There have been many winners of 'Drag Race' over the years, but only one queen who can claim to have been the very first. That's BeBe Zahara Benet, known to her Cameroonian-American parents as Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa. It's been ten years now since her triumph in the debut series, but she shocked both the audience and contestants by finally returning to the show in 2018 to compete in the third 'All Star' series, ultimately sharing third place with Shangela.
Benet got into drag by accident; she was working at a fashion show in Paris when a female model didn't turn up, and Benet ended up putting a dress on and walking the catwalk as a panic replacement. A year later the character had been born, and she was working as a drag act with Cyndi Lauper in Minneapolis. She released several songs between 2010 and 2014, but has since returned to television with her show 'Drag Me Down the Aisle,' which premiered in early 2019.
Not all celebrities have fame and fortune, some are just famous – and in a ton of debt. They came from rags to riches, then went back to rags. Whether they’ve filed bankruptcy, ended up in court, or just can’t stop spending, celebrities mismanage their money just like everyone else. They just hide it well.
50 Cent coined the term “wanksta,” then “partied like it was his birthday” until he filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. The rapper was said to be anywhere between $10 million and $50 million in debt. In 2016, a federal bankruptcy court judge in Connecticut approved a plan for the founder of G-Unit to pay his debts back. He was able to get his bankruptcy discharged in February of the following year.
Following a 45-year-long career in Hollywood, acting in more than 70 films, actor Gary Busey found himself in more debt than he was worth. In 2012, it was reported that Busey owed between $500,000 and $1 million worth of debt, but only had $50,000 to his name. The 74-year-old actor owed money to hospitals, banks, the L.A. Waterworks District, and even a storage company. He filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy that same year. Despite his longstanding career in Hollywood, Busey's net worth is now only $500,000.
Burt Reynolds is still worth five million dollars, but his battles with debt date back more than 20 years. Between bad investments and a pricey divorce from actress Loni Anderson, the 1970s superstar had to deal with over $10 million in debt and decided to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996. While testifying in a 1994 custody hearing, the South Florida native said he spent $40 million getting through his divorce.
The former Hollywood bad boy, Charlie Sheen owes the IRS nearly $5 million. But that's not all. In 2016, his net worth was reportedly still as high as $150 million, but he was nonetheless $12 million in debt at the time – including mortgages, legal fees, and taxes. That same year, Debt.com reported Sheen owed nearly $300,000 on an American Express card alone.