Most Valuable Possessions Ever Stolen from Stars

Updated: Jul 17, 2023By Kate PrinceCelebrity News

This article originally appeared on Investing.com. It has been republished here with permission.

Chris Brown ©Brian A Jackson ©s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

With great success comes great notoriety. While that can often be a blessing and part of the Hollywood experience, it also has some serious drawbacks. For a start, everyone knows where you live, how much money you earn, and what kind of jewelry is in your collection.

Disney stars and Sony artists may have a great security detail, but that doesn’t mean they’re always protected from organized crime and robberies. In fact, these high-profile incidents happen more often than you think, often costing stars millions and making them feel drastically unsafe in their own homes.

1. Alanis Morissette

Item(s) Stolen: Jewelry collection
Est. Value: $2 million*

Alanis Morissette isn’t the type of star that wears gold grills and flashy diamonds, but don’t let her laid-back aesthetic fool you. The musician had a lovely jewelry collection once upon a time – until thieves broke into her California home and stole it.

Alanis Morissette @clwaz82 / Pinterest.com

The crime occurred in 2017. Luckily, the Warner artist wasn’t home at the time, otherwise, it could have been a Kim Kardashian situation. This outfit obviously meant business. There was no word of the collection ever being recovered, which must have been particularly painful for the songstress.

2. Rod Stewart

Item(s) Stolen: Porsche
Est. Value: $50,000*

When it comes to iconic rock stars, Rod Stewart is up there with the best of them. The hitmaker is well-known for songs like “Maggie May”, but he’s also known for living a life of luxury. After all, he is worth over $250 million.

Rod Stewart @Nene Star News / Youtube.com

In 1982, Rod made headlines when he was confronted by an armed thief who demanded the keys to his Porsche. Stewart handed them over, only for the assailant to come back as he couldn’t start the vehicle. The singer was then escorted by gunpoint back to his car so he could start it for the robber, who then drove away.

3. Tyler Perry

Item(s) Stolen: Unknown
Est. Value: Unknown

Tyler Perry is a very talented man, with a career that spans across the entertainment business. Perry has managed to accumulate a very tidy fortune of over $130 million, which might be why thieves decided to target him back in 2010.

yler Perry @Sheisayanna / Twitter.com

It’s not exactly clear what the assailants managed to get away with, but one of them was caught by Perry’s bodyguard. The other two may have escaped, but the third perp, an 18-year-old named Chloe Ware, was charged. It’s not something that the Sony collaborator will forget in a hurry.

4. Kirsten Dunst

Item(s) Stolen: Handbag
Est. Value: $15,000*

When A-listers check into a hotel, they depend on the establishment to make sure their belongings are secured when they’re not there. Sadly, sometimes it doesn’t always work out. In 2007, Kirsten Dunst stayed at The SoHo Grand Hotel in Manhattan, only to be robbed blind.

Kirsten Dunst ©magicinfoto / Shutterstock.com

While the Disney actress was out, opportunistic thieves managed to slip into the room through an open door and get away with a $13,000 designer bag, $2,500 in cash, and other miscellaneous items including an iPod. They were caught on hotel surveillance which was a small blessing.

5. Paris Hilton

Item(s) Stolen: Jewelry and other valuables
Est. Value: $1.2 million*

Paris Hilton is one of the most famous heiresses in the world, but she isn’t exactly known for being highly intelligent. Back in 2010 Paris was robbed by the infamous Bling Ring. In fact, she was their very first target. The gang later confessed they targeted the reality star because they thought it would be easy.

Paris Hilton @todayshow / Pinterest.com

They weren’t wrong. Upon arriving at the home they found a key underneath the doormat. Although they took some valuables then, it wasn’t until their second visit that Hilton realized she had been robbed, after $1.2 million in jewelry had disappeared.

6. Keri Russell

Item(s) Stolen: Jewelry and laptop
Est. Value: Unknown

Actress Keri Russell didn’t have a good time in 2013. Not only did she split from her husband, but her Brooklyn home was burgled while she was asleep upstairs. Thieves managed to get away with jewelry and a laptop.

Keri Russell @tjbeers62 / Pinterest.com

The star was one of the lucky ones as police were able to track down the criminals and return the goods. Not many celebrities get their possessions back once they’ve left the house, but everything worked out well for Warner’s Felicity actress who ultimately didn’t lose a dime – but probably lost some sleep.

7. Emmy Rossum

Item(s) Stolen: Jewelry
Est. Value: $150,000*

Emmy Rossum might be used to playing a character in a world where theft isn’t uncommon thanks to her part in Shameless, but in reality, she’s not accustomed to criminal activity. In 2017, the actress got a rude awakening when her Benedict Canyon home was robbed in the early hours.

Criminals managed to break into a safe and take over $150,000 in jewelry. At that time, Rossum was just one of several high-profile stars that had been targeted, causing police to state it was “organized crime” rather than an individual working alone.

8. Kelly McGillis

Item(s) Stolen: Unknown
Est. Value: Unknown

Top Gun actress Kelly McGillis may not have had items taken from her home, but she did have a truly horrific experience. The actress came home from a lecture a few years ago to find a woman and a child in her home. The intruder, Laurence Dorn, broke into the house with her young daughter.

Kelly McGillis @HerbertsonMike / Pinterest.com

McGillis said the Dorn began to attack her, but Dorn claimed it was a case of mistaken identity. While McGillis didn’t lose a large amount of money or a stack of jewels, she did lose peace of mind. No one, regardless of if they have movies on Netflix, wants to come home to that.

9. Julianne Moore

Item(s) Stolen: Jewelry
Est. Value: $127,000*

Back in 2012, Julianne Moore was left shocked when she had $127,000 worth of jewelry stolen from her home in New York’s West Village. Like anyone would be, Moore was devastated to discover a $33,000 Cartier diamond tennis bracelet and four Cartier watches had vanished into thin air.

Julianne Moore ©Terry Straehley / Shutterstock.com

The situation was made even more complex as the home was under renovation at the time, with construction workers going in and out on a regular basis. With no way to determine who was at fault, the jewelry was never recovered, leaving the Sony Still Alice star out of pocket.

10. Lindsay Lohan

Item(s) Stolen: Safe, watches
Est. Value: $130,000*

Lindsay Lohan’s net worth may have plummeted somewhat since 2009, but back then she still had a fairly decent amount of assets. That’s why she was targeted by thieves. Lohan’s Hollywood home was empty when the criminals broke in and took an undisclosed number of things.

Lindsay Lohan @HolyMoly / Twitter.com

At the time, Lohan’s father believed it was an inside job as staff supposedly forgot to set the burglar alarms. Whatever the case, it doesn’t look like the former Disney star got her items back. Among some other items, Lohan’s father stated that a safe was taken as well as a couple of watches.

11. Taye Diggs

Item(s) Stolen: Unknown
Est. Value: Unknown

Some celebrities might run a mile if they saw an intruder in their home, but not Taye Diggs. The star spent the evening at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2013 before returning back to his North Hollywood home later on in the evening, only to find a suspicious man nosing around in his garage, looking for items to take.

Taye Diggs @kamalshariff / Twitter.com

Diggs tackled the man himself when he ran from the property and he was able to keep him restrained until the police arrived. Luckily, the actor didn’t lose any money or any valuable items during this encounter, but it could have turned out differently.

12. Queen Elizabeth II

Item(s) Stolen: Medals and photos
Est. Value: $100,000*

There aren’t many people out there that would have the sheer audacity to steal from the Queen of England. Adamo Conto, a former catering assistant at Buckingham Palace, was one of the few. In 2020, it came to light that Conto had stolen several items from photos to medals.

Queen Elizabeth II ©Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

The estimated value of the things Conto pocketed is over $100,000. Before he was caught, he had managed to list some of his ill-gotten gains on eBay. According to police, Conto had massively underpriced the vast majority of pieces, not realizing just how much they were worth.

13. Matthew McConaughey

Item(s) Stolen: Cell phone and cash
Est. Value: $2,000*

Actor Matthew McConaughey is no stranger to a good time, but his exploits have been known to land him in hot water. Back in 2008 during a surfing trip to Nicaragua, the star had a few too many tequilas at a local bar. Not only did he lose his flip-flops but he was allegedly so intoxicated he had to be carried back to his room.

Matthew McConaughey ©Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com

Unfortunately, his aides didn’t shut the door to his hotel and an unknown assailant snuck in, took $2,000 in cash, and his cell phone. Matthew has since calmed down somewhat after marrying Camila Alves in 2012 and having three kids.

14. Simon Cowell

Item(s) Stolen: Jewelry
Est. Value: $1 million*

Everyone knows that Simon Cowell lives a very charmed life thanks to his $431 million fortune. As one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, Cowell is usually pretty tight on security. However, despite his best efforts, Cowell still fell victim to burglary when his house was robbed in 2017.

Simon Cowell @TobiasWhales / Twitter.com

The music mogul was asleep upstairs when Darren February entered the west London abode and managed to escape with over $1 million in jewels as well as two passports. February was later convicted when his DNA was found on gloves he dropped by mistake.