Stars Who’ve Played Controversial, Yet Lucrative, Private Shows
In addition to doing massive tours, stars can earn serious dough playing private concerts. But some ritzy bookings come with controversy.
In 2013, Kanye West received a reported $3 million to perform at the wedding of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s grandson. Nazarbayev has been accused by watchdog groups of human rights violations, including torture.
Also in 2013, J.Lo performed a short three-song set for the China National Petroleum Corp., for which she was paid over $1 million. Afterward, she sang “Happy Birthday” to the president of Turkmenistan, a leader who is also accused of human rights abuses.
In 2011, Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank made a paid appearance at Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s birthday party. She was joined by the singer Seal and action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. Kadyrov’s been accused of brutal killings and abductions. Swank later apologized.
In 2009, Beyoncé performed five songs at a New Year’s Eve party for the son of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. After a public outcry, she donated her $1 million event fee to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund. Nelly Furtado, 50 Cent, and Mariah Carey also donated money paid to them by Gadhafi family members for private shows. Carey said, “I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess. Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from.”
Mariah Carey’s disastrous NYE performance was recently defended by her ex:
