With 2019, coming to an end, we now know which celebrity led the wealth pack over the last couple of months. Overall, Celebrity earnings were up 7% from last year and the combined pre-tax earrings of our list came to around a cool $6.3 billion.
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It is clear that most Celebrities have made it in life, While yes, the stardom arrives at the price of their privacy, it also comes with the lovely bonus of incredible luxury, one which most can only fantasise about. But who won the title of highest-paid celebrity in the world?
Scroll now to find out,
20. Drake –Earnings In 2019: $ 75 Million
Apart from being a successful musician, Drake is also an icon for our era, for both his style and personality. His double album, ‘Scorpion,’ debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in July 2018, which helped him slip easily into our list.
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Like most other musicians, the bulk of his earnings for 2019 came from tours. His partnership with Migos for the Aubrey and the Three Migos tour grossed $79 million on its 43-date run and sold more than 600,000 tickets.
19. Ellen DeGeneres –Earnings In 2019: $ 80.5 Million
The second entry on our list is none other than, household name Ellen DeGeneres. We have spent many articles, praising what Ellen does. From her love of real estate to her being a voice of reason, Ellen deserves her place.
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She has an eight-figure contract, for her popular talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Apart from that, she also receives licensing fees from her lines at PetSmart and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
18. Beyonce Knowles –Earnings In 2019: $ 81 Million
Queen Bee is anything but broke! The pop-star added a healthy dose of cash to her already burgeoning net worth in 2019. How did she do it? For starters, her tour with husband Jay-Z earned her $5 Million a night!
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On top of that, her Netflix special was groundbreaking and loved by many. While we don’t know exactly how much her contract was worth, we are guessing it was a multi-million dollar deal.
17. Elton John –Earnings In 2019: $ 84 Million
The man hasn’t released an album, since 2016 -Wonderful Crazy Night- and yet he still managed to come at number 19 of the highest-earning celebrities of 2019. How did he manage to earn millions?
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John is currently on his last tour, called the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. The packed schedule means he is playing 101 shows over the span of 12 months. On top that, Elton also is spearheading the upcoming Broadway musical adaption of “The Devil Wears Prada.”
16. LeBron James —Earnings In 2019: $ 89 Million
The first athlete on our list, LeBron has used his tremendous talent and charming personality to earn himself a spot on this list. It all started when LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 under a four-year, $153 million contract.
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He has also managed to diversify his wealth, by owning his own production company (SpringHill Entertainment) and media company (Uninterrupted). And also part-owns a health company with fellow celebrities, Cindy Crawford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lindsey Vonn.
15. Jay-Z —Earnings In 2019: $89.5 Million
With a real-time net worth of $1 Billion, it is no surprise that Jay-Z landed as one of the top-grossing musicians of 2019. While he made a good chunk of his wealth through his talent and tour dates, his “hobby” provided him with a good chunk of change, as well.
Credit: Hollywood Reporter
Jay-Z’s joint venture with Bacardi, for creating Armand de Brignac champagne and D’Ussé cognac has allowed the rapper to basically work without ever having to break a sweat. Oh, and he has major stakes in Uber!
14.Dwayne Johnson —Earnings In 2019: $ 90 Milion
The Rock has been featured on many lists in his time, from being the most voted the most handsome wrestler to becoming the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. It seems that there is no list, that Johnson can’t win at.
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Due to his growing popularity, Johnson commands eight-figure-checks for franchise films like ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘Hobbs and Shaw,’. That means, millions in his wallet before filming even begins. He also receives a large percentage of the royalties, from all his films.
13. J.K Rowling —Earnings In 2019: $ 93 Million
Everyone is well-versed over the fact that J.K Rowling is a billionaire. Even after years of her not adding to her Harry Potter franchise, she still manages to make nearly a $100 Million from them.
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Recently, she has received large royalty checks from theme parks, theatrical productions and a new film about The Boy Who Lived, all who use her idea and storyline. Also, she owns the rights of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which grossed $640 Million.
12. Howard Stern —Earnings In 2019: $ 95 Million
If you have ever turned on a radio, which to be honest, who hasn’t? you would have heard the voice of Howard Stern. He is the world’s highest-paid radio host thanks to his eight-figure contract with SiriusXM.
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He recently got back into writing, with “Howard Stern Comes Again,’ his first book in more than 20 years. To no one’s surprise, it debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times’ nonfiction bestseller list in May.
11. Canelo Alvarez ––Earnings In 2019: $ 98 Million
With brute force and will power, Canelo Alvarez won his millions. Streaming service DAZN committed to pay him $365 million in 2018 to lock up the next 11 fights of boxing’s biggest pay-per-view star.
Credit: Yahoo Sports
While you might not have heard of him, his fights with GGG were the first U.S. boxing matches not involving Mayweather or Pacquiao to register more than one million buys since 2002.
10. Roger Federer ––Earnings In 2019: $ 99 Million
Tennis fan or no, you have heard the name Federer at least once. In 2018, he became the no.1 men’s tennis player in the world. He has won $124 million in prize money in his career.
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But that is nothing compared to the almost, hundreds of endorsements and guest appearances he had made which are responsible for the majority of his earnings. Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo locked him up in 2018 with a 10-year, $300 million deal.
9. Dr Phil McGraw ––Earnings In 2019: $ 99.5 Million
We guess it pays to give good advice! The Oprah protege has spent countless hours, helping both celebrities and everyday people deal with personal issues on his talk-show, since 2002.
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Dr Phil, also works as an executive producer, putting his name on ‘The Bull’ and ‘The Doctors.’ and while not a practising doctor, McGraw cofounded the app Doctors on Demand, worth $300 million.
8. The Eagles –Earnings In 2019: $100 Million
Nobody, including us, were expecting The Eagles to make it to this list. Especially after the death of band co-founder Glenn Frey in 2016. But the band has regrouped and have marked their first tour, this year.
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Being a symbol of happy times for an entire generation, The Eagles sell out every show with each one grossing around $3.5 Million per tour stop. For those still confused, they tend to do hundreds of tour stops- in one tour. Some in international, which pay the big bucks.
7. Neymar –Earnings In 2019: $105 Million
When your transfer from one league to another, makes the history books as one of the world’s most costly ones, you know you have made it in life! Not only a skilled footballer, but he is also loved by millions.
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The Brazilian is the second most popular athlete on social media with more than 200 million followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. He currently is signed on a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain through June 2022 worth $350 million in salary.
6. Christino Ronaldo–Earnings In 2019: $109 Million
Much like Federer, Ronaldo is much more than a football player. The guy and real star power and he knows how to use it and of course, let’s not forget that he has won FIFA’s Player of the Year five times and is the all-time leading goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League.
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The Portuguese star is the most followed athlete on social media with nearly 400 million total followers and when not cashing in his multi-million dollar paychecks for Football, makes an easy million with sponsored posts on his Instagram.
5.Ed Sheeran –Earnings In 2019: $110 Million
Even with all the wealth in the world, Ed Sheeran still stays true to his shy, dorky and quiet personality. It’s the same personality which has led him to garner millions of fans around the worlds and a prestigious spot at number 5, on our list.
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Most of his paychecks have been coming in due to his The Divide Tour. Sheeran has been touring the world for more than two years, which has grossed $600 Million. He is also working on another album, which fellow pop-stars, Justin Bieber, Cardi B and Bruno Mars.
4.Lionel Messi –Earnings In 2019: $127 Million
Messi statistics are as impressive as they come. Since his Barcelona debut in 2003, Messi has played 687 matches for his club, scored 603 goals, and won 33 club titles, including 10 La Liga titles.
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His current Barcelona contract is through 2020-21 and pays him over $80 million annually. Messi isn’t as active into product endorsements. He only had a deal with Adidas but seeing that the terms apply for, basically the rest of his life.
3. Kanye West –Earnings In 2019: $150 Million
The controversial rapper has not made his millions upon his musical talents but through a brand deal. His partnership with Adidas and Yeezy sneakers pays him a per-shoe royalty of 15% on wholesale.
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With an estimated $1 billion in sales over the past 12 months, we know exactly how and why he made it to the number three spot. West has resulted started an invitation-only Sunday-service, where he asks many of his other ultra-rich celebrities to join him.
2.Kylie Jenner –Earnings In 2019: $170 Million
From her pregnancy to her make-up line, Kylie Jenner was the only name on many people’s lips and on every tabloid headline. At 21, she became the youngest billionaire in the world.
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Kylie Cosmetics has incredibly low overhead and massive sales, making the company worth at least $900 million. And Jenner owns a 100% stake. Want to know Kylie’s initial investment? $250,000. That is how much money it took to launch her cosmetics line!
1.Taylor Swift –Earnings In 2019: $185 Million
Swift’s 2018 ‘Reputation’ Stadium Tour is officially the highest-grossing tour in U.S. history, grossing $266.1 million and that isn’t all. She also has a contract with Universal Studio, where the eventual sale of its $1 billion stake in Spotify will be shared with her.
Credit: Forbes
Her musical talent has led her to become the highest-paid entertainer, in the world. This comes as a shock to Taylor, herself since a few years ago, a public feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardhesin basically “cancelled” her career. But the singer has risen from the ashes and reclaimed her spot at the top. Bravo!