SCENE’s 2024 Story of the Year: The Boom—and Bust—of Celebrity Meme Coins
The emergence of celebrity meme coins has taken the crypto world by storm, replacing NFTs as the new speculative favorite. Celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Jason Derulo have launched tokens that have often resulted in significant financial loss for investors. The trend began with Jenner's controversial launch on Pump.fun, an outrageous meme coin-launching platform. This prompted a wave of celebrity involvement, many of whom were later critical of their crypto promoters, claiming fraud and lack of support. Some tokens, like Jenner’s, plummeted in value by as much as 99%, sparking investor lawsuits over fraudulent misrepresentations. Experts predict an increase in litigation against celebrities endorsing these volatile assets, as they may now be accountable as sellers of digital assets. While proponents argue that these tokens could attract new traders, critics suggest they primarily extract liquidity from unsuspecting retail investors, leaving behind significant losses.
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