Most Outrageous Ways Celebrities Spent Their Money
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Sometimes, it seems like the more money a celebrity has, the poorer financial decisions they make. Sure, when you’re worth over a billion dollars, like Beyonce and Jay-Z, dropping $100,000 on a pair of gold leggings or $55 million on a horse may not seem like a big deal, but these outlandish purchases give the rest of us the right to throw some shade.
Fortunately, we have a lot of ridiculousness to cover. So, get ready to roll your eyes and scratch your heads at golden toilets, a dog mansion and even a dinosaur skull as we take a look at 30 truly bizarre celebrity purchases, from least to most expensive.
30. Item Purchased: A Ferragamo Purse (for a 3-Year-Old)
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Who bought it: Katie Holmes
Cost: $850
Year bought: 2010
Bottom line: As a child, Suri Cruise loved dressing like her famous mom, Katie Holmes, favoring high heels and dresses to sneakers and overalls. To complete the mini-me look, Holmes outfitted her daughter with a Salvatore Ferragmo “Sofia” handbag — a smaller version of her own $1,850 purse. It may sound lavish, but what else would you buy for a little girl whose wardrobe was reported to be worth over $3 million?
29. Item Purchased: A Plane Ticket … for a Hat
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Who bought it: Bono
Cost: $1,500
Year bought: 2003
Bottom line: U2 lead singer Bono was about to perform in Italy when he realized he’d left his hat behind in London. Rather than buy a new one or get on stage without it, he arranged for the hat to be flown to him — in first-class. Thankfully for Bono, he was reunited with his prized possession in time for the concert. The question remains: Did he celebrate by singing "With or Without You?"
28. Item Purchased: Loads of Glitter
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Who bought it: Ke$ha
Cost: Thousands of dollars a month
Year bought: 2011
Bottom line: The dollar sign in Ke$ha’s name should clue you in that she’s more of a spender than a saver, but while other celebs went for big houses or fancy cars, she spent a ton of money on glitter. She loved covering her body in the sparkly material and showered her fans with it, too. As she told Vanity Fair, “The glitter’s not really a choice. When you’re around me, you’re going to get glitter on you. It’s my goal to cover the planet in glitter.”
27. Item Purchased: Kabbalah Water
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Who bought it: Madonna
Cost: $10,000 a month
Year bought: 2008-present
Bottom line: Madonna wasn’t kidding when she branded herself a “Material Girl,” and her choice in water is no exception. Rather than buy regular-old bottled water or, gasp, drink from the tap, Madonna reportedly spends thousands of dollars every month on special “Kabbalah-blessed” water. We’re not sure what specific blessings the water offers, but given that she’s over 60 and still going strong, it almost makes you want to stop scratching your head and "Open Your Heart" to the stuff.
26. Item Purchased: A Taxidermied Miniature Horse
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Who bought it: Amanda Seyfried
Cost: Unknown, but likely thousands
Year bought: 2011
Bottom line: The "Mamma Mia"star loves animals — she just prefers them dead and stuffed. While in London, she walked into a store selling a taxidermied miniature horse and couldn’t leave the country without it. "I love good taxidermy; it's like art," she explained.
To each their own, we suppose.
25. Item Purchased: A Hefty Mattress
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Who bought it: Daniel Radcliffe
Cost: $17,000
Year bought: 2012
Bottom line: All of those years spent playing Harry Potter and battling Voldermort must have left Daniel Radcliffe needing a good night’s sleep — so much that he was willing to spend almost $20,000 on a custom-made Savior mattress. We’ve heard of people stashing money in their mattresses, but spending so much on one makes us wonder if Radcliffe fell under a stupefy spell.
24. Item Purchased: A Lavender Grill
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Who bought it: Justin Bieber
Cost: $25,000
Year bought: 2019
Bottom line: Who needs pearly whites when you can have a purple grill? To celebrate his marriage to Hailey Baldwin, the Biebs added a custom-made, diamond grill to his smile. It was made by designer Gold Teeth God (no, we’re not kidding about that name) and was covered in 5-carat diamonds from Israel. Even though we don’t understand how someone can spend money in such a way, it’s best not to grill him over it.
23. Item Purchased: A Gold iPhone
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Who bought it: Victoria Beckham
Cost: $33,000
Year bought: 2011
Bottom line: With her keen sense of style, it’s no wonder Victoria Beckham was the “Posh” member of the Spice Girls. In 2011, she dialed up her game with a 24-carat gold iPhone, which was custom designed by Stuart Hughes and contained 150 grams of gold. We guess Apple’s own rose gold design wasn’t good enough.
22. Item Purchased: A Ghost Detector
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Who bought it: Lady Gaga
Cost: $50,000
Year bought: 2010
Bottom line: During her "Monster Ball" tour, Lady Gaga felt something more than her spirited fans, claiming to be followed around the world by an actual ghost spirit named Ryan. To help ease her anxiety, she bought an electromagnetic field reader to detect supernatural activity and hired paranormal experts. Well, who you gonna call, right?
21. Item Purchased: A Custom-Designed Sofa
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Who bought it: Kendall Jenner
Cost: $52,000
Year bought: 2016
Bottom line: For her 21st birthday, Kendall Jenner (of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians"fame) bought herself a purple sofa that costs more than some homes. Jenner justified the extravagance (called “The Boa”) by saying, “I’ve been really good and came in under my [decorating] budget. I got super excited and bought another amazing couch.”
We’re not sure quite how big that budget was, but why she’d pick something that looks like a woven purple brain makes us scratch our heads for sure.
20.Item Purchased: A Pyramid Tomb
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Who bought it: Nicolas Cage
Cost: $61,000
Year bought: 2010
Bottom line: Nicolas Cage makes this list twice, this time for a pyramid tomb in a New Orleans cemetery. Cage is a longtime fan of the city, having also bought a “haunted" mansion and chapel here. But he decided he needed property in New Orleans’s beloved St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 (home to the resting place of famed voodoo queen, Marie Laveau). The gleaming white, 9-foot stone pyramid stands out as a total eyesore compared to the weathered grey graves it surrounds. The pyramid doesn’t have Cage’s name on it, but it does have the Latin phrase “Omnia Ab Uno,” which means “Everything From One.”
19. Item Purchased: A Diamond-Encrusted Barbie Doll
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Who bought it: Beyonce and Jay-Z
Cost: $80,000
Year bought: 2013
Bottom line: The good news for Blue Ivy Carter is that her parents, Beyonce and Jay-Z, are just as generous with her as they are with themselves. For her first birthday, she received a blinged-out Barbie doll covered in 160 real diamonds. We know diamonds are supposed to be a girl’s best friend and all, but for a 1-year-old, it’s a bit much. On top of the $80,000 Barbie, the power couple threw their daughter a party that cost almost $100,000 in decorations alone. However, they did cut back on the cake, spending a mere $2,500.
18. Item Purchased: Gold Leggings
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Who bought it: Beyonce
Cost: $100,000
Year bought: 2007
Bottom line: Everyone wants to win gold at awards shows, but Beyonce took things to the next level at the 2007 BET Awards, sporting a pair of gold Balenciaga leggings during her performance of “Get Me Bodied.” If you thought Lululemon was pricey, consider this: You can get 842 pairs of the designer leggings for the price of Beyonce’s one golden pair.
17. Item Purchased: A Doggie Mobile
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Who bought it: Miley Cyrus
Cost: $125,000
Year bought: 2013
Bottom line: Five dogs are bound to make a mess in the car, so singer Miley Cyrus solved that problem by buying them wheels of their own. Her canine companions — Happy, Bean, Floyd, Mary Jane and Penny Lane — rode in style while being allowed to jump, scratch and get their hair all over the place. Sounds like they had a real "Party in the U.S.A." Though, for the record, Cyrus drew the line at letting the dogs drive.
16. Item Purchased: Tigers
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Who bought it: Mike Tyson
Cost: $140,00
Year bought: 1992
Bottom line: Iron Mike was like a wild animal in the boxing ring, reigning as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990 (not to mention the time he actually bit someone). So, it’s no surprise that he’d choose three Bengal tigers as pets. The tigers were pricey (and illegal) pets, costing around $4,000 for food and upkeep. His favorite, Kenya, was 550 pounds and made an appearance in "The Hangover" movie. Like Tyson, she had a mean streak and attacked a neighbor. He sent her to a wildcat refuge and admitted he was wrong to have tigers in his home. He now owns a poodle instead.
15. Item Purchased: An Original Sketch from Disney’s Haunted Mansion
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Who bought it: Neil Partick Harris
Cost: $172,500
Year bought: 2016
Bottom line: Neil Patrick showed us his magic on Broadway and in "How I Met Your Mother," but in real life, he’s fallen under the spell of Disney — specifically its Haunted Mansion. In 2016, he outbid Jeff Bezos for an original sketch from the Disneyland attraction. "I love stuff from the Haunted Mansion,” he told James Corden on the "Late Late Show." “And so I try to acquire as many things that are from the actual Haunted Mansion as possible."
It’s a sweet story, but we’re not sure what’s more puzzling: why Harris spent a small fortune on a sketch or the fact that he managed to outbid the $2 billion man for it.
14. Item Purchased: A Sonogram Machine
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Who bought it: Tom Cruise
Cost: $200,000
Year bought: 2005
Bottom line: In 2005, Tom Cruise was acting pretty peculiar, jumping on Oprah Winfrey’s couch, ranting against antidepressants and snapping at interviewers. But perhaps the most bizarre act of all was buying a sonogram machine, which we’re pretty sure comes with a “don’t try this at home” label. Maybe he was feeling extra protective of his girlfriend and mother of his unborn child (Katie Holmes, making the list again!), or he missed the days playing a doctor in "Eyes Wide Shut" (co-starring his ex, Nicole Kidman). Thankfully, Cruise donated the machine to a local hospital after his daughter was born.
13. Item Purchased: A Ticket to Space
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Who bought it: Katy Perry
Cost: $200,00
Year bought: 2010
Bottom line: Sometimes, a couple needs their distance, but Katy Perry took that to extremes when she bought her then-fiance Russel Brand a trip to space. Actually, it was a very generous gift for his 35th birthday. But the big question is: Would his trip be accompanied by a "Firework" display? Perry and Band have since broken up, and he has yet to punch his ticket (aboard Virgin Galactic, because of course Richard Branson has to be involved in this wackadoo plan).
12. Item Purchased: A Dinosaur Skull
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Who bought it: Nicholas Cage
Cost: $276,000
Year bought: 2007
Bottom line: Some people use auctions to bid on artwork or dream vacations, but Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage faced off over a dinosaur skull. To be fair, it belonged to a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex. Cage ultimately crushed the competition, but his celebration was short-lived. It turned out the fossil was stolen, and Cage returned it to the rightful owner.
11. Item Purchased: A Dog Mansion
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Who bought it: Paris Hilton
Cost: $325,000
Year bought: 2009
Bottom line: Some dogs get a house, but Paris Hilton built hers a mansion. This 300-square-foot, Spanish-style villa is big enough for Paris to hang inside with her pooch and boasts a grand balcony and staircase, designer furniture, air conditioning and a chandelier. Talk about an extravagant pet project!
10. Item Purchased: Gold-Plated Toilets
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Who bought it: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian
Cost: $750,000
Year bought: 2013
Bottom line: Kim and Kayne are known for being outlandish, but the couple took things to the extreme by installing Louis XIV-style gold-plated toilets in their California mansion. We know they think of themselves as a king and queen, so maybe having a golden throne is befitting? To be fair, the house is also equipped with a basketball court, movie theater, indoor pool and bowling alley, so a super fancy toilet completes the royal flush.
9. Item Purchased: Hair Styling
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Who bought it: Rihanna
Cost: $1 million a year
Year bought: Ongoing
Bottom line: Rihanna is simply gorgeous, especially her hair, which looks like a million bucks and costs that much, too. According to reports, that’s the amount the singer make-up mogul pays her stylist, Ursula Stephen, every year. Broken down, that’s about $24,000 a week or enough to buy over 71,000 umbrellas.
8. Item Purchased: A Crystal Bathtub
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Who bought it: Tamara Ecclestone
Cost: $1.5 million
Year bought: 2011
Bottom line: Bath crystals are a nice luxury, but imagine having a bathtub made of actual crystal? That’s how Formula One heiress Tamara Ecclestone prefers her soaks. “I spend a lot of time in the bathtub, so it’s worth it,” she said justifying her extravagance, which reportedly involved sending her employees to the Amazon (the actual rainforest, not the online megastore) to find the right crystals.
7. Item Purchased: A Helicopter
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Who bought it: Angelina Jolie
Cost: $1.6 million
Year bought: 2012
Bottom line: You’ve probably heard of helicopter parents, but Angelina Jolie became a helicopter fiancé when she bought Brad Pitt a chopper. Not for his birthday or any other special occasion, by the way, just because she could. She figured their estate in France already came with a helipad, so why not add the accessory? Jolie was nice enough to include flying lessons. Too bad their relationship eventually spun out of control.
6. Item Purchased: A Humidifier
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Who bought it: Celine Dion
Cost: $2 million
Year bought: 2002
Bottom line: After booking a residency in Las Vegas, Celine Dion was concerned that the desert air would harm her million-dollar voice and bought a humidifier. That’s totally understandable, but what we can’t figure out is why it cost $2 million (good ones are like $200, tops). Still, it must have done a great job since the show (like her heart) went on ... and on and on.
5. Item Purchased: A Private Island
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Who bought it: Johnny Depp
Cost: $3.6 million
Year bought: 2004
Bottom line: After playing Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean"series, Johnny Depp decided he wanted his own slice of paradise. The 45-acre island, named Little Hall’s Pond Cay, has six private beaches and luxurious digs. But don’t count on getting invited, though, as Depp affectionately calls it “F*ck Off Island.”
4. Item Purchased: Fancy Airplane With Fancy Fixtures
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Who bought it: Donald Trump
Cost: $100 million for the plane, $100,000 more for the gold
Year bought: 2011
Bottom line: It (kind of) makes sense why the former president would want a jet. However, Trump decided the plane didn’t look fancy enough and insisted on adding gold-plated features everywhere, including the seatbelts and bathroom fixtures, dropping another $100,000 in the process.
3. Item Purchased: A Georgian Town
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Who bought it: Kim Bassinger
Cost: $20 million
Year bought: 1989
Bottom line: Before "Schitt’s Creek" charmed millions, Oscar-winning actress Kim Bassinger forked over millions to purchase most of the land in Braselton, Georgia. A native of the Peach State, she wanted to turn the small town into a tourist attraction that included major film and music studios. Unlike the TV show, Bassinger’s plan flopped. There was little interest in the town and, a few years later, she filed for bankruptcy and had to sell most of her shares.
2. Item Purchased: A Horse
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Who bought it: Jay-Z
Cost: $55 million
Year bought: 2014
Bottom line: After spending so much on his daughter, it’s only natural Jay-Z would want to buy himself a little something. Nay, scratch that. He bought a $55 million racehorse! At least the horse, California Chrome, had just won the Kentucky Derby (and has since gone on to win other big events like the Dubai Cup). Still, Hov paid a lot of money for those hooves and never seemed like quite the horse enthusiast. Years later, when Jay-Z was a producer for an all-Black western, someone asked if he could ride a horse. “I can ride a Porsche. It got horsepower,” he said.
1. Item Purchased: A Diamond Mine
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Who bought it: Akon
Cost: Unknown
Year bought: 2007
Bottom line: While other celebrities went for the gold, R&B singer Akon preferred diamonds, going so far as to purchase a diamond mine in South Africa. Though the price was never disclosed, this kind of investment surely isn’t cheap. Akon came under scrutiny for the mine’s potential role in the blood diamonds trade, but he urged everyone to focus on the shiny objects and denied any wrongdoing. He also used his money to set up a charity for children in Africa called the Konfidence Foundation. So, there's that at least.