It can be hard to remember the early days of TV, when ads would be scheduled in between episodes of our favorite series. Some of the most memorable ads were scheduled between cliffhanger scenes, giving us a lot to think about during the break. While advertising can often lean towards the annoying side, there are a few iconic commercials that left their stories and stars imprinted in our minds. The paychecks that came with the roles for its various actors and actresses were often for staggering amounts, giving the stars a career boost and a sea of attention from fans. If you’ve ever been curious about exactly how much some of your favorite stars were paid for their iconic adverts, we’ve got you covered with a full list today. One famous face even earned over $150 million for a single endorsement. Any ideas on who took home the big bucks there? Let’s find out.
The Proof Is In The Pudding How Much These Actors And Actresses Earned For Their Popular Commercials
The Snapple Lady: $100 000
Wendy Kaufman had no idea that her role in the Snapple commercials would not only result in her becoming a household name, but soon she would be answering fan mail on behalf of her ‘Snapple Lady’ alter ego. Known by her ad agency for her attention to detail when dealing with fans, her appearance in advertisements in the 90’s saw their revenues soar from $23 million to $750 million. As with any good thing, it has to come to an end eventually, and when Snapple was acquired by a large conglomerate she lost the gig. Quaker Oats may have wanted to go in a new direction, but it didn’t work. Two years later, the Snapple Lady was hired again, earning a cool $100 000 during the course of her stint in the gig.
The Snapple Lady
The Orbit Gum Girl: $500 000
While Vanessa Lynn Branch may not be a household name, her role as the Orbit Gum Girl sure did put her on the map in Tinseltown in a big way. When she wasn’t busy convincing people to buy chewing gum and flashing her dazzling smile at the camera, Vanessa was lining up gigs on shows like 90210, Little Hercules and more. She also had a stint on Jimmy Kimmel Live and still does modeling to this day. More recently, she appeared in a documentary about famous faces in commercials, wowing the streaming generation with her smile. It seems that the Orbit Gum Girl has made a name for herself one gig at a time, earning a cool $500 000 a year in the process. Now that’s certainly something to smile about.
The Orbit Gum Girl
The Pine-Sol Woman: $250 000
Pine-Sol is one of the most popular cleaning products in America, and if you grew up in the suburbs you most certainly know the star behind the infamous commercials the brand put out in the early days of television. Diane Amos may have been made famous for her appearances in these commercials, but also landed some roles in popular films like Patch Adams, Sweet November and Twisted. The 90’s also saw her delve into television, eventually landing up in the comedy scene as well. The early 2000’s would mean another payday from Pine-Sol, when she was appointed as their official spokesperson. Her earnings from this and other appearances are an impressive $250 000 a year.
The Pine Sol Woman
The Maytag Man: $1 Million
In 2014, Colin Ferguson earned a cool $1 million a year for being the face of a company known and loved across the U.S. The wildly private actor, who likes to keep his real life out of the public eye as much as possible, has also landed a string of extra jobs thanks to his popularity, including starring in supporting roles in Eureka, Vampire Diaries and Then Came You. Other projects and jobs aside, many fans simply refer to him as the Maytag Man, which will forever be a pivotal turning point in his career. In more recent years, Colin has seemingly enjoyed keeping a low profile, starring in a Lifetime Christmas Movie with Lori Loughlan in 2016 and not much else. We’re sure that the Maytag money won’t be drying up anytime soon.
The Maytag Man
The Wendy’s Girl: $3 million
Morgan Smith-Goodwin looks familiar to a lot of people because a lot of people love Wendy’s. The restaurant chain is well known for its commercials, most notoriously so for the “freckled girl” spots that have aired over the years. An actress by trade, Morgan studied in Alabama, moving to New York to pursue her dream after graduation. Starring in some off-broadway roles, she eventually found her meal ticket with bigger roles thanks to landing Wendy’s commercials. Few people know that the beautiful star is actually a blonde in real life, and she has to dye her hair red whenever she is called to a Wendy’s shoot. For $3 million, we’d even shave our heads if we had to.
The Wendys Girl
The Old Spice Guy: $5 Million
If you didn’t grow up watching the “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial, you missed out. Fans of Old Spice will be all too familiar with it, and most will agree that the ads were popular thanks to its leading star, Isaiah Mustafa. Capitalizing on his good looks and charm, the brand emphasized his execution of memorable catchphrases, which catapulted him into being a household name and earned him his first million and more. Few people know that during the 1990’s, he pursued football professionally before quitting to try and land work as an actor. Old Spice commercials aside, he had some guest roles on Days of Our Lives, Horrible Bosses and It Two. More recently he had his sights set on a role in a Marvel film, but unfortunately, the casting directors and producers went in another direction.
The Old Spice Guy
The Target Lady: $300 000
Hands up if you recall who the Target Lady is! Few people will be able to get her out of their heads. The alter ego of comedienne and actress Maria Bamford, her voice over delivery in a string of ads for Target was all it took to catapult her into overnight stardom. The early 2000’s saw her snatch a few small movie roles, and she continued to pursue more voice work. Did you know that she lent her voice to animated hits like Spongebob Squarepants and Stuart Little 2? More recently, she’s been keeping somewhat of a low profile, enjoying the $300 000 a year she made for lending her voice to the Target brand.
The Target Lady
The Cingular Wireless Umbrella Girl: $75 000
Americans of all ages will know and love the Umbrella girl, a prominent feature in many Cingular Wireless commercials in recent years. Younger generations will know Angela Sarafyan from her role in the popular HBO series Westworld, where she plays Clementine Pennyfeather. Born in Russia, Angela emigrated to the U.S with her family when she was a toddler. Inspired by her actor father, she started getting a few roles in commercials first, eventually landing some non-commercial work in hit shows like Judging Amy and Criminal Minds. For her work in the Cingular Wireless Umbrella Girl advertisements, she took home a pretty penny, around $75 000. Angela’s acting career is showing very little signs of slowing down, and we wouldn’t be surprised if we saw her in even more prominent dramatic roles moving into the future.
The Cingular Wireless Umbrella Girl
The ‘Most Interesting Man In The World’: $1 Million
With a title like that, what can go wrong? Jonathan Goldsmith earned the title from featuring in a Dos Equis ad campaign that became a monstrous hit for the brand. This led to even more work in the entertainment industry, which initially started ticking over for him back in the early 1960’s. His career spanned over 350 roles in television, many of which continued to make him a household name among Americans. Jonathan has come a long way from starring in the Perry Mason show back in 1963, also landing key roles on Magnum P.I, Dallas and even Charlie’s Angels. His star power was revealed in the results of the ad campaign for the beer brand: the company saw a 15% increase in sales once he started being featured in their commercials, showing that he certainly earned his million-dollar paycheck for the work.
The Most Interesting Man In The World
The Slim Jim Guy: $100 000
Some people just can’t shake that one role, which is exactly the case with Demetri Goritsas, who may have landed blockbuster movie roles in his career, but will always be remembered as the Slim Jim dude. Earning a brilliant $100 000, his involvement in the commercials saw the actor go from a relatively unknown to a household name. Demetri’s career started when he attended the Royal School of Speech & Drama in British Columbia. More recently, he has enjoyed roles in the X-Men movie series, The Bourne Identity, as well as Radioactive. Not one to rest, the actor will also be appearing in The Angel of Darkness and continues to do what he can to shake the title he is most known for within the industry.
The Slim Jim Guy
The T-Mobile Girl: $1 Million
T-Mobile is one of the biggest companies in the States, and when you land a gig starring in one of their ad campaigns, people will start to take notice. This is exactly what happened to Carly Foulkes when she was cast in a commercial called ‘No More Mrs. Nice Girl’. The ad was a roaring success, resulting in the actress signing on to do more ads for them over the course of three years, earning herself a cool $1 million. T-Mobile even went as far as to trademark the exact shade of pink she wore in the campaigns, knowing that it was a possibly lucrative part of the ‘T-Mobile Girl’ persona. The color still features prominently in their campaigns today. Carly has moved on, now working as a fashion model in between being recognized by strangers on the street.
The T Mobile Girl
The Toyota Girl: $1 Million
Raise your hand if you know who the Toyota girl is. We thought you might! Jan the ambitious employee, better known as Toyota girl, is a role that actress Laurel Coppock will always be affiliated with. A performance arts graduate, Laurel moved to Chicago to study improv comedy, which helped her get her quirky persona across on-screen during the series of commercials. It also landed her the attention of comedy casting directors in the business, leading to roles in The Office, Modern Family and Arrested Development. Many children dream about becoming actors or actresses and earning the big bucks. Laurel is proof that it is possible, taking home a seven-figure salary for her involvement in their ad campaigns. How’s that for something, mom and dad?
The Toyota Girl
The ‘It’s Not That Complicated’ Guy: $250 000
Fans of Saturday Night Live will know Beck Bennett’s face already, but others may have been previously acquainted with him thanks to his role as the ‘It’s Not That Complicated’ guy in popular AT&T commercials. In the ad, he had to engage with kids in a classroom and talk to them about what the cellular company was able to offer. Some of the responses from the children were absolutely hilarious, and the entertaining ads started to gain more traction. Beck got a cool $250 000 for his involvement in these ads, which boasted his resume and led to stints on popular sitcoms like Arrested Development and more. Where to for Beck after Saturday Night Live? Only time will tell.
The Its Not That Complicated Guy
The Red Robin Lady: $50 249
The so-called ‘Red Robin Lady’ has been gracing our screens since the 90’s, and will be a familiar actress to many baby boomers and millennials. Melanie Paxson may have gained fame for her appearance in the series of commercials for Gladeware, but as it turns out she would solidify this momentum by starring in roles on popular series like The Drew Carey Show, Kitchen Confidential and Happy Family. Born in Illinois, the actress remembers her time as the ‘Red Robin Lady’ fondly, especially as it came with a paycheck of over $50 000. These days, she is enjoying motherhood, still starring in guest spots on television, as well as supporting her husband in his sandwich and pie business in Los Angeles. Talk about a superwoman!
The Red Robin Lady
The “Can You Hear Me Now?” Guy: $9 Million
Verizon is one of the best mobile providers in America, and over the years their commercials and popular catchphrases have caught the attention of millions around the county. The company first stumbled onto Paul Marcelli, the star of the “Can You Hear Me Now?” catchphrase, during a casting call where he showcased a particular spark and charisma. Over the next ten years, he would be a regular feature in their ad campaigns, bagging him nearly $10 million in the process. In 2016, he decided to sign a new deal with Print, changing the catchphrase to “Can You Hear That?”. This caused a viral frenzy. Needless to say, this actor is well paid, and still pursues other roles, but sometimes we just have to be thankful for that moment of lightning, even if it only comes once in our lives.
The Can You Hear Me Now Guy
Mr. Mayhem: $4 750 Per Commercial Airing
Mr. Mayhem always tells us that no matter what ‘mayhem’ we might run into in our lives, things are going to be alright and Allstate will be glad to help. Few people know that the inspiration for the character was drawn from Mr. White in Reservoir Dogs, one of Tarantino’s finest films. Dean Winters, who plays the role of Mr. Mayhem, sure knows that the company is there for him financially, offering him $4 750 each time the commercials he is involved in getting broadcast. With a career spanning over two decades, Dean has taken home the bacon from other appearances in shows like Law & Order, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Rescue me. Fans of the hit series Oz will also remember him for his recurring role as Ryan. Get your coins, Mr. Mayhem!
Mr Mayhem
Milana Vayntrub $3M – Lily From AT&T
The Uzbekistan-American actress Milana Vayntrub is well known for her AT&T commercial as well as for her comedy stand-up shows. Milana also tried to break in via short-films and low-budget series shows. She had a small part in The League TV show back in 2011 but what eventually brought her fame was the role of Lily on the AT&T commercial. It appears like she could only be remembered as the jiggly sale rep of AT&T but don’t feel bad for Vayntrub, she made a fortune thanks to this role (estimated at $3 million)
Milana Vayntrub
The GoDaddy Guy: $900 000
If you’ve never seen a GoDaddy advertisement on YouTube, you probably haven’t spent that much time on the app. On somewhat of a larger scale, the web hosting company enlisted the help of little known actor Jesse Heiman for a commercial which was first aired during Super Bowl XLVII. In the ad, Jesse gets to share a passionate kiss with supermodel Bar Rafaeli, and viewers lapped it all up. Earning a whopping $900 000 for his involvement, his paychecks for other appearances are somewhat more feeble in comparison. With small roles in American Pie 2, NCIS and a Will Farrel movie called Old School, he wrapped up his small-screen appearances in 2014 after being on an episode of Criminal Minds. We’re sure that the GoDaddy fee is still going a long way towards giving him the life that he’s always imagined living.
The GoDaddy Guy
The InVinceable Guy: $2 Million
ShamWow’s ‘Invincible’ Guy is well known across American homes. The company, which sells towels that are said to hold ten times their weight in liquid, needed a quirky advertising campaign to help improve the overall sales of their unique product. Few people know that Vince Offer, who stars in these commercials, also writes, produces and owns them. This comes down to his career as a writer, which he takes very seriously, even going so far as to produce his own feature film in 1999, which didn’t quite get off the ground. Aside from that failure, he walked away with a pretty paycheck of $2 million for his involvement in these ad campaigns, some of which he spent on Eminem albums and merchandise (he’s a fan, apparently).
The InVinceable Guy
Flo, The Progressive Insurance Woman: $8 Million
Stephanie Courtney could never have dreamed that a character called Flo would earn her a whopping seven figures in her lifetime. Flo is known for her upbeat nature, which is how the character connected with so many households across the country. Progressive Insurance banked on keeping the momentum going, asking her to appear in over 100 commercials as part of her contract. The popular character even received an Australian spin-off, showcasing that she was a popular figure spanning multiple continents. Talk about star power! Stephanie had been a theatre actress before she landed this role, with guest spots in popular shows like Mad Men and The Goldbergs. We’re pretty sure we’ll be seeing her in commercials for Progressive Insurance for many years to come.
Flo The Progressive Insurance Woman
Little Mikey From Life Cereal: $10 Million
John Gilchrist and his real-life sibling Tommy landed the roles of a lifetime when Life Cereal was looking for a cute duo with the ability to come across as natural on camera in the early 70’s. In this particular commercial, “Little Mikey” gets convinced by his brother to try out the cereal, to which he exclaims that he likes it. While ad copy and catchphrases were a lot less complicated back then, critics agreed that it hit the mark, even earning a Clio Award in 1974. It has also been included on TV Guide’s list of ten best commercials of all time. Baby boomers recognize this ad instantly when it gets brought up in conversation, showcasing just how much pull it had over its TV audience a couple of decades ago. The family was well compensated for these advertisements, earning a cool $10 million, which would go a long way in a family of seven.
Little Mikey From Life Cereal
The Dell Computer Dude: $50 000
Dell is renowned for being a global computer brand that is recognized by millions of people. This is largely due to their effective ad campaigns over the years, including one starring Tennessee native Ben Curtis, more commonly referred to as the “Dell Computer Dude”. The casting director was looking for someone three years younger than he was, and it certainly didn’t help that he had no experience (other than being a magician). He pulled a rabbit out of the hat with this one, landing the role and uttering the now popular catchphrase “Dude, You’re Getting a Dell”. Earning a clean $50 000, his contract would eventually be cut short after an arrest for possession of marijuana in the early 2000’s. Things have been a lot quieter for him ever since.
The Dell Computer Dude
The 7 Up Guy: $500 000
Who doesn’t love a can of 7 Up? The popular soft drink company commissioned Orlando Jones to serve as its official spokesman going into the 2000’s, having gained prominence for his role on MAD TV, a comedy sketch show. The company was looking for someone who could deliver excellent comedic timing, while also bringing unique writing skills to the table. Orlando was the man for the job, and the three-year stint earned him half a million dollars. His credentials go beyond his involvement in commercials – he also worked as a screenwriter for A Different World, co-produced The Sinbad Show, as well as starring in moderate hits like Liberty Heights, Office Space and Sour Grapes. It’s always good to see talented people making their dreams come true. We’re sure that 7 Up agrees that they made the right choice!
The 7 Up Guy
The Trivago Guy: $20 000
Trivago does what they can to encourage travelers to hit the road and seek adventure in new spaces around the world. In the past this has included enlisting actor Timothy Williams to help promote the hotels they list on their website. Paying him five figures for the gig, their site traffic immediately spiked when the campaign launched. The actor, who was born in Texas but moved to Germany, only started his career once he had learned German and settled into his new environment. The transition to Hollywood was strangely easier to do from outside of the U.S, which makes his story all the more interesting to begin with. Singing is another passion for the talented star, who released his debut album in 2018. Still starring in Trivago ads to this day, Timothy continues to rake in the fees for a couple of hours of his time, even though he is exploring other passions too.
The Trivago Guy
The Guy From Sonic Commercials: $300 000
Trained as an improv actor, T.J Jagodowski could have never imagined that he would first be discovered by a brand looking for a new face for their commercials. Appearing in campaigns for Sonic alongside Peter Grosz, the star was able to utilize his improv skills during filming, and few people are aware that a lot of the lines they delivered during the taping of the commercials were improvised to begin with. Consumers lapped up the duo’s work, and sales for the company skyrocketed. It even led to T.J winning awards for his improv skills, which would later turn into smaller roles in shows like Prison Break, and films like Stranger Than Fiction. Not that he needed the cash: the Sonic ads earned him a cool $300 000, which is not too shabby by any standards.
The Guy From Sonic Commercials
‘I’ve Fallen, And I Can’t Get Up Lady’: Pay Unknown
A wildcard on our list as her earnings have not been publicly revealed, we simply couldn’t leave this lady out of our list thanks to the iconic delivery of “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” in the well known LifeCall campaign. Edith Fore played the elderly Mrs. Fletcher, in a role that allowed her to turn a hip injury into commercial gold. In the first campaign, Mrs. Fletcher was advertising a necklace she was wearing, which allows the wearer to alert the LifeCall team should they take an unforeseen tumble and need additional assistance. Marketed at the elderly initially, her catchphrase would go on to capture the hearts of younger generations too, giving the brand exposure across a multitude of markets. Astonishingly, this was Edith’s first commercially successful role, at the ripe age of 70. Who says that dreams have an age limit?
Ive Fallen And I Cant Get Up Lady
The Jenny Craig Girl: Roughly $1.5 Million
Losing weight is a great achievement no matter who you are, but can you imagine being paid seven figures to do so? In the early 2010’s, Valerie Bertinelli landed a gig with Jenny Craig, which showcased the fact that she hadn’t been in a bathing costume for more than three decades. The ad showcased the way she looked before Jenny Craig, and how she looked after, having dropped almost fifty pounds. The commercial featured the hit line “nothing is stopping me from diving into this summer” and people were sold about the diet. As a result of the success of the first campaign, Valerie landed a spokesperson role and with it came a paycheck of $1.55 million. Talk about being inspiring for her personal transformation, as well as showing that with the right motivation and mindset, anyone can find success, even if it may not be in the places they first imagined.
The Jenny Craig Girl
The Pantene Girl: $100 000 to $1 Million
Only a few people can concede that they haven’t been mesmerized by the luscious hair shown in the typical Pantene commercial. Kelly LeBrock was one of the first Pantene girls in the 1980’s, and while it isn’t certain how much she was paid for her appearances, estimates range anywhere from $100k to $1 million. When first delivering the iconic line “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” nobody could have imagined how far it would take her. The success of the first commercial led to her landing the role of a company spokesperson, which naturally came with a bigger salary. When the contract ran its course, she hopped back on the audition bandwagon, landing a few smaller feature film roles in the process.
The Pantene Girl
The Pepsi Girl
Any soft drink advertising is likely to make the leading star a household name, especially because the ads are typically plastered across channels with various target markets. Hallie Eisenberg was one of the first so-called “Pepsi girls”, incorporating her sweet charm and dry humor as a way to make many Americans chuckle between their favorite television shows. In one of her ads, she even made a dig at rival company Coke, which spurred the brand on to deliver a response ad. As a child actress, Hallie would go on to appear in movies like Paulie, Bicentennial Man and The Miracle Worker, successfully using her cuteness to charm audiences around the world.
The Pepsi Girl
Brad Pitt as Himself: $7 Million
There aren’t as many brands as popular as Chanel, just like there weren’t as many actors as popular as Brad Pitt in the 90’s and early 2000’s. In a campaign for their famous “Chanel No. 5” perfume, the brand forked out a whopping $7 million to nab Pitt for the role of a leading man. The money turned out to be cash well spent, as it opened up the brand to men, increasing its popularity among a demographic that they had not yet familiarised the brand with. Better yet, this was a spending demographic, and sales soared. There’s one way to tell whether an advertisement has successfully landed in pop culture, namely when someone parodies it. This has happened countless times, showcasing just how star power a young Brad Pitt had at the height of his youth.
Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie as Herself: $10 Million
Beauty runs in the family for the former Jolie-Pitt clan, and similar to her former spouse, Angelina Jolie has also nabbed high-profile commercial endorsements, especially at the height of her youth. Louis Vuitton, one of the most renowned brands for high-end fashion bags, paid an eight-figure sum of $10 000 000 for the actress to take part in a Cambodia-themed shoot. The location garnered some negative publicity from consumers, especially as a poor country was being showcased in stark contrast to a luxury brand and A-list celebrity. Sales soared regardless, but Jolie felt compelled to donate some of her earnings to charity to mitigate potential losses to her star power from the scandal. With that much money to go around for one shoot, what’s a couple of million dollars in the grander scheme of things?
Angelina Jolie
Jared Fogle as Himself: $15 Million
Subway was already on a downward trend even before Jared Fogle’s scandal hit the papers. The company paid him a staggering $15 million to appear in a series of commercials claiming that he had lost nearly 250 pounds from eating Subway sandwiches. Fogle was a company spokesperson from 2000 to 2015, losing his job and title after being convicted as a sex offender. As a court would reveal, he was guilty of crimes against minors and subsequently sentenced to fifteen years in jail in the process. He is currently incarcerated and will only be eligible for early release on good behavior in 2028. It’s safe to say that his career in the public eye is over, and that Subway would like to distance themselves from him as much as possible moving forward.
Jared Fogle
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Herself: $20 Million
It goes without saying that Catherine Zeta-Jones is one of the most beautiful actresses in the world, so when T-Mobile started searching for the perfect fit for their next campaign, she was high up on the priority list. Hired to endorse the brand, Zeta-Jones was paid a cool $20 million for the role, and once the deal ran out, she was even asked to return as a spokesmodel for another $10 million in earnings. These deals were taking place at the height of the celebrity culture obsession in the world, and in a time when many stars were elusive and not as easy to keep up with, especially as social media wasn’t around. At the end of the day, the star power is reflected in how well the company did after the commercial aired. Zeta-Jones knocked it out the park, and profits for the business soared thanks to their affiliation with her.
Catherine Zeta Jones
Jay Z as Himself: $20 Million
Jay Z is synonymous with hip-hop and besides being Beyoncé’s other half, he has built himself a billion dollar empire thanks to his endorsement deals and ventures over the past three decades. When Samsung approached him about marketing their new Galaxy phone, he charged them an estimated $20 million for the gig. Not only did this lead to more people choosing Android over iOS that year, but the company saw its social media followings skyrocket thanks to their newly found affiliation with the rap mogul. A businessman through and through, Jay even managed to work in an agreement for him to market his newest album within the deal. This is what the entrepreneurial spirit is all about, and in turn, he saw record high numbers for sales of the album, keeping a steady stream of income going outside of just his fee. Now there’s a smart man!
Jay Z
Beyoncé as Herself: $50 Million
Once you saw Jay Z on the list, you probably figured that his wife would be hot on the trail too. An international megastar and icon to millions around the world, the talented singer is one of the most followed people online, and everything she touches turns to gold. Pepsi believed this so much, that they paid her a whopping $50 million to endorse their product. While the ads were well crafted, their execution was criticized by people and they were not as well received as initially anticipated. In the year that followed, the company actually saw a drop in sales, which must have been alarming to executives at the time. Aside from this and external economic factors, Beyoncé wasn’t phased, laughing all the way to the bank in the process. A true queen!
Beyonce
50 Cent as Himself: $80 Million
…It’s your birthday! Well, even if it isn’t, and you’re also just a fan of “In Da Club”, it certainly felt like 50 Cent’s birthday when Reebok forked out a staggering $80 million as part of an endorsement agreement with the rapper. His G Unit Sneakers range was bought out by Reebok and subsequently, all 50 had to do was wear and model the shoes. The commercial he shot for the campaign is well known as one of the best that the brand has ever delivered, showcasing that they had made the right call by investing in him. Sales soared, and Reebok couldn’t handle festive season demand, leaving many retailers high and dry. All things considered, the endorsement did it’s job, and certainly left 50 Cent satisfied, as he got paid for doing something we all have to do, namely, put on shoes each morning.
50 Cent
LeBron James as Himself: $90 Million (Over 7 Years)
LeBron and basketball are synonymous with each other. You can’t mention the NBA greats without considering the L.A Lakers and LeBron James’ involvement in popularising the sport on an international level. While you’ve heard that 50 Cent got a major payday from Reebok, LeBron did a one-up and negotiated a seven year deal with Nike, earning $90 million in the process. All he had to do was exclusively wear the Nike brand while he was in his contract. Wondering about how that turned out for the company itself? Sales increased by $350 million over this period, catapulting LeBron’s status as a sporting icon, and making the paycheck all the more worthwhile to Nike executives who were looking to take things to the next level.
LeBron James
Tiger Woods as Himself: $100 Million
While Tiger hasn’t been able to shy away from the controversy over the years, you may be surprised to hear that his endorsement opportunities haven’t dried up as a result of the personal scandals he has been involved in. Nike signed him for a $100 million deal even after his car accident scandal, with many thinking this was a mistake that would backfire immensely. On the contrary, sales figures climbed, and everyone involved was vindicated. If that doesn’t showcase his star power, nothing will. Sometimes risks pay off, and at other times they really don’t. This was one of those times where taking a $100 million gamble was the right call, solidifying a long standing relationship between Tiger and the Nike brand.
Tiger Woods
David Beckham as Himself: $160 Million
The highest-paid celebrity endorser of all time is David Beckham, who earned an astronomical $160 million for a deal he did with sports brand Adidas. Known for his athleticism, good look and charm, the former footballer is one of the most recognizable people in the entire world, and as a result of this Adidas continues to take a gamble on him as someone who can carry them towards their financial goals. With a focus on their apparel division, the commercials he featured in saw an almost instantaneous spike in sales as soon as they hit the airwaves. On a more personal note, he apparently gets access to all the Adidas gear his heart desires. Now that’s a sweet deal if we’ve ever seen one!
David Beckham