent a few minutes on Instagram lately is undoubtedly familiar with the telltale #ad, indicating that the diet tea they're shilling isn't just a product they happen to love.
Additionally, celebs make big money attending private events and parties, as, in the words of Katy Waldman in Slate, "one-third guest, one-third entertainer, and one-third really glamorous piece of decoration." Sure, sometimes they actually have to work, but occasionally they also earn major dough for simply showing up, hanging out, and rubbing elbows for a couple of hours.
Planning your next blowout and want a really spectacular act or special guest? Read on to get the lowdown on what kind of sweet moolah you'd be looking at shelling out to book your fave celeb.
Scott Disick pulls tens of thousands for 'doing nothing'
When you think A-lister special guest, Keeping Up with the Kardashians cast member Scott Disick may not top your list. However, as GQ explained in 2016, "Scott Disick — the runt of the Kardashian litter, the f**kup father of Kourtney's three children — makes more money doing nothing than most Americans earn in an entire year. ... All he has to do to earn his check is walk through the door of [club] 1OAK in Las Vegas and not leave for one hour."
The magazine went on to explain that the celeb gets paid $70,000 to $80,000 a night in appearance fees, and, at one point, he earned a whopping $250,000 for a group of appearances in the U.K.
As noted in the GQ article, Disick was contracted to appear eight times a year at the club 1OAK in Las Vegas in 2016. Describing his appearance, the magazine said he "says a few hoarse words on the mic, sits back down, and sips slowly from a water bottle at his VIP table, out of the crowd's sight." Worth the money? We'll leave it up to you to decide.
Jennifer Lopez is the ultimate wedding singer
Considering Jennifer Lopez's ongoing A-lister status, maybe it's not surprising that the hefty fees she pulls in for private appearances make Disick's look paltry in comparison. But that didn't stop her from catching negative press when, in July 2013, Us Weekly broke the news that she'd earned $1.5 million to sing for Turkmenistan leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow on his birthday.
The problem? Berdimuhamedow had been accused of major human rights violations. Per Us Weekly, Lopez's reps later released a statement saying, "The event was vetted by her representatives, had there been knowledge of human right issues of any kind, Jennifer would not have attended."
In March 2016, Lopez made headlines again for a high-profile private appearance at the wedding of the son of Russian billionaire Mikhail Gutseriyev, Said Gutseriyev. According to Elle, Lopez earned a whopping $5 million to perform at the nuptials. ABC News reported that the entire event, which Russian media had dubbed "the most expensive wedding ever," was estimated to have cost over $1 billion. So really, Lopez's fee was just a drop in the bucket.
Sharing a manager with Scott Disick pays off for Ray J
Most people might best recognize Ray J for being Brandy's younger brother or for his appearance in a certain celebrity sex tape. However, the singer/actor is also pretty well known as a presence of the club scene. And, per GQ, as of April 2016, he shared appearance manager David Weintraub with Scott Disick.
As the magazine reported, Ray J picked up at least $25,000 per evening for four birthday appearances in January 2016, and, as of the article's publication, had returned from an appearance in Dubai that earned him a cool $150,000.
So, what's the key to Ray J's appeal? Tim Waugh, director of marketing at Marquee nightclub in Sydney, Australia (which booked him for a New Year's Eve appearance in 2013) told The New Daily, "What we love about Ray J, is how he helps promote his involvement in the lead up via his extensive social media network." He added, "People relate to his 'notorious party boy' antics and celebrity connections." The New Year's party, for which guests paid upwards of $100 AUD for a chance to rub shoulders with Ray J, sold out.
Nicki Minaj gets into hot water over her pricey hourly rate
Rapper Nicki Minaj is no stranger to conflict — just ask Cardi B and Miley Cyrus. In November 2015, TMZ reported that Minaj was the subject of a lawsuit that alleged she'd skimped on an appearance at Chateau Nightclub in the Paris hotel in Las Vegas after the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight. Per the lawsuit, Minaj had been paid $236,000 to show up for an hour and perform two songs. However, the nightclub claimed that Minaj waltzed in at 1:19 a.m. and only stayed for 34 minutes instead.
As GQ explained, the club was primarily peeved because, per the lawsuit, "There were at least five VIP tables near Ms. Minaj's area that individuals were willing to pay well in excess of $25,000.00 for each table." The suit argued that, because Minaj didn't fulfill her obligations, it ended up losing precious "table-service revenue" on those expensive seats.
Regardless of the logistics, we can all agree that's a pretty crazy rate for a single appearance.
Kim Kardashian's fee comes with a ton of demands
These days it seems like the Kardashians and their ilk can take pretty much anything and spin it into money, so it's not too shocking that they're big players in the private appearances game.
As far back as 2010, Kim Kardashian was earning major money for club appearances, as Glamour UK described. The magazine put her estimated earnings for showing up to celebrate her 30th birthday at a series of parties in Las Vegas at over $500,000. And by 2016, Kardashian's star had truly risen. Page Six reported that her fee for showing up to party in the Hamptons was a whopping $700,000.
Per leaked emails obtained by Radar Online in 2014, Kardashian's costs don't just related to her appearance fee. According to the site, Kardashian's additional demands to travel for appearances on behalf of brands include "5 first class tickets, plus 1 coach, first class hotel accommodations (1 suite for talent and standard rooms for others in party), portal to portal first class exclusive ground transportation, airport greeter service, security, glam fee (day rate for her hair and makeup squad), and a per diem."
Beyonce's in the seven-figure realm
Like J. Lo, Beyoncé Knowles found herself in hot water when news broke that she'd performed at a 2009 New Year's Eve party hosted by the Gaddafi family. The big deal? Until his death in 2011, patriarch and Libyan politician Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was globally recognized as one of the most repressive dictators in recent times.
According to The Guardian, Beyoncé reportedly received $2 million to perform five songs at a club in St. Barts for the private party's 300 attendees.
In March 2011, however, Beyoncé's publicist released a statement (via Entertainment Weekly) that explained, "All monies paid to Beyoncé for her performance at a private party at Nikki Beach St. Barts on New Year's Eve 2009 ... were donated to the earthquake relief efforts for Haiti," adding, "Once it became known that the third party promoter was linked to the [Gaddafi] family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause."
Paris Hilton: OG nightclub appearance-maker and high-earning DJ
In 2013, it seemed that Paris Hilton's heyday as a private appearance high-earner was waning, with Radar reporting that a source had disclosed that the reality star/heiress' fees for a club appearance had dropped to "the much lower fee of $250,000" from a high of $500k to $750k.
Cut to 2014, and the tide had turned for Hilton, with The Sun (via AZ Central) reporting that she'd earned $2.7 million for four nights, or $347,000 per hour, of DJing. When Page Six asked Hilton about the massive sum she was allegedly pulling in as a DJ, she coyly responded, "[I'm] getting paid very well and having a ball." When prompted to confirm the rumored rate of $1 million per appearance, she replied, "My mother always told me it's not polite to discuss money, but it's true."
Unfortunately for Hilton, some professionals were less than thrilled with the news of her newfound passion. DJ Deadmau5 responded to Hilton's news on his blog (via E! News), calling her a "straight up a**" and writing, "Here's what you actually are to everyone who knows better...Ticket sales. Nothing more."
By 2017, the Daily Mail reported that Hilton's club appearance fees had settled somewhere closer to $300,000. However, per Time in November 2017, Hilton is still actively DJing, and she even served as DJ at brother Barron's June 2018 wedding, so it's possible she's still earning the big bucks for her musical work.
Lindsay Lohan's price comes with extra fees
Like Paris Hilton, actress Lindsay Lohan has been a regular on the nightclub circuit for years now, making bank by showing up to party with the less famous. According to Dish Nation in a since-deleted article, Lohan, at the height of her fame, was paid $350,000 to party at Las Vegas nightclub Pure.
In February 2013, the Daily Mail reported that Lohan had turned down an offer of $200,000 to appear at an event in Dubai, believing she was worthy of a $500,000 payday.
But by December 2017, Us Weekly reported that Lohan had lowered her appearance fee for a New Year's Eve event to a comparatively reasonable $50,000, though she also requested "two first-class round-trip tickets to Bali, plus an Airbnb rental valued at $1,000 per night." According to the magazine's source, the person who had initially asked Lohan to attend their party for $25,000 bailed upon learning about the starlet's additional demands.
Mariah Carey's appearance bookers might want to do more research
Another star, another instance of dubious judgment around a private appearance. As The Guardian reported in December 2013, songstress Mariah Carey came under fire by human rights activists and media alike when it came to light that she had accepted $1 million to perform at a benefit for the Angolan Red Cross. Carey's appearance reportedly included posing for pictures with Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos, who stood accused of major corruption in his country.
As The Guardian explained, Carey's appearance was especially regrettable as it came on the heels of another controversial private appearance in 2008 at none other than a New Year's party for the Gaddafi family, for which the celeb reportedly got paid $1 million. Of that appearance, Carey released a statement saying (via Vulture), "I was naive and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess."
None of the bad press stopped Carey from booking a private appearance at a Brazilian New Year's party in 2015, for which TMZ reported she'd be receiving between $2 million and $5 million.