Celebrity billionaires: These are the eight richest celebs, according to Forbes

Celebrities are richer than the rest of us. It’s just a fact. They make millions from films, TV shows, music and product endorsements. However even in celebrity world there is a big gap between the top earners and the ones just bringing in a few million. Forbes has released their annual billionaires list and amongst the hundreds of billionaires in the world, there are eight celebrity billionaires.

There are thousands of people who features on Forbes billionaires list, covering a variety of industries including fashion, technology, construction and investment, with Elon Musk taking the number one spot with a net worth of $268.2 billion. The celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey are at the lower end of the billionaire scale with their net worths under $5billion, however with a net worth of $2.6billion I doubt Oprah is crying about it.

These are the eight richest celebrity billionaires this year:

8. Tyler Perry

Net worth: $1billion

First up on the list is director, actor and producer Tyler Perry who has a net worth of $1billion.

Tyler is best known for creating the Madea franchise which has so far made $660million. He owns 100 per cent of the content he’s created and has been acting since the 1990s.

Tyler has a 25 per cent stake in the streaming service BET+ and in the past he’s owned a home which sold for $15million in Atlanta and a plane worth $36million.

7. Jay-Z

Net worth: $1.3billion

Surely as Jay-Z’s wife, Beyoncé should be on this list too? Jay-Z has been in the music industry since the early 1990s. He founded the record label Roc-a-Fella in 1995 and the management company Roc Nation in 2008.

However it’s not his music business that’s making him loads of money, instead it’s his venture into alcohol. He co-owns a champagne company called Armand de Brignac with LVMH which is said to be worth $310million. Jay-Z also owns part of a cognac company called D’Usse which is worth $100million.

He has stakes in Uber and Tidal, which in total are worth $170million and then of course there’s the properties he and Beyoncé own. In 2019 the couple bought a mansion worth $90million. Oh and he also owns a plane worth $40million.

6. Peter Jackson

Net worth: $1.5billion

Yes the guy who directed Lord of The Rings is a billionaire. Even though his many films including Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit and King Kong have grossed over $6.5billion, Peter isn’t taking all that money home.

Instead the majority of his wealth comes from selling part of his visual effects company for $1.6billion.

Peter has a number of properties in New Zealand which are worth $99.7million and he owns a plane similar to Tyler Perry’s one but his is worth $65million.

5. Rihanna

Net worth: $1.7billion

Of course the queen herself Rihanna has ended up on the celebrity billionaires list.

Despite being a musical genius the majority of Rihanna’s wealth comes from her cosmetics company Fenty Beauty. Rihanna has a 50 per cent stake in Fenty which is worth $1.4billion and Savage x Fenty, her lingerie brand, creates over $270million in net profits.

Rihanna owns two homes in Beverly Hills for just over $20million combined. She then also has properties in Hollywood and Barbados.

4. Kim Kardashian

Net worth: $1.8billion

Kylie Jenner must be fuming her older sister Kim Kardashian beat her to the billionaires list first.

Though her time on Keeping Up With Kardashians and the new Hulu show The Kardashians will have brought in a decent paycheque, it’s Kim’s two businesses that are really making her dollar.

In 2020 Kim sold a 20 per cent stake in KKW Beauty to Coty for $200million, with the rest of her stake valued at $550million. Her percentage of Skims is said to be worth $225million. As part of divorce proceedings with Kanye, Kim paid full ownership for their house in LA for $23million.

3. Kanye West aka Ye

Net worth: $2billion

It must be nice being one of the West kids knowing your parents have a combined net worth of nearly $4billion, North West will never have to work a day in her life.

Kanye West or Ye, as he is now known as, has a net worth of $2billion. The majority of his fortune has come from his brand Yeezy, which he has made $1.5billion from since it began.

In terms of real estate, Kim and Kanye shared a property portfolio worth $100million before their divorce. Kanye owns a house in Malibu which is worth $57million.

2. Oprah Winfrey

Net worth: $2.6billion

Oprah Winfrey had the highest rated talk show in America so it’s no wonder she’s doing so well financially.

A big part of Oprah’s fortune comes from owning the Oprah Winfrey Show, with her profits from that as well as films she’s been a part of adding up to around $2billion.

Oprah owns 25 per cent of cable channel OWN of which her stake is valued at $65million and she also now has a seven per cent stake in Weight Watchers, as well as acting as a brand ambassador.

When it comes to property, Oprah bought a $50million 42 acre compound in 2011 and in 1995 she bought a plane worth $25million.

1. Steven Spielberg

Net worth: $3.7billion

And the title of richest celebrity this year goes to Steven Spielberg director of E.T., Saving Private Ryan and Jaws amongst many others.

The majority of his money comes from project fees from the movies he’s been involved with. Steven also co-founded DreamWorks studios aka the company who made Shrek. So far his films have grossed more than $25billion.

He also earns money from every ticket sold at Universal theme park thanks to Indiana Jones.

Last year he sold his superyacht for $150million and in 2015 he sold his Malibu property for $26million.

Now he owns a plane worth $70million and a 20,000 square-foot estate.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

•Ranked: These are officially the richest ever people to come from Made in Chelsea

•Reality TV rich list 2022: These are officially the stars with the most money

•The Apprentice millionaires: These are the richest people to come from the show