The rich & famous sure know how to spend their money in the most unexpected ways—some of them will waste their cash on things that really don’t make sense. Of course, some make sensible decisions by investing in businesses or charities yet there are those who’d rather be a little more outrageous. Here are thirteen celebrities who parted with millions for some truly unbelievable purchases.
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Nicolas Cage’s Dinosaur Skull
Nicolas Cage once spent $276,000 on a dinosaur skull at an auction although this wasn’t your regular fossil—it was a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus bataar skull! However, things took a turn when it emerged that the skull had been stolen from Mongolia so the authorities contacted Cage. He agreed to return it to the Mongolian government, meaning that he shelled out over a quarter of a million dollars on a T-Rex skull he couldn’t even keep.
Johnny Depp’s $3 Million Farewell
Johnny Depp went all out to honor his late friend, author Hunter S. Thompson by spending $3 million to have Thompson’s ashes blasted out of a custom-made cannon. The cannon was mounted on a 153-foot tower in Colorado & was part of a grand celebration that included fireworks as well as many celebrity guests. For Depp, it was the perfect tribute to Thompson—he had a rather larger-than-life personality so Depp didn’t hesitate to foot the bill.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Golden Rocking Horse
Beyoncé & Jay-Z didn’t hold back on spoiling their first daughter, Blue Ivy, buying numerous toys for her—including a gold rocking horse worth $600,000. The horse was crafted by Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka and is made entirely of solid gold, although we’re not sure if that makes the horse any better. In total, the pair spent over $1 million on toys for Blue Ivy!
Lady Gaga’s $50,000 Ghost Detector
Lady Gaga isn’t one to shy away from the unusual and her spending habits show that as she spent $50,000 on an electromagnetic field meter. Why? Because she’s afraid of ghosts & the machine apparently helps her to detect paranormal activity. Gaga took it with her on tour to make sure no spirits were haunting her backstage areas, making for an investment that she believes was worth it.
Mike Tyson’s Pet Tigers
Mike Tyson has always had a flair for the extravagant, with his purchase of three Bengal tigers being a great example of this—he spent around $210,000 on the big cats. Tyson also spent an additional $125,000 a year for a trainer and the monthly upkeep for the tigers was about $4,000. However, he later gave two of the tigers to an animal sanctuary while giving the other one away.
Kim Basinger’s Town Purchase
In 1989, Kim Basinger decided to buy an entire town—Braselton, Georgia—for $20 million & the town covered around 1,750 acres. Basinger had grand plans to turn it into a tourist attraction with film studios & festivals until financial issues forced her to sell the town. In fact, she sold it at quite a significant loss for $4.3 million so it clearly wasn’t a good investment.
Paris Hilton’s Dog Mansion
Paris Hilton is one of those dog owners who loves pampering her pets—but unlike the rest of us, she has the money to do it! Hilton built them a $325,000 two-story dog mansion that features heating, air conditioning, designer furniture & even a chandelier! She modeled the exterior after her own home meaning that her dogs live in style in a way that rivals many human homes.
Kanye West’s Gold-Plated Toilets
Kanye West apparently spent $750,000 on gold-plated toilets for the home he shared with his then-wife Kim Kardashian and these fixtures were part of extensive renovations on their $11 million mansion. Clearly, Kanye’s taste for luxury extends to every corner of his life—including the bathroom, although we’re not sure it was a great idea. What need would anyone have for gold-plated toilets?!
Celine Dion’s Humidity-Controlled Shoe Room
Celine Dion might be famous for her incredible voice but perhaps people should also know about her massive shoe collection & how she looks after it. In fact, Dion invested $2 million to build a humidity-controlled room to store her thousands of pairs of shoes in the best condition possible. But that’s not all as she organized the entire collection of shoes by size & color.
Bono’s First-Class Hat Delivery
Bono once realized he left his favorite hat in London just before a charity concert in Italy but he refused to simply wear a different one—instead, he paid $1,200 to have the hat flown to him via first-class courier! The hat traveled in its own seat and, thankfully, it made it in time for Bono’s performance. We wish we had this kind of money whenever we go somewhere & leave our stuff at home.
Steven Spielberg’s “Rosebud” Sled
Director Steven Spielberg was keen to add a piece of film history to his collection and so he bought one of the original “Rosebud” sleds from the movie Citizen Kane. He paid $60,500 for the balsa wood sled that had been painted to look weathered for the film & owning the sled was a dream come true for Spielberg. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he has such a strong interest in cinematic artifacts because he’s a rather talented director.
Victoria Beckham’s Gold iPhone
Fashion icon Victoria Beckham isn’t someone to settle for ordinary accessories—she spent $33,000 on a gold-plated iPhone customized by British designer Stuart Hughes. The phone is covered with 150 grams of 24-karat gold and was made especially for her. As such, the iPhone is as much a way for her to communicate as it is a statement piece that shows off her sense of style.
Madonna’s Kabbalah Water
Madonna takes spirituality quite seriously and she once invested thousands in Kabbalah water that was priced at $5 a bottle. People believe the blessed water has healing properties & the Queen of Pop uses it for drinking and to water her plants. She even filled her pool with the stuff—which is why it apparently cost her around $100,000 for all those bottles.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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