The rise of the celebrity entrepreneur shows how stars are no longer content with fleeting fame, but instead use their platforms to build lasting business empires and diversify their income streams.
These aren’t your typical “where are they now” stories. These are business case studies disguised as nostalgia trips. While you were rewatching “Thriller” on YouTube, Ola Ray was securing settlements and building her brand. While you remembered Lisa Vanderpump from obscure ’80s videos, she was creating a restaurant empire worth $50 million.
8. Alicia Silverstone: Aerosmith’s Vegan Voice
“Clueless” made Silverstone a star. But Aerosmith‘s videos discovered her first. “Cryin’,” “Amazing,” “Crazy”—three videos that launched a career. Hollywood success was just her opening act.
Today she’s vegan advocacy royalty. Two bestselling plant-based cookbooks. A vitamin line focused on plant supplements. Alicia Silverstone’s vegan advocacy has inspired countless fans to embrace plant-based living, with her books and wellness brand at the forefront of the movement. Cultural impact that extends way beyond MTV’s glory days.
7. Bobbie Brown: Beyond the Cherry Pie
Warrant‘s “Cherry Pie” video made Brown famous for all the wrong reasons. She refused to stay stuck there. Reality TV came first. Then two tell-all memoirs. Smart—people love inside stories.
Her cosmetics line targets women over 40. Bobbie Brown’s cosmetics line specifically addresses the needs of women over 40, redefining beauty standards with authenticity and transparency. Brown‘s authentic approach to aging wins loyal customers who hate beauty industry lies. Authenticity beats airbrushing. Always.
6. Melyssa Ford: Video Vixen to Real Estate Victor
“Video vixen” was supposed to be a dead end. Ford made it a starting line. Jay-Z videos, Alicia Keys videos—she was everywhere in the early 2000s. Then she got her real estate license. Smart pivot.
Luxury properties in New York and LA became her new stage. Melyssa Ford’s podcast delves into business, growth, and personal reinvention, proving that fame can become expertise. Ford proved that fame can become expertise. Strategic change beats riding past glory.
5. Emily Ratajkowski: Turning Controversy into Cash
“Blurred Lines” could have trapped her. Instead, Ratajkowski used Robin Thicke’s video as a launching pad. Strategic thinking beats lucky breaks every time. She saw opportunity where others saw scandal.
“Gone Girl” followed. Then Inamorata fashion brand, her fashion brand worth $8 million. Her book “My Body” became a bestseller. Ratajkowski turned brief fame into lasting platforms. Smart moves from someone who knows when to pivot.
4. Tawny Kitaen: Car Dancing to Financial Coaching
Kitaen‘s Jaguar cartwheels in Whitesnake videos became cultural shorthand for ’80s excess. But her divorce from baseball star Chuck Finley taught her harder lessons. Financial ones. She turned pain into purpose.
Kitaen developed workshops for women facing divorce. Financial literacy became her mission. She helped others navigate money troubles during life changes. Sometimes our biggest struggles create our best contributions. Her legacy before passing in 2021.
3. Felicia Pearson: From Corner to Corner Office
Murder conviction. Prison time. Music video cameos in Baltimore. Then “The Wire” changed everything. Pearson‘s story reads like fiction. But it’s real. And powerful.
“Grace After Midnight”—her memoir—details the full journey. Convicted felon to respected actor. Now she mentors at-risk youth in Baltimore. Uses her story to show kids that change is possible. No matter how dark the starting point.
2. Lisa Vanderpump: Restaurant Queen’s Hidden Origins
SUR, Pump, TomTom—these West Hollywood hotspots generate $50 million yearly. Their owner once danced in ABC‘s “Poison Arrow” video. Plot twist nobody saw coming. Vanderpump‘s ’80s new wave cameos were just practice rounds.
Reality TV made her famous. But business made her rich. “Real Housewives” exposure became restaurant empire fuel. Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant empire includes some of West Hollywood’s most iconic venues, all fueled by her strategic use of reality TV fame. She turned drama into dollars. Even spawned “Vanderpump Rules.” That’s how you leverage fifteen minutes into fifty million.
1. Ola Ray: From “Thriller” to Legal Thriller
Dancing with zombies pays better than you’d think. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” remains the most iconic music video of all time, giving Ola Ray a platform that continues to influence her career decades later. Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller” co-star turned her 1983 screen time into serious money decades later. Ray didn’t just fade away after the most famous music video ever made.
She fought for what she deserved. In 2012, Ray secured a settlement from Jackson’s estate for unpaid royalties. Smart move. Today she works the nostalgia circuit at Jackson tribute events. Every appearance builds her brand as the woman who survived “Thriller.”
