In the last few years, our country has endured a rough economy, layoffs, and a weak real estate market, but not in Hollywood. When a female star’s career is waning, there is one key thing she can do to revive interest in her cooling career: get pregnant. A baby bump has become a hot commodity in Hollywood and here are the ways a star can make money from having a baby:
1. Paparazzi Photos: Yes, this is Hollywood’s dirty little secret. Some stars (I’m looking at you, Lindsay Lohan and Jennifer Love Hewitt!) call their favorite paps and let them know where they are going to be. Once the photographer sells that photo to media outlets, the star gets a cut of the sale . . . and nothing sells better than a baby bump these days.
2. Sponsored Baby Shower: Yep, if you were famous, you could have a sponsored baby shower filled with every trendy baby product on the market, all of your celebrity friends will attend (You probably have never met half of the attendees, but hey, they are famous celeb moms too!), and People will cover every precious moment. You will go home with all of these free products and your baby nursery is now fully stocked.
3. The Magazine Cover: If the celeb is of A-List wattage, then several magazines will battle for that first sweet cover of mom, dad, and baby posing together. Take a look at this article; it breaks down some of the numbers for celebrity babies: The Brangelina Twins rang in $14 million, The Lopez-Anthony Twins were worth $6 million, and little Sean Preston Spears-Federline was worth $500,000. Some of the celebrities donate the money to charity and some keep it all to themselves.
4. People’s Celebrity Baby Blog: This is where the stars prove they are just like us! They nurse, change diapers, have sleepless nights, and then get paid to blog about it! If you look over the list of celebrity baby bloggers, you will find everyone from current TV stars to a few names you haven’t heard of in years. It’s a great way to get your name back into the public eye.
5. Weight Loss Contract: There is nothing like eating your way through your pregnancy, then receiving $4 million to lose those 70 lbs. from Weight Watchers like Jessica Simpson. The pressure is on because she has to lose 20-30 lbs. by a certain date, so they can film the first commercial. Mariah Carey did the same for Jenny Craig last year. I’m sure we would all like to get paid to lose weight, at least there is an incentive built in.
6. Hollywood Moms’ Club: This is currently a show (now called Hollywood Moms Night) on the TV Guide Network hosted by Alison Sweeney and Ali Landry; however, this club started out as a non-televised neighborhood event with the duo plus Denise Richards, Lisa Rinna, Candace Cameron Bure, Brooke Burke, and Nancy O’Dell. In fact, it was considered so cliquey and exclusive, that a few famous women who lived in the neighborhood started trying to get pregnant just to join the clique. It sounds like junior high all over again. Well, now this club is televised after a bit of a rift between the group (It’s good gossip!), but the show goes on with only Alison and Ali and a few guest moms each week.
Don’t you wish your baby bump garnered as much money and attention? What are your thoughts on Hollywood’s baby boom? Join the conversation in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Google +.
My own disclaimer: I love babies; they are cute. I am sure lots of celebrities have babies because they want to start a family, but I am just disclosing ways they also make money from this endeavor.
Kristyn Burtt is a TV Host, Entertainment Reporter, and Former Couch Potato turned Mouse Potato living in Los Angeles. For more Hollywood scoop, follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and on her site, Red Carpet Closet.
