Rihanna joins Oprah, J.K Rowling, and Kim Kardashian as women billionaire entertainers

The internet and entertainment world has been agog with familiar news in the past 48 hours. Forbes confirmed that the beloved Barbadian singer, fashion designer and businesswoman Rihanna is officially a billionaire. While it may not be much of a surprise since she has been threading the path since launching her fashion and cosmetics lines, it is still huge news.

With a net worth estimated at $1.7 billion, Robyn Rihanna Fenty is now the wealthiest female musician in the world. As Forbes reported, Riri, as she is fondly called by stans the world over, derives an estimated $1.4 billion of her fortune from her 50% stake in the Fenty Beauty cosmetics line. The rest of Rihanna’s wealth comes from her share of the Savage x Fenty lingerie company and her income as a singer and actress.

Rihanna’s beauty company is part-owned by LVMH. The brand is known for its broad range of 50 skin tones, including dark shades for women of colour, which were rare when it launched in 2017. This made it a leader in inclusivity in the industry.

As it stands, Oprah Winfrey and Jami Gertz are the only women in entertainment who are wealthier than Rihanna. In view of this recent development, there seems to be no better time to look at women making giant strides in entertainment. Here is a list of the ten wealthiest female entertainers in the world.

10 richest women in entertainment

10. Beyoncé 

Though Beyoncé became famous as a musician and has made quite a fortune through music, she also makes money from her acting (and voice work), endorsement deals, businesses such as the star’s Ivy Park sportswear line, and her various fragrances. Celebrity Networth reported that Bey’s fragrance line had generated more than $500 million in revenue since 2010. Her $60 million Netflix deal for the “Homecoming” documentary is also worthy of note. Not to mention that her husband is the billionaire musician and business mogul Jay-Z. According to Forbes, Beyoncé currently has a net worth of $440 million.

9. Yoko Ono 

88-year-old Yoko Ono Lennon is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and peace activist. While she is quite an accomplished artist, reports suggest that her wealth is tied to her being married to John Lennon. When Lennon died in 1980, he left the bulk of his money to his and Ono’s son, Sean. Lennon’s net worth at the time of his passing was around £220 million, which is well over $800 million today. The Independent also reported that she sold the rights to The Beatles’ music to Sony/ATV Music in 2009. Putting all these into consideration, Yoko Ono currently has a net worth of $700 million.

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8. Kylie Jenner

Forbes named Kylie Jenner the youngest billionaire in the world in 2019 before retracting the title in a funny situation in 2020. According to them, she hadn’t been honest about her finances. While Kylie’s billionaire status may have been denounced, but she is still insanely rich. Despite selling the majority of Kylie Cosmetics, she still is the creative mastermind of product development and marketing and is reported to have a net worth of $700 million. Her $36.5 million 15,350-square-foot Holmby Hills house, her car collection, including a $3 million Bugatti Chiron and a custom-made Rolls Royce, are just a few testaments to the exotic life she lives.

7. Céline Dion

Céline Dion is a Canadian singer and businesswoman regarded as one of the best-selling artists of all time, with over 200 million records sold worldwide to date. She made her fortune through ticket sales, record sales, merchandise, and other ventures. Dion grossed a whopping $720 million between 2000 and 2010. $500 million came from worldwide ticket sales, $350 million from her Las Vegas show alone. Dion also has other businesses like her handbag and accessories line and Les Productions Feeling Inc., an artist management company she co-owned with her late husband, René Angélil. The Nickels Restaurant food chain and Celine Dion Parfums are also part of her successful endeavours. Put all that together, and you have your answer to how she’s worth a staggering $800 million as of today.

6. Madonna

Madonna’s glory days may be long gone, but the singer and performer is still very much relevant in her industry. Madonna’s enterprise as an entertainer has had next to no bounds in all of her active years. Asides from music, she has made a fortune from acting roles too. She also makes money from her fashion brands and has an impressive real estate portfolio.

According to Celebrity Networth, Madonna owns various artworks worth nothing short of $100 million and could be worth several times that amount in the proper art market. The same outlet reports she is currently worth $850 million despite losing $75 million to her ex-husband Guy Richie from their divorce.

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5. Kim Kardashian

KKW Beauty and Skims, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and various endorsement deals are a few of Kim Kardashian’s sources of income. She has had a yearly revenue of $50 million and above since 2018. In addition to these, she has three properties in Calabasas, northwest of Los Angeles, and a portfolio of blue-chip investments, including shares of Disney, Amazon, Netflix and Adidas that her soon-to-be ex-husband Kanye West gifted her for Christmas in 2017. In April of 2021, Kim graced the cover of Forbes magazine as she was declared a billionaire officially.

4. J.K Rowling 

British author J.K Rowling struck gold in the magical walls of Hogwarts. She made a great deal of fortune from the unprecedented success of book series and the film adaptations that followed. Though the writer doesn’t let on much about her finances, claiming in the early 2010s to not be a billionaire, she is reported to be worth $1 billion. Rowling is ever grateful to the system that provided for her welfare in her humble days and hasn’t failed to give back to society. It is reported that she has donated up to the tune of $150 million as of today. Crazy how that didn’t tamper with her billionaire status in any way.

3. Rihanna

Rihanna has secured her place among the world’s wealthiest women, from music and entertainment to the fashion and cosmetics business. As recently announced by Forbes, she is now officially a billionaire with a massive $1.7 billion net worth. Fenty Beauty — which comes from the singer’s last name — is currently valued at about $2.8 billion and was founded in 2017 with luxury goods giant LVMH. Rihanna also owns Fenty Skin and the lingerie line Fenty x Savage, which is worth $1 billion. Forbes estimated that Rihanna owns about 30 per cent of Savage x Fenty and about 50 per cent of Fenty Beauty. If you are looking for a perfect example of how fame can boost your commercial enterprise, here is one.

2. Jami Gertz

Actress Jami Gertz may no longer be a famous face on the big screen, but she is still remembered for her film roles from way back. Jami appeared as Star in 1987’s “The Lost Boys” and as Dr Melissa Reeves, Bill Paxton’s fiancée, in 1996’s “Twister”. While the actress can name a few lucrative roles in her time, the kind of money she has is nowhere near what actors can lay claim to. It is reported that the bulk of Gertz’s worth came about due to her marriage to billionaire Tony Ressler, the co-founder of Ares Management. The couple also has ownership stakes in the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Brewers sports teams. Jami is a cheerful giver too. She and her husband have severally appeared on the list of most generous celebrity couples. Jami reportedly has a jaw-dropping net worth of $3 billion. Yes, you read that right.

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1. Oprah Winfrey

“Oprah Winfrey rose from poverty, abuse, and prejudice to become one of the most influential people on the planet. She and her mother moved in with her grandmother when she was a baby. The family lived in abject poverty with Oprah famously being forced to wear potato sacks as school dresses,” reports Celebrity Networth. Today, Oprah is a renowned media mogul whom CNN has dubbed the leader of a business empire, with an astonishing $3.5 billion to her name. She is only behind Steven Spielberg and George Lucas in the list of wealthiest celebrities.

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