11 Celebrities Who Turned Down a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is the ambition of many big celebrities. That small piece of real estate has become a symbol that shows how important their career is to the world and that they have reached the heights of success. But there are also some celebs who are not interested in that at all. In fact, some of them have even refused to have their name displayed on the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles.

Having your star on Hollywood Blvd. isn’t as simple (or cheap) as you might think.

To begin with, the road to having your place on this walk starts with being nominated for it, either by fans or by a group of interested parties. Of course, it’s not a given that the celebrity or his or her representatives approve of the nomination, so that’s also a requirement. Then, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which is the organizing committee, selects who will and who will not be added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

But it doesn’t end there: the celebrity who accepts the recognition has to pay $50,000 for the creation and installation of the piece. They also have to take care of the maintenance of the promenade. This already seems like enough of a reason to reject the offer. But if you thought economic matters were the only problem, you were wrong, especially when it concerns these great celebrities. In many cases, celebrities who rejected the offer were simply not interested in the initiative at all.

1. Madonna

At the end of the ’80s, after conquering the world thanks to her hit album Like a Virgin, American singer Madonna decided not to stop there. Not only was she still breaking new records with her music, but she also continued to make a name for herself in the movie industry. Certainly, these were enough reasons for her to be recognized on the promenade. But even though she was nominated by a group of critics in 1990, she turned down the nomination and, to this day, she has never explained why.

2. Whitney Houston

The beloved singer of one of the songs of the century, I Will Always Love You, was nominated in 1995 to have her star in Hollywood Blvd., but her representative and staff never came back to the Chamber of Commerce to determine the date of the awarding event. Therefore, the deadline to receive her star expired. At the time, celebrities had 5 years to set a date for the star to be placed.

Still, even after the deadline was way past them, the producer of the tourist attraction, Ana Martinez, said that they were open to discussions to establish a date together with the artist’s family to finally have the star installed. However, during an interview, Houston’s manager and sister-in-law revealed that, “Houston did not want people to walk on her name.”

3. Bruce Springsteen

While the music legend accepted having his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he actually never received it. In fact, he simply didn’t show up for the public ceremony where it would be awarded. As a result, the committee in charge of the award instituted a rule that makes it explicit that stars must promise to attend the event once they have accepted the award. “We call it the ’Springsteen policy’” joked Martinez during an interview.

4. Clint Eastwood

If there is an actor with an extensive career that has earned his way into this coveted piece of real state, it’s actor and director Clint Eastwood. Ever since he was launched into fame from ’60s westerns to this very day, the American film titan has been active and has managed to work on 72 movies. And that’s acting alone. He has also contributed to many other films as a producer and director.

But despite his many years in the industry, he was never interested in having his name on a star, and even though he was nominated and selected on different occasions, his answer was always a polite but firm no.

5. Julia Roberts

Even though we saw Vivian Ward, played by Julia Roberts, standing on this famous sidewalk in the opening scenes of Pretty Woman, unfortunately, we won’t see the actress’s name there. In June 2020, Roberts was chosen to get her own star, but she turned down the offer. Just like Springsteen and other celebrities, she doesn’t care if she owns a small piece of land with a star in Hollywood or not.

6. John Denver

The country singer that hit it big in the ’70s and that’s also an activist for humanitarian and ecological causes, lost his star in 1982 after his representative paid $3,000 to the organizing committee to have it included in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but neither he nor his manager ever agreed on a date for the ceremony.

Anyway, in 2014, his family agreed to have a posthumous star installed for him, 17 years after his death: “We are proud to honor one of America’s singing icons who has been missed for many years. Luckily for us we have his amazing music to remember him by,” said the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President.

7. Denzel Washington

Even though the multi-award winning actor and director has rightfully earned his star on Hollywood Blvd., he seems to not be very interested in the whole thing. In fact, he has never set a date for the public ceremony despite being nominated. Because of that, his star is still waiting to be installed there.

8. George Clooney

Another name you won’t find if you stop to look for it on the sidewalks of Hollywood is that of the actor who rose to fame with the series ER, George Clooney. And not because he hasn’t been nominated or selected, but because he didn’t schedule his star unveiling event either. That’s why, so far, his star is also placed on hold — let’s hope he doesn’t run out of time to claim it, and that he proceeds with the ceremony!

9. Prince

The memorable and extravagant singer behind one of the hits of the century, “Purple Rain,” also does not have a place in the walk. Let’s just be clear that it’s not because he wasn’t offered one or anything like that. The first time he was selected to have his star was in the ’90s. The idea was to have the ceremony at the end of that decade. It was perfect because it’d be used as a way to commemorate his fifth album, which is called 1999. However, he rejected the initiative saying that it was not his time, according to Martinez.

Still, you won’t be surprised to learn that his name came up once again after his death. But according to the Chamber of Commerce’s policies, 5 years must pass since the death to obtain a star posthumously. And despite that, fans have taken it upon themselves to write his name on the walk.

10. Muhammad Ali

Even though the famous boxer did agree to have his star in Hollywood, he did not like the idea of people walking on the name Muhammad for religious reasons. That’s why when, in 2002, his plaque was unveiled, it was placed on the wall of the Dolby Theatre, thus becoming the first and only one not placed on the sidewalk, but on a wall instead.

11. Al Pacino

The Godfather star is another celebrity who never followed through with the ceremony. He got a nod from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce but gave it up and just ignored it after never scheduling a date.

Which artist do you think should have a star? Would you like to have one with your name on it?