15 of the Biggest & Most Embarrassing Celebrity Product Fails

Once upon a time, celebrities were famous for what they did. They sang or acted or danced across the silver screen. It was these talents that made them famous and made them their money. While old-school stars like Cary Grant may have made a little money on the side by appearing in ads (Mr. Grant looked awfully dreamy promoting since-bankrupt airline TWA back in the day), the idea that celebrities would become brands and try to build a business empire seems pretty new.

There are some celebrities who have totally knocked it out of the park as business moguls. Some have even made more money on their products than on their original claim to fame. For example, by some estimates, Rihanna's Fenty brand is worth nearly a billion dollars, and Dr. Dre sold his Beats headphone company for $3.2 billion. While Rihanna and Dre may represent celebrity brand goals, there is a whole universe of big and embarrassing celebrity product fails.

From hotels that never opened their doors to body washes that caused an outbreak of yeast infections, we've got the ultimate list of the products that cost celebrities some big money (and probably more than a little pride).

Nicky Hilton

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Jackson Lee / Splash News

One might think that with the last name of Hilton, figuring out how to launch a hotel might be a no-brainer. But that was definitely not the case for Nicky Hilton, who announced in 2006 that she was going to launch a hotel called the Nicky-O Hotel. The hotel never actually opened its doors, and in 2007 the project went bankrupt without a single guest ever booking the $5,000-a-night penthouse.

Neil Young

Most people don't hear the name Neil Young and think "tech inventor" — and, well, there's a reason for that. In 2015, the famous singer-songwriter launched a high-resolution music player called "PONO" that never really took off, something he blames the music industry for, stating that "the record labels killed it" in a 2018 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Suzanne Somers

Suzanne Somers might have had a huge hit with the ThighMaster (she sold more than $100 million worth), but she was way less successful with her failed meal store called Suzanne's Kitchen. It was meant to be a chain where customers would buy pre-made, "home-cooked" meals (huh?), but only one location opened before Suzanne and her business partner, a former governor, started fighting about using organic ingredients (among other things) and he eventually filed a lawsuit and the store closed.

Britney Spears

A failed restaurant is almost a celebrity rite of passage. The list of short-lived celebrity restaurants includes Britney Spears' Nyla, a New York restaurant serving Cajun food. The restaurant had a splashy open but lasted less than a year, thanks in part to bad reviews, health code violations, and tons of debt. Britney bailed on the restaurant after only a few months and has never tried to open another one.

Hulk Hogan

Another failed restaurant was Hulk Hogan's Pastamania. This restaurant, located in the Mall of America in Minnesota, open in 1995 and served meatballs and Hulk Hogan-shaped pasta. Hard to imagine why that wasn't a roaring success. Everyone knows that blond wrestlers from Florida are the clear experts in the Italian food game. Or maybe not …

Kim Basinger

What's that old expression? Go big or go home? Apparently, Kim Basinger must have heard that one, because she bought an entire town. She spent $20 million to buy the town of Braselton, Georgia, which was very Schitt's Creek before Schitt's Creek was even a thing. She paid $20 million in cash for all the commercial properties and several homes in the town, with the intention of turning it into a tourist destination. It never really developed into anything, and Kim eventually filed for bankruptcy, losing millions of dollars in the process.

Ye

For all his faults and controversies, there is no denying that Ye, formerly Kanye West, has always been creative and entrepreneurial. Not all of his business ideas have been hits, however, including his first effort at a fashion line. Pastelle Clothing was in development for years and was supposed to launch in 2006 but was canceled in 2009, three years later, without ever making a mark on the fashion industry.

The Kardashians

One of the biggest celebrity business fails was the Kardashian Kard, launched by Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé in 2010. The prepaid Mastercard was soundly criticized for its ridiculous fees, including costing $60 to $100 to activate it, $1.50 to use it in an ATM, and many more. The card was canceled after less than a month after questions were raised about whether it was legal or not, given the excessive fees and the targeting to young shoppers.

Flavor Flav

It probably makes a certain kind of sense that a rapper with "Flavor" in his name would try to open a restaurant someday. In 2011, he opened Flav's Fried Chicken in Clinton, Iowa, in an attempt to compete with KFC and Popeyes. Though he attempted to open other locations in Las Vegas, the business ultimately failed pretty quickly, with Flav being accused of drug use, incompetence, and wasting money by his co-owner, who was also called out for failing to pay employees. And we thought Flavor of Love was embarrassing!

50 Cent

While lots of celebrities have had failed restaurants, there's something sort of refreshing about seeing a celebrity fail at something as unique as their own condom line. So hat's off to 50 Cent for thinking that anyone would want to buy something called a "Magic Stick" condom that comes laced with sexual performance enhancing chemicals. Yeah, it never made it to market, and that's probably a good thing.

Donald Trump

Reality TV star and former President Donald Trump has a long list of failed businesses. Like, a really, really long list. It's hard to choose which one to highlight, but Trump Airlines is a pretty good example. He owned it from 1989 to 1992, but it was never profitable. Trump lost millions of dollars when it was eventually sold to another company. Add it to the list of dumb business moves from the Trump family.

Blake Lively

Actress Blake Lively launched her version of an e-commerce lifestyle brand called Preserve in 2014, but shut it down in 2015. Even though it was a flop, she told Vogue that she was still grateful for the experience because she was proud she did "something that really scared me."

Jessica Simpson

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jessicasimpson/Instagram

Look, there is no denying that Jessica Simpson is a certified business mogul. Her brands are worth a ton of money, but that is no thanks to her early product line called Dessert Beauty that was marketed as an edible cosmetic. Not only does that sound real sticky, but it turns out people don't actually want to drink their perfume. The line closed in about two years and faced lawsuits and bad press about users getting yeast infections from the body wash.

Gwyneth Paltrow

In 2020, Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop brand released a candle called This Smells Like My Vagina. To be fair, it was actually a pretty big hit and sold out, but we think it belongs on this list because it is just so dang weird and unnecessary. Does anyone really need a candle that purportedly smells like Gwyneth's lady bits? How about her 2020 candle, This Smells Like My Orgasm, which sells for an eye-watering $75 or more? Hard pass.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman
Getty Images

Natalie Portman tried her hand in the fashion game in 2008 when she released a vegan shoe line called Te Casan to big buzz in both the vegan and fashion communities. The shoes, which cost $175, got some good reviews but the line folded in less than a year, which must have been disappointing for the Black Swan actress, who had planned to donate her profits to environmental causes.