Industry Insiders Reveal Top Celebrity Freeloaders in the Spotlight

If the saying holds true that the best things in life are free, then these celebrities have definitely found the sweet spot.

While it’s easy to assume that the wealthy and famous can afford to indulge in extravagant vacations and purchase any product they desire, some prefer to seek out freebies rather than part with their money.

Fans, however, appear to be growing increasingly frustrated with affluent influencers who expect complimentary vacations, beauty products, and meals.

These stars often face online backlash for flaunting their presence at gifting suites, pursuing costly giveaways, or lamenting financial hardships.

The Daily Mail has recently pulled back the curtain on some of the most notorious freeloaders in the entertainment world, from audacious celebrities promoting sponsored content to high-earning influencers asking for free Coachella tickets.

Teresa Giudice

Giudice, pictured at the gifting lounge at iHeartRadio’s Z100 Jingle Ball 2019, is said to be ‘thirsty for whatever money she can get,’ according to our industry snitch

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice will seemingly do almost anything for fame – and that includes flipping a table on national television.

In fact, an insider told the Daily Mail that the 53-year-old is ‘thirsty for whatever money she can get.’ 

She has worked with numerous brands, including the popular Bloom Nutrition as well as beauty subscription service Ipsy in recent months because she is ‘all about good skin and great glam,’ according to the sponsored post. 

‘She’s doing appearances and events because it has been reported that she and her husband have financial problems,’ the insider claimed. The reality star and her husband were reportedly hit with millions in tax liens in March 2025. According to documents, they had more than $3 million in New Jersey state tax liens placed on them. 

A separate source agreed, adding: ‘She’s desperate for money for sure… desperate because she wants the attention to stay relevant.’

‘Whatever money opportunity she’s going to get, she’s going to take it,’ the source continued. ‘Even when an offer is made, she always wants more.’

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens famously loves a sponsored post, promoting everything from a curler to Alltroo

Vanessa Hudgens, 37, is all about the sponsored content, promoting everything online from a curler to Alltroo, a celebrity-backed digital fundraising platform. (She also founded Caliwater, so of course, countless posts showcase her sipping the stuff.)

In the past, Hudgens has worked with Fabletics, American Express and BetMGM Casino – to her fans’ dismay. They were not happy about her advertising gambling, with one person writing on Reddit: ‘There’s something so sinister about rich people selling pipe dreams of wealth to normal people, most of whom are really struggling these days.’

Brandon Edelman

Influencer Bran Flakezz caused quite a stir when he implied he could not attend Coachella without help from a brand despite making a six-figure salary

Despite claiming to have earned well over $700,000, popular influencer Brandon Edelman – better known online as Bran Flakezz – was seen on TikTok lamenting his lack of free Coachella tickets.

In a video shared with his 1.4 million TikTok followers, the 29-year-old said he ‘did not know’ if he would make it to Indio, California, this month because he ‘had heard nothing from brands.’ He faced swift backlash for his comments, with one person writing: ‘You. Can. Afford. Coachella.’

Thankfully for Edelman, he nabbed a last-minute invite from Starbucks – though fans were quick to also criticize him for working with the brand despite their calls to boycott it.

In his TikTok response, he said that ‘this brand has never been boycotted by me.’ 

The Philadelphia-based influencer did, however, apologize for his comments about needing a ticket and said he was ‘tone deaf as s***’ and that there is ‘no defense for that.’

Priyanka Chopra

The stunning former Miss World can’t turn down a sponsorship opportunity. Above she attends attends a Bvlgari event

The Bollywood star, 43, is famous for her three-day extravaganza wedding to Nick Jonas in December 2018, where she embraced her celebrity status by having partnerships with Ralph Lauren and Tiffany & Co. 

Now, Chopra is all about #sponcon, sharing posts sponsored by Bentley Motors, Max Factor and Bvlgari with her 94.5 million followers. 

But the list does not end there. She has previously partnered with Bumble and Victoria’s Secret. 

It is unlikely that Chopra needs the free Bentleys and baubles, as she has a reported net worth of $80 million. 

Tana Mongeau

Tana Mongeau shared her love of freebies when she charged her fans to watch her wedding, which was not legally binding 

Tana Mongeau, 27, been a controversial YouTube star ever since she went viral for her elaborate story time videos. 

But it was her quest for her fans hard-earned dollars that truly drew attention. 

In June 2018, she hosted TanaCon, which was later compared to Fyre Fest due to poor logistical planning. While she eventually dished out refunds, attendees had to submit claims within a specific timeframe and they were not able to get compensated for their travel. 

Like many influencers in search of a check, Mongeau has partnered with Bloom Nutrition as well as Tarte Cosmetics, Fashion Nova and DraftKings.

Mongeau went as far as to get engaged to fellow YouTube star Jake Paul in 2019 and livestreamed their wedding in Las Vegas. While they swore it was not a publicity stunt, the ceremony (which was not legally binding) was available on pay-per-view for $50.

Eva Longoria

The Desperate Housewives alum promotes everything from vacuums to makeup on Instagram

Between snaps of her personal life behind the scenes or her red carpet photo ops, the Desperate Housewives star’s posts feature company tags or some sort of partnership.

While some are not exactly glam, like working with Bissell Clean or Lenovo, others are far more highbrow, including acting as a global brand ambassador for L’Oréal, a role she has held since 2005. 

The 51-year-old even appeared on Celebrity IOU in January, renovating her best friend’s house with the help of HGTV. Though, with a rumored net worth of $80 million, she almost certainly could have taken care of those renovations on her own. 

Her husband José Bastón is a Mexican businessman who is said to be worth around $25 million thanks to his career as the president of Televisa, the largest Spanish-speaking media company in the world, only adding to her enviable wealth. 

Despite her love of #ads, her life is full of luxury. She hosts her star-studded Global Gift Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, which she frequently tags in Instagram posts, where rooms start at $2,000 a night. 

Kim Zolciak

RHOA alum Kim Zolciak was slammed for doing casino promotion after gambling away her $1.5 million fortune 

Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Kim Zolciak has been accused of being equally cavalier in her apparent quest for cash.

‘Her divorce proceedings screamed “thirsty,”‘ one insider told us. 

Zolciak, 47, has 3.2 million Instagram followers, but her page is littered with sponsored posts. The reality star has partnered with everyone from FabFitFun to 310 Nutrition weight loss shakes. One of her more controversial sponsored posts was Sparkling Protein seltzer, which is said to curb cravings by naturally boosting GLP-1. 

She was, however, slammed for doing casino promotion after reportedly gambling away her $1.5 million fortune. Her former NFL linebacker husband Kroy Biermann told police in 2023 that Kim was a ‘compulsive behavior addict’ who had blown a staggering $1.5 million on gambling.

Mikayla Nogueira

Beauty guru Mikayla Nogueira shot to fame and gained 17.4 million TikTok followers when she was an Ulta employee and has been raking in free beauty products ever since 

The 27-year-old beauty guru shot to fame when she was an Ulta employee in Massachusetts and has since become known in the beauty world for her get ready with me videos. 

But in January 2023, she was at the center of internet drama known as Mascara-gate after she was said to have worn false lashes while promoting L’Oréal Telescopic Lift Mascara in a video. She quickly denied the allegations in her comments section, writing, ‘Nooo omg L’Oreal would never allow that in a partnered post!!!’ 

Nogueira, who boasts 17.4 million TikTok followers, has since been labeled the ‘most dishonest beauty influencer.’ 

Her followers were especially displeased after Elf sponsored her wedding as they asked why she would not just pay for the star-studded bash. She has since divorced her ex.

The Boston-based creator has been given so many free beauty products she has a ‘dream beauty room’ stocked with goodies from the brands she has collaborated with, like Rare Beauty, Benefit Cosmetics and Kosas. 

Dixie D’Amelio 

Dixie D’Amelio has endorsed Puma, APM Monaco jewelry, CeraVe and Hollister on Instagram, where she boasts 19.2 million followers 

The Connecticut native, 24, rose to fame on TikTok for being influencer Charli D’Amelio’s sister, but never quite developed a niche of her own. 

While she tried her hand at singing with the single Be Happy, nothing really stuck, and these days, she shares a nearly constant stream of sponsored posts. 

Most recently, she hit Coachella by partnering with Crocs (and yes, that did mean she had to wear a bedazzled pair). Almost every single post is tagged ‘#ad,’ as she promotes everything from Revolve to Coffeemate. 

Kim and Kourtney Kardashian 

Kim Kardashian is famous for her love of swag, going so far as to declare at the 2018 Create & Cultivate conference that the best thing about being Kim Kardashian is ‘the free s***’

Even the biggest A-listers can be guilty of overdoing it.

Kim, 45, is famous for her love of swag, going so far as to declare at the 2018 Create & Cultivate conference that the best thing about being Kim Kardashian is ‘the free s***.’ The Skims founder – who once promoted Sugarbear hair gummies and Sketchers – said it was specifically the ‘free trips, free planes, free everything.’ 

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star clarified: ‘I do love to share, when I get free stuff, I literally give it to all my friends and family.’ 

With Kim and her sisters have been spotted in gifting suites and hawking products over the years, Kourtney, 47, faced particularly brutal backlash when her wedding to Travis Barker was sponsored by the controversial fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana.