Travis Scott reportedly earned $20 million through his partnership with McDonald's
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for McDonald's
- Rapper Travis Scott earned an estimated $20 million through his deal with McDonald's this year, according to Forbes.
- Roughly $15 million of those earnings came from cobranded merchandise Scott released, which included a McNugget-shaped body pillow, $250 denim shorts, and a $98 hoodie, Forbes reported.
- As part of the deal, McDonald's sold a Travis Scott Meal — a Quarter Pounder, fries, and a Sprite — which became such a hit that the fast-food chain started running out of burger ingredients.
- According to Forbes, Scott earned $20 million through a deal with Epic Games and pockets $10 million annually through a Nike partnership.
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Travis Scott's deal with McDonald's may have landed him a $200 fine after the rapper drew crowds during a surprise visit to a California location, but it was all worth it in the end. Scott wound up earning approximately 100,000 times that figure through his partnership with the fast-food giant, according to Forbes.
Scott earned roughly $5 million through the endorsement, along with another $15 million through McDonald's-themed merchandise he developed for his Cactus Jack brand, Forbes estimates.
On McDonald's end, the meat of the deal was a limited-time menu offering called the Travis Scott Meal — a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, and lettuce; medium fries with BBQ sauce; and a Sprite. The $6 combo, which is Scott's go-to McDonald's order, was available for roughly one month from September 8 through October 4.
It was the fast-food chain's first celebrity meal deal since Michael Jordan's McJordan burger which hit the menu in the early 1990s. The Travis Scott Meal — despite not adding anything new to the McDonald's menu — became so popular that some locations began running out of burger ingredients.
But the bulk of Scott's estimated $20 million in earnings from the McDonald's deal, according to Forbes, came from cobranded merchandise that launched alongside the burger combo.
The Golden Arches-inspired items included $250 denim shorts, various hoodies and t-shirts, Egg McMuffin-branded boxers, and a $90 body pillow shaped like a McNugget. Scott also designed t-shirts for McDonald's employees to wear during the promotion.
Going beyond conventional endorsements, the rapper has inked creative deals with companies including Nike and General Mills, which he teamed up with for a limited-edition box of Reese's Puffs in 2019. The $50 cereal boxes sold out in 30 seconds, the brand announced.
More than 12 million people tuned in for a live in-game "Fortnite" concert Scott performed in April as part of an Epic Games deal that grossed the rapper roughly $20 million, Forbes reported, citing an unnamed source. According to the outlet, Scott likely earns around $10 million annually through his Nike deal, and is set to bring in at least $20 million through a multi-year deal with PlayStation.
Representatives for Travis Scott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.