Forbes richest women in Entertainment
[ratings]
Forbes recently went to the trouble of naming the richest women in the Entertainment Industry so I thought I’d do a quick summary.
Oprah Winfrey
Rank: 1
Net Worth (in $ millions): 1,500
Age: 52
Oprah today is the richest woman in entertainment and the only black female billionaire. She pockets an estimated $225 million annually from TV, satellite radio, magazines and other multimedia endeavors. I do have to commend her for spending $40 million of her fortune recently for setting up a school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa.
J.K. Rowling
Rank: 2
Net Worth (in $ millions): 1,000
Age: 40
A little known fact about J.K. Rowling is that she wrote the first Harry Potter book in a cafe to escape the cold in her flat which she couldn’t afford to pay heating in. Rowling is the only career author on Forbes’ Billionaires list.
Martha Stewart
Rank: 3
Net Worth (in $ millions): 638
Age: 64
Stewart oversees a media empire that includes a television show, a magazine, books, housewares and a Sirius Satellite Radio channel.
Madonna
Rank: 4
Net Worth (in $ millions): 325
Age: 48
While her albums don’t sell like they used to, her concerts still set attendance records all over the world, grossing $1 billion over the course of her 20-year career.
Celine Dion
Rank: 5
Net Worth (in $ millions): 250
Age: 38
The Canadian chanteuse’s exclusive five-year gig at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas has vaulted her into fifth place on our list of The 20 Richest Women in Entertainment.
Mariah Carey
Rank: 6
Net Worth (in $ millions): 225
Age: 36
Janet Jackson
Rank: 7
Net Worth (in $ millions): 150
Age: 40
Michael’s kid sister has sold over 50 million records worldwide and landed 10 No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100
Julia Roberts
Rank: 8
Net Worth (in $ millions): 140
Age: 39
Since her breakout role as a hooker with a heart of gold in Pretty Woman (1990) Julia Roberts has gone on to become to the only woman to command a $20million salary from movies and in 2003 pocketed $25 million for the 2003 Flop “Mona Lisa Smiles”.
Jennifer Lopez
Rank: 9
Net Worth (in $ millions): 110
Age: 38
She started out as a backup dancer, did our Jenny ‘from the block’. She now commands $15million per movie, yet her last music album sold dismally. Still, she has started a successful career with her own Fashion Label so I don’t expect to see her dropping out of this list any time soon.
Jennifer Aniston
Rank: 10
Net Worth (in $ millions): 110
Age: 37
Built from her fame playing Rachel in Friends and earning $1 million per episode in the later series, the former Miss Pitt never seems to leave the headlines.
Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen
Rank: 11
Net Worth (in $ millions): 100
Age: 20
I hardly even knew who these 2 were, apart from the 2 skinny girls plastered all over magazines for being anorexic and sickly looking. They started off in a kids sitcom ‘Full House’ and now sell 1 billion worth of merchandise worldwide a year.
Britney Spears
Rank: 12
Net Worth (in $ millions): 100
Age: 25
Starting out in The New Mickey Mouse Club when she was a little girl Britney Spears has gone from strength to strength in the pop industry, at least until recently. Now she’s more famous for the upskirt commando photos on her drunken night out with Paris Hilton.
Judith “Judge Judy” Sheindlin
Rank: 13
Net Worth (in $ millions): 95
Age: 64
Since Judge Judy debuted in 1996, the irascible former family court judge continues to dominate the daytime reality courtroom genre. In 2004 she signed a $100 million 4 year contract making her one of the highest paid women in television.
Sandra Bullock
Rank: 14
Net Worth (in $ millions): 85
Age: 42
Sandra Bullock amazes me. Not for her work but for getting into this list when she rarely appears in any blockbusters. But then again, having your own production company who writes many of your movies must help.
Cameron Diaz
Rank: 15
Net Worth (in $ millions): 75
Age: 34
Blasting onto the scene in ‘The Mask’ and ‘There’s something about Mary’ Diaz quickly became one of Hollywoods hottest properties. She was soon commanding $20 million per movie thus making her the only female in Hollywood aside from Julia Roberts who could command such a fee. Unfortunately for her, her bubble burst almost as quick. Recent flops have seen her salary slashed.
Gisele Bundchen
Rank: 16
Net Worth (in $ millions): 70
Age: 26
Gisele Bundchen has been the highest paid model in the world for a number of years now and shows no signs of stopping.
Ellen DeGeneres
Rank: 17
Net Worth (in $ millions): 65
Age: 48
From a hit sitcom ‘Ellen’ which flopped when Ellen DeGeneres came out as being lesbian, she has struck back as a hugely popular daytime talkshow host and won numerous Emmy awards.
Nicole Kidman
Rank: 18
Net Worth (in $ millions): 60
Age: 39
Best known as Tom Cruise’s ex-wife, Nicole Kidman still sells movies. So much so that she gets paid $15 million to star in each one. Did I mention she also won an oscar? Don’t worry, I dont remember for what either.
Christina Aguilera
Rank: 19
Net Worth (in $ millions): 60
Age: 26
Christina Aguilera has sold over 20 million albums to date. Her tours have grossed some $50 million. Endorsement deals with Verizon and Pepsi, among others, have made her a tidy sum of money she won’t spend in a hurry. Then again, surely she’s going to give that 5 pouds of makeup she puts on every day a rest and go under the knife for a more permanent solution to being the ugly chick of pop.
Renee Zellweger
Rank: 20
Net Worth (in $ millions): 45
Age: 37
The weight shifting young lady from Katy, Texas won an oscar for her leading role in Bridget Jones which has seen her paycheck shoot to $15 million per movie.