Money changes everything. Money can open doors to all sorts of opportunities and can make life more convenient. In contrast, money can also be a burden. One minute you have it, the next minute, you are struggling to find it. Almost everyone has their fair share of money problems in their lives. Even celebrities are not immune to the financial malaise. One look at tabloids and you realize that they can be broke too, just like the lot of us. But for them, going broke happens on a much larger scale.

There is a lot to learn from celebrities’ experiences with money. As young adults and children idolize these actors within their privileged protected bubbles, it is important to be reminded that they lead more complicated lives and that they have to spend more on a daily basis. As they go around with a posse of assistants and staff, money can zip through their fingers without them noticing it. All the smoke and mirrors involving actors and actresses can be deceiving. A few of them have gone through heartbreaking stories of bankruptcy and some even are as broke (or worse) than you and I. Here are stories of fifteen celebrity moms who pretend to be rich, but are actually poorer than us.

15 Pamela Anderson - Notorious For Never Paying Her Debts

Ever the bombshell, Pamela Anderson captured hearts all over the globe with her bleach-blonde waves and red swimsuit on the hit TV series Baywatch. She was hailed as the ultimate sex symbol, earning her a spot as one of Playboy’s most sought-after Playmates. Men loved her, women loved to hate her. One thing was for sure: her face and body was everywhere.

Despite all her fame in the 1990s, Anderson only has a net worth of a startling 5 million USD. She is notorious for not paying off her debt which totals in the millions. Her lavish lifestyle and divorce-related expenses caused her to plummet into debt, owing to the IRS more than 2 million dollars. This also earned her a spot on the Top 500 Delinquent Taxpayers List. Quite a price to pay for being a pop culture icon.

14 Janice Dickinson - Filed For Bankruptcy 

Janice Dickinson has been a modelling legend for the longest time. She has graced numerous runways, modelled for the largest brands, and even appeared on America’s Next Top Model as a judge. She has even opened her own modelling agency. Her career achievements make it a huge surprise that she would file for bankruptcy. But in 2013 she did just that, due to a debt worth about a million dollars.

At least she was honest about her debts. She later confirmed this, releasing a statement she was “upset,” and that she was “taking every step to pay everyone back.” By the luck of her stars, Dickinson has recently married a certain Dr. Robert “Rocky” Gerner. The good doctor reportedly took her out on his yacht to the seas of Cannes and Monaco, where they spent their three-week-long honeymoon. Let’s hope she gets her finances figured out soon.

13 Alyssa Milano - Horrible Management 

Bad management can mean curtains for you in Hollywood. Charmed star Alyssa Milano is the perfect example of this, after her former business manager Kenneth Hellie racked up millions in debt in her name. Milano has filed a 10 million dollar lawsuit against him, claiming that he siphoned her money out of her account and into numerous bad investments. We can’t imagine losing that amount of money!

These investments include overdue bills, bad renovations, and fines on country code violations. Milano also claims that Hellie assured her that her finances were still stable, hence her not taking an acting job that could have earned her 1.3 million dollars. Hellie has since denied these claims, saying that the lawsuit was unfair and that her bankruptcy is a simple result of her overlooking the state of her accounts. Whatever the truth is, we sure wouldn’t want to be in Alyssa Milano’s shoes right now!

12 Tori Spelling - Expensive Tastes She Can't Afford 

Motherhood is a glorious thing, but, as any parent will tell you, children are expensive. There are times when you just have to accept that it is financially unwise to have another child. Tori Spelling and her husband Dean McDermott have five kids and are considering another, despite their apparent bankruptcy. Spelling currently owes more than $700,000 in taxes, and has been sued by her bank for not paying the amount of over two hundred thousand dollars within October and November of this year.

Aside from those whopping charges, Spelling also may face possible time in jail due to another unpaid loan of $400,000. She is also notorious for her expensive tastes and spending sprees. Despite all this, Spelling had the guts to throw her daughter an all-out unicorn-themed birthday party in June. Let’s hope she’s not on the run!

11 Kate Gosselin - No One Wants To Hire Her 

Reality TV star Kate Gosselin, who appeared on the TLC show Jon and Kate Plus 8 and is infamous for being “difficult” to work with, has come clean about having to live frugally and carefully due to her bankruptcy. Apparently, her bank account could not catch up to her diva lifestyle. Her net worth has now sunk low enough to make her desperate for another job in Hollywood. It remains to be seen whether anyone will be desperate enough to hire her.

This mother of an amazing eight kids confesses to not being able to keep acting jobs, resulting in her TLC TV show being abruptly canceled in 2011. Apart from that, recent reports show that her new billionaire boyfriend, Jeff Prescott, has had a past incident of bankruptcy as well. A match made in heaven, or financial hell? You decide.

10 Toni Braxton - Broke In 1998 

Nineties songstress Toni Braxton has been hailed as the Queen of R&B and Soul. With her chart-topping hit “Un-Break My Heart,” her songs topped charts, sold millions of records, and reached tons of fans worldwide. She was a worldwide sensation! Unfortunately, all the fame and accolades in the world could not keep her from going through bankruptcy in 1998.

The singer blames her $5 million debt on bad business deals and investments that went nowhere. But after she was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, we learned that almost all her money went to her luxe lifestyle. Apparently, she had a habit of buying designer glassware and flatware, expensive gowns, and beautiful grand pianos. She is still paying for this habit today. Given how many years have transpired, we are not sure it was worth it. What do you think?

9 Brie Bella - Flop Of A Show 

Brie Bella is one half of the wrestling duo and reality show ensemble, The Bellas. A brunette beauty with a TV show? Seems unlikely for her to be bankrupt, right? Well, anything is possible, and it would seem like this is exactly the case for this WWE Diva. Having a sister who is married to pro-wrestler and millionaire, John Cena is not helping her either.

The newly-pregnant Bella’s net worth sank due to the ratings of her show The Bellas, which have taken a slow-dive recently. It would also seem that her affinity for fancy things is taking a toll on her finances. She’s spending way too much and her meager salary is not compensating for her lavish expenses. In one episode of her show, she and her husband appear to be in an argument over a $400 baby monitor she registered. Better be careful with that shopping habit, Brie!

8 Kim Basinger - Where She Been? 

This Oscar winner was unfortunately plunged into bankruptcy in the early 1990s after skipping out on a film role in Boxing Helena, despite having signed a contract already. She was then made to pay an astounding $8.1 million to Main Line Pictures, a common occurrence when a performer backs-out of a contract. This pushed Basinger to declare bankruptcy. Actress Sherilyn Fenn replaced Basinger in the controversial film.

Another valuable asset she had that was eventually liquidated was Braselton, a small town she was looking to turn into a tourist spot with some investors. Soon enough, her share was sold, and the little town is doing better than ever. Reports show that she’s slowly making her way back into Hollywood with some TV appearances, which might bode well for her finances. Oh, and let’s not forget her appearance in the 50 Shades of Gray franchise playing, Elena Lincoln.

7 Teresa Giudice - Jail Time 

This Real Housewife of New Jersey has had some dramatic affairs with the bank as well as a stint in city jail due to her problematic finances. In 2009, she and her husband first filed for bankruptcy, but the trouble did not stop there. After the initial filing, creditors accused Giudice and her hubby of hiding their assets and avoiding their overdrawn accounts. This led to a case of bankruptcy fraud, as well as wire and bank fraud.

The couple were found guilty and have been serving time. As of this moment, Theresa is now out of prison. She settled her bankruptcy case in 2016, and is paying back the IRS and the New Jersey Department of Revenue. Though Teresa recently got out of the penitentiary, her husband is still behind bars. They made an agreement with the judge to serve their sentences consecutively so that their children would have one of their parents with them at all times.

6 Abby Lee Miller - Pled Guilt To Fraud 

Reality TV stars face more than petty drama and crocodile tears. Another example of this is Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller, who is famous (or rather infamous) for being straight-laced and tough on the show. Her personal finances, however, are anything but straight. She pled guilty to bankruptcy fraud, after trying to smuggle over a hundred thousand dollars, and $120,000 Australian dollars into the States.

What led to her being caught? Well, being on TV of course! After being seen on the screen, her bankruptcy judge saw the lifestyle she was living and knew she was not as broke as she made herself out to be. Though she admits that she did make some mistakes, she maintains that her biggest mistake was letting other people control her money. Abby is currently serving a year sentence at a prison in Victorville, California.

5 Cyndi Lauper - Going Solo Was A Mess

All is not as fair as it seems in the music world. This rock diva who is behind the hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” has had her fair share of financial troubles. Cyndi Lauper used to be a part of rock band Blue Angel but then decided to go solo. That is also when her bankruptcy problems started.

But her bankruptcy did not last too long. Soon after she signed up to be a part of the CBS label, Portrait, and that is when her career took off once more. Her album She’s So Unusual helped get her out of her tight financial spot, and now? Her Broadway stunner of a show Kinky Boots is currently keeping her busy and out of trouble. We have to congratulate Cyndi on getting herself out of trouble gracefully. Girls really do have more fun!

4 Sarah Ferguson - Canceled Birthday 

The erstwhile Duchess of York, formerly wife to Prince Andrew is non-stop fodder for tabloid gossip both in the states and across the pond. Ever since she left the palace, she has been plagued with mishaps and unfortunate money woes. With daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, one would expect Ms. Ferguson to have limitless access to the Windsor cash, but sadly, it is quite the opposite. She seems to have a problem hanging onto her money. Poor Princess.

In 2009 she was forced to cancel her 50th birthday bash due to lack of funds. Three hundred of her close friends and family were already invited, cake and wine were ordered and a bevy of royal hangers-on was seriously disappointed with the cancellation. It is not clear if her on-again-off-again boyfriend, heir Geir Frantzen is bailing her out of her financial problems. Regardless, she will definitely need all the cash she can get her hands on to pay for the massive credit card bills that have been piling up.

3 Teri Polo - Crazy Credit Debt 

We watched Meet the Parents and The Fosters at the theatres and we are sure you did too! Beautiful blond Teri Polo was a perfect leading lady to the famous comedian, Ben Stiller. A professional ballet dancer from the age of thirteen, Polo is used to fighting her way through life. A single mother who has been divorced twice, she filed for bankruptcy in April 2014 despite mounting credit card debt totaling $1 million.

Raising a child in Hollywood is tough, especially if you are a single mother struggling to find a job. But Polo is a true fighter and has since slowly gotten herself out of this money rut. She has gradually been increasing her visibility with guest starring roles on some of the biggest series franchises. These shows include: Chicago Hope, Numb3rs, Frasier, Law & Order: LA, Castle and Criminal Minds.

2 Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins - TLC Lead Singer - Debt Of $768,643

T-Boz was a third of the musical group TLC that shot to fame in the 1990’s with hit songs such, “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs.” The trio also included Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. At the height of the trio’s success, in 1995, T-Boz surprisingly went broke. Tragically, Left Eye died in a car crash in 2002 and the group has never been the same. The bad money streak seemed to follow T-Boz through the years and she soon declared bankruptcy in 2011, after raking in a debt of $768,643 with creditors.

It is sad to see a celebrity that you closely follow (and with songs that you sing to) deep in debt, and it is hard not to wonder what got them to where they are. Nowadays, T-Boz and Chilli play small-time gigs in cities all over the United States and get by with the little cash that they earn. A far cry from the salaries and royalties they received just three decades ago.

1 Courtney Love - Drugs And Bad Money Management 

Courtney Love had an estimated net worth of $150 million, which she inherited when her husband and Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain died in 1994. After Cobain’s passing, Love acquired his publishing and writing rights which were valued at $115 and $130 million. Sadly, she sold 25% of her shares in 2006 and soon lost almost all of it to drugs and bad money management.

Everyone watched as she fought one lawsuit after another during which she spent millions of Nirvana’s money. This included legal battles between her and the other members of Nirvana over unreleased song material. Love is still not finished with her money woes and at the rate she is spending money that she does not have, she will soon be left at the mercy of her estranged daughter, Frances Bean. Francis, as it turns out, has a much larger share of the Nirvana purse.

Sources: CheatSheet, YourTango