Almost a Year After FTX Crashed, Meet 10 Celebs Who Endorsed the Shady Crypto Exchange

The celebrities dragged into a storm created by crypto exchange platform FTX's colossal failure

The class action lawsuit against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is currently underway and he faces seven federal charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, as per Bleacher Report. More details of the case have emerged in Michael Lewis's new book, “Going Infinite: The Rise And Fall Of A New Tycoon,” and this includes information on endorsement deals with celebrities. The likes of NFL quarterback Tom Brady, comedian Larry David, Tennis Champion Naomi Osaka, and more have been named as defendants in an $11-billion class-action lawsuit filed by FTX investors for endorsing the failed exchange platform. Here’s a look at 10 celebs who endorsed FTX before its collapse.

1. Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen

The NFL quarterback and his supermodel wife were roped into a “long-term partnership” with the exchange in 2021 as per The New York Times. The then-couple appeared as “global icons,” for FTX and they starred in a $20 million ad spot that played during NFL games, which showed them recruiting acquaintances to join the platform. Brady also filmed TikTok videos with Bankman-Fried during the 2022 “Crypto Bahamas'' conference. Brady was paid $55 million and Gisele Bündchen reportedly received $18 million to endorse the exchange, as per The Times.

2. Stephen Curry

Warriors star Stephen Curry joined Tom Brady and the two were reportedly paid a combined $90 million to promote FGX, of which Curry is estimated to have received $35 million as a fee to endorse the exchange. Curry’s ad featured him talking about the platform and telling people how he doesn’t need to be a crypto expert to invest as FTX makes it easier for him. In the whole fiasco, Curry reportedly lost a huge amount and was also named in the class action lawsuit.

3. Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O'Neal was involved with FTX as a spokesperson and also recorded a voiceover for the company's commercial that featured Curry. He also appeared in an announcement on social media by FTX that the two were forming a partnership. However, O'Neal has stated that his involvement with the company did not run that deep in terms of investments. He said that he was just hired as a spokesperson for a commercial and nothing more, in an interview with CNBC.

4. Larry David

Comedian Larry David appeared in a Super Bowl ad in a counterintuitive feature, where he appealed that crypto wouldn’t work, and it wasn’t worth investing in at all. This was supplemented by a series of historical sketches of him being wrong about technical innovations throughout history, suggesting that the comedian would be wrong again. Sam Bankman-Fried’s father, Joseph Bankman also appeared in the ad. As per Bloomberg, the ad cost about $20 million to produce and air.

5. Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry

The celebrity power couple Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry lent FTX some of their lustre for free, as Perry reportedly sang a song incorporating lyrics about FTX at a party, and made a social media post about “quitting music and becoming an intern for [FTX].” The couple also attended the Crypto Bahamas conference. Despite their connection, Bloom and Perry are not mentioned in the class action suit, but their acquaintance, Kives, who introduced them to Bankman-Fried is mentioned in a separate lawsuit as per The New York Times.

6. Bill Clinton

Former U.S. president, Bill Clinton and former UK prime minister, Tony Blair, appeared onstage for a discussion with Bankman-Fried, at the Crypto Bahamas conference in 2022. At the event, Clinton warned about the “temptation to abuse” new technology and mentioned how the crypto platforms need to play by the rules of the regulators as per The Telegraph. He also recalled the times when he had to regulate e-commerce with a light touch in the ’90s. By appearing at the event, Clinton added gravitas to an organization that lacked accountability.

7. Tony Blair

Former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair appeared alongside Clinton at the inaugural edition of Crypto Bahamas. He also spoke at the FTX conference on crypto markets and their discussion with Bankman-Fried took place on the main stage of the event. The Cypto-Bahamas event was an invitation-only confab at the Grand Hyatt in Nassau and no video of the event is available as it was completely off the record.

8. Udonis Haslem

While FTX had a naming rights deal with the Miami Heat’s arena, the company also had a contract with team leader Udonis Haslem. Haslem recently revealed that he lost $15 million as a result of his deal with the company. Haslem worked as a spokesperson and did commercials for the company that were aired during the Heat broadcasts and at the FTX Arena. At the same time, Haslem hasn’t lost any of his wealth as he had not invested in the platform while endorsing it, as per Heat Nation.

9. Trevor Lawrence

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was also among the celebrities who were mentioned in the class action lawsuit. However, Lawrence reportedly settled the case without revealing any details of the settlement in the media as per Front Office Sports. Lawrence signed a deal with FTX in 2021, to promote the company’s investment app Blockfolio. It was reportedly the first deal in which the signing bonus was paid entirely in cryptocurrency.

10. Naomi Osaka

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka was also named as an endorser of FTX. Osaka was named as a global ambassador through a “long-term” deal with FTX at a time when the company was valued at $32 billion. As a part of the deal, Osaka was given an equity stake in the company and further compensation in the form of cryptocurrencies. The former tennis world No. 1 was a part of FTX’s branded content, and wore an “FTX” patch during her matches as well, as per Tennis.com.