Remember comedian Chris Tucker at all? We haven’t seen much of him lately, and according to IMDB he hasn’t been in anything since 2007’s Rush Hour 3. Tucker hasn’t had much follow-up work in three years and he hasn’t paid his taxes in even longer. He owes over $11.5 million to the US government along with $3.5 million to the state of California:
Chris Tucker’s ongoing tax problems have reached Nicolas Cage proportions. According to new documents, the “Rush Hour” star now owes the IRS more than $11 million in back taxes.
The Internal Revenue Service filed documents with the L.A. County Recorder’s Office yesterday, which show Tucker owes $11,571,909.26 in federal taxes for the years 2001, 2002 and 2004 through 2006.
Here’s how it all breaks down:
2001 — $4,007,794.34
2002 — $5,060,074.23
2004 — $55,544.84
2005 — $660,414.94
2006 — $1,788,080.91
But this isn’t Tucker’s first issue with taxes. As TMZ previously reported, the State of California filed a lien against Tucker for allegedly not paying $3,594,409 in state taxes over the same time span.
Back in 2001, Tucker reportedly took in a $20 million payday for “Rush Hour 2” and scored $25 million for “Rush Hour 3” … which hit theaters in 2007.
[From Fox News]
In related “celebrity tax evader” news, Wesley Snipes has lost his appeal on misdemeanor tax charges. Prosecutors want him to begin serving his three year sentence immediately, but Snipes’ lawyers are still trying to argue the case and filed a motion claiming the verdict was invalid due to juror prejudice. We’ll see how Nicolas Cage’s tax liens go, although I think that he’ll squeeze by given how much work he’s getting lately. If the rest of us schmucks have to pay taxes on our earnings, celebrities and millionaires certainly shouldn’t be exempt either.
Update: Here are photos of a mansion in Orlando, Florida that Tucker is trying to offload for $2 million. It includes a pirate-themed theater room and outdoor bar with kitchenette. Tucker paid $6 million for the property in 2007 after taking out a $4.2 million dollar loan. Realestalker has the details of how large Tucker was living, he had “multiple mansions and a fleet of faincee automobiles” and notes that he was paid $20 million for 2001’s Rush Hour 2 and $25 million for Rush Hour 3! [Photos from Realestalker via TMZ]
Chris Tucker is shown on 6/17 at a Lakers game and on 6/14 at an event. Credit: WENN.com
I don’t understand tax issues with these people. They are so lucky. They are so lucky to be in a country where you can make 25 million dollars being a clown for two hours worth of film. Pay your taxes. I hate getting my taxes ready every year and normally have to pay on April 15, but I do it because I am fortunate to live here and make the money that I do.
He made so much money, so what is the deal with owing 15 mil in back taxes? I am pretty sure he could have paid them.
I hear you, Ron! Blows my mind how while earning millions, people can find themselves in this situation, especially when it’s spread out over many years, not like it was a one time mistake.
How does it go on that long too? If he owed over $4 mil in 2001, why didn’t they garnish his wages on all the millions he made after that? Or why didn’t he or his money manager pull some of that $25 mil aside to take care of this?
Some people make honest mistakes and then quickly pay up to correct the situation, but these guys KNOW they owe and for some reason think they can get away with it. Nicholas Cage just got paid megabucks for that Sorcerer movie – why wasn’t his account settled right then?
Celebs really need to stop hiring such incompetent accountants to handle their finances
They don’t want to pay because they expect enough “loopholes” to protect the rich – both from paying taxes and then from going to jail when they fail to pay what’s due. I think they need to start serving some serious jail time. I know there are more dangerous criminals than Martha Stewart’s inside trading, but I think she needed to go to jail so there’s not a separate justice for the rich and famous. I think Snipes, Rock, and Cage should do some jail time too.
@ benny: Rock? I think you mean Tucker. And you’re right, they do need to do some time. Just man up and pay your friggin taxes, people.
Not quite sure why this doesn’t surprise me. I love Chris Tucker’s work (his performance in “Friday” never gets old to me), but he does seem like the “play now, never pay later” type. He should make a new movie to help pay his tab. I miss him!
It’s funny…working class people owe taxes…and they get their checks garnished and liens placed on the accounts for piddling amounts…basically having their lives destroyed…
I guess seperate and NOT equal is regarding EVERYTHING!!!
Come on Smokey!!! Lol!
THAT’S Chris Tucker?!? he doens’t look….ummm….well…..ummmm…damn it! I can’t say what I’m thinking and still be nice! grrrrrrrrr….
. If the rest of us schmucks have to pay taxes on our earnings, celebrities and millionaires certainly shouldn’t be exempt either.
This says it all… and we go on paying our taxes. Why is the IRS not standing there when they get paid? If you win something on a game show… sure as hell the IRS is standing there with their hand out.
Rather than be entirely reliant on other people to handle your finances, celebrities should learn something about finances–their own for a start. Why just throw away your agency like that? It’s so strange, with all of the cash they’ve got, they seem to know SO much less and give up SO much more power to the guys in suits than any of the working stiffs. If people on limited means have to make it a concern–and end up doing it– that’s a pretty good example upon which people with celebrity wealth should model themselves. If you’re not an expert, you’re like most people, but that doesn’t mean you have to be helpless. Sure, you may not be able to perform your own open heart surgery, but if you don’t learn to eat and exercise thereafter, how is your demise not largely your own fault? After the hoopla about his irresponsibility last year, Nicholas Cage is too busy making shitty films to know that it’s not a good idea to
to build a pyramid tomb for himself?
Idiot.
And tell your wife, children, and other family members that I think you’re a solipsistic and damned fool to waste money on crap like that when you’ve got a family to consider–because it’s true.
A pyramid.
Whuck?
what’s ridiculous is the fact that jackie chan has been saying when he gave interviews to promote the karate kid, that he wanted to do another rush hour but chris tucker has been hiding from him. jackie even came to atlanta and chris ducked out on him. chris should have been chasing this man down to do another movie. b/c really what else can he do that is as good as rush hour?
It’s hard to buy a ticket to these people’s movies when you know you’re just paying off their tax penalties and arrogance
UGH! i am just over the line on making enough to barely survive AND have to pay taxes every year on top of that AND these mutil-millionaires are getting years worth of passes??? like someone else said earlier, the rich [celebrity or not] just get so many passes and have so many ways of finding loopholes bc let’s be honest, if any of US owed 1% of what he owes, we would have EVERYTHING taken from us, cars, homes, and liberty…
/rant
As a kid of someone who makes good money and personally I live paycheck to paycheck. Not all millionaires are like this idiot. Most are responsible and pay their taxes and give a great deal to charities helping those less fortunate. The top 3% earning Americans pay 80% of the US taxes or something stupid like that. He needs to pay up or go to jail. If this were someone like me, my ass would be in jail in a heartbeat.
Wow, that is a lot of taxes that need to be paid. It makes me feel like i dont have to pay anything at all when I look at what he has to pay. Good luck to him getting that all paid of, I really think he should do some more movies and make a little more money.
Chris Tucker is a pretty big idiot. Whenever I see him in movies I always think to myself how dumb he is. I thought that he was just that way in his movies, but apparently not.
A pirate ship screening room? OK… Why don’t I feel sorry for this a-hole in any way? Handle your life, you loser.