Entertainment Facts About Money

Pocahontas appeared on the back of the $20 bill in 1865, making her the only Native American woman to be featured on U.S. paper currency.

Judge Judy makes $45 million a year.

In 1987, Spy Magazine sent checks to wealthy celebrities starting at $1.11, then progressively smaller amounts to those who cashed them. At the final round of 13-cent checks, only two people cashed them: Donald Trump and Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

At the peak of his Bitmoji partnership, Snoop Dogg was reportedly earning around $30,000 per week from digital stickers featuring his face, joints, and signature style.

Jerry Seinfeld turned down US$5 million per episode, for 22 episodes, to continue the Seinfeld show for a tenth season.

Eminem's mother sued him for $10 million in defamation over one line in "My Name Is." A judge ruled in her favor — for $25,000. Her lawyer took $23,354.25 in fees. She walked away with exactly $1,645.75.

Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to star in the comedy Twins for a $0 salary. Instead, he negotiated for 20% of the film's backend profits. The studio agreed, convinced the movie would flop. It grossed $216 million worldwide. Arnold's cut came to roughly $35 million — more than he'd ever made for a Terminator film.

After being traded to the Phoenix Suns, Shaquille O'Neal went to Walmart at 2 AM to furnish his new apartment. He spent $70,000 on TVs, laptops, and appliances in a single trip. His credit card was declined because the bank flagged it as fraud — they couldn't believe someone was spending that much at Walmart.

50 Cent was offered a flat $5 million to be the face of Vitamin Water. He turned down the cash and negotiated for a minority equity stake in the company instead. When Coca-Cola bought Glacéau (Vitamin Water's parent company) for $4.1 billion in 2007, 50 Cent walked away with an estimated $100 million.

NBC offered Jerry Seinfeld $5 million per episode for a 10th season of Seinfeld — $110 million total. He turned it down because he wanted to "end on a high note." He then went back to performing stand-up comedy in small clubs.

In 1987, American Airlines sold a lifetime unlimited first-class pass for $250,000. Steven Rothstein bought one. He flew over 10,000 flights. Breakfast in London, dinner in Tokyo. He even booked a fake passenger named "Bag Rothstein" to keep the adjacent seat empty. American Airlines estimates he cost them over $21 million before they revoked his pass — and handed him the termination letter at the gate.

Michael Larson was an unemployed ice cream truck driver who recorded episodes of Press Your Luck on his VCR and played them back frame by frame. He discovered the "random" game board only had 5 repeating patterns. He memorized them all. On the show, he hit 45 consecutive winning spins without a single Whammy and walked away with $110,237. CBS investigated and couldn't do a thing.

In 1999, David Phillips spotted a Healthy Choice promotion: 1,000 airline miles for every 10 barcodes. During the bonus window, that doubled. He found pudding cups at 25 cents each, bought 12,150 of them for $3,140, and donated them all to the Salvation Army — earning an $815 tax deduction. Total haul: 1,253,000 frequent flyer miles and lifetime Gold status. His story inspired the Adam Sandler film Punch-Drunk Love.

Al Pacino didn't sign his own checks. His accountant did. By his 70s, his $50 million fortune was gone. He was unknowingly paying for 16 cars, 23 cellphones, and a $400,000-per-year landscaper at a house he never lived in. The accountant got seven and a half years in prison. Pacino had to take roles in movies he openly disliked — including Jack and Jill — just to pay the bills.

Sylvester Stallone was so broke he sold his bull mastiff Butkus outside a liquor store for $40. After selling the Rocky script, he went back to buy the dog. The new owner refused. Stallone kept raising the offer until the man finally agreed — for $15,000. Butkus went on to appear in Rocky.