- Oh how the times have changed.
- Just a year ago, A-list celebrities were so fascinated by NFTs.
- Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg were the earliest adopters. They were soon joined by a number of prominent celebrities–including Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria Baston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Steph Curry, Brie Larson, Jimmy Fallon, Eminem, Serena Williams, Meek Mill, Timbaland, Val Kilmer, and others. Many donned their NFTs as pfps on Twitter. Some even were involved in creating or collaborating NFT projects.
- Although the NFT community tends to be suspicious of celebrity drops (as money grabs), Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg had quickly established themselves as OGs in their great support and development of NFTs. Probably no celebrity did as much creating with NFTs as Snoop Dogg, who was even building a Snoopverse in the Sandbox.
- Reese Witherspoon announced a partnership between Hello Sunshine and the World of Women project.
- Today, nary a celebrity remains in NFTs. At least practically none still uses their NFTs as pfps or even seems to be discussing them.
- Except one. Anthony Hopkins. The 85-year-old actor and artist is “all-in” with NFTs.
- He’s created The Eternal collection of 1,000 NFTs, which come with utility:
- 39 receive an autographed Dreamscapes Art Book, featuring hundreds of full-color images of paintings and drawings by Sir Anthony Hopkins
- 5 to join an intimate discussion with Sir Anthony (via Zoom)
- 1 to have a once in a lifetime one-on-one zoom with Sir Anthony Hopkins with the conversation being recorded and posted on Sir Anthony Hopkins’ social media
- 100 to get a personalized NFT with a message from Sir Anthony Hopkins airdropped to their wallet. For more, visit here.
Why did celebrities leave NFTs?
It’s hard to know why all the celebrities left NFTs. My guess is that it’s a combination of factors.
- In April 2022, the organization Truth in Advertising (TINA) sent warning letters to 17 celebrities for failing to disclose alleged material connections with NFT companies, possibly in violation of FTC regulations for celebrity endorsements. [For more, visit here and here.]
- By summer 2022, the crypto winter and economic downturn had set in. NFTs were in a huge bear market. Things escalated with FTX’s implosion in Nov. 2022, which exacerbated a cryptocurrency contagion.
- On Dec. 8, 2022, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Bored Ape Yacht Club creators, the company behind it, Yuga Labs, and the many celebrities who allegedly promoted the Bored Apes, such as using them as pfps on Twitter, without disclosing financial arrangements (e.g., free NFTs) to promote the project.
- The hype has died down. Another possible factor is that the hype over NFTs has died down.
Why is Anthony Hopkins the last celeb left?
All of this still begs the question: Why is Anthony Hopkins still going strong with NFTs and the NFT community?
The answer seems clear from his Twitter feed (see the video above): Hopkins is a true artist. He’s not into NFTs for the money or the speculation. He’s in it to create as an artist–to engage with his community. Ars gratia artis.