Hey, Millionaire! TV is one of the biggest businesses in the world these days. We just can't
get enough of binge-watching our favorite shows. With such huge audiences, production companies are
throwing bigger and bigger budgets at these shows. But we all know that nothing attracts an audience
quite like a star. The actors in these big-budget shows are getting paid more and more money to play
leading roles. Seriously, you wouldn't believe your eyes if you saw the kind of cash they were
getting. You'd think that they could live a life of luxury forever with those salaries. But, if the
stars on this list prove anything, it's that even highly paid TV stars can still go broke. Here are
15 TV stars that, surprisingly, went bankrupt. You'll be shocked at the names on this list!
15. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt
The infamous reality show couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt made enough money from "The
Hills' and other appearances to keep them happy for years. They'd gathered a hefty
$10 million fortune. Sadly, they weren't very clever with the ways they spent it. Rumor has
it they were actually trying to blow it because they thought the world would end in 2012. That
probably explains the $3,500 bottles of booze. They never filed for bankruptcy but did have to
bring in a financial advisor when they realized they didn't have any of their $10 million left.
14. Erin Moran
Erin Moran had made tons of cash before she left high school as a star of one of the biggest TV
shows of all time - 'Happy Days.' Sadly, Erin's happy days wouldn't last. When the show ended,
so did her career. She never saw the same kind of success again, and her money quickly dried
up. Sadly, at the time of her death, she was broke and reportedly homeless - she had even
been kicked out of the trailer park she was living in. We don't know exactly how much money she lost,
but you can bet it was a lot with 255 episodes of Happy Days and a $1,000 cheque for each one.
13. Lena Headey
We all know the biggest show of the last decade was Game of Thrones. So you'll be
surprised to see Lena Headey on this list. But Lena wasn't always the powerful Cercei Lannister.
Before she took on the iconic role in GoT, she was going through a divorce that didn't help her
bank account at all. She was already worth about $5 million at the time. But during the divorce,
it was revealed that she had only $5 left in her bank account, and she had to use credit cards to
buy food for herself and her two-year-old son. Things are pretty different since she was cast
in Game of Thrones. It's estimated that she made $30 million across the show's entire run.
12. Tia Carrere - had only $300 left Tia Carrere has had a pretty interesting
career, but it wasn't always smooth sailing. Thanks to her role in 'General Hospital,'
she was making $150,000 a year at a really young age. Unfortunately,
she had one big problem in her life - a terrible boyfriend who also happened to be her manager.
When she attempted to get out of her contract on 'General Hospital,' the courts sided with the
producers. Her boyfriend then took off with all her money. She was left with just $300,
and she was forced to sleep in the hallway belonging to her modeling agent,
who felt sorry for her. Luckily, she landed her iconic role in 'Wayne's World' soon after.
11. Gary Coleman Gary Coleman was one of the most
loved child actors of all time for his role as Arnold in "Diff'rent Strokes." But his adult life
wasn't as easy. He had gathered a fortune off his acting, and it was all being put in a trust
fund which he could access when he turned 17. By that time, there was supposed to be $18 million in
the account, but Coleman realized there was only $220,000 left when he tried to access the money
he'd earned. It turned out his adopted parents had been slowly draining the account over the years.
He filed for bankruptcy in 1999, claiming he was $72,000 in debt, partly due to health issues.
What would you do if your parents spent your hard-earned millions?
Let us know in the comments! And keep watching to find out who took our number 1 spot.
10. Larry King Larry King is an icon, so it's
hard to believe he nearly lost his career! He'd made a name for himself in the 1960s. But in 1971,
his business partner suddenly accused him of stealing $5,000. The charges were dropped,
but he was essentially blacklisted. Without being able to work in journalism for 4 years,
he suffered financially and eventually went bankrupt. He was about $350,000 in debt at the
time. It's great that he was eventually allowed to start working again, though!
9. Drake Bell
People of a certain age will probably remember the Nickelodeon show 'Drake and Josh.' Well, the Drake
half of the show was Drake Bell. As you'd guess, the show brought a lot of success his way. But it
didn't last. In 2014, Drake filed for bankruptcy. He was apparently just under $600,000 in debt!
Sadly, he lost his $2 million house as a result. Sadly for Drake, that's not the worst mistake he's
made in recent years. He rebranded as a Latin singer, but his reputation had taken a beating.
8. Don Johnson As the star of Miami Vice and Nash Bridges,
Don Johnson is one of the biggest stars ever to hit TV. But he still managed to go broke.
He was so in debt that he nearly lost his 17-acre Colorado ranch when he was sued by City National
Bank. They claimed he owed $930,000 to more businesses than you can count, including $5,000
owed to a spa and an infamous bill for groceries totaling nearly $5800! It was so bad that the
Woody Creek Tavern near Johnson's ranch put out a tip jar for anyone who wanted to help bail him
out! Lucky for him, he's since paid his debt in full - and just in time to keep his ranch as well.
7. Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Hemsley made a name for himself on 'The Jeffersons' but, in 1999, his bank account didn't
reflect his success. He was in pretty big trouble too. When filing for bankruptcy,
he revealed that he was over $1 million in debt! Some of that was for unpaid taxes,
which added up to $15,500. But the biggest problem was a loan that he couldn't repay. With interest,
he owed a whopping $995,000 on that loan! Luckily, he bounced back later in his career.
6. Gary Busey Younger people will
find this hard to believe, but Gary Busey was once one of the best film actors in America.
Unfortunately, in 1988, he was involved in a very serious motorbike accident. It was so bad that he
died, but while doctors managed to bring him back to life, he still suffers from permanent brain
damage. Always wear a helmet, kids! As you can imagine, this affected his career in a big way.
He wasn't getting any big roles anymore, which obviously affected his bank account. But his
brain injury also caused money problems for him because he's not capable of making rational
decisions since the accident. When he filed for bankruptcy in 2012, he was $1 million in debt.
5. Pamela Anderson
There's no doubt Pamela Anderson became an icon thanks to that red swimsuit in Baywatch. At the
height of her fame, she was earning an incredible salary of $6.6 million per year! The trouble
started when she bought a house in Malibu worth nearly $2 million but decided she didn't like it
and knocked it down to build another house worth $8 million. She couldn't quite pay the builders,
had tax troubles, and eventually had to file for bankruptcy and move into a trailer park. She was
$1 million in debt at the time, but she bounced back and now has a net worth of about $20 million!
Surprised to see Pamela Anderson on this list? The names coming
up are even more surprising - and the debt is even bigger!
4. Lorraine Bracco Not many actors get to make their debut
in a Scorsese masterwork, but Lorraine Bracco was brilliant enough to do just that. Sadly,
despite her incredible career, she found herself in a nasty 6-year-long custody battle with another
acting legend, Harvey Keitel. The legal fees cost her big time. In 1999, she filed for bankruptcy,
claiming she was $4 million in debt! Lucky for her, that was also the year she landed
her role in The Sopranos, so it didn't take her too long to bounce back from that huge debt.
3. Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes was easily
one of the most celebrated soul singers of all time. But that didn't save him from bankruptcy.
It wasn't entirely his fault - he was caught up in a complicated debt scandal with Stax Records.
They couldn't afford to pay Hayes his royalties after the tragic death of Otis Redding. He left
the company and formed his own record label but couldn't replicate the success from earlier in
his career. He was eventually forced to file for bankruptcy, claiming he was $6 million in debt!
Hopefully, he made some of that eye-watering debt back with his iconic role as Chef in 'South Park.'
2. Teresa Giudice 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Teresa
Giudice made a fortune appearing in that show. Unfortunately, she didn't have as much money as
she seemed to think. Sports cars, fancy parties, and too many high-end shopping sprees burned
through her cash and then even more cash that she didn't have. Somehow, she spent so much that
she found herself $12 million in debt! You don't need exercise if you're doing that much shopping.
And finally, the person who took our number one spot is...
1. Donald Trump These days, Donald Trump is more well
known for being an ex-President than for his TV work. But cast your mind back to when he was the
star of The Apprentice. On that show, he claimed to be one of the most successful businessmen
ever. But that wasn't exactly true. Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy, but that's
because he avoids it by filing for bankruptcy on behalf of his businesses instead. And it's
becoming a habit - he's done it six times already, claiming a heart-stopping $1 billion in debt!