Taylor Swift achieved a milestone in October 2023 that no other singer had before: she became a billionaire solely from the proceeds of her songs and live performances. After producing shows like Law & Order and FBI, television entrepreneur Dick Wolf earned an estimated $1.9 billion (pretax) in his career. Three months later, Forbes dubbed Wolf a billionaire as well.
The Forbes World’s Billionaires list, which has seen an explosion in the number of celebrity billionaires in recent years, gains even more star power from the two celebrities. Thanks to celebrities cashing in on their name and brand, ten of the 14 A-listers on the list have become billionaires in the last four years.
Apart from their claims to fame, most of the people on this list have also made billions through their own entrepreneurship and ventures. Pop star Rihanna, for example, made her fortune primarily through stakes in the $2 billion company Fenty Beauty, the cosmetics brand, a joint venture with luxury goods giant LVMH, and lingerie maker Savage X Fenty. Jay-Z became the first hip-hop billionaire thanks to two liquor companies: D’Usse Cognac and Armand de Brignac Champagne. In the latter, he sold 50% of his stake to LVMH, which also holds stakes in Uber and Block, among others. Michael Jordan earned less than $100 million as a basketball player, but he raised a lot of money from Nike. Jordan’s biggest success came in August when he sold a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a whopping $3 billion.
Here are 14 celebrities who have turned their fame into enough wealth to be ranked as the world’s richest people in 2024, ranked by net worth with a total net worth of $31 billion.
14. Taylor Swift
Net worth: $1.1 billion | Age: 34 | Citizenship: American
Miss Americana becomes a billionaire in October, capping one of the most culturally influential years in musical history. Her estimated after-tax earnings of $190 million from her historic Elas Tour made her the first country and pop musician to enter the three-comma club based solely on songwriting and performance.
13. Dick Wolf
Net worth: $1.2 billion | Age: 77 | Citizenship: USA
Mastermind behind some of TV’s most-watched crime shows, including “Law & Order” and “FBI.” Wolf was named to the billionaires list for the first time thanks to pre-tax profits of about $2 billion over 30-year career in television.
12. Magic Johnson
Net worth: $1.2 billion | Age: 64 | Citizenship: US
Johnson has made a name for himself in the basketball world, but that hasn’t helped with his recent exorbitant salary and even sponsorship deals. It was a long time ago. Instead, he built his wealth through business, especially through shrewd partnerships with other billionaires. He owns a portion of the NFL’s Washington Commanders (with Justin Harris), MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers (with Todd Boley), the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and MLS’ LAFC. Most of his wealth comes from shares in Equitrust, an Iowa-based life insurance company.
11. LeBron James
Net worth: $1.2 billion |Age: 39 | Citizenship: US
The basketball star has earned more than $1 billion on and off the court during his 20-year career . He invests that money in real estate, shares in companies like Blaze Pizza, his own production and entertainment company SpringHill, and, of course, sports. James owns shares in Fenway Sports Group, owner of MLB’s Boston Red Sox. Liverpool Football Club and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
10. Tiger Woods
Net worth: $1.3 billion | Age: 48 | Citizenship: US
Tiger Woods is a member of an exclusive club and ranks behind LeBron as the only athlete to become a millionaire while continuing to play sports. Along with James. But more than anything, it was fame that propelled him into the 10 digits. The five-time Masters winner has earned more than $1.7 billion during his career, most of it from sponsorships. His most notable brand deal, a nearly 30-year partnership with Nike, ended in January. Woods soon launched his own clothing line, “Sunday Red.”
9. Rihanna
Net Worth: $1.4 Billion | Age: 36 | Citizenship: Barbados
The pop star has stakes in the $2 billion brands cosmetics company Fenty Beauty and lingerie company Savage X Fenty, which she owns with luxury goods giant LVMH. Both are named after the Barbados-born singer, whose real name is Robin Fenty.
8. Tyler Perry
Net Worth: $1.4 billion | Age: 54 | Citizenship: United States
Perry has earned $1 billion in pre-tax profits over his 30-year career as a writer and actor for television shows, films, and theater. far exceeds. He famously rented out one of his Los Angeles homes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they stepped back as senior members of the British royal family.
7. Peter Jackson
Net worth: $1.5 billion | Age: 62 | Citizenship: New Zealand
Jackson is the visionary director behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series. earned most of his fortune from his visual effects company, Weta Digital, which sold some of its assets to Weta Digital in 2021. Published by game maker Unity Software. The deal netted the New Zealanders almost $1 billion in cash and stock.
6. Kim Kardashian
Net worth: $1.7 billion | Age: 43 | Citizenship: USA
Kim Kardashian, who made her billions from her beauty and fashion brands, is the person who has profited the most from being a reality star. In a 2023 funding round, her shapewear brand Skims was valued at $4 billion, and in 2020, she sold Coty 20% of her makeup company KKW Beauty for $200 million. Since then, she has closed KKW Beauty.
5. Jay-Z
Net worth: $2.5 billion | Age: 54 | Citizenship: US
The first hip-hop billionaire will buy a 50% stake in his champagne brand Armand de Brignac in 2021 He sold it to luxury goods giant LVMH for at least $300 million, and in 2023 sold a majority stake in his cognac brand Dusse to Bacardi. Reportedly, $750 million. He also owns shares in Uber and Block. His net worth does not include his wife Beyoncé’s own $500 million fortune.
4. Oprah Winfrey
Net worth: $2.8 billion | Age: 70 | Citizenship: US
The daytime talk show host became the first black female billionaire in 2003. Since then, she has built her own brand into a media and business empire, including investments in her real estate and her own production company. Shortly after she revealed that Winfrey had started taking weight loss drugs, Winfrey, a longtime Weight Watchers board member and majority shareholder, announced her plans to step down.
3. Michael Jordan
Net worth: $3.2 billion | Age: 61 | Citizenship: US
Jordan became the first billionaire athlete in 2015, but that’s due to his legendary basketball career and gambling. It’s not because of the prize money. Instead, Jordan made more than $1.8 billion through brand partnerships, specifically Nike’s Jordan Brand. He has also made a very smart investment, purchasing his NBA team Charlotte Hornets in 2010 for his $175 million. He sold the team in August 2023 for $3 billion.
2. Director Steven Spielberg
Net Worth: $4.8 Billion | Age: 77 | Citizenship: U.S.
The first director to be included on the list was Steven Spielberg, who did so in 1994 following a run of successful films that includes Jaws, Jurassic Park, and Schindler’s List. That year, he admitted to Forbes, “I’m a gambler.” “I haven’t received a salary in almost ten years,” Rather, he worked out a deal to receive a portion of the box office receipts from his films, and because of the Indiana Jones franchise, he continues to receive a cut of every ticket purchased at Universal theme parks.
1. George Lucas
Net Worth: $5.5 Billion | Age: 79 | Citizenship: U.S.
As the richest celebrity, the Star Wars director made his billionaire debut in 1997, largely due to the sale of his production firm, LucasFilm, to Disney in 2012 for a sum of more than $4 billion in cash and stock.
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