Skip to content

Top Navigation

PEOPLE.com PEOPLE.com
  • News
    • Coronavirus
    • Crime
    • Human Interest
    • Politics
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Country
    • Awards
    • Sports
    • Theater
    • Books
  • Coronavirus
  • Royals
  • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Health
    • Parents
    • Home
    • Real Estate
    • Pets
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Tech
  • PeopleTV
  • Shopping
    • Coupons

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
Login
Subscribe

Explore PEOPLE.com

PEOPLE.com PEOPLE.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Every Tiara Worn at a Royal Wedding

      Every Tiara Worn at a Royal Wedding

      From Princess Beatrice to Meghan Markle Read More
    • Engineer Creates App To Translate Your Cat

      Engineer Creates App To Translate Your Cat

      Find out what your cat is trying to tell you with a new cat app Read More
    • The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana

      The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana

      Princess Diana died when Harry was just 12 years old Read More
  • News

    News

    See All News
    Sean Connery's Cause of Death Revealed Weeks After He Dies at Age 90

    Sean Connery's Cause of Death Revealed Weeks After He Dies at Age 90

    Sean Connery died on Oct. 31 at age 90
    • Coronavirus
    • Crime
    • Human Interest
    • Politics
  • Entertainment

    Entertainment

    See All Entertainment
    Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now?

    Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now?

    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Country
    • Awards
    • Sports
    • Theater
    • Books
  • Coronavirus
  • Royals
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    See All Lifestyle
    Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype

    Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype

    • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Health
    • Parents
    • Home
    • Real Estate
    • Pets
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Tech
  • PeopleTV
  • Shopping

    Shopping

    • Coupons

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

People is on Community!
Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more.
Text: 212-479-1704
LIVE
  1. People.com
  2. Celebrity
  3. How Lakeith Stanfield, Issa Rae, Nicole Kidman and More Celebrities Spent Their First Big Paychecks 

How Lakeith Stanfield, Issa Rae, Nicole Kidman and More Celebrities Spent Their First Big Paychecks 

From fancy shoes to quirky instruments, see what stars bought when they finally had money to spare
By Lydia Price
February 13, 2020 03:23 PM
Skip gallery slides
FB Tweet

1 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

LAKEITH STANFIELD & ISSA RAE: A TESLA

Issa Rae LaKeith Stanfield
Credit: Steven Ferdman/Getty; David Livingston/Getty

Turns out, the Photograph costars have a very surprising thing in common: they're "Tesla twins!" The onscreen love interests discovered the bizarre coincidence in a BuzzFeed video where they dished about their "First Times," including how they spent their first big paycheck.

"I bought a Tesla," Stanfield says in the video.

"Same — what?" Rae replies, clearly taken aback. "Are you lyin? I have never seen you drive it."

"It's in the shop!" says Stanfield.

1 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

LIL NAS X: A BOWLING PARTY

Lil Nas X
Credit: John Shearer/Getty Images

In case you aren't already obsessed with the Grammy winner and his global hit "Old Town Road," the incredibly pure way he spent his first paycheck might change your mind: "I took my family bowling," he told Insider. "Like, everybody. It was a lot of us, not just my immediate family."

2 of 22

3 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

MADELAINE PETSCH: A CARTIER RING

Entertainment Weekly Comic-Con Celebration - Arrivals
Credit: Araya Diaz/WireImage

"My first big splurge was this rose gold Cartier ring," the actress said in a Teen Vogue video. "I now buy myself one at the beginning of every season [of Riverdale] to, like, have something that I can remember. I called my mom — I was super nervous to buy it. I was like, 'This is a big investment. Should I get it?' ... I don't really buy a lot of stuff, I don't really splurge too often, but it's nice to have those little things that remind me of where I came from and where I am now."

3 of 22

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

DONALD GLOVER: GUSHERS AND OTHER CANDY

Donald Glover
Credit: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage

Glover scored a writing job on 30 Rock when he was just a college student. "I had more money than all my friends, but I didn't spend it well. You're too young," he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

"Can I be honest?" the Lion King star continued when Kimmel asked him how he spent his network TV money. "Like, Gushers. I wasn't allowed to have candy as a kid, so I was like, 'I'm balling.' "

4 of 22

Advertisement

5 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

CALEB MCLAUGHLIN: NIKE JORDANS

Caleb McLaughlin
Credit: Rachel Murray/Getty

The 17-year-old Stranger Things star splurged on a fresh pair of kicks when the Netflix money started rolling in. "There were these sneakers called Jordan Wings that I bought," he shared on an episode of First We Feast's "Truth or Dab." The shoes cost hundreds of dollars; however, McLaughlin generally tries to remain frugal. "I don't really spend that much," he added.

5 of 22

6 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

KELLY ROWLAND: GROCERIES

NBA Awards Show 2018 - Backstage Photo Room
Credit: Allen Berezovsky/Getty

"When I got one of my first paychecks, I went to the grocery store and bought almost everything that my mom used to tell me was too expensive," the former Destiny's Child member shared with InStyle. "I bought all of that s---, had a party at my house, and everybody ate up everything. I’ll never forget it, because it was fun and it was something I was able to fund myself."

6 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

MINKA KELLY: A BIG FLAT SCREEN TV 

Dove Chocolate Journey Series Screening
Credit: Bennett Raglin/WireImage

Upon landing her role in Friday Night Lights, Kelly went ahead and purchased a TV for her dad. "I got my dad a huge flat screen TV for Christmas," the actress told InStyle. "He had no idea it was coming and then he called me and said, 'Do you know anything about this?' And I was like 'Surprise!'"

7 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

JOHNNY DEPP: A HOUSE FOR HIS MOM

'Murder on the Orient Express' film premiere, Arrivals, London, UK - 02 Nov 2017
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

In an intimate interview with Rolling Stone, Depp revealed that his first big purchase after becoming a breakout star was a horse farm near Lexington, Kentucky, for his mother. "Betty Sue, I worshipped her," he said of his late mom.

8 of 22

Advertisement

9 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

NICOLE KIDMAN: A WASHING MACHINE

90th Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals
Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage

It wasn't for herself, however. "I bought my mom and dad a washing machine," Kidman told TIME of what she spent her first paycheck on. "Later on, I bought some boots for myself that were like the coolest boots I had ever seen in my life."

9 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

TIFFANY HADDISH: SO MUCH CANDY

TBS' FYC Event For "The Last O.G." And "Search Party"
Credit: Leon Bennett/Getty

But first, the Girls Trip star took herself to the bank. "First thing I did is I went to the bank and I opened up a checking account. It was like $120," Haddish said in a video for TIME. "And I bought a big box of Snickers and lollipops, Jolly Rancher sticks and Blow Pops. Oh, and Corn Nuts. I'm surprised I don't have diabetes right now because I love Snickers."

10 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

JENNIFER LOPEZ: A SHINY NEW MERCEDES

NBCUniversal Summer Press Tour, Los Angeles, USA - 20 Mar 2017
Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

Buying a sweet new ride was a big moment for young J.Lo — even though her personal life was rocky at the time. "I was driving a Honda hatchback that Keenen Ivory Wayans had given me when I moved out here when I was a Fly Girl [dancer on In Living Color]. And I had been driving it to every audition," Lopez revealed of her early L.A. days during an actress roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter. "And when I got, I think it was a regular series, I bought a car — a Mercedes. And it was a huge deal, though I was signing the lease to the car and breaking up with my boyfriend the same week. We were in the dealership and I was crying."

11 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

AMERICA FERRERA: A 2000 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE

2017 Summer TCA Tour - NBCUniversal Press Tour - Arrivals
Credit: (Photo by JB Lacroix/ WireImage)

"I had to ride the bus, I had to walk, I had to ride my bike, I had to beg my siblings for a ride," Ferrera recalled to InStyle, revealing she used her paycheck from starring in the Disney Channel movie Gotta Kick It Up! to purchase her very first car. "Getting your own car in L.A. is a huge right of passage."

12 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

13 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

SERENA WILLIAMS: STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

Burberry Celebrates The Launch Of The DK88 Bag, Hosted By Chief Executive And Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey
Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Burberry

No, seriously. The tennis legend may have thought earning her first million was NBD, but her bank was quite surprised when she rolled up with the hefty check. "I never touched [the money] — I just put it in the bank. I remember I went through the drive-thru to deposit my check, and then they were like, 'I think you need to come in for this,' and so I ended up going inside," she shared on Kneading Dough. So, depositing a seven-figure payment is just slightly more complicated than ordering a cheeseburger — who knew?

13 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

14 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

ARIEL WINTER: SHOES, SHOES AND MORE SHOES

Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation's 3rd Annual Blue Diamond Gala - Arrivals
Credit: Allen Berezovsky/FilmMagic

She's gotta have her kicks! The Modern Family actress went straight for retail therapy when she made her first substantial TV earnings as a teen. "I think I bought some serious shoes. I bought a lot of shoes. I love shoes," she told PEOPLE in 2014 of her first splurge as a star.

14 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement

15 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

KERRY WASHINGTON: HID IT UNDER HER BED — AND THEN BOUGHT A LAPTOP

2017 Forbes Women's Summit
Credit: Gary Gershoff/WireImage

It took a little bit of time for the Scandal star to get comfortable with her successful actress salary. “This is so Bronx girl of me … Save the Last Dance was my second movie, and we had a per diem. I couldn’t believe somebody was handing me cash and I literally used to hide it under my mattress for the whole movie,” she admitted during an actress roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter. "I put myself on a tight budget of what I could spend. And at the end of it, I used all the cash from the three months and bought my first laptop."

15 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

16 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

ASHLEY GRAHAM: A PERSONAL TRAINER (BUT ALSO SHOES)

MOSCHINO Spring Summer 2018 Menswear and Women's Resort Collection, Los Angeles, USA - 09 Jun 2017
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

The model mostly went the practical route when she first made it. "Probably my first big purchase was a pair of Chanel platform creepers," Graham shared with PEOPLE. "But the most I spent was on a personal trainer, I was so clueless in the gym and I really wanted to learn how to use all of those intimating machines without hurting myself." Lucky for us, these days Graham frequently passes on fitness routine wisdom via Instagram, free of charge.

16 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

17 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

BRAD PITT: FURNITURE 

1FE1A5A1
Credit: Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock

"When I received my first paycheck from my now known day job, I spent it on a period Craftsman chair and a Frank Lloyd Wright–wannabe lamp. With my second paycheck, I bought a stereo," Pitt told Architectural Digest.

17 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement

18 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

BRIE LARSON: AN ELECTRIC GUITAR 

The Costume Institute Benefit celebrating the opening of Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between, Arrivals, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA - 01 May 2017
Credit: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock

The Oscar-winner told GQ about her first major buy. "The first real purchase that I recall was a blue electric guitar," she revealed, reminding us, once again, that she's infinitely cooler than we'll ever be.

18 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

19 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

CINDY CRAWFORD: WALLPAPER 

Mother's Day Weekend Brunch Hosted By Best Buddies Global Ambassador Cindy Crawford And Daughter Kaia Gerber

The supermodel focused on making her home look good after making it in the fashion business. "I still remember what I spent my first paycheck on — wallpaper. Says a lot doesn’t it?" she tweeted.

19 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

20 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

OLIVIA HOLT: A PET FISH 

2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards - Arrivals
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

The actress-singer got an early start in Hollywood, and spent her first paycheck accordingly. "When I was 8 or 9, I did a commercial or something, and my parents gave me $200 from it and I took that $200 to Petco and I bought a Betta fish," she told PEOPLE.

20 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement

21 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

RAMI MALEK: AN ESPRESSO MACHINE 

The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, Arrivals, Los Angeles, USA - 29 Jan 2017
Credit: Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock

The Mr. Robot star clearly has a deep love for caffeine. "I ended up spending that paycheck on my own personal espresso machine. I think I figured that s--- out," he told GQ about his first substantial acting gig payday.

21 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

22 of 22

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

KATHY GRIFFIN: A HOME FOR HER PARENTS 

The Build Series Presents Kathy Griffin Discussing Her New Book "Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins"
Credit: Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage

When the money started coming in, Griffin went straight to helping her long-supportive parents out. "I splurged on my mom and dad first, because, you know, they're very working class and always took care of me and paid for my acting classes and my braces, which I still hear about," she told PEOPLE. "So it was all about getting them a nice place to live, and that's really the most fun part."

22 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Lydia Price

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 22 LAKEITH STANFIELD & ISSA RAE: A TESLA
    2 of 22 LIL NAS X: A BOWLING PARTY
    3 of 22 MADELAINE PETSCH: A CARTIER RING
    4 of 22 DONALD GLOVER: GUSHERS AND OTHER CANDY
    5 of 22 CALEB MCLAUGHLIN: NIKE JORDANS
    6 of 22 KELLY ROWLAND: GROCERIES
    7 of 22 MINKA KELLY: A BIG FLAT SCREEN TV 
    8 of 22 JOHNNY DEPP: A HOUSE FOR HIS MOM
    9 of 22 NICOLE KIDMAN: A WASHING MACHINE
    10 of 22 TIFFANY HADDISH: SO MUCH CANDY
    11 of 22 JENNIFER LOPEZ: A SHINY NEW MERCEDES
    12 of 22 AMERICA FERRERA: A 2000 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE
    13 of 22 SERENA WILLIAMS: STRAIGHT TO THE BANK
    14 of 22 ARIEL WINTER: SHOES, SHOES AND MORE SHOES
    15 of 22 KERRY WASHINGTON: HID IT UNDER HER BED — AND THEN BOUGHT A LAPTOP
    16 of 22 ASHLEY GRAHAM: A PERSONAL TRAINER (BUT ALSO SHOES)
    17 of 22 BRAD PITT: FURNITURE 
    18 of 22 BRIE LARSON: AN ELECTRIC GUITAR 
    19 of 22 CINDY CRAWFORD: WALLPAPER 
    20 of 22 OLIVIA HOLT: A PET FISH 
    21 of 22 RAMI MALEK: AN ESPRESSO MACHINE 
    22 of 22 KATHY GRIFFIN: A HOME FOR HER PARENTS 

    Share options

    Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

    Login

    PEOPLE.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing
    • Sitemap
    • Student Offer this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    People is on Community!
    Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more.
    Text: 212-479-1704
    Newsletter Sign Up
    Other Meredith Sites

    Other Meredith Sites

    • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
    • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
    • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
    • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
    • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
    • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
    • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
    • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
    • Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
    • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
    • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
    • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
    • More this link opens in a new tab
    • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
    • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
    • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
    • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
    • Parents this link opens in a new tab
    • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
    • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
    • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
    • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
    • Shape this link opens in a new tab
    • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
    • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
    • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
    • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
    Meredith© Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab. People is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab Manage Push Notificationsthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab

    Manage Push Notifications

    If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: Google Chrome and Android, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.
    © Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://people.com

    View image

    How Lakeith Stanfield, Issa Rae, Nicole Kidman and More Celebrities Spent Their First Big Paychecks 
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.