Celebrities Who Are Much Poorer Than You Thought

In the life of a celebrity, all that glitters is oftentimes not gold. Although Hollywood actors, reality TV stars, and pro athletes can often pull exorbitant salaries for their talents, making money doesn't mean they keep money. For every actor who makes an insane amount of money off of residuals, there are plenty who will never see a dime from reruns. While the Kardashian-Jenners family net worth is higher than you realize, there are equally glossy reality TV stars, like Kim Zociak-Biermann, whose wealth is paltry in comparison.

Some celebrities who amass great fortunes — like the once high-earners Johnny Depp and Charlie Sheen — burn through their income by spending it on extravagances that most can only dream about. Others, like former NBA star Dennis Rodman, find themselves victims of financial wrongdoings, their millions fleeced by nefarious characters. And let's not forget about those high-earners who get in trouble with the IRS for various tax-related shenanigans. Regardless of how they lost their fortunes, these celebrities' fall from financial grace might shock you, but they also might inspire you with how they're attempting to ascend their money mountains once more. So read on to discover celebrities who are much poorer than you thought and learn a thing or two about how to spend (or not spend) your own hard-earned pay.

Reality television stalwarts Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt's net worth is less than you think. The couple found serious fame on MTV's "The Hills," but "Speidi" — as the pair is affectionately nicknamed — have faced plenty of valleys when it comes to their personal finances. At the height of their fame, Montag and Pratt made $2 million per year, including their salaries from "The Hills," photos, and personal appearances. But feeling the pressure to keep up with Hollywood A-listers, Montag and Pratt quickly burned through their fortune, spending $1 million on Heidi's clothes alone.

The couple blew through their $10 million fortune in the early 2010s because they thought the apocalypse was imminent. Spoiler alert: The world didn't end, but the bills kept mounting. So, back to work they went. By the mid 2010s, Montag and Pratt were making most of their money by appearing on reality TV shows once more, this time crossing the pond to appear on shows in the U.K. like "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!," and they starred in stateside shows such as "Celebrity Wife Swap" and "Marriage Boot Camp." Currently, Celebrity Net Worth cites Montag and Pratt's combined net worth at only $300,000.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was legendary for his rebounding on the basketball court. He earned five NBA Championship titles and he raked in $27 million just for playing the game. His bombastic off-court style and intriguing love life made Rodman a household name in the 90s. He even made his mark in Hollywood, starring in action flicks like "Double Team" and "Simon Sez." But even after such an illustrious career in sports and entertainment, Celebrity Net Worth purports Rodman's net worth to only be $500,000.

So how did Dennis Rodman lose all his money? While Rodman cashed checks, the folks he trusted to mind his fortune were actually fleecing him. Despite a lucrative post-basketball career, earning money through public appearances and reality TV gigs, Rodman was broke. Turns out his manager, Peggy Ann Fulford, stole money from him using various Rodman-named shell corporations as her cover. While Fulford pleaded guilty and went to prison for her crimes, and was ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution to Rodman, it's unclear if he was ever actually paid. Currently, Rodman seems to be cashing in on his provocative persona on social media, lending his likeness to a number of products, including clothing, vapes, and wine.

At the peak of his career, Mike Tyson was the undisputed heavyweight champion of boxing and his wealth was undeniable. Ranked as one of the highest paid athletes of all time, Tyson made $400 million over the course of 20 years. But Tyson's penchant for extravagant spending quickly delivered a knockout punch to the fighter's wealth. Eventually, Tyson found himself with $23 million worth of debt and filed for bankruptcy in 2003. Tyson told CNN Business that the company he kept attributed to his financial troubles. He said, "I can't even call them leeches. That's too decent of a word to call them."

After bankruptcy, Tyson eventually built up his net worth to $10 million. Mike Tyson makes money now through a number of ventures. He's appeared in movies like "The Hangover Part II," for which he was paid a modest $200,000, but earned priceless pop culture dividends. Tyson has also gotten into the cannabis business, launching his Tyson 2.0 brand in New York. And he hasn't abandoned the sport that made him famous. In 2024, Tyson signed on to box Jake Paul in a live fight for Netflix. No word on how much he's getting paid for the bout.

A celebrated actor before starring in the sitcom juggernaut "Two and a Half Men," Charlie Sheen amassed an incredible fortune through TV stardom. In 2011, "Men" was a ratings hit and Sheen was making an estimated $1.2 million dollars per "Men" episode, reportedly earning around $40 million during the 2010–2011 TV season alone. However, Sheen was fired from the show after he gave a series of now-infamous interviews. Sheen's loss of income coincided with reports of his lavish spending. A GQ profile reported that he spent tens of thousands of dollars on drugs and trysts with porn stars, not to mention an alleged $1 million splurge on cars in a single week.

Not only was Sheen splashing out on personal extravagances, but he was paying his exes child support. He also revealed in 2015 that he was a victim of extortion, having paid $10 million in order to conceal his H.I.V. positive-status from the public. Sheen eventually found work on the FX comedy series "Anger Management." Although Sheen had partial ownership of the show, he lamented to TMZ that he hadn't earned any money from a lucrative syndication deal for the show, which had the potential to put $200 million in his bank account. Sheen's current total net worth of $3 million is what he used to make for just several weeks on the job.

Gymnast Mary Lou Retton became an athletic sensation when she won five medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. In the years immediately after her Olympic victories, Retton became an in-demand spokesperson, scoring a number of endorsement deals. Although it's been decades since Retton was at the peak of her fame, her Celebrity Net Worth currently pegs her fortune at $2 million. However, just because you have millions to your name doesn't mean that it's easy to pay medical bills.

For Retton, several issues led to her financial struggles. In 2023, Retton was hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia. She was near death and Retton's daughters, not wanting her to worry about medical bills incurred during her treatment, started a *spotfund online fundraiser to help pay for the cost of treatment. Shockingly, Retton did not have health insurance. She revealed in an interview on "Today" that after the COVID-19 pandemic, her divorce, and pre-existing medical conditions, she couldn't afford it [6:00 - 7:38]. Donations for Retton's medical crowdfunding and assistance from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee financially buoyed the former Olympian through her medical crisis. She also obtained medical insurance, hopefully deterring any future financial woes (at least concerning her health). Retton is now on the mend, and her story proves that sometimes health truly can be wealth.

Even though Nicolas Cage comes from a very Hollywood-centric famous family, it might have been hard to predict that Cage — born Nicolas Coppola — would eventually make a fortune as a Tinseltown leading man. His transition from eccentric '80s comedian into an action-adventure leading man proved lucrative for Cage. At the height of his earning power, he commanded a $20 million salary for movies like 2004's "National Treasure."

Over the course of his decades-long acting career, Cage has pulled in over $150 million for his efforts. Perhaps that's why his current net worth of $25 million, while a massive sum of money, seems rather scant. That Cage is worth millions now is impressive, considering the serious money problems he faced in the past. He admitted to "60 Minutes" [9:10 - 10:50] that he was over-invested in real estate. He owned houses in locales such as New Orleans, Newport Beach, Calif., and Germany (which was a 500- year old castle, no less). Cage owed about $6 million to his creditors. Although he sued his former business manager for negligence and fraud in 2009, he got himself out of the hole the old-fashioned way: He got to work. Cage moved to Las Vegas and acted his way out of debt.