The 14 celebs named are worth a collective $31 billion.
By DeMicia Inman
Staff Writer, News
Forbes has released its annual celebrity billionaires list, featuring musicians, athletes, and more. With fourteen individuals making the cut, their combined net-worth totals $31 billion. According to the outlet, ten of the celebrities on the ranking have become billionaires in the past four years, including Taylor Swift, who made the achievement strictly off of earnings from her music and performances.
Most others named have endeavors beyond their boasted talents to bring in their earnings, such as Rihanna, whose wealth can be attributed to the success of her brands FENTY Beauty and Savage X Fenty. Jay-Z, the only rapper on the list, became Hip-Hop’s first billionaire with the advances made with two alcohol companies, D’Usse Cognac and Armand de Brignac Champagne.
The highest ranked celebrity billionaire is George Lucas. The Star Wars director has held this status since 1997, and his current networth is reported as $5.5 billion. Kim Kardashian, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg and Dick Wolf are also named to the full list.
Outside of celebrity, the complete 38th annual world billionaires list features a record-breaking 2,781 billionaires, more billionaires than ever before, 141 more than last year, and 26 more than the previous record set in 2021, according to a press release.
Bernard Arnault tops the list for the second consecutive year while Elon Musk remains in the second spot. Newcomers include Christian Louboutin, Sam Altman, plus NBA legend Magic Johnson and the aforementioned talents of Dick Wolf and Taylor Swift. The United States still has more billionaires than any other country, with a record 813 on the list, worth a combined $5.7 trillion.
Learn more about the eight Black celebrities featured on the affluent list below.
Ranking: 3/14
Net Worth: $3.2 Billion
Businesses: According to Forbes, Michael Jordan brings in his wealth from brand partnerships, most famously Nike’s Jordan brand, as well as selling the Charlotte Hornets NBA team in 2023 for $3 Billion.
Ranking: 4/14
Net Worth: $2.8 Billion
Businesses: Oprah Winfrey‘s wealth includes her media and business empire, including investments in real estate and her own production company, Harpo.
Ranking: 5/14
Net Worth: $2.5 Billion
Businesses: Jay-Z sold a 50% stake in his champagne brand, Armand de Brignac, to luxury goods giant LVMH in 2021 for at least $300 million, as well as a majority stake in his cognac label, D’Usse, in 2023 for a reported $750 million. He also owns stock in Uber and Block.
Ranking: 8/14
Net Worth: $1.4 Billion
Businesses: Tyler Perry made billionaire status as the result of his three-decade career creating and acting in TV shows, movies and stage plays.
Ranking: 9/14
Net Worth: $1.4 Billion
Businesses: Outside of her music career, Rihanna‘s wealth comes from her globally recognized brands Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty.
Ranking: 10/14
Net Worth: $1.3 Billion
Businesses: Tiger Woods has built a large portion of his wealth from endorsements, most notably a nearly three-decade partnership with Nike. He also owns his own clothing line, Sun Day Red.
Ranking: 11/14
Net Worth: $1.2 Billion
Businesses: LeBron James earns big on and off the NBA court, with stakes in Blaze Pizza and Fenway Sports Group, his own production and entertainment company SpringHill, and partial ownership of MLB’s Boston Red Sox, soccer club Liverpool, and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ranking: 12/14
Net Worth: $1.2 Billion
Businesses: Earvin “Magic” Johnson earned billionaire status through business deals, owning portions of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, the MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, as well as MLS’ LAFC. Additionally, he has stake in Iowa-based life insurance provider EquiTrust.
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