California released its annual list of the top 500 personal income tax dodgers and there are quite a few familiar names on it. Tori Spelling, Chris Tucker, and Macy Gray all earned a spot on the list due to their unpaid California income taxes. And trust me, as a freelancer, the California Franchise Tax Board is pretty relentless!
Tori Spelling and her husband Dean McDermott owe the state of California $282,685.92. Spelling has found herself in financial trouble ever since her father Aaron Spelling died in 2006. Tori and her brother were expecting to inherit a large portion of her father's $600 million fortune. However, Aaron Spelling made Candy Spelling the executor of his estate. Tori and her brother are estranged from their mother and only received $800,000 each. Spelling has been vocal about her financial struggles. In her 2013 memoir, she said she struggles because she grew up rich and still spends like she is.
"Even That was then and this is now, however. Spelling had tried to divert attention away from her financial issues in recent years. In a 2016 interview with People, she insisted that she and McDermott were not bankrupt or struggling. She said:
"I thought I was being relatable, talking about how celebrities go through financial struggles, too, we make mistakes, too. We're not perfect, we have made a lot of choices financially with real estate that didn't work out … and that just escalated into this story about financial struggles, bankruptcy. To this day that haunts me!"
Chris Tucker is in even worse shape with the state of California. According to the list, he owes California more than $1.2 million in back taxes from 2017 alone. This isn't the first time that Tucker has been in trouble for not paying his tax debt. In 2014, the state of Georgia put a lien of $2.5 million on him over unpaid taxes. He blamed that one poor accounting and business management.
Singer Macy Gray is also on the list for $240,000 in back taxes. She's been vocal about her financial struggles as well. In 2014, she told The Telegraph:
"I'm a spender, unfortunately. As soon as I get money, I can't wait to spend it."
Another Hollywood name on this list is David Glasser, the former president of the Weinstein Company. He has a tax bill with the state of California that dates back to 2012 and amounts to $804,892. Glasser became president and CEO of the Weinstein Company after Harvey Weinstein was fired in the wake of all of the sexual misconduct allegations. Glasser was then fired in February when the New York Attorney General accused him of knowing about Weinstein's sexual misconduct and doing anything about it. Glasser is suing the Weinstein Company for more than $85 million in damages.
