“Money is a problem until you’ve got some.”
This adage is true for some, but not for these riches-to-rags celebrities. Whether it be gambling, bad investing, or poor spending, these people have all had to evade the taxman at least once in their lives. From boxers to actors to presidents of the United States, here are 30 celebrities who lost it all.
Vanilla Ice Sells Real Estate
The 90’s was no doubt Vanilla Ice’s glory days. When his records stopped selling for him, he obviously needed a new way of making money. Being a smart thinker, while his album “Ice, Ice Baby” was selling millions of records a day, he bought several properties. When he needed the cash he realized that his profits were doing nothing and sold them, making a huge profit. He’s been buying and flipping houses ever since.
Freddie Prinze Jr. Is A Chef
Freddie Prinze Jr. was a Hollywood heartthrob in the 90s. He appeared in hit movies such as She’s All That and I Know What You Did Last Summer. I Know What You Did Last Summer is also where he met his future wife, and also huge 90s star, Sarah Michelle Gellar. The two actors have seemed to disappear from the limelight. However, they have stayed busy. Freddie has taken up cooking, and released his first cookbook in 2016. The book contains 75 recipes and stories by the actor.
Jack Gleeson Is A Student
Oh King Joffrey, the Game of Thrones character you love to hate. When he was murdered at his wedding, some viewers were shocked but most were happy to see the evil boy king get the fate he deserved. However, it was also Gleeson’s way to quit acting. He had been acting since age 8 and decided it was time to call it quits. He told the Independent “I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to… It’s not like I hate it, it’s just not what I want to do.” He also said he would probably go back to school. However, you can still catch him at fan conventions.
Josh Saviano Is Now A Lawyer
Josh Saviano played Paul Pfeiffer, Keven Arnold’s best friend in The Wonder Years. Saviano didn’t see too much action in Hollywood after _The Wonder Years. _He did have a backup plan though. He studied at Yale, majoring in political science, and went on to go to law school. After graduating in 2003, he is now a practicing attorney, and living with his wife(who also happens to be a lawyer), and his child in New York.
Kevin Jonas Is App Entrepreneur
Kevin Jonas is the oldest brother in the pop brother band, The Jonas Brothers. Their rise to fame began around 2005, but the brothers officially split in 2013. Kevin decided to take a step back form music and explore other options. He created and launched a food searching app call Yood. Yood gives you the location and phone number of the highest rated restaurant closest to you. He also dabbled in construction for some time. In 2014, he appeared on an episode of _The Real Housewives of New Jersey _to help build Kathy Wakile’s home.
Nikki Bonsley is a Hairstylist
Nikki Bonsley became a name everyone new after her role of Tracy Turnlad in the movie adaption of Hairspray. After Hairspray she continued to get many small roles. She still needed a side job between her auditions. Since she had a passion for cosmetology, she decided to get her license. Now she works in her hometown of Great Neck, New York, as a part time makeup artist and hair stylist.
Jon Gosselin Worked As a DJ & a Line Cook
From _Jon & Kate Plus 8, _Jon Gosselin is now a full time DJ. He DJs at a night club in Wyomissing at the Building 24. He also has taken a part time job, as a line cook, at TGI Friday’s. He works there about 8 hours a week, and he enjoys the work. He also does it too help out a friend.
Kirk Cameron Is Now a Preacher
Kirk Cameron is well known for his role as Mike Seaver on the TV sitcom Growing Pains. Cameron became a born again Christian during his time on growing pains. When the show was cancelled this led him to a new life. He currently trains Christians in evangelism. He founded The Way of The Master, with his partner Ray Comfort. Cameron also hosts a weekly TV show for the ministry.
Tom Selleck Owns An Avocado Farm
Tom Selleck has had multiple well-known roles through his acting career including in Magnum, P.I., Three Men and a Baby, and _Friends. _Something Selleck has always done, throughout his career, is farm avocados. He actually lives on a 60 acres avocado farm in Westlake Village, CA. About the farming he has said, “So I like to get outside and work on the farm, from fixing roads to clearing brush. I hate going to the gym, so sweating outdoors sure beats sitting on a stationary bike staring at my navel. And I work cheaper than anyone I could hire to do it.”
McKayla Maroney Is A Musician
McKayla Maroney gained international fame as a part of the “Fierce Five” at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The team won gold overall. She won silver on vault and was not happy about the outcome. Photos of her “not impressed” face quickly went viral on the internet. She has since left the gym and turned to music. In summer 2016, she released a single called “Ghost.” She told Us “I like to say my genre is vulnerable pop because it’s all melody and lyrically driven and heart driven.”
Brittany Ashton Holmes Is Now a Starbucks Barista
Brittany Ashton Holmes was the actress who played Darla in _The Little Rascals. _When she left Hollywood after playing that role, she was raised as a normal kid. Currently, she is pursuing a degree in political science. While I am sure her role in a popular movie as a kid earned her a good amount to comfortably pay for college, she still works as a Starbucks barista to subsidize her tuition.
Jeff Cohen is a Lawyer
Jeff Cohen, the man behind the famous truffle shuffle. That’s right; this is the man that played Chunk in the hit movie, _The Goonies. _He said it himself, when puberty hit that it forced him to retire early. Luckily for him, acting was not his only career path. Cohen went on to law school and after graduating, he founded the law firm, Cohen & Gardner, LLP.
Julia Stiles Is An Activist
Julia Stiles is well-known for many roles. She is only 35-years-old and has over 50 acting credits to her name. However, a little less known fact about her is she has had a side job throughout her acting career. She does a lot of charity work. She has worked for Habitat for Humanity, and also Amnesty International to help raise awareness for the harsh conditions of immigration detention of unaccompanied juveniles.
Steven Seagal Served As Deputy Sheriff
This one really doesn’t surprise me. Steven Seagal actually served as a Deputy Sheriff for some time. He served in rural Doña Ana County in New Mexico. This county’s coverage area includes part of the U.S. Mexico border. He has special interest in border issues and offered to train new officers.
Danielle Fishel Is A Reporter
Danielle Fishel is best known for her role of Topanga on the TV series “Boy Meets World”, a role which she reprised in the recent spin-off series “Girl Meets World.” Fishel has always been loved by the public, therefore, it is no surprise she turned to journalism. She has been a host on Style Network’s The Dish, as well as is a resident reporter for _PopSugar _(a lifestyle content platform targeted towards women 18-34.)
Susan Boyle Applied To Be A Cashier
Susan Boyle rose to international stardom after singing “I Dreamed a Dream” on Britain’s Got Talent. She placed second on the show, but that didn’t stop her success. Since her appearance on the show, in 2009, she has released 7 studio albums. In 2014, she drew quite the speculation when it was reported that she had applied to be a cashier at a betting shop in her hometown. She told the_ London Evening Standard_, “I just went in on the off-chance. It was kind of a desire to be normal. And it was a quiet period. I just got panicky (about fame). But I wouldn’t want to scrap the job I already have (music). I absolutely love it.”
Dylan & Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit Are Working Seperately
Dylan and Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit are best known for playing Alex and Nicky, the twin sons of Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky on the 90s sitcom Full House. However, they grew up and decided it be best for them to work apart from now on. Blake is a fire fighter based in Atlanta. Nicky has returned to TV, but has stayed behind the scenes and works as a sound technician. However, they both returned for a short stint on the Netflix Full House reboot Fuller House.
Nick Offerman Is An Amazing Woodworker
By now Nick Offerman has become infamous for his character Ron Swanson on “Parks and Recreation”. Ron Swanson’s character is an avid bacon lover, OG gentleman and accomplished woodworker. But here’s the big reveal: Nick Offerman is just as brilliant a woodworker as the character he portrays. Nick would say he’s ‘fair to middling at best’ but his work will clearly tell you otherwise. For 12 years Nick has owned the distinguished, yet unpretentious, Offerman Woodshop in East LA. Nick and a small team of talented and passionate craftsmen create everything from canoes to redwood root tables.
Danny Lloyd Is A Biology Teacher
Danny Lloyd became synonymous with horror movies at a young age. He starred in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. In the DVD release of the film, Danny said he did not even realize he was filming a horror movie. He believed the movie was just about a family who lived in a hotel. However, we left acting and decided to pursue other passions. In 2007, Lloyd became a biology professor at a community college in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Roseanne Barr Is A Politician
Most known for the indisputably iconic domestic goddess lead in “Roseanne” (1988-1997), Barr has since been up to all kinds of non-acting related endeavors. In 1989, she released her autobiography titled Roseanne-My Life As a Woman. As of 2011, she, her boyfriend Johnny Argent and son Jake run a macadamia nut and livestock farm on the Big Island, Hawaii. On August 4, 2012, Barr won the presidential nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party. She came in 6th place in the general elections with 67,326 votes nationwide. She has never been known to shy away from controversy. Case in point, in 2014, the parents of neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, filed a lawsuit against Barr for youtubeing their home address and phone number back in 2012. In 2015, judgment was granted in favor of Barr.
Brendan Fraser
Flickr Despite his insane work ethic, the star of _The Mummy _could not outwork child support payments and manager fees. His situation is bad, but it could be worse—he could have become broke because of a brain tumor, like another celebrity on this list.
Willie Nelson
16 million dollars of debt will make people do crazy things. In 1990, Willie Nelson released an album entitled _The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories. _Naturally, all proceeds from the album went to the IRS. Nelson cleared his debt by 1993. While Nelson is the only country singer on this list, he’s not the only one who resorted to touring to save his skin…
Dennis Rodman
800,000 dollars in child support proved to be too much for the former basketball star. His spending habits caught up to him, but not as badly as they did to the star of National Treasure.
Lindsay Lohan
When you’re asking Charlie Sheen for financial advice, you know you’re bad with money. Even after Lohan received a 100,000 dollar loan from Sheen, her accounts were frozen by the IRS in 2012.
Mike Tyson
“Iron Mike” earned an incredible 400 million dollars during his run as heavyweight champ, but spending habits left him 50 million dollars in debt by 2002. To pay off his dues, the boxing great toured the world giving motivational speeches about his life. Mike’s fall is a sad one, but you won’t believe what happened to the man whose ear was bitten off by Tyson…
Nicholas Cage
With over 14 million dollars of debt, Nicholas Cage has vowed to pay every cent of it back. It should be an easy task, given that the multiple mansions, yachts, and cars he owns total up to 150 million dollars.
Marvin Gaye
Widely considered to be one of the greatest singers of all time, Marvin Gaye went from rags to riches back to rags again. He filed for bankruptcy in 1979 and reportedly spent some time living out of a bread van.
Teresa Giudice
According to the IRS’s tax reports on Teresa Giudice, the glam on _The Real Housewives Of New Jersey _isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Giudice and her husband reportedly had 13.5 million dollars in debt before declaring bankruptcy. The Real Housewife lifestyle is lavish, but at least they don’t spend 10 million dollars per year to operate their home, like another celebrity on this list…
Gary Coleman
Gary Coleman’s story might be the most tragic on this list. After amassing 8 million dollars on the hit show _Different Strokes, _Coleman was betrayed by his parents when they spent all of his earnings. He filed for bankruptcy in 1999.
Michael Jackson
Neverland Ranch is expensive to run, even if you are the King of Pop. Costing an asburd 10 million dollars a year to maintain, the Ranch was eventually foreclosed by Jackson in 2007.
Courtney Love
The death of Kurt Cobain took a real toll on Courtney Love. Forced to sell a quarter of Nirvana’s songs to pay for her debts, Love claims that certain unnamed figures in the music industry stole loads of money from her and her late husband.
Wesley Snipes
The only person to spend time in jail for tax evasion, Snipes apparently had a daunting debt over his head: 12 million dollars. The sum proved to be too much for the _Blade _star and he went to prison for three years.
Chris Tucker
Tucker went from being the highest paid actor of 2007 for _Rush Hour 3 _to being in 11 million dollars worth of debt. The star managed to save himself from jail by selling two of his private mansions. Tucker was lucky to avoid losing everything like the one-hit wonder who lost 33 million dollars because of poor spending.
Jose Canseco
Despite a lavish baseball career and best-selling book on steroids in sports, Canseco couldn’t keep up with the IRS. He filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Evander Holyfield
While Tyson and Holyfield were fierce rivals between the ropes, they were kindred spirits in terms of finances. Holyfield owed 15 million dollars in 2008—14 to a financial firm, 200,000 to the IRS, and the rest to his children.
Mickey Rooney
In his prime, Rooney earned an amazing 12 million dollars back in the 1950s. However, it only took one short decade for it all to dwindle down to 500 dollars. This was bad, but not as bad as the _Boogie Nights _star who lost it all.
Gary Busey
After a motorcycle accident in 1988 left him with life-altering head trauma, Busey has fallen on hard times. Expensive medical bills have left him with a million dollars of debt.
Sinbad
This comedian filed for bankruptcy not once, but twice. Sinbad shouldn’t feel too down about this, though—after all, a former U.S. president did the exact same thing.
Meat Loaf
In the midst of his success as a rock’n’roll superstar in the 1980s, Meat Loaf was sued by his former songwriting partner. While the amount was never revealed, it was enough for Meat Loaf to declare bankruptcy.
Abraham Lincoln
Honest Abe filed for bankruptcy twice before his country-changing presidential campaign. Shockingly, there’s another president who outdid him by filing for bankruptcy an astounding four times.
Mark Twain
After his immense success as a writer, Twain decided to invest in an obscure invention: the Paige typesetting machine. The product turned out to be a flop and forced the literary great into bankruptcy.
Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds spent money like it was nothing in the 1970s. A divorce and a few bad movies later, he was over 10 million dollars in debt. That number is huge, but it’s nothing compared to the 25 million owed by one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Larry King
Larry King went from broke to bankable in less than a year. In 1978, King filed for bankruptcy. A few months later, he was hired onto host his legendary radio show. The rest is history.
M.C. Hammer
M.C. Hammer was on top of the world at one point, but access to over 33 million dollars can lead to some dangerous habits. After too much spending and too little earning, the one-hit wonder filed for bankruptcy in 1996 after his debt reached $13 million.
Tionne Watkins
A prominent member of the hit R&B group TLC, Watkins was forced into bankruptcy after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and sickle cell amenia. Paying for treatments left her without any money.
Floyd Mayweather
The most recent entry on this list, “Money” was charged with outstanding dues to the IRS in 2017. While he didn’t file for bankruptcy, the boxing megastar has to fork up 25 million dollars to the taxman to avoid jail time.
Loraine Bracco
1999 was a hard year for the _Sopranos _star. After a five-year custody battle for her daughter, Bracco declared bankruptcy. She was penniless—until her role in the HBO show launched her into success. However, Bracco isn’t the only HBO star to go broke…
Lena Headey
Despite being a vicious, wealthy leader on _Game Of Thrones, _Lena Headey was anything but in real life. A nasty divorce forced her to sell her Hollywood home just to stay afloat.
Donald Trump
While Trump did not declare bankruptcy personally, his corporate entities have declared bankruptcy before—a whopping four times. While his presidency is still in its infancy, Trump’s past does not bode well for America’s future.