Top 10 Reality Stars Who Went Broke

Have you ever wondered why Montag and Pratt have appeared in so many reality shows over the years? It’s not just because they love the work. Turns out, they really need the money! In 2008, the couple had a net worth of $10 million - a fortune that should have lasted for years, if not their whole lives. But, like most 20-somethings with extra money, they quickly burned through it with $4,000 bottles of wine and $30,000 shopping trips. By 2010, the couple were completely broke thanks to their reckless spending habits. As Spencer wonderfully puts it, “We were keeping up with the Joneses, but we were going against Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.” Yep, that would certainly do it!

Brown is the primary subject of “Sister Wives,” a TLC show that chronicles Brown’s polygamous relationship with his four wives and their eighteen children. And while nothing has officially been proven, many fans have been questioning their financial situation as of late. For one thing, they moved to the unincorporated township of Baderville - near Flagstaff - Arizona instead of Utah because it was supposedly cheaper. They also had significant trouble selling their houses in Vegas and were forced to bring the prices down out of desperation. Three of the wives are also apparently renting instead of buying, and the Browns only reportedly put 10% down on a $820,000 parcel of land. Maybe it doesn’t spell total financial ruin, but the fans certainly seem to have cause to worry.

Leakes is a veteran of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” starring as a main cast member for ten of the show’s twelve seasons. This kind of stint earns big money, but with big money comes big tax bills, and you sort of have to pay your taxes. Okay, not sort of, you do have to pay your taxes. Leakes didn’t, and was slapped with an over $820,000 tax bill by the IRS in 2016. She subsequently took to Twitter and said, “4 all those that r asking, reporting & concern…Yes I am broke & unemployed.” Luckily, she managed to scrounge up the money and completely paid off her tab just a few months later.

You all know Abby Lee Miller as the choreographer on “Dance Moms.” But she doesn’t exactly make for the greatest role model. Miller was actually broke before “Dance Moms” and filed for bankruptcy in 2010 after owing more than $400,000 in back taxes. “Dance Moms” significantly helped her financial situation, but she was subsequently hit with a slew of charges in 2015 stemming from concealment of income. She hid roughly $750,000 and was indicted on charges of fraud, bankruptcy fraud, concealment of bankruptcy assets, and false bankruptcy declarations. She was sentenced to one year and a day in prison and two years of supervised release after striking a plea deal with the IRS.

It seems like these “Real Housewives” think they can just skip paying their taxes and get away with it. But as every tax fraudster knows, the IRS always comes knocking sooner or later. Giudice is known for appearing on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” having starred in all ten seasons. In 2013, four years after the premiere of “Real Housewives,” the Giudices were charged with 39 counts, including bank fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and repeated failures to file tax returns. Teresa was sentenced to fifteen months in prison, and her husband was sentenced to over three years and faces a potential deportation to Italy. Shortly before her release from prison, Teresa’s two houses entered foreclosure - though only 1 ultimately foreclosed - and in 2018 she was ordered to pay restitution to the IRS.

Williams is another popular Real Housewife, as she began starring in “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” in 2012. She was famously married to football player Kordell Stewart, but their divorce in 2013 put significant financial strain on Williams. Immediately following their divorce, TMZ reported that Williams moved back in with her mother so she could get her finances in order, which included nearly $18,000 in overdue homeowner bills. In 2019, she was hit with a not-insignificant $240,000 tax bill by the IRS, but the issue was quickly resolved, and Williams faced no legal repercussions. It seems like moving back in with her mother was the right call, because everything now seems A-OK on the money front!

Staub first made herself known via “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” having starred in the first two seasons of the show. However, she subsequently disappeared before returning as a “friend” in season eight. In the interim, Staub filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy, claiming that she only made $63,000 in 2012 and was nearly $2 million in debt, which included roughly $170,000 in unpaid taxes. Now that is some SIGNIFICANT debt! Luckily for Staub, a federal judge discharged most of her debt in 2014. In the end, Staub had to hand over just $35,000. Still a good chunk of change, but hey, it could have been two million…

The USA Network program “Chrisley Knows Best” follows the family of real estate guru Todd Chrisley. It’s ironic that the show started in 2014, as Chrisley was in the midst of two bankruptcy cases that had been filed in the last 2 years. Maybe he doesn’t know best after all! The family was supposedly kept afloat by Chrisley’s wife Julie, as Todd allegedly had just $100 in his bank account and had amassed nearly $50 million in personal and corporate debt. The family had failed to pay all their debts by 2015 and were forced to move to a more modest house. Things haven’t gotten much better since then. In 2017, the two were slapped with over $700,000 in income tax liens, and in 2019 they were indicted on numerous counts of fraud and tax evasion.

Morgan is one of the stars of “The Real Housewives of New York,” having remained a series regular since season three in 2010. That same year, Morgan filed for chapter 11 protection and claimed that she was in the hole for an astounding $20 million. Unlike many others on this list, that debt didn’t result from poor spending habits or wilful tax evasion. Rather, it was allegedly accrued after a business arrangement to make a John Travolta-starring film between Morgan’s Sonja Productions and Hannibal Pictures, Inc. fell through and totally obliterated her finances. It took five years and untold amounts of sweat and tears, but Sonja was finally able to work her way out in 2015 after forking over $9 million.

Dickinson is the self-proclaimed world’s first supermodel. Regardless of whether that’s true or not, she has remained in the fashion business with her reality show “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” and by judging “America’s Next Top Model.” Unfortunately, all this work failed to result in steady finances. In 2013, it was reported that Dickinson filed for bankruptcy, owing nearly $1 million to the IRS, California and New York state governments, and various plastic surgeons. She also faced an eviction lawsuit after defaulting on her rent for three months. That said, her entire debt was discharged by a California judge in 2014. And just like that, Janice’s debt went from $1,000,000 to $0. How good must that feel?