The rise of crypto-assets and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has disrupted the financial sector and captivated the world of entertainment. What began as a niche technological movement has attracted widespread mainstream adoption, with high-profile figures from the worlds of music, sport and Hollywood embracing Web3.
Public figures are experimenting with blockchain in various ways, from acquiring digital collectibles to launching venture capital funds. The way fans interact with their idols and how users consume entertainment has been revolutionised by the explosion in the use of digital assets. This includes collecting digital art, trading fan tokens and exploring the growing world of crypto casinos and blockchain gaming.
Below, we’re taking a look at ten well-known celebrities who have publicly embraced crypto. Their stories cover everything from smart investing and building a community to cautionary tales of regulation, offering a comprehensive look at the intersection of fame and finance.
1. Snoop Dogg: Hip-Hop’s NFT Mogul
Snoop Dogg is definitely one of the few celebrities who are really into the metaverse. The hip-hop legend revealed himself to be “Cozomo de’ Medici,” a pseudonymous NFT collector with a digital wallet worth over $17 million at its peak. His portfolio is pretty varied, with high-profile assets like CryptoPunks and Bored Apes, as well as holdings in Bitcoin, Ether, Dogecoin, and Cardano.
Snoop is not just collecting, he’s actually changing the music industry. After he bought Death Row Records, he said he was going to turn it into the “first NFT music label.” He put out his album B.O.D.R. (Bacc On Death Row) as a series of NFTs, showing that artists want more control over how they make money. Also, his “Snoopverse” in The Sandbox lets fans buy virtual real estate next to his digital mansion, which is a cool way to bring hip-hop culture and digital land ownership together.
2. Serena Williams: Championing Crypto Through Venture Capital
Tennis legend Serena Williams has moved from owning the court to shaping the future of finance. She was an early investor in Coinbase, the major crypto exchange, through her firm, Serena Ventures. Her investment philosophy is all about companies with a variety of leadership, which shows that she believes crypto can make financial services more available to everyone.
In 2021, her firm led a $5 million pre-Series A round for Lolli, a platform that rewards shoppers with Bitcoin. Williams says that earning and owning Bitcoin is a way to help underrepresented communities get more financially powerful. She’s not just using her money to promote products like other celebrities do. Instead, she’s putting her money into building the crypto economy from the ground up.
3. Lionel Messi: Fan Token Pioneer
When football legend Lionel Messi moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021, he made headlines not just for the transfer, but for his contract. He got a chunk of his welcome package, about €25–30 million, in PSG Fan Tokens. These tokens let supporters vote on small club decisions, like stadium music or kit designs, and strengthen the bond between the team and its fans.
Messi also made it clear he’s all about Web3, signing a $20 million deal with Socios.com and teaming up with the crypto exchange Bitget. His Socios deal was paid in cash, but he’s also happy to be the face of fan tokens, which shows that blockchain can be used to monetise fan engagement.
4. Russell Okung: The Bitcoin Salary Trailblazer
NFL offensive tackle Russell Okung famously tweeted, “Pay me in Bitcoin,” and in 2020, he made it happen. Okung used the Strike app to convert half of his $13 million salary from the Carolina Panthers into Bitcoin. At the time, he received about 240 BTC, which appreciated significantly, at one point making his salary almost $21 million.
For Okung, this was an act of activism. He described it as “opting out of the corrupt, manipulated economy” and getting back in charge of our finances. His bold move was a first in professional sports, and it inspired other athletes like Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley to explore crypto-based compensation.
5. Naomi Osaka: From Equity to Scrutiny
Tennis star Naomi Osaka entered the crypto space with a high-profile partnership with FTX in 2022. As a global ambassador, she bought into the exchange and got paid in crypto, with the aim of getting more women into Web3 finance.
But her involvement shows how unpredictable the industry can be. After the whole FTX thing, Osaka got dragged into a class-action lawsuit with some other big-name promoters. Her legal team says she’s not subject to the lawsuit, but her story shows the major risks celebrities face when they team up with centralised crypto exchanges.
6. Paris Hilton: The “OG” Crypto Queen
While loads of celebrities jumped on the NFT bandwagon in 2021, Paris Hilton was years ahead of the curve. She got into crypto in 2016, and in March 2020, she sold her first NFT (it was a drawing of her cat) for $17,000 to charity.
Since then, Hilton has become a real advocate for the technology. She’s released a successful NFT collection with artist Blake Kathryn, invested in the Origin Protocol, and even named her dogs “Crypto” and “Ether.” She uses her podcast and social media to educate her huge following on digital ownership, positioning herself not just as a participant, but as a thought leader in the field.
7. Reese Witherspoon: Storytelling on the Blockchain
Reese Witherspoon’s foray into crypto is as strategic and story-driven as you would expect. Her media company, Hello Sunshine, teamed up with World of Women (WoW), a top-notch NFT collective, to bring their characters to life in films and TV series.
Witherspoon has been pretty vocal about the gender disparity in the crypto world. She’s all about inclusivity in Web3, so she’s championing a project led by a woman. She’s always chatting with the community on X, and she’s using her platform to talk about how digital ownership can empower female creators. It’s not just a quick endorsement, it’s a real commitment.
8. LeBron James: Education Over Speculation
Basketball legend LeBron James has taken a unique approach by focusing on education. Back in 2022, he joined forces with Crypto.com to set up a Web3 training programme for his I Promise School in Akron, Ohio. The programme is designed to teach students and their families the basics of blockchain and cryptocurrency.
James has said it’s really important to bridge the digital divide, making sure that underserved communities don’t get left behind as technology moves forward. By focusing on literacy rather than speculation, his initiative aims to provide long-term value to his community, aligning with the LeBron James Family Foundation’s holistic mission.
9. Cristiano Ronaldo: Taking NFTs Global
Back in June 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a multi-year partnership with Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, to launch exclusive NFT collections. The idea behind the collaboration was to get Ronaldo’s fans, who number in the hundreds of millions, up to speed with Web3 by offering them one-of-a-kind digital collectibles celebrating his career.
But with that comes responsibility. Back in 2023, Ronaldo was hit with a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed that his promotion encouraged fans to invest in unregistered securities. His case shows the ongoing tension between global marketing influence and the complex regulatory environment surrounding crypto assets.
10. Kim Kardashian: A Regulatory Cautionary Tale
Maybe the most well-known example of the regulators cracking down on celebrities involved in crypto is Kim Kardashian. Back in October 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) took her to task for promoting EthereumMax (EMAX) tokens on Instagram without disclosing that she’d been paid $250,000 for the post.
Kardashian settled with the SEC, paying $1.26 million in penalties and agreeing not to promote crypto asset securities for three years. Her case became a big moment in the industry, with SEC Chair Gary Gensler using it to warn the public that celebrity endorsements don’t always mean that the financial advice is legit. It’s a really important lesson for influencers and investors to learn about transparency and compliance.