Celebs are shaking up the financial world with major shifts and headline-making moves. Alex Cooper made waves by turning down a massive brand deal before landing a lucrative podcast contract, while the Kelce brothers scored a huge podcast agreement of their own. Families like Kim Zolciak’s are tangled in money talk as her daughter Ariana opens up about finances on TV, causing behind-the-scenes tension.

Big spenders like the Paul brothers reveal just how jaw-dropping influencer paydays can be, while others — such as Spencer Pratt or Noella Bergener — share how quickly prize money or reality TV earnings can disappear. Amid headline-grabbing divorces, Ryan Lochte’s financial troubles surface and Kristin Cavallari strongly sets the record straight about funding her top-earning business all on her own. Plus, Bravo stars like Brynn Whitfield even joke about their show salaries being less than their weekly food delivery bills. From record profits to startling debts, these stars prove that fame brings fortunes — and plenty of unexpected twists.

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists from Us Weekly.