raymond twist | Flickr.com
raymond twist | Flickr.com

Fame and fortune tend to go hand in hand. There are, of course, exceptions, but as a general rule, wealth and celebrity status tend to be paired. Some people make a fortune doing whatever made them famous. Others become famous simply because of the amount of money they possess. Even among the upper crust, however, some will rise above the rest. Americans are considered to be part of the infamous one percent if they make more than $390,000 a year. Most celebrities blow that number out of the water by earning multiple millions every year. Still, the richest of the rich stand out even in the extravagant lifestyles and enormous wealth of the entertainment elite. Here are the most wealthy American celebrities of 2018.

 

Michael Jordan

The sports superstar climbed up the rankings of rich celebrities in 2018. His net worth increased over $400 million due to his sneaker fortune and the roughly $800 million derived from his 90 percent stake in the increasingly valuable Charlotte Hornets. The combination of the two brought his net worth up to a whopping $1.7 billion. That number is larger than most Americans can even imagine, but Jordan pales in comparison to the ultimate elites among celebrities.

 

Oprah

When it comes to extraordinary wealth, Oprah is almost always on the lists of the richest of the rich elites. While her net worth is not as massive as that of the blockbuster and franchise creating Lucas and Spielberg, Oprah still more than earns her title as one of the richest American celebrities with a net worth of over $2.8 billion.

 

Steven Spielberg

Whether it involves giant sharks, man-eating dinosaurs or lovable extraterrestrials, Spielberg is one of the greatest names in filmmaking. He is also the second wealthiest American celebrity as of 2018. The filmmaker was valued at no less than $3.7 billion last year.

 

George Lucas

The man behind the creation of a galaxy far, far away topped off the list of wealthy celebrities with a net worth of a staggering $5.4 billion. While his “Star Wars” saga continues to rake in the cash, Lucas jumped well ahead of fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg thanks to the fortune he gained when he sold “Star Wars” to Disney for $4.1 billion in 2012.

 

When it comes to wealth, few can compete with the overwhelming monetary value of celebrities. The top 10 wealthiest celebrities alone held a combined fortune of nearly $19 billion, more than the entire GDP of Iceland. One can only wonder what they plan to do with that money in 2019 and how much more they will rake in during the coming year.

 

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