The world’s highest-paid celebrities earned a combined $6.1 billion before taxes and fees, a $200 million drop from 2019, after the global pandemic shuttered stadiums and silenced performances around the world.
The Celebrity 10 list includes the top-earning celebrities of the year, with Kylie Jenner and Kanye West at the top. Jenner sold a majority stake in her cosmetics company, while West earned from his Yeezy sneakers deal. Streaming giants paid out $300 million to stars on the list, with Netflix paying out the most. Live shows brought in career-best income for some musicians, but tours for some have been cancelled due to the pandemic.
In sports, Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo earned top spots, while Naomi Osaka made history for female athletes. The list includes newcomers from the world of podcasting and Broadway, and several celebrities are working towards systemic change.
Kylie Jenner
$590M
The reality TV star sold 51% of Kylie Cosmetics to publicly traded Coty, Inc. in January 2019 for $600 million; she pocketed $540 million, pretax.
Kanye West
$170M
New information about Kanye West’s deal with Adidas for sneaker brand Yeezy convinced Forbes to call the entrepreneur and musician a billionaire.
Roger Federer
$106.3M
Roger Federer is the world’s highest-paid athlete for the first time, thanks to an unmatched portfolio of lucrative endorsement deals.
Cristiano Ronaldo
$105M
Ronaldo is the most followed athlete on social media. His Instagram followers hit 200 million in 2020.
Lionel Messi
$104M
Messi has been awarded both FIFA’s Player of the Year and the European Golden Shoe for top scorer on the continent a record six times.
Tyler Perry
$97M
A director, actor, producer and writer, Tyler Perry is best known for his “Madea” franchise, which has grossed more than $660 million.
Neymar
$95.5M
Neymar is on a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain through June 2022 worth $350 million in salary.
Howard Stern
$90M
The veteran shock jock is the world’s highest-paid radio host thanks to an eight-figure annual contract with SiriusXM.
LeBron James
$88.2M
Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 under a four-year, $153 million contract.
Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 under a four-year, $153 million contract.
Dwayne Johnson
$87.5M
Better known as The Rock, Johnson is the world’s highest-paid actor thanks to big paydays for forthcoming films “Black Adam” and “Red Notice.”
