they got what for the holidays?! the wild world of celebrity gift giving
Let’s be real, gift-giving can feel incredibly challenging, especially when you’re trying to impress that person who seems to have it all. Which made us think, if finding a gift for the average person is tough, imagine trying to wow someone who truly has everything (we’re looking at you, kim k). It’s no wonder things can go hilariously wrong—or absurdly over the top.
From jaw-dropping splurges to head-scratching choices, these are the most outrageous gifts stars have ever unwrapped.
P.S. Jay-Z, your over-the-top splurge made the list, but we’d still happily accept a gift from you any day.
rihanna - dolphin sculpture
For Christmas in 2014, rihanna's producer gifted her an original Koons sculpture which appears to be a dolphin balancing on a book a-top a stool surrounded by a tire. One can only wonder where Rihanna chose to showcase this conversation starter in her Beverly Hills home.
While we don’t exactly know the cost, we can tell you that Koons' "Balloon Dog (Orange)" sold for $58.4 million dollars, making it one of the most expensive works sold by a living artist at auction. Probably best to have RZA and riot keep their distance.
brad pitt - waterfall
How do you impress the guy who has everything? In happier times, angelina made waves with a joint birthday / Christmas gift for brad: a waterfall. Yes, an entire secluded Californian waterfall. It was meant to be the foundation of a dream home for their family similar to one built by his architecture idol, frank lloyd wright. Alas, as we all know, that fairy tale didn’t end quite as planned.
justin beiber - gulfstream
There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself during the holidays—unless you’re justin bieber, in which case your "little something" is actually a Gulfstream G600. Back in 2014, the pop star posted a photo of himself aboard a $60 million private jet, captioning it, "New jet for Christmas, and she’s beautiful."
While TMZ raised doubts about whether he actually bought the plane, bieber is known for traveling in style and splurging on the finer things. So, whether he owns it or not, flying private is just another day in the life for the biebs.
beyonce - multiple birkin bags
In the words of Shaboozey, “Baby want a Birkin…” But what happens when your baby wants multiple Birkins? If your baby is beyoncé, she gets them—no questions asked. Back in 2019, jay-z reportedly indulged in a private Hermès shopping spree on Christmas Eve, shelling out an eye-popping $350,000. While it may have been a last-minute gifting frenzy, something tells us queen bey didn’t mind one bit.
katy perry - a tiger
Once upon a time, “roar” singer katy perry was married to comedian russel brand and while it was a wedding gift rather than a holiday gift, we couldn’t leave this one off the list. A puppy is one thing, but a live tiger? Yup, he thought that was a good idea. Rumor has it the animal lives at a reserve so at least there’s that.
chrissy teigen - a cheese wheel
Luckily, chrissy teigen didn’t find it cheesy when her husband, john legend, gifted her a kitchen-themed present for Christmas in 2020. On the contrary, the “Cravings” creator called it a “dream” to receive a massive hollowed-out wheel of cheese. Given that 2020 became synonymous with creative cooking at home, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect—or delicious!
kim kardashian - the “oyster dress”
For Christmas 2019, kanye west gifted his then-wife, kim kardashian, alexander mcqueen’s legendary Oyster Dress, one of only two ever created. The other resides in the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the curator has called it "arguably the most important dress of the 21st century."
kim debuted the avant-garde creation—described as "a poetic rendering of a disaster at sea"—at the Academy Awards the following year. While her appearance wasn’t a “disaster,” it did receive mixed reviews on the red carpet.