- The recent revelation of <strong>Arnold Schwarzenegger</strong>'s infidelity and the love child that came as a result of it is just another in a long list of powerful, wealthy men who were caught—almost literally—with their pants down. While, many pundits have spent this past week pontificating on the reasons for the affair and others like it, few have looked at the financial repercussions that a sex scandal can have. Given Schwarzenegger's vast wealth, his divorce from <strong>Maria Shriver</strong> and lost projects due to the scandal could cost the action star-turned-California governor around <a href="http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/2011/05/20/arnold-terminates-film-tv-career-as-he-faces-300-million-divorce-from-maria/" target="_blank"><strong>$300 million</strong></a> in settlements and revenue. <strong>BlackEnterprise.com</strong> takes a close look at five other prominent figures who were hit in the pockets when their private indiscretions went public. <em>—Larry Gilchrist</em>
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- <ul> <li><strong>KWAME KILPATRICK</strong></li> </ul> The former Detroit mayor may not have lost his wife, Carlita, as a result of an affair with his chief of staff, <strong>Christine Beatty</strong> (and <a href="http://www.blackenterprise.com/2010/12/20/kwame-kilpatrick%E2%80%99s-14-most-scandalous-moments/" target="_blank"><strong>several other political scandals</strong></a>), but he did lose his office, $176,000 salary and his freedom. Kilpatrick, who is now on probation as a result of a corruption trial that was also revealed, is currently suing <a href="http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110510/NEWS01/305100015/Carlita-Kilpatrick-Text-message-scandal-ruined-our-lives" target="_blank"><strong>Skytel</strong></a> for releasing the text messages that initially revealed the affair.
- <ul> <li><strong>TIGER WOODS</strong></li> </ul> More than any of the other men on this list, Woods’ epic fall from grace due to a string of infidelities was probably the most covered by the mainstream media. The bad press tarnished the golf phenom’s golden boy image and didn’t sit well with sponsors like, Gatorade, AT&T and Accenture. According to <em>Sports Illustrated</em>, Woods lost an estimated <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tiger-woods-lost-22-million-in-2010-endorsements-2010-7" target="_blank"><strong>$22 million</strong></a> in endorsements in 2010. But that was a small price to pay compared to his divorce settlement with ex-wife <strong>Elin Nordegren</strong>, which is said to range anywhere from <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/tiger-woods-elin-nordegrens-divorce-official/story?id=11462207" target="_blank"><strong>$100 million to $500 million</strong></a>.
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- <ul> <li><strong>KOBE BRYANT</strong></li> </ul> The NBA All-Star almost lost it all in 2003 when he was accused of raping a woman in his Colorado hotel room. While the charges against Bryant were <a href="http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/5861379/" target="_blank"><strong>dropped</strong></a>, he did admit to having consensual sex with the woman. However, the financial damage was done. In 2004, he settled a civil case with the woman for an undisclosed amount. He also lost <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2004/09/03/cz_kb_0903kobe.html" target="_blank"><strong>sponsorship deals</strong></a> with McDonald's and Nutella. However, brands like Nike, Upper Deck and Coca-Cola stood by Bryant, whose image has since rebounded.
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- <ul> <li><strong>REV. JESSE JACKSON, SR.</strong></li> </ul> The civil rights pioneer and political activist has had his fair share of indiscretions over the years. In 2001, Jackson admitted to an affair with <a href="http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20133581,00.html" target="_blank"><strong>Karin Stanford</strong></a>, a former Rainbow PUSH staffer, which produced a daughter. This past April, he was again entrenched in a scandal with another former staffer, <a href="http://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/04/18/ten-years-after-one-sex-scandal-jesse-jackson-sr-faces-another.html" target="_blank"><strong>Tommy R. Bennett</strong></a>, who alleges he was unjustly fired and was required to escort women to meet Jackson in hotels, among other “uncomfortable tasks,” during his during his tenure. As a result, Bennett filed a complaint for back and front pay, compensation for emotional distress and punitive damages, which totaled around <a href="http://www.eurweb.com/?p=98844" target="_blank"><strong>$450,000</strong></a>.
- <ul> <li><strong>JESSE JACKSON, JR. </strong></li> </ul> Like father, like son? The politician and son of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. never denied involvement with <strong>Giovana Huidobro</strong>, a Washington, D.C.-based restaurant hostess who was said to be present during his alleged attempt to buy an appointment to President Obama's vacated Senate seat in 2008. He did, however, deny the <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Fund-Raiser-Fingers-Jackson-Jr-in-Blago-Scheme-103424559.html" target="_blank"><strong>$6 million</strong></a> bribery allegations. His involvement in the scandal didn’t directly cost the junior Jackson monetarily, but it did cost him a Senate seat and the pay increase that would have likely come with it.
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There was a story on the NBC aaiflifte in Detroit about all this tonight too, mostly about the Echo piece. In that NBC story, they point out that B.L.A.C.K. is not paying Kilpatrick to appear, just his expenses to get here.