Ever wondered how celebrities who ‘don’t really do anything’ actually make their money?
Freelance writer Carrie Battan spent time with a handful of celebs in an attempt to understand the world of ‘paid appearances’, and wrote up her experiences in GQ.
One of the people she spoke to was Scott Disick. For those who, understandably, don’t recognise the name, Disick is the dad of Kourtney Kardashian’s three children.
Considering he is nowhere near the ‘A list’ he makes more money doing ‘nothing’ than most people earn in an entire year.
Nowadays all he has to do to earn his money is walk through the door at 1OAK in Las Vegas and not leave for one hour.
Disick began booking these appearances a few years back and could earn up to $80,000 (£55,000) a night in the U.S., and at one point got paid $250,000 (£170,000) for a series of appearances in the UK.
But how did this situation arise?
Club owners want celebs in their clubs. Not just because they make them seem cool, but because celebs have money to burn.
Battan thinks it started with Paris Hilton – the heiress made it possible to be famous for doing nothing and was so ‘popular’ in the early 2000s that nightclubs began paying her to show up, to boost their reputations.
Then the rise of social media ramped the whole thing up.
Smartphones made it impossible for celebs to go clubbing without being documented, and top end destinations became a stage for building your public image.
Nowadays it’s hit records that get you the highest fees. Superstars like Drake, Future and Nicki Minaj are getting contracts that pay over $200,000 (£137,000) for a 60-minute appearance.
It doesn’t always go the celebs way though – clubs want their money’s worth. Recently Minaj was sued by a Vegas club for breaching her appearance contract.
The suit alleges she left a nightclub in Vegas after 34 minutes instead of the agreed 60. Apparently it was a fight night – high stakes – and as a result the club wanted her $236,000 (£162,000) fee back.
They also want her to repay the potential table-service it claims to have lost as, apparently, customers had paid over $25,000 (£17,000) to be seated near the star.
This is the real point of these ‘appearances’. They get people to blow money on tables situated close to the stars, which can go from $1,000 (£700) all the way up to $25,000 (£17,000) or higher.
Guests near Minaj’s area were expected to spend at least $25,000 (£17,000) on drinks.
So when the club is packed, tables are full and the cash is flowing, paying a hundred grand for a celebrity to put in an appearance doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
What a time to be alive…
