Fame and fortune generally run up a very expensive bill in the game of life. More often than not, there are people who are trying to get a piece of your earnings, sometimes even by the most seedy methods one can think of.
Alex Rodriguez can testify to this after it’s being reported that his own cousin used information to gain nearly one million dollars from him. If your own flesh and blood can stoop so low, then people who are barely close to you can go to the extreme measures for a cut they don’t really deserved.
With that, we were able to dig up a slew of celebrities who were blackmailed for serious amounts of cash. Some of these turned to extortion instances real quick.
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Photos: HRC/WENN.com
Photo: Chris Connor/WENN.com
Louie Anderson
In the early 90s, the comedian was on top of his game, hosting both Family Feud and his own children’s cartoon. But when he propositioned Richard J. Gordon for homosexual acts in Vegas, Anderson ended up being extorted for hundreds of thousands of dollars. He eventually went to authorities and Gordon was arrested.
Photo: Adriana M. Barraza/WENN
Cameron Diaz
A 19-year-old Cameron Diaz took topless photos with a man who turned around and threaten to expose them for £2 million once she got famous. Turns out, he forged her signature and was busted.
Photo: WENN
Jennifer Lopez
J.Lo had to countersue an eavesdropping chauffeur after he threatened to divulge her private conversations to press in late 2012.
Photo: WENN
Tamara Ecclestone
The British socialite’s struggle ex-boyfriend received four years in jail in February 2013 for after a foiled plot to relay their freaky past to the tabloids for £200,000 ($319,976 USD.)
Photo: WENN
Janet Jackson
Following their divorce, Rene Elizondo reportedly threatened to release a tell-all book about Janet’s alleged lesbian affairs unless he got paid $20 million. Obviously no book was ever released so…
Photo: WENN
Bill Cosby
Autumn Jackson tried to pilfer $40 million out of Cosby for a Billie Jean love child but she ended up going to jail for five years.
Photo: WENN
John Stamos
The Full House legend sidestepped a $700,000 blackmail/extortion attempt over some racy photos of himself in the buff in 2009.
Photo: WENN
Cindy Crawford
In 2009, a German weirdo attempted to blackmail the Crawford family for $100,000 with a “sexy” photo of their then-seven-year-old daughter. Yeah, it backfired.
Photo: WENN
Elvis Presley
Somewhere in between the wild life of being a rock-n-roll royalty, Elvis was involved in a skin care treatment scandal for large sums of money.
Photo: JLN Photography/WENN.com
Oprah Winfrey
An Atlanta man tried to blackmail the Queen of Talk Shows for $1.5 million or he’d released recorded phone call convos of her committing career suicide. The FBI stepped in and the problem disappeared.
Photo: TNYF/WENN.com
Yoko Ono
John Lennon’s widow won her 2007 case against her former chaffeur who made various claims against her in efforts to get $2 million.
Photo: Brian To/WENN
Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes
The Hollywood couple had their wedding photos stolen in a failed $1 million attempt that resulted in the man committing suicide when was sent to jail. By the way, they divorced five years later.
Photo: Nomar K/WENN.com
Rob Lowe
Lowe’s former nanny made an attempt to obtain $1.5 million from the actor after she said she was sexually harrassed but the cases were eventually dismissed.
Photo: WENN
Wayne Rooney
The legendary footballer and his wife Coleen were targeted in a plot to get £5,000 by a couple who had their family camera. They eventually were sent to jail.
Photo: WENN
Whitney Houston
Following her death in 2012, the FBI uncovered a 1992 letter where a fan demanded $250,000 or “intimate details” of the singer’s “romantic relationships” would be exposed.
Photo: revolutionpix/WENN.com
Gene Simmons
The KISS rocker was blackmailed by a smut company for schmanging a Australian energy drink model person somebody and it was recorded without his knowledge. He immediately took legal action and won.
Photo: WENN
David Letterman
The famed late night talk show host was forced to come clean about his sexual history after a former CBS producer tried to get $2 million in hush money. The producer didn’t get one red cent but he did get six months in jail, five years probation.
