MONEY WELL SPENT
Most everyone has fantasized about being rich, but few ever find out how they'd actually spend the money. Priorities can get a little skewed, it turns out, leading some celebrities and tycoons to make purchases that seem unjustifiable from a more middle-class perspective. (Others remain steadfastly cheap, it should be said.) The most bafflingly expensive celebrity purchases are at once infuriating for their unchecked opulence and oddly comforting, reminding that even the richest among us still don't know what they want.
AN ENTIRE TOWN — KIM BASINGER
In 1989, the same year she starred opposite Michael Keaton in "Batman," Kim Basinger paid $20 million to buy 1,600 acres of Braselton — virtually the entire town — in her home state of Georgia. Basinger, then 34, wanted to turn the rural farm town into a tourist attraction and film studio, but ended up selling the property as part of her 1995 bankruptcy.
A DINOSAUR SKULL — NICOLAS CAGE
Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage had their eye on a 67 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus bataar skull, but only one of them shelled out more than $270,000 at auction for it — in other words, a typical day in Hollywood. While DiCaprio's been famed for high living since his teen heartthrob days, Cage has made far more verifiably extravagant purchases, as intense in his spending habits as he is in his acting. In 2015, Cage agreed to return the skull to Mongolia after an attorney determined it was stolen.Â
A NEW ORLEANS HAUNTED MANSION — NICOLAS CAGE
Another of Cage's most fascinating purchases was the LaLaurie House, one of New Orleans' most notoriously haunted locations — so haunted as to inspire a season of "American Horror Story." "Other people have beachfront property; I have ghost front property," Cage said. He lost the home to foreclosure in 2009, when it was appraised for $3.5 million.
THE SHAH OF IRAN'S LAMBORGHINI — NICOLAS CAGE
In a 1997 auction taking place in Switzerland, Cage bought the late Shah of Iran's red Lamborghini Miura SVJ for $450,000, bidding by telephone. Cage's other extravagant purchases, as outlined by his former business manager in a 2009 court case, included another 22 cars, three homes, and 47 pieces of "artwork and exotic items," all in the same year as that Tyrannosaurus skull.
A DOG MANSION — PARIS HILTON
Paris Hilton doesn't demand opulence just for herself, but for her dogs as well. The hotel heiress, former reality TV star, and current DJ keeps a two-story, 300-square foot dog villa, which she revealed in a 2009 interview cost about $325,000.
A $2 MILLION HUMIDIFIER — CELINE DION
Included in Celine Dion's $100 million deal to perform a three-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas was the installation of a $2 million humidifier on the stage. The misting device hung above her head during performances, reportedly to "preserve her singing voice in the harsh desert climate."
A $1.5 MILLION CRYSTAL BATHTUB — TAMARA ECCLESTONE
What is it about bathtubs certain rich people love so much? For example, Tamara Ecclestone, the daughter of British billionaire Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, paid 1 million pounds (about $1.3 million) for a bathtub made of crystal. She affirmed in an interview with the Daily Mail that employees had been sent "up the Amazon" to gather the crystal for the bathtub, at the same time insisting she had a "grounded" attitude toward money and had been "raised to want to work for a living."
A $2.2 MILLION GOLD BATHTUB — MIKE TYSON
Mike Tyson went even flashier with his bathing choice, spending $2 million on a 24-karat gold bathtub for his first wife Robin Givens. Despite an income exceeding $300 million in his 20-year boxing career, this was part of a pattern of overspending that drove Tyson to file for bankruptcy in 2003, when he was $23 million in debt.
A GOLD IPHONE — VICTORIA BECKHAM
Victoria Beckham — formerly Posh Spice — paid $33,000 for a Stuart Hughes-designed iPhone made with 150 grams of 24-karat gold. When she was first glimpsed with the flashy phone in 2011, British tabloids speculated it was a present from her soccer star husband, David Beckham, but a rep explained, "She's had the phone for ages. Nothing new." One wonders how much was spent on the upgrade.
A GHOST DETECTOR — LADY GAGA
Pop star Lady Gaga bought a $50,000 electromagnetic field reader to detect paranormal activity at concerts. The money she spends making sure her life is ghost free doesn't end there; she also hires ghost hunters and paranormal investigators to clear every venue and hotel room along her tours.
AN ENTIRE HAWAIIAN ISLAND — LARRY ELLISON
In 2012, Silicon Valley tech billionaire Larry Ellison bought 98 percent of the sparsely inhabited Hawaiian island of Lanai from Dole Food billionaire David Murdock, a deal valued at more than $500 million. The Oracle founder was then the third-wealthiest American, with a net worth of $36 billion, some of which he's also spent on a $200 million yacht and additional trophy properties in Malibu, Lake Tahoe, Rancho Mirage, and elsewhere.
A $100 MILLION PRIVATE JET — DONALD TRUMP
In 2011, New York real estate and reality TV personality Donald Trump bought Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's private Boeing 757 for $100 million. He spent an untold amount emblazoning his family name on the plane and installing gold fixtures everywhere, including for the bathroom sink and seatbelts. And now he's president.
DA VINCI'S JOURNAL — BILL GATES
In 1994, Microsoft's other co-founder bought the Codex Leicester, the most famous of 30 surviving journals by Renaissance artist and thinker Leonardo da Vinci. Gates paid $31 million for the document, making it the most expensive book ever sold, then had the notebook digitally scanned and made available on CD-ROM for less than $30.
A SHARK SUSPENDED IN FORMALDEHYDE — STEVEN COHEN
Hedge fund manager Steven Cohen, worth $13 billion, is responsible for buying the second most expensive painting ever sold ($137.5 million for Willem de Kooning's "Woman III"), but that's not as strange as the $8 million (or was it $12 million?) he spent to acquire artist Damien Hirst's shark suspended in formaldehyde.
AN $11,000 DRESS ... FOR A 4-YEAR-OLD — BEYONCÉ AND JAY-Z
Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy wore a gold-flecked gown worth $10,950 to the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, which seems outrageous for a 4-year-old yet frugal compared with some other celebrities' awards season wardrobes. Even before she was born, Blue Ivy became the recipient of dozens of luxe baby shower gifts, including — wouldn't you know it? — a $5,200 crystal-studded bathtub.
A DIAMOND-ENCRUSTED BARBIE — BEYONCÉ AND JAY-Z
For Blue Ivy's first birthday, her parents gave her a custom-made diamond-encrusted Barbie doll worth $80,000. The birthday spending didn't end there, however, and included another $95,000 on pink and white roses and $2,400 for a cake.
A DIAMOND MINE — AKON
Many hip-hop stars like to boast about bling, but few have taken it as far as R&B singer Akon, who, it was revealed in 2007, owns his own diamond mine in South Africa. While at the time he denied diamond mining's troubled history, saying "that's just a movie," Akon has since reversed and accepted the existence of blood diamonds while saying he donates profits from his mine to local communities.
A FIRST-CLASS PLANE TICKET FOR A HAT — BONO
A self-described "spoiled rock star," U2 frontman Bono once forgot his favorite hat in going to Italy, so he paid $1,500 in 2003 to have his beloved headwear flown first-class from London. The hat was reportedly even upgraded to the pilot's chambers to keep from being crushed.
KABBALAH WATER — MADONNA
The Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles is a religious teaching center, based in Judaism but widely condemned by other adherents and best known for attracting (or preying on) wealthy celebrity clients — none more famously than Madonna. In Touch Weekly reported in 2008 that the pop singer spent upward of $10,000 a month making sure she and her family drank only specially blessed Kabbalah water costing $5 per bottle.
GOLD-PLATED TOILETS — KANYE WEST
There are plenty of places a frugal observer might take issue with the opulent estate celebrity couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian bought for $11 million in 2013, but none more so than the $750,000 gold-plated toilets. They listed the home just two years later for $20 million.
SONOGRAM MACHINE — TOM CRUISE
In 2005, during the height of his Katie Holmes infatuation-slash-meltdown, Tom Cruise bought his pregnant then-girlfriend an ultrasound machine, which range in price from $15,000 to $200,000. Cruise said medical technicians were teaching him and Holmes to use the device to monitor her pregnancy from the comfort of home — something obstetricians and other experts strongly advise against — and that after the birth they'd donate it to a hospital.
A TAXIDERMIED MINIATURE HORSE — AMANDA SEYFRIED
Actress Amanda Seyfried is big into taxidermy, so much so that while promoting her film "Red Riding Hood" in England, she bought a stuffed 3-week-old miniature horse likely costing several thousand dollars. "I love good taxidermy, it's like art," she explained to press at the time. "A lot of people think it's weird, but I don't know why."
FIVE PENTHOUSES RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER — JOHNNY DEPP
In 2017, Johnny Depp's former business managers alleged the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star's absurdly extravagant lifestyle cost him $2 million a month, going toward everything from security staff and internationally imported bottles of wine to collectible guitars and movie memorabilia. From 2007-08, Depp owned five penthouses in L.A.'s Eastern Columbia Building at the same time, which he tried to turn into a master suite before listing them for a combined price of $12.8 million.
A NAZI MOTORBIKE — BRAD PITT
In "Inglourious Basterds," Brad Pitt used a knife to brand Nazis; in real life, he spent $385,000 to buy one of their antiques. In 2015, the actor bought a three-wheeled German motorbike used for reconnaissance missions in Greece, part of a reported passion for World War II relics that also led Pitt to star in "Basterds" and, more recently, "Fury."
A DIAMOND-STUDDED RC CAR — THE GAME
The Game's son said he wanted a Bentley GT like his dad's when he grew up, so his rapper father got him the next best thing: a toy version covered in almost $100,000 worth of diamonds. In tweeting about the gift, The Game anticipated his haters, saying his kid's "college tuitions & trust funds are already paid up ... Just so u know before yo mad ass get to talkin bout what I 'SHOULDA' done wit my money."
A POLAR BEAR COAT — CONOR MCGREGOR
In the lead-up to their 2017 faceoff, Conor McGregor aimed to intimidate rival MMA fighter Floyd Mayweather at a world press conference with his fashion choice — a Gucci mink polar bear coat and accessories worth between $50,000 and $150,000. It didn't help him win the fight.
A DIAMOND-ENCRUSTED IPOD — FLOYD MAYWEATHER
Not to be outdone, Floyd "Money" Mayweather has made some splashy purchases of his own, including a $50,000 iPod classic encrusted with diamonds. He was still using the old device for his tunes leading up to the McGregor fight, saying he preferred it to newer models that didn't allow him to adhere as many jewels.
AN ISLAND — TYRESE GIBSON
For Christmas 2015, R&B singer and "Fast and Furious" star Tyrese Gibson gave his then 8-year-old daughter Shayla an island, which he called "Love Island," for an undisclosed price. Private islands can sell for less than $100,000, but getting to and from it could sure add up over time.
THREE BENTLEYS — SHAQUILLE O'NEAL
In what's surely one of the most entertaining tales of celebrity opulence, former NBA star and announcer Shaquille O'Neal related in 2012 how he came to buy three Bentleys all at once on a whim: "I had on some shorts and a tank top and flip-flops, and I said to the salesman, 'Sir, how much does this one cost?' He said, 'Can you afford it, sonny boy?' I was so upset that I bought three Bentleys right there on the spot." The 7-foot-1-inch athlete soon discovered he was too tall to fit in the driver's seats. "A million dollars gone in 10 minutes."
A TANK — ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
It should surprise absolutely no one that former "Terminator" and governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger owns his own tank, a 1951 M-47 Patton he actually drove during his compulsory service in the Austrian National Army in 1965. The 50-ton military vehicle's price tag was a lot more reasonable than you might think — free, but for the $20,000 it cost to ship it to the U.S., where Schwarzenegger now uses joyrides in it as an incentive for kids to stay in school.
