Drea Knufken
Million dollar baby photos have been all the rage since Angeline Jolie brought a pair of ultra-hot, hyperprivileged twins to the world. Santa Angelina usually gets a break from intense media scrutiny, as she and stud hubby Brad Pitt donate exorbitant amounts of cash to needy global causes.
What about the rest of celebrities who’ve jumped on the baby picture pimping bandwagon? Did they need the money? Or did they just want to gaze at photos of themselves on People magazine?
Below is a list of the ten best-grossing baby pictures of all time. I listed net worth information beneath the baby’s price tag. See for yourself where each couple rates on the morality meter:
1. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Babies: Knox and Vivienne
People and Hello! Magazine, 2008
$14 million
Angelina Net Worth: $70 million dollars
Brad Net Worth: $150 million
Morality rating: Good. Proceeds from the photos were donated to the couple’s Jolie/Pitt Foundation, which so far has pledged at least $7 million to various nonprofits. The couple has set a precedent for charity, which puts them in acceptable moral territory when it comes to pimping babies.
2. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony
Babies: Max and Emme
People magazine, 2008
$6 million
J-Lo Net Worth: $110 million
Morality rating: Poor.J-Lo’s got hundreds of millions. What does she need another $6 million for? She needs to save face by assigning a morally acceptable destination to the money.
3. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Baby: Shiloh
People Magazine, 2006
$4.1 million (via Getty Images)
Morality rating: Good. Proceeds were supposedly donated to an undisclosed charity, making this another case of baby pimping for nonprofit.
4. Matthew McConaughey amd Camila Alves
Baby: Levi Alves McConaughey
OK! Magazine, 2008
$3 million
McConaughey’s Average Grossing Film: $44,575,982
Morality rating: Poor. I couldn’t find a net worth on McConaughey, but with films that gross around $44 million on average, he can’t be doing bad. Brazilian model Camila Alves isn’t exactly eating out of the dumpster, either.
5. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Baby: Pax Thien (adopted)
People magazine, 2007
$2 million
Morality rating: Average. I couldn’t find evidence that these funds went anywhere but into their sizable bank accounts. Still, the couple are off the hook for granting a poor orphan a life of excess.
6. Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead
Baby: Dannielynn
OK! Magazine
$2 million
Anna Nicole’s Net Worth: $450 million
Morality rating: Heinous. DNA daddy Larry Birkhead, who doesn’t have the means to procure cash on his own, uses photos of motherless Danielynn to prop up his swanky lifestyle.
7. Jessica Alba
Baby: Honor Marie
OK! Magazine, 2008
$1.5 million
Alba’s worth: $20 million/movie
Morality rating: Poor. Alba’s doing really well. Her baby shots look like pure publicity, a move to get her more mature roles in movies.
8. Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman
Baby: Max.
People Magazine, 2008
$1.5 million
Christina Aguilera’s Net Worth: $60 million
Morality rating: Poor. Aguilera hasn’t done much in the past few years, but she sure has appeared in a lot of photo shoots. Baby Max is following suite.
9. Jamie Lynn Spears
Baby: Maddie Briann
OK! Magazine
$1 million
Jamie Lynn’s Net Worth: Unknown—part of Britney’s diminishing $40 million empire
Morality rating: Heinous. Between this teenage mom and her sister, every moral mishap, from teenage pregnancy to maternal abandonment, has pretty much been addressed. In pure capitalist terms, however, pimping the baby might have helped out.
10. Nicole Richie and Joel Madden
Baby: Harlow Winter
People magazine, 2008
$1 million
Nichole Richie’s Net Worth: $2 million
Morality rating: OK. Richie just added significantly to her net worth by pimping her baby. She also proves to anorexics everywhere that very expensive prenatal care can get you a healthy child.
For those of you aching with jealousy, there’s hope. SugarMatchMaker hooks up sugar mommies and daddies with those who need them.
What do you think of celebs selling their baby pictures? Is it OK, because the paparazzi would be snagging the shots anyway? Or is it pure greed?
