Fact check: Conor McGregor sold Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey for $600 million.
Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 90/100
The claims reported by Forbes, The Irish Times, and Apple's official press releases. While the figures for Mint Mobile ($1.35B), Rhode ($1B), and Vitamin Water ($100M) are precise, the Beats by Dre sale was officially $3 billion rather than $3.2 billion, and the McGregor figure represents the total brand valuation rather than his personal take-home pay.

- Platform
- Source author
- themakeshiftproject — see all fact-checks of this account
- Original post
- https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYCmR8KRyBC/?igsh=bDZxMm11ZTBjY3Ft
- Verified on
- May 7, 2026
- Verification ID
- oK8tXoqa-YGr8ZMcbUBmaQ
Original content reviewed
Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @themakeshiftproject --- Caption/Description --- How Much Money Did These Celebs Sell Companies For? --- Audio Transcript (What was said) --- How much money did these celebrities sell their companies for? Great question. Conor McGregor and Proper 12. That's his whiskey slash bourbon brand. It's whiskey. It's Irish whiskey. Yes, it's Irish whiskey. I'm gonna say he sold it for $400 million. He sold it for even more than that, Zach. There's no way. He sold it for $600 million. The notorious one. Good for him. It's just the notorious. Okay, I didn't know that. How much did Ryan Reynolds sell his portion of Mint Mobile for? I think Ryan Reynolds. Hi, I'm Ryan Reynolds. It's secretly super rich. I agree completely. Mint Mobile, I'm gonna say half a billion dollars. He sold it for $1.35 billion. Ryan Reynolds never has to act again in his life. Apparently he's a billionaire. Like low key. Not low key anymore. He's got so many companies. How much did Dr. Dre sell Beats for? I think Beats is gonna be a multi-billion dollar company. So I'm gonna say like $3 billion he sold it for. That was a great guess. $3.2 billion. Do you think he's made more money in that or producing? Absolutely Beats. Definitely Beats. How much did Hailey Bieber sell RODE for? Which was her makeup brand she just recently sold. I don't know how much that actually goes for, but I think she probably did pretty well. Let's say $200 million. She sold it for $1 billion. The world's just not fair. People are just throwing billions out there. She never has to do anything again. And then the last one, how much did 50 Cent sell his portion of vitamin water for? Vitamin water. Didn't know that he was involved in that. He's involved in a lot of things that we did not know about. Pretty much, yeah. I'm gonna say $800 million. Why not? Let's have a date. No, it's not that much. That's the least amount he sold. $50 million. He did sell it for $100 million though. Okay. Still very good.
Claims analyzed (5)
- mostly true: Conor McGregor sold Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey for $600 million.
The brand was acquired by Proximo Spirits in 2021 in a deal valued at up to $600 million. McGregor himself reportedly received between $100 million and $130 million for his stake. - verified: Ryan Reynolds sold his portion of Mint Mobile for $1.35 billion.
T-Mobile acquired Mint Mobile's parent company, Ka'ena Corp, in a deal worth up to $1.35 billion in March 2023. - misleading: Dr. Dre sold Beats by Dre for $3.2 billion.
The final acquisition price paid by Apple in 2014 was $3 billion ($2.6B cash and $400M stock). The $3.2 billion figure was an initial reported valuation that was later adjusted downward. - verified: Hailey Bieber sold her makeup brand Rhode for $1 billion.
In May 2025, Hailey Bieber sold her skincare and cosmetics brand Rhode to e.l.f. Beauty in a deal valued at $1 billion. - verified: 50 Cent sold his portion of Vitamin Water for $100 million.
While Coca-Cola bought the parent company Glaceau for $4.1 billion in 2007, 50 Cent's minority stake (approx 2.5%) netted him roughly $100 million.
Sources consulted (4)
- thespiritsbusiness.com — thespiritsbusiness.com
- Ryan Reynolds' Mint Mobile Acquired By T-Mobile For $1.3 Billion — Forbes
- Apple to Acquire Beats Music & Beats Electronics — Apple
- Hailey Bieber sells Rhode to E.l.f. Beauty in landmark $1bn deal — The Industry Beauty
Related verifications
- Nicki Minaj has reportedly been named Trump's next White House Press Secretary. — False 10/100instagram · view post ↗
The claim that Nicki Minaj has been named Trump's next White House Press Secretary is false. This rumor has circulated on social media and has been debunked by 4 sources, including Reel 360 News and H…
- META SUSPENDS NO KINGS INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT AS 3,000+ PROTESTS ARE SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE T… — Verified 90/100instagram · view post ↗
The post accurately reports that Meta temporarily suspended the official No Kings Instagram account on October 17, 2026, as over 3,000 protests were scheduled to take place, and that the account was r…
- Plano, Texas is experiencing a massive housing market downturn. — Mostly true 65/100instagram · view post ↗
The post accurately states that Plano, Texas, is experiencing a housing market downturn and an increase in foreclosures, which is correlated with the Trump administration's H-1B visa policy changes. T…
- Elon Musk has become the biggest political donor of the 2026 US midterm elections cycle,… — Verified 90/100instagram · view post ↗
The post accurately states that Elon Musk has become a major political donor for the 2026 US midterm elections, funneling approximately $366 million into political groups and campaigns, with over $276…
- Dave Rubin could not respond to anything. — Mostly true 65/100instagram · view post ↗
The post accurately portrays Dave Rubin's performance in a Jubilee Media debate from June 2026, where he struggled to provide specific metrics for economic improvements under the second Trump administ…
AI-generated analysis. Not a substitute for professional fact-checking.