These Celebrities have All Made A Ton of Money Selling Premium Alcohol


Some celebrities don't make all of their cash from movies or TV gigs: some are the face of high end spirits that also make quite a lot of cash on the way.

Celebrity liquor brands aren't as big as some of the heavyweights of the alcohol industry, but some have been able to turn their alcohol side gig into a neat source of income.

George Clooney   


We're kicking off our list with none other than George Clooney, who in 2017 had sold his tequila company Casamigos to industry giant Diageo for the astronomical sum of $700 million. On top of that, the actor and his co-owners also stood to make an additional $300 million if the tequila kept selling through 2027, and sales have definitely been strong so far.

Clooney and friend Rande Gerber began Casamigos Tequila as a simple side gig while they were constructing vacation homes in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. You probably know that Mexico is the home of the best tequila in the world, and due to their time spent there, Clooney and Rande were inspired to pair up with Michael Meldman, another acquaintance that would help them distill tequila to serve to friends and family, thus the name Casamigos Tequila.

Their friends definitely supported the new brand, as they ordered around 1,000 bottles a year for two consecutive years, causing the two business partners to license their product. The brand went public in 2013 in less than 4 years, and the rest is history after Diageo purchased it.

Ryan Reynolds 


Next up, we have Ryan Reynolds, who became a business partner and co-owner of Aviation American Gin back in 2018. Fast forward to the present day and his return of investment has more than made up for all the work he's put into growing the brand. Same as with Clooney, the spirits behemoth Diageo announced that they would be purchasing Aviation American Gin for no less than $610 million, and Reynolds will also retain an ongoing ownership interest in the company. Reynolds was a big fan of Aviation Gin, more than any other spirit, and used his company, Maximum Effort Marketing, to grow it too.

Since the brand itself is divided among its shareholders, Reynolds along with his companions would be splitting an initial payment of $335 million among themselves, with an additional $257 depending on the brand's performance for the next 10 years, also very similar to Clooney's deal.

Bethenny Frankel


Bethenny Frankel, famous for her breakout role on The Real Housewives of New York City definitely did not stop there, creating a massive entrepreneurial empire that includes best selling books, low-calorie snacks, treats, dressings and even liquor: the world famous diet=friendly margaritas brand Skinnygirl. She also added low-calorie vodkas too, taking into account many of the woes of her fictional counterpart in her series and introducing a new take into healthy drinking culture for women.

It only took 2 years for Beam Global Spirits and Wine to acquire Skinnygirl spirits, with Frankel taking home an estimated $120 million from the purchase and even retaining naming rights for non-alcohol products. Definitely not bad: she managed to turn her fame from acting into a business conglomerate few would be able to match.

Sean Combs 


 It seems like Diageo has a thing for purchasing actor-driven liquor brands, as Sean Combs has also partnered with them, this time in a joint venture to purchase DeLeón tequila and add them to their umbrella brand repertoire. Same as with Reynolds and Clooney, Sean Combs took a hefty amount of cash home after twice partnering with Diageo, once in a 50-50 joint in 2007 to promote Ciroc vodka in the US, and another in 2014 when they purchased DeLeón. The result? $700 million added to Combs' net worth afterwards.

Jay-Z


Jay-Z is famous for many things, and few would think that alcohol is one of them. However, part of his billion dollar net worth is owed to the liquor industry, specifically from his purchase of  champagne brand Armand de Brignac in 2014, though he's been partnering and boosting the brand's placement with his music since the times of Show Me What You Got, back in 2006. So far, Jay-Z has reportedly invested $310 million in the notorious golden-plated champagne bottle brand, known for its high end liquor and hefty prices per bottle. On top of that, Jay-Z has earned $100 million from D'Ussé, a joint venture he has with Bacardi focused on manufacturing cognac.