Who Are the Richest Celebrities?

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Celebrities are larger-than-life, and their bank accounts are no different—just how different, though, can be shocking. Just when we think we have a handle on what the most popular celebrities are earning, they go and add a few million more.

We live in an age when it’s easier than ever to profit from celebrity status. Entertainers can electronically package themselves up and sell their music or personality on streaming platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify, beaming their wares directly to consumers for quick infusions of cash.

Between this, royalty payments, and numerous side jobs and appearances, celebrities can rake in hundreds of millions. In fact, the combined, pre-tax income of the 100 top-earning celebrities hovers around 5.15 billion dollars.

That’s right—billion. That’s more than the total income of most small countries.

Rather than focusing on the more established stars with vast sums of old money—you’ve probably seen them pop up in lists one too many times—we’re going to narrow the list down to celebs who have earned the most over the past few years.

Some of them might just surprise you.

So, let’s get to it and take a look at a handful of the top-earning celebrities.

Justin Bieber

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The first name on this list is no surprise. The Bieb, with his millions of enthusiastic Beliebers snapping up his every song and buying out his every performance, earns around 83.5 million dollars a year.

This Canadian singer and songwriter rose to prominence after a talent agent discovered him on YouTube in 2008. Bieber was signed to RBMG records, releasing his debut EP, My World in 2009, which soon went Platinum in the U.S.

Bieber’s signature voice and style helped him to become the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record hit the Billboard Hot 100, and his first full album, My World 2.0 went on to go certified triple Platinum in 2010. Bieber’s massive success has placed him in in Forbes’s list of the top ten most powerful celebrities in the world for three years in a row.

And he did all this before he was 20 years old.

Now, Bieber continues to bring in millions through his music and performances, showing no signs of slowing down.

Rush Limbaugh

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It might surprise you to know that Rush Limbaugh, the conservative political commentator and radio talk show host, is still one of the highest-earning celebrities in the world, making about 84 million dollars a year.

Who would have ever thought he’d outsell Justin Bieber?

Things begin to make sense, though, when you realize that, with a cumulative weekly audience of around 13 million listeners, Limbaugh’s radio talk show is the most listened-to radio program in America.

Limbaugh is the recipient of several awards, including the Marconi Radio Award for Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year, and has been rated by Talkers Magazineas the greatest radio show host of all time.

Critical of what he considers liberal politics, Limbaugh tackles topics such as drug abuse, capital punishment, racism, feminism, and environmental issues, often taking strong, controversial stands.

With his appeal as the one of those who lead the charge for conservatism in our divided nation, Limbaugh’s influence isn’t going away anytime soon, and so his position on this list is secure.

Howard Stern

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Although he’s getting up there in age, Howard Stern remains a household name, as well as one of the world’s top-earning celebrities, bringing in a whopping 90 million dollars a year.

Best known for his role as a radio and television personality, Stern is also a wildly successful producer, author, and actor. First expressing a wish to be on the radio at five years of age, Stern would go on to host The Howard Stern Show, which was the highest-rated morning radio program from 1994 to 2001.

Stern’s show is famous for being fined for indecency—more than 2.5 million dollars were demanded by the FCC for Stern’s lewd conduct. Fortunately for him, his popularity and earnings far outstripped any fine that could be levied against him.

Today, Stern’s show no longer rides the radio airwaves, but is beamed down via SiriusXM Radio, where the irreverent host continues to entertain listeners everywhere.

Drake

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He may be a terrible dancer, but the Canadian rapper known as Drake surely brings in the dough—94 million dollars of it, to be exact.

Initially breaking out as an actor in an early 2000s teen drama, Aubrey Drake Graham went on to pursue the career that would bring him his millions—rapping.

His debut studio album, Thank Me Later, came out at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, and later went platinum. His next releases, Take Care, and Nothing Was the Same respectively earned quadruple and triple platinum ratings, and won the rapper a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

When Drake released his fourth album, Views, he became the first solo male to sit at the top of the Billboard 200 for ten weeks straight.

And things only got better from there for this talented performer.

With his tendency to push the boundaries of what rap really is by blending in elements of other genres, Drake is set to continue fascinating audiences—and earning their cash—for years to come.

Beyoncé

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If there’s one name on this list that shouldn’t surprise you in the least, it’s Beyoncé’s.

Born in Houston, Texas, this singer and actress came to fame as the lead of the R&B group, Destiny’s Child, which eventually went on to become one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.

After a brief stint as an actress in Austin Powers in Goldmember, she released her 2003 debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, which earned her five Grammy Awards and the love of millions of listeners.

When Destiny’s Child disbanded in 2006, Beyoncé released a second album, B’Day, and went on to star in a number of films, eventually earning 22 Grammy Awards over the course of her career.

It’s easy to see where Beyoncé’s wealth comes from when you realize that she’s sold over 200 million records, and around 60 million more with sales from Destiny’s Child factored in. Because of this, she’s one of the best-selling artists of all time, and currently holds the title of most nominated woman in the history of the Grammy Awards.

All of this makes this Forbes-nominated most powerful female in entertainment one of the highest-earning entertainers in the world.

Diddy

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Finally, topping off this list is Sean John Combs, otherwise known as Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy, and most commonly, Diddy.

Over the course of a single year, Diddy earned 130 million dollars, making him the current highest-earning celebrity.

The secret to his success lies in his multiple streams of income. A shrewd businessman who knows how to use his persona to sell products, Diddy is the owner of the popular and award-nominated Sean John clothing line.

Diddy also helped to develop the Ciroc vodka brand, and takes a whopping 50 percent share of its profits.

But above all, Diddy is an entertainer, and his rapping career is the stuff of legend. Ever since his 1997 debut album, No Way Out, went platinum, he’s been steadily putting out well-reviewed commercial hits, winning three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards.

Oh, and his net worth? Around 820 million dollars. You don’t get much higher than that unless you’re J.K. Rowling.

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