Grumpy Cat. Image via Wikimedia Commons
Internet animal celebrity Grumpy Cat and her inability to understand currency and financial wealth has seen her owner earn a lot of money, but apparently less than the US$100m reported.
Grumpy Cat’s owner, 29-year-old Tabatha Bundesen, quit her job as a waitress just over two years ago after photos of her cat, which has dwarfism and an underbite, went viral after her brother posted them on Reddit, the self-described ‘front page of the internet’.
Since then, aside from clogging up people’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, Grumpy Cat has gone on to feature on merchandise, in modelling, books and even a feature film, earning Bundesen a reported US$100m, just US$15m less than the world’s highest-paid female artist, Beyoncé.
Grumpy Cat, whose real name is Tardar Sauce, has also gone on to sign a number of ‘spokescat’ deals, most notably with the cat food brand Friskies, which saw her first duty be appearing at an awards ceremony for a lifetime achievement award.
However, speaking with the Huffington Post, Bundesen said the earnings reports are “completely inaccurate”. She refused to say how much she has earned, but promises to do a full in-depth interview at a later date.
Grumpy Cat’s manager (yes, that’s right, manager), Ben Lashes, has refused to comment on the matter.
The alleged earnings of Grumpy Cat in comparison with some of the world’s highest paid female celebrities. Image via @JodySie/DaDaviz
