With the nature of Hollywood and show business, celebrities also use their status as a platform to invest in business or take a stance on the state of the world.
Here, we look at some of the side projects celebrities have – two of them even involve bees!
Morgan Freeman
In his native Clarksdale, Mississippi, Morgan Freeman co-owns Ground Zero Blues Club – a haven for the Delta blues, but in his own 124-acre Mississippi ranch, Freeman has started beekeeping in an effort to restore the bee population due to its decline from the use of harmful pesticides.
Ashton Kutcher
The actor – most notable for his roles in That ‘70s Show and Dude, Where’s My Car? – is also one of Silicon Valley’s most successful Venture Capital investors. To date, he’s funded Uber, Airbnb and Spotify, through A-Grade Investments, the company he founded. (His role as Steve Jobs in Jobs makes so much sense.) He recently invested in start-up Unikrn, an online wagering company that takes bets on eSports events.
Flea
Flea, bassist with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has more than 200,000 bees in his apiary. Documenting his beekeeping journey on Instagram, the Melbourne-born musician is reported to have three hives in his backyard in a bid to revive the honeybee population, which is in decline.
Rose McGowan
Best known as the former girlfriend of and muse for Marilyn Manson’s Coma White, and as one of the sisters, Paige, in Charmed, Rose McGowan – who recently lashed out against sexism in the institution that is Hollywood – says she supplements 60% of her acting income with non-entertainment ventures, such as DryBar.
Jessica Alba
After having her two daughters Honor and Haven, Jessica Alba was appalled at the ingredients in baby and home-cleaning products, so she decided to start her own business, The Honest Company. Now it’s expanded to include a natural beauty line – all of which is worth $1 billion.
Trisha Yearwood
The country superstar – who hit the big time with the song How Do I – is married to fellow country musician Garth Brooks, but Yearwood also has a business away from the limelight, specialising in cookbooks, cookware, recipes and soon, a furniture range called Trisha Yearwood Home Collection. Yearwood’s business ventures also include a Food Network show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.
Which other celebrity side venture do you look to for inspiration?