How much does it cost to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
As oxymoronic as it sounds, getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is both straightforward and complicated. The entry requirements are about as basic as it gets because all anyone needs to have their name etched on the pavement is celebrity status, but there’s plenty of red tape to cut through.
Filmmaker Stanley Kramer was the first to receive the honour when the Walk of Fame became a fixture of Hollywood Boulevard in March 1960, and there are now almost 3,000 stars covering the five eligible categories for consideration: film, television, recording, radio, live performance, and sports entertainment.
There are a couple of quirks, though, like the fact a star isn’t allowed to be removed once it’s been put in place due to the Walk of Fame’s status as a registered historic landmark, regardless of what becomes of the recipient. For that reason, people can still walk past and be reminded of the achievements of Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey, and Home Alone 2 star Donald Trump, who share the sidewalk with Godzilla, Batman, and Big Bird.
All it takes is a single nomination, and anyone can nominate any celebrity for Walk of Fame status by filling out a form. Should the person in question, or their management or representatives, agree that they deserve it, then they write a letter of agreement that gets sent off to a committee, who then deliberate whether or not they really deserve it.
It definitely helps if they’re alive, though, with posthumous awards limited to one per year, and they have to have been dead for at least two years before it happens. Even then, there are only a select number of stars dished out annually, and anyone who gets approved has two years to schedule their own ceremony. Otherwise, their application is deemed invalid, and they’re forced to start the process all over again.
Submitting an application costs $275, which doesn’t sound like much. However, a mandatory $85,000 sponsorship fee covers the cost of the star’s creation, installation, and maintenance. It’s a drop in the ocean for most of the rich and famous folks who get one, but it certainly sounds like it’s created a system where famous faces with cash to spare can put themselves forward for no other reason than ego or vanity.
There are undoubtedly going to be more than a few people who’ve paid for their star out of their own pocket because who the hell would nominate David Spade otherwise? Maybe Adam Sandler, but that’s about it. Absolut Vodka also has one, which reeks of a shameless PR exercise.
That said, it’s not a mandatory requirement: some stars have been nominated and approved for a Walk of Fame star, only to reject the opportunity. It doesn’t happen too often when most folks in Hollywood are looking out for themselves at all times, but some icons have turned it down.
Has anyone ever turned it down?
The short answer is yes. Prince turned it down twice after being nominated, which led to Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez invoking another world-renowned icon who knocked back a nomination to explain that recipients need to sign off beforehand.
A Bruce Springsteen fan shortlisted ‘The Boss’, and his nomination was accepted, only for the man himself to rule it out. “We announced it, and he did not want it,” she told People. “So I created what’s called the ‘Springsteen Clause’, which you now have to sign off on it. Because otherwise, it’s not fair to those who do want it.”
Prince will get a posthumous star in June 2025, but he and Springsteen aren’t the only ones. Madonna, Clint Eastwood, Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, and George Clooney are just a few of the names who should have one by now but don’t, all because they’re not interested in being enshrined on the pavement.
