Crazy Celebrity Fees
$100,000 for a 20 minute appearance? $2m for a private show? Here's what celebrities charge for their personal appearances
Who: Beyoncé
Fee: $2m
A free trip to St Barts sounds like a fabulous enough gift to us – add $2m and, hey presto, you’re Beyoncé! Jay-Z’s missus was paid a whopping $2m for a private New Year’s Eve party on the luxurious island. A few years earlier, she was paid $1m to appear at the birthday party of a princess... Bargain?
PA PhotosWho: Christina Aguilera
Fee: $1m
Last Halloween, Ms Christina Aguilera earned a cool million dollars – for a one hour performance. Xtina sang at a private San Diego party from 7.30-8.30pm; that’s $16,666 per minute!
Rex FeaturesWho: Jessica Simpson
Fee: $100,000+
Pop star turned country singer Jessica Simpson rakes in $100,000 and more for personal appearances. Jess is rumoured to have purchased her own ruby and diamond Neil Lane $100,000 engagement ring from boyfriend Eric Johnson, so the fee seems apt. And good on her, too!
PA PhotosWho: Jay-Z
Fee: $1m
This New Year’s Eve, the hottest ticket around was at the Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino in Las Vegas: Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beyoncé and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, all performing under one roof. Jay-Z – who is reportedly worth nearly half a billion dollars – received $1m for his appearance, performing with each of the guest stars separately. Mind you, we’d pay to appear on stage with each of those artists...
WENNWho: Mariah Carey
Fee: $1m
Ms Carey is known to be, ahem, a bit of a diva, so expecting $1m for a personal serenade seems about right to us. Mariah recently earned a cool million for a set of just four songs. $250,000 per song? Take that, Christina.
Rex FeaturesWho: Paris Hilton
Fee: $100,000+
Paris Hilton could safely be called the Queen of Celebrity Appearances, having made a living of turning herself into a marketable brand. The heiress regularly parties, shops, poses and announces – for a hefty fee. Depending on the event, Paris asks for $100k - $500k. Getting paid to party in the VIP section sounds pretty fabulous to us.
Rex FeaturesWho: Heidi Montag
Fee: ...
Heidi Montag brought a whole new meaning to ‘lucrative’ when she refused to turn up to sister Holly’s birthday unless she was paid. Both Heidi and her husband didn’t show up when her sister refused to adhere. Charming. Shortly after her latest plastic surgery binge, Heidi received $10k – for posing by a pool.
PA PhotosWho: The Kardashians
Fee: $50,000+
The Kardashians found reality TV super stardom in the late 2000s with their (various) shows, and their personal appearance fees have risen accordingly. In 2009, Kim was paid $50,000 for a three-hour club appearance in Las Vegas while, last year, the sisters received $40,000 for appearing at a bowling alley and shopping at a local store. During the week of her 30th birthday, Kim made over $500,000 for various Las Vegas club appearances – with each of her siblings earning £25k per appearance too.
WENNWho: Cheryl Cole
Fee: £250,000
Cheryl reportedly earned £1.7m for the last season of X Factor, which is six months-worth of work – seemingly measly compared to a recent personal appearance fee. The Girls Aloud star pocketed £250k for an hour-long concert in Venice, Italy. Not too shabby, Ms Cole.
PA PhotosWho: Selena Gomez
Fee: $100,000
This Disney star means business – having 18-year-old Selena rock up at your private party would cost you around $100k. We can only imagine what she would charge for a double appearance from her and boyfriend Justin Bieber...
Rex FeaturesWho: Simon Cowell
Fee: $100,000
Mr X Factor himself, Simon Cowell, charges up to $100,000 for personal appearances. Given that his rumoured yearly income is around £55m, we’d say that’s a comparatively small fee.
PAWho: The Jersey Shore cast
Fee: $100,000
Would you put The Situation on the same celeb-level as, say, Simon Cowell, Paris Hilton or Jessica Simpson? No? Neither would we. The Jersey Shore star’s fee, however, is the same as theirs. The other JS stars receive between $5k and $20k per appearance and during Season 1, The Sitch “only” asked for $7,500 for an evening of fist-pumping. Hey, if people are willing to pay it, who are we to judge?
Rex FeaturesWho: Usher
Fee: $1mUsher is another celeb who belongs to the $1million+ fee club. The singer received the fee after an hour-long private party performance – given that he was recently robbed of $1m worth of jewellery (!), we reckon he’s quite happy with his sky high price.
PA PhotosWho: 50 Cent
Fee: $600,000+
50 Cent is said to be one of – if not the – richest rapper ever, ranking high in the yearly Forbes earning list. Does that mean he charges charitable prices for fans who want to see him up close and personal? Not so much. Booking Fiddy will cost you up to $700,000.
PA PhotosWho: Carrie Underwood
Fee: $150,000+
This American Idol-turned-country singing star has come a long way from her childhood on a rural farm in Oklahoma. The singer ears up to $250,000 for personal appearances.
Who: Kelly Clarkson
Fee: $300,000+
Being the very first American Idol alum (and the most successful one thus far), you would expect Kelly Clarkson to charge more than her fellow Idol mates... And she does! Having Kelly appear at your party will set you back between $300k and $400k. Given her frequent visit to low key karaoke bars, we reckon you might be better off hoping to hear her sing at your local one.
PA PhotosWho: Cher
Fee: $1.5mBeing the living legend that she is, we’re pretty sure Cher could charge a higher fee than “just” $1.5m. Hey, it’s less than Beyoncé charges!
PA PhotosWho: Michael Buble
Fee: $300,000+
Swing crooner Michael Buble is known to be a bit of a ladies’ man, so it’s no wonder that he can charge quite a bit for an up close and personal gig. Bachelorette party coming up? Simply save up between $300,000 and $400,000 and Canadian Michael is all yours. For two hours.
paWho: Lionel Richie
Fee: $250,000
We’d say that Lionel Richie is nigh as iconic as Cher, so it’s nice to see an über-celebrity charge a more modest fee (in comparison, of course). Nicole Richie’s father, if it’s him you’re looking for, can be hired for as little as a quarter million dollars. Whether it’s All Night Long or not we can’t guarantee...
PA PhotosWho: Lee Mead
Fee: £3,450
Now this is a fee that sounds more reasonable! Denise Van Outen’s husband, Any Dream Will Do star Lee Mead, received £3,450 for switching on the Chelmsford Christmas lights. Before you turn your nose at this lower price, just think of all the shoes it would buy...
