It’s not uncommon for a celebrity to have a side business. With all the money and free time that comes with a successful Hollywood career one can easily see why celebrities would want to invest some of their capital into other ventures, be they creative, entrepreneurial, or just plain weird.
Plenty of celebrities have opened restaurants, started clothing lines, even made alcoholic drinks, and many more have failed miserably at all of these things and more. Even a man who made his name as a “business mogul”, the former star of The Apprentice and ex-President Donald Trump, has several failed businesses, some of which just had to be included on this list.
8 Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, And Sylvester Stallone - Planet Hollywood
There was a time when Planet Hollywood restaurants were everywhere, and they had a certain TGI Fridays meets Hollywood vibe. While the decor was as chaotic as that of a TGI Fridays, the decor revolved around props and memorabilia from Hollywood films. The business was originally backed by Demi Moore, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It began struggling in 2008 after the economic crisis and now only has 6 locations left.
7 Jay-Z And All His Friends - Tidal
Remember when Tidal came out? Remember that video where Jay-Z, Madonna, Daft Punk, Coldplay, and a bunch of other multi-millionaires sat at a table and talked about how they were “taking music back” with a new streaming platform? Remember how that streaming platform cost $20 bucks a month and had significantly less music than other platforms? Remember how it was the only way to listen to one of Kanye’s albums? Yeah, all of that and so much more led to the “luxury” streaming service performing not nearly as well as hoped, and Jay-Z sold Tidal to Jack Dorsey's 'Sqaure' in 2021.
6 Hulk Hogan - Pastamania
One doesn’t need to look too far to find a worthwhile business endeavor when one is an athlete. Usually, they drown in sponsorship deals, and although Hulkster had a few action figures and other products bearing his likeness, for some reason he thought pasta was the way to go. Although the red and yellow of spaghetti with marinara sauce matches the Hulk’s famous red and yellow wrestling colors, one can’t help but wonder why he didn’t make a protein powder or something that you’d expect a wrestler to sell.
5 Heidi Montag And Heidiwood Clothes
Heidi Montag has fallen on very hard times. Although she and Spencer were once worth several million, they are quickly going broke. The pair can blame their struggles on their diminishing popularity, Heidi’s failed music career, and their lack of employment. Montag has tried her hand at several other ventures besides acting and singing, like her short-lived clothing line Heidiwood. Needless to say, because we know Montag is broke, we also know this endeavor did not go well.
4 Pharrell Williams And Qream Liqueur
Pharell is actually quite the entrepreneur. The music producer and singer has invested in hotels, casinos, clothing lines, and more. So it is surprising to learn that his endeavor to make hard alcohol failed. Plenty of musicians make an alcoholic drink, the most famous is Jay-Z’s Almondvale vodka. So why Qream Liqueur (yes it really is spelled that way) failed is unknown to some, but those who tasted the stuff know perfectly well why it failed. It wasn’t a good drink.
3 Donald Trump And The Taj Mahal
One can argue about his time as president all day, but this list is about business, not politics. That said, it is a well-known fact that the former president, who rose to fame as a business mogul, has several failed businesses. There was even a whole section dedicated to Trump’s failed businesses at the Museum of Failure in Los Angeles (which, ironically, also failed). One of the most notorious business failures of Trump was his inability to save the Atlantic City Casino the Taj Mahal. Soon after Trump jumped ship on the failing hotel and casino, the business went bankrupt. Many blame Trump’s shady business deals for the casino’s crumble.
2 Donald Trump And Trump Vodka
Donald Trump does not drink because he watched his brother die of alcohol poisoning at a young age. So why a man who never touches alcohol thought he had any business making and selling the stuff is just confusing. Perhaps he thought his name on the bottle was enough to make them sell, but spoiler alert, it wasn’t. Word of advice to potential entrepreneurs, if you don’t use or enjoy your products yourselves, the public will know, and the market will hold that against you.
1 Donald Trump And Trump Steaks
Again, the question has to be asked: why? The Trump family made their money in real estate, so why Donald Trump constantly tried to attach his family name to businesses they have no history or background in is somewhat amazing. Like Trump Vodka, Trump slapped his name on a box of steaks, made some commercials, and thought they would be a hit. Again, spoiler alert, they weren’t.