Aside from the 1 million users and investors who have lost money due to the collapse of FTX last year, the cryptocurrency exchange\u2019s many celebrity endorsers also faced not only backlash, but class action lawsuits. Among them are legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, supermodel Gisele B\u00fcndchen, NBA superstars Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal, comedian Larry David, award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and music legend Madonna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the recent years, many celebrities have endorsed and openly promoted different cryptos and exchanges, even creating their own NFTs. However, there are also some who have always been and continue to be vocal about their skepticism toward crypto. One of them is \u201cThe O.C.\u201d and \u201cGotham\u201d actor Ben McKenzie, who also wrote a book on it entitled \u201cEasy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKenzie also testified at the Senate Banking Committee hearing about the alleged FTX fraud, and has personally interviewed big names in the crypto industry, such as FTX Founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. It is not surprising that the self-proclaimed \u201cformer teen idol\u201d has become a known crypto critic and is invited to speak at a number of crypto and blockchain conferences<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And again, the actor and author attended Day 2 of the London Blockchain Conference 2023 held at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre last May 31 to June 2, where he was a panelist sharing his views about how regulation can \u201cenable the growth of blockchain and digital currency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n McKenzie was joined by Bryan Daugherty, chairman of blockchain distribution channel SmartLedger and global public policy director of Switzerland-based Bitcoin Association, and Yves Mersch, former executive board member of the European Central Bank (ECB) and former g<\/ins>overnor of the Central Bank of Luxembourg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n