Lily Allen Could Have Been One of the World’s Richest Women If She’d Accepted a 2009 Offer
Emma Rosemurgey
Lily Allen’s career may be enjoying a major resurgence, but the singer could have walked away from the industry altogether years ago if she’d said yes to a surprising offer back in 2009.
The 40-year-old recently sold out the first leg of her West End Girl tour, following the release of her fifth studio album of the same name. The record has been widely praised, with several critics calling it one of the best albums of 2025.
Despite her current success, Allen has previously admitted she turned down a deal that could have changed her financial future forever. The star, who has spoken openly about attending therapy for a shopping addiction that once left her in serious financial trouble, later described the decision as one of her biggest career regrets.
Back in 2009, the Smile singer was offered 200,000 Bitcoins to perform on the 3D chat platform Second Life all from the comfort of her own home. At the time, the unusual proposal earned nothing more than an eye roll and a dismissive “as if” from
Lily Allen regrets turning down the offer (JB Lacroix/FilmMagic)
At the time, Bitcoin had only just launched, meaning the offer was worth a modest £445 hardly enough to tempt a chart-topping pop star out of bed.
Fast-forward to today, and the story takes on a painful twist. With a single Bitcoin now valued at £63,836.85 at the time of writing, the 200,000 Bitcoins Allen was offered would be worth an eye-watering £12.77 billion. Yes billion. Take a moment to let that sink in.
In 2014, the singer publicly acknowledged the blunder, posting on X (then Twitter):
“About 5 years ago someone asked me to stream a gig live on Second Life for hundreds of thousands of Bitcoins, ‘as if’ I said. #idiot #idiot.”
While the missed opportunity represents an almost unimaginable fortune, Allen is still doing just fine financially. She is believed to be worth around $4 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth a figure that’s likely to climb even higher as she continues her sold-out tour.
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