Did Mariah Carey Really Insure Her Legs and Vocal Cords for $70 Million?
Mariah Carey burst onto the scene crooning her number one single “Vision of Love.” Since then, the songbird’s career has spanned over 30 years, produced 19 number-one hits, and gone through a few rough patches. To create that kind of staying power, Carey constructed catchy, well-written songs and showcased them using her five-octave vocal range. She’s also making sure her success continues by insuring her most important body parts.
Carey and other celebs are sure to look after their assets
When music is your bread and butter, it’s necessary to take care of your vocal cords — at least, Mariah Carey thinks so. As one of the best-selling artists of all time, Carey needed to make sure she’d get a payout should anything happen to her voice. Vanity Fair reports that she took out a $35 million insurance policy for her voice and a matching one for her legs.
While it sounds strange to insure body parts, Carey’s not alone. There are a string of other celebrities that put up big bucks to make sure their claim to fame stays intact. Julia Roberts is known for her lovely smile, and she’s insured it for a staggering $30 million.
Curly-haired former NFL star Troy Polamalu starred in several commercials for shampoo brand Head and Shoulders. The company wanted to make sure Polamalu’s hair stayed intact, so they insured it for $1 million. Other notable insured celeb body parts include Miley Cyrus’s tongue, Keith Richards’s hands, and Daniel Craig’s whole body.
How the insurance policy works
The Vanity Fair article added that Carey pays monthly premiums on the policy, adding that the amount is in the thousands of dollars. The policy is similar to other categories of insurance, but since it’s a specialty, there are only a few providers.
It’s important to note that some policies are dependent upon the project. Carey set up the eight-figure policy during her 2016 Sweet Sweet Fantasy tour. If anything went wrong with her voice or her legs during the tour, her assets were covered. The policy also usually doesn’t reflect natural aging or wear and tear.
The point is to make up for lost income should any damage occur that thwarts a celebrity’s career. In Carey’s case, losing her ability to sing, even for a short period, would likely result in her losing millions of dollars. Keeping lucrative body parts insured is a smart move for celebrities but is probably too costly for the regular everyday folk.
What about the payouts?
Although many celebrities insure certain body parts, it’s not common to hear about any payouts relating to injuries. One insurance underwriter told Fox Business, “I’ve seen a lot of celebrities insuring body parts, but I’ve never seen a payout.” So does Carey just call up her local insurance provider and ask to insure her vocal cords? Not quite.
Because it’s unlike other types of insurance, only certain providers offer body part insurance. One of the most prominent is Lloyd’s of London. They’ve offered body-specific policies since the 1940s. In fact, one of their first such policies was for silent film and Vaudeville star Ben Turpin. Known for his physical comedy and cross-eyed appearance, Lloyd’s insured his eyes should they ever go uncrossed.
According to History Collection, the policy amount was set at $25,000. Quite the staggering amount for the time. Even though many thought the policy was just a publicity stunt, it was issued nevertheless and started the trend of securing celebrity moneymakers, no matter what it is. Mariah Carey, her vocal cords, and her moneymaker gams are thankful for Turpin and Lloyd’s groundbreaking ways.
