Stormy Daniels’ Trump Story Bolstered Her Earnings (But Also Cost Her)

Forbes

Donald Trump would not be facing 34 criminal counts in New York if not for an adult-film actress named Stormy Daniels, who claims she had sex with the real-estate mogul. Trump denies the allegation, and his lawyers are working to undermine Daniels’ credibility in his ongoing trial, painting her as an opportunist. “That story has made you a lot of money, right?” one of Trump’s attorneys asked Daniels on May 7.  “It has also cost me a lot of money,” Daniels replied.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2024/05/14/how-much-has-stormy-daniels-made-off-donald-trump/?sh=654f752f3807  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Here's your Forbes Daily Briefing for Wednesday, May 15.

00:05Today on Forbes, how much is Stormy Daniels making off Donald Trump?

00:11Donald Trump would not be facing 34 criminal counts in New York if not for an adult film

00:16actress named Stormy Daniels, who claims she had sex with the real estate mogul.

00:22Trump denies the allegation, and his lawyers are working to undermine Daniels' credibility

00:26in his ongoing trial, painting her as an opportunist.

00:30On May 7, one of Trump's attorneys asked Daniels, quote,

00:34That story has made you a lot of money, right?

00:37Daniels replied, quote,

00:39It has also cost me a lot of money.

00:42Indeed, the story has led to quite a saga, complete with massive swings in Daniels' finances.

00:49There was the initial payoff, then the fame, the strip club tour, the lawsuits, books,

00:54theft, and more lawsuits.

00:56It's difficult to get a precise figure for how much Daniels has made off the scandal,

01:00and Daniels declined to answer most of Forbes' questions, stating she's not doing interviews

01:05until after Trump's trial concludes.

01:08But Forbes put together a ballpark tally, excluding tax payments and lots of legal expenses.

01:14The conclusion?

01:15Daniels likely bolstered her earnings by several hundred thousand dollars — a nice sum, but

01:20a long way from the, quote, millions of dollars Trump's attorney suggested Daniels made.

01:26The alleged incident happened in 2006, in a Nevada hotel.

01:30Five years later, Daniels told her story to In Touch, expecting to receive $15,000 when

01:35the article ran.

01:37But it never did.

01:38Daniels testified that she heard Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, threaten to sue the magazine.

01:45In 2016, with Trump running for president, Daniels had another chance to cash in.

01:50Trump, using Cohen as a middleman, bought her silence for $130,000.

01:56After paying an attorney and publicist, she walked away with $96,000.

02:02The Wall Street Journal broke news of the payoff in 2018, making Stormy Daniels a household name.

02:08Despite the hush money deal, she sensed a chance to capitalize.

02:12Attention led to opportunities.

02:14Daniels signed a more lucrative deal to direct and perform in adult films.

02:19She embarked on a, quote, Make America Horny Again tour of the nation's strip clubs, with

02:24appearance fees reportedly doubling and bookings tripling.

02:27Industry experts told Forbes at the time that the scandal would likely double Daniels' annual

02:32income, estimated to previously be in the low six figures.

02:36Michael Avenatti, her attorney back then, said at the time that the extra publicity

02:40added less than $20,000 to her net income, with higher earnings offset by more expensive

02:46security costs.

02:48Daniels also hawks various merchandise tied to the encounter.

02:53Around April 2018, Daniels signed a book deal with St. Martin's Press that included an $800,000 advance.

03:00Her agent took the standard 15%, but Avenatti stole about $300,000.

03:06He had only repaid half by the time he was indicted in May 2019 on charges of wire fraud

03:11and aggravated identity theft.

03:14He was convicted, sentenced to four years in prison, and ordered to pay Daniels $149,000 of restitution.

03:21He's in jail through 2035, though, and is on the hook for $11 million in restitution

03:25to other victims, so it may be a while before Daniels gets her money.

03:31Daniels also sued her literary agent, Lucas Gianclo, in 2022 for allegedly failing to

03:36pay her $175,000.

03:39Daniels sought an additional $150,000 for punitive damages and emotional distress.

03:45She dropped her suit in October 2023, though, and any settlement terms were not made public.

03:51In 2018, Daniels sold the rights to her book and other materials for $125,000 to the creators

03:57of a documentary named Stormy, which is currently available on Peacock.

04:02Daniels testified that she only received $100,000 and does not expect to get the rest.

04:07She's also been selling tickets to viewing parties at bars, but she testified that the

04:11proceeds just cover her travel, security, and other expenses.

04:15Daniels claims Trump promised her a part in The Celebrity Apprentice, which she never got.

04:20But she did star in a 2022 season of The Surreal Life, a reality show on VH1 that gets eight

04:25celebrities to live together.

04:27The gig paid her $200,000.

04:30While she had made appearances in mainstream media before her alleged affair became public,

04:35such as in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, it seems unlikely she would have commanded

04:39a fee that high without the fame she picked up in connection with Trump.

04:44Daniels is also on the hook to cover $660,000 of Trump's legal fees in connection with a

04:49tossed defamation lawsuit against him.

04:52She affirmed last week on The Stand that she does not intend to pay.

04:57For full coverage, check out Zac Everson's piece on Forbes.com.

05:02This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.

05:05Thanks for tuning in.

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