7 Stars Who Lied on ‘MTV Cribs’
MTV Cribs allowed viewers to step through the doors of stars’ lavish homes from the comfort of their own couches. Over the course of a 30-minute episode, celebrities led viewers on a guided tour of their homes and belongings. Or, at least, what they claimed to belong to them. While some stars were very honest about their living situations — Redman’s 2001 episode stands out — others flaunted items that they didn’t actually own.
Ja Rule
In 2004, Ja Rule welcomed viewers into his Miami mansion. During the episode, he threw a massive party, with some guests arriving by tour bus to attend. While this made for a fun episode, it landed Ja Rule in hot water.
After the episode aired, the home’s actual owner sued Ja Rule for more than $1 million for trashing her home. In the lawsuit, she said he paid $46,000 to rent the home for four days under the condition that he would not host parties or have video shoots. Not only did Ja Rule throw a party with hundreds of guests, but he also put it all on camera for the world to see.
50 Cent
In 2007, 50 Cent showed off his enormous Connecticut mansion just before he moved out. He spoke about his fleet of expensive cars, including a Ferrari and a Bentley. Years later, after filing for bankruptcy, 50 Cent admitted he’d rented the cars from dealerships.
“It’s entertainment,” he said, per the NY Daily News. “Those cars were rented.”
3LW
In their episode of Cribs, the group 3LW claimed to live together in a home in Malibu. In an appearance on The Breakfast Club, Naturi Naughton later admitted they didn’t own the house.
“When I watched some of the episodes back, I’m like, ‘Yo, this really happened to me!’ That Cribs episode, I lived it. I was doing a fake Cribs, I’m telling everybody now on The Breakfast Club,” Naughton said. “MTV did the Cribs, and you know, back when 3LW was hot, we had to pretend. But, I didn’t have a car, I didn’t have a house, I didn’t have any of those things.”
She said that after filming wrapped, they had to clean the home and give the keys back to the owner.
JoJo
JoJo, who was just 13 years old when she appeared on MTV Cribs, didn’t have a house at the time. She and her mother were primarily residing in hotels, so they passed off her uncle’s Cape Cod home as her own.
“It was so ridiculous… That wasn’t my house. That wasn’t my stuff,” she told HuffPost. “When I was sitting on the spinny thing, that was his kids’. That’s the truth. I should’ve balled hard and been like, ‘Welcome to my crib, look at how luxurious it is.’ And I should have rented out a place. But no. I just used my uncle’s crib.”
Robbie Williams
Singer Robbie Williams appeared on Cribs twice. The first time, he showed off a manor home in Bath that actually belonged to actor Jane Seymour. Williams admitted he didn’t tell Seymour he planned to film in her home.
“We didn’t let her know that I was going to pretend it was my house,” he said, per The Sun. “And because I was like 23 and full of spunk, I didn’t even consider other people’s thoughts or feelings, so I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Jane Seymour.”
He also hired butlers to serve him while filming. Williams said that in his second appearance, he showed his real home.
Bow Wow
In 2008, Bow Wow pulled a similar move to 50 Cent in his episode of Cribs. After he showed off his enviable collection of cars, some eagle-eyed viewers noted that many of the vehicles were branded with the word “prestige.”
Viewers traced this back to Prestige Luxury Auto Rentals in Miami. While he never confirmed or denied the rumors, many believe the cars were only rentals.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian appeared on Cribs in 2007. As she became a reality star that same year on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, fans became well acquainted with the homes belonging to the Kardashian family. Many pointed out that the home Kim showed off on Cribs looked very similar to her mother’s.
While in the kitchen, Kim also claimed to have baked the cookies on display. Many fans believe they look suspiciously store-bought.
