Taylor Swift, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kim Kardashian are just a few of the top-earning celebrities, each of whom has amassed a fortune of over $1 billion in the last decade.
Forbes magazine published its 2025 World’s Billionaires list, which features many celebrities who reach that threshold, making it clear it only included stars “who became famous first, then massively rich,” versus people who are famous for their wealth.
Here are just a few celebs who have built their large fortune over the past 10 years.
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Oprah Winfrey rose to fame after starring in the 1985 movie “The Color Purple,” for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. A year later, her star power skyrocketed when she began hosting her talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which aired for 25 seasons from 1986 to 2011.
During that time, she published O Magazine and launched her own television network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
In addition to “The Color Purple,” Winfrey has starred in other successful films, including “A Wrinkle In Time,” “Selma” and, most recently, “The Six Triple Eight.” Forbes places her net worth at $3 billion.
Jay-Z broke out into the music scene after he started his own record label, Roc-A-Fella Records, and later released his first album, “Reasonable Doubt,” in 1996, and later “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1” in 1997.
The success of his first two albums led him to release 14 albums that reached No. 1 on the charts, including “The Blueprint,” “American Gangster” and “4:44.”
In addition to his success in music, the rapper has found success in business, including multiple liquor brands, which he sold for millions of dollars each; founding the entertainment company Roc Nation in 2008; investing in real estate; and founding the music streaming platform Tidal in 2014. Forbes places his net worth at $2.5 billion.
Kim Kardashian became a household name when she and her family began starring in the E! reality series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” which aired from 2007 to 2021. When the show ended, her family returned to reality TV in the Hulu show “The Kardashians,” which has been airing since 2022.
While she gained fame from reality television, Kardashian took advantage of every opportunity, taking on modeling jobs and developing fragrances. She took it to a new level when she launched the skincare brand, SKKN by Kim, in 2022.
A year later, she launched her popular shapewear line, SKIMS, which, according to Forbes, has been valued at $4 billion. The outlet lists her net worth at $1.7 billion.
Taylor Swift has dominated the music industry since the release of her second album, “Fearless,” in 2008, which rose to No. 1. She has since released 13 other No. 1 albums, including “Reputation,” “Midnights” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”
The 35-year-old musician embarked on the successful Eras Tour in March 2023, performing 149 shows in 21 countries and over 50 cities. The tour grossed over $2 billion when it came to an end in December 2024, becoming the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Forbes values Swift’s net worth at $1.6 billion.
Tyler Perry shot to fame as the writer and star of every project in the Madea franchise, including movies, plays and television shows, all of which he owns all the rights to. According to Forbes, the franchise grossed $660 million, earning him $290 million in profits.
In addition to the Madea franchise, Perry also created the popular show “House of Payne,” which also generated millions of dollars for the actor. He has also signed lucrative deals with Netflix and ViacomCBS, earning him a stake in the BET+ streaming service.
Perry also has his own production company and film studio in Atlanta, Tyler Perry Studios, which he has rented out to major movie studios, including Amazon, Disney and Warner Bros. Forbes lists his net worth at $1.4 billion.
Rihanna rose to stardom in 2005 with her breakthrough hit, “Pon de Replay,” from her debut album. She continued to make waves in the music industry, winning nine Grammy Awards and receiving 34 career nominations.
While she hasn’t released new music in nearly 10 years, the artist has continued to boost her net worth through her other business ventures. She released her lingerie company, Savage X Fenty, in 2018, which was hugely successful, and started her cosmetics business, Fenty Beauty.
According to Forbes, the cosmetics brand was valued at $2.8 billion in 2021, and the outlet estimated her net worth at $1.4 billion.
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Bruce Springsteen has been a household name since the 1970s, releasing albums such as “Born to Run.”
The singer spent years cranking out hit songs, including “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Racing in the Street” and “Hungry Heart” and capitalized off his success in 2021 when he sold his music catalog to Sony for $500 million.
“I’m not a billionaire,” Springsteen told The Telegraph in October 2024. “I wish I was, but they got that real wrong. I’ve spent too much money on superfluous things.”
Despite his comments, Forbes lists his net worth as $1.2 billion.
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Jerry Seinfeld is the co-creator of “Seinfeld,” which aired on NBC from 1989 to 1998. The series made him a household name and continues to be a source of income for the comedian. He receives residuals and also sold streaming rights to the series to Hulu and then Netflix.
He also signed a lucrative deal with Netflix, reportedly for $500 million. Through that partnership, he created and hosted the show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” the movie “Unfrosted” and his comedy special, “23 Hours to Kill,” for which Netflix paid $20 million, according to Forbes.
Forbes lists his net worth at $1.1 billion.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger burst onto the scene with his starring roles in “The Terminator” and its sequels, which Forbes estimates earned him $500 million.
He continued acting in successful action movies, including “True Lies,” “Predator” and “Total Recall” and also made smart venture capital and real estate investments, among other investments, which also increased his net worth.
Forbes lists his net worth at $1.1 billion.
