If You Invested $100 in Bitcoin After Crypto Was First Mentioned on TV, Here’s How Much You’d Have Now

Chris Katje

Mon, August 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM GMT+3 5 min read

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Well off its all-time high of $126,198 set in October 2025, the price of Bitcoin has been rebounding in recent weeks and is currently trading at its highest level in three months.

That's good news for new and long-time investors of the leading cryptocurrency hoping for the price to return to those all-time highs.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump met with cryptocurrency company executives and publicly endorsed the CLARITY Act, which would set federal guidelines for digital assets. Experts believe the bill's passage could improve market stability and encourage more institutional investment in a federally regulated sector.

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Investors who bought Bitcoin over the years have been rewarded, especially those who bought when the leading cryptocurrency wasn't a huge trending topic.

Here's a look back at the first time Bitcoin was mentioned on mainstream television and how much an investment at the time would be worth today.

Bitcoin on Television

Bitcoin has found itself mentioned in more television shows and movies over the years, including episodes of "South Park," "Silicon Valley," "The Big Bang Theory," the game show "Jeopardy!" and "The Simpsons."

While "The Simpsons" has come to be known for predicting future events and being ahead of the curve, its Dec. 8, 2013, episode that mentioned Bitcoin was not the first mainstream television moment for the leading cryptocurrency.

Instead, it was a 2012 episode of "The Good Wife" that is credited with having the first mainstream mention of Bitcoin.

The episode called "Bitcoin for Dummies" aired on Jan. 15, 2012, on CBS.

"Alicia (Julianna Margulies) defends a man who claims to represent the person who created a new online currency against the Treasury Department," the episode's IMDB summary reads.

Jason Biggs guest-starred as Dylan Stack in the episode.

In a scene in Alicia's office, Dylan complains of how long it took a bank to get a cashier's check and change "dollar bills into another piece of paper."

"I went online and I bought one Bitcoin last night," Alicia answers back.

"It's the future," Dylan says.

"Doesn't feel real," Alicia says.

"Real's gonna change, just watch," Dylan says.

Many have praised the show, which aired on CBS from 2009 to 2016, for being ahead of its time and recognizing the power of Bitcoin and how it could be a competitor to traditional banking.

Investors who bought Bitcoin when the show aired are also likely praising the show for their strong returns over the past 12 years.

Investing $100 In Bitcoin

At the time the episode of "The Good Wife" aired, Bitcoin was trading at $3.41, according to Documenting Bitcoin on Twitter.

A $100 purchase at the time could have bought 29.3255 BTC.

The $100 investment would be worth $2,132,149.77 today based on a price of $72,706.34 for Bitcoin at the time of writing.

Who knew that watching television could make you a millionaire?

This article was previously published by Benzinga and has been updated.

Image via Shutterstock

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