Wayne Newton is one of the most well-known Las Vegas entertainers, so you have to assume that he’s raking in the dough. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case.
We don’t know much about “Mr. Las Vegas’s” lifestyle, but he has been working in entertainment for years and has had financial problems for almost as long as he’s been famous. He filed for bankruptcy in 1992, due to the fact that he was a whopping $20 million in the hole, and shortly after that, was sued by the tax authorities for unpaid taxes amounting to $2 million.
Larry King
TV hosts on American television, especially successful ones who have been on the air for a while, bring in some extremely fat paychecks and generally know how to hold on to their money a lot better than those celebrities which they interview. However, there are always exceptions.
A regular visitor to American living rooms for decades, famous television host Larry King even won an Emmy for his outstanding interview skills. Although he was great at handling himself on the air, he has had some financial dealings off the air which went sour. Things got so bad, that he was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1978. Luckily since then, he has been able to find better financial footing before passing away in early 2021.
Heidi Montag
Heidi Montag was one of the very first reality stars in her addictive MTV show, The Hills. Fans loved to hate Heidi and her infamous boyfriend Spencer Pratt, and the pair provided most of the drama on the show while making a pretty nice paycheck. Sadly, that paycheck went away in 2010 when the show ended, and no new projects came along.
Montag tried to stay relevant and even joined Celebrity Big Brother but was unable to maintain her time in the spotlight. Recently, the notorious blonde has not been able to live it up like she used to, but with her new show "The Hills: New Beginnings" recently airing, things may be looking up.
Mischa Barton
Starring in the successful teen drama "The O.C.", Mischa Barton was a fan favorite and it seemed like she was going places. However, when the young actress left the show in 2006 amidst rumors of diva behavior, she discovered that getting work as a movie star was not as easy as it seemed, especially with a reputation. With the actress working less and less, her bank account took a serious hit.
Although things wouldn’t have been so bad if her manager, who also happened to be her mom, hadn’t defrauded her and taken enormous loans out against her home.
Cyndi Lauper
The ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ singer released countless hits in the 1980s, alongside soundtracks for iconic films like The Goonies. Unfortunately, it was not all fun and games for Cyndi Lauper when she was forced to declare bankruptcy when her first band broke up.
The famous singer had to make a living by waiting tables and performing in bars. Things have improved for Lauper since then, but she went through a very difficult time when she was drowning in debt.