The 20 Celebrities With the Highest Net Worth

Published: March 28, 2024 by Colman Andrews

Novice thespians, struggling writers, wannabe film directors and sports world hopefuls may well seek the approval of critics and their peers and want to be remembered as making lasting contributions to their chosen field of endeavor. But let’s be honest: Most if not all of them also have their eye on the prize: big bucks.

Best-selling novels, hit films, long-running stage plays and major league sports can all be extremely profitable for their star players. But very few people actually get to be stars. According to the data and statistics site Gitnux, for instance, as of late last year, 85% of all actors were unemployed at any given time, and when they were working, their median hourly wage was only $20.26.

Best-selling novels can rake in profits, and their earning potential rises exponentially if the movie or TV rights are bought — but various publishing industry sources report that book sales, whether for fiction or non-fiction, average about 3,000 copies, and only 0.01% of all the volumes published annually in the United States sell a profit-making 100,000 or more.

Professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey players tend to get paid very well, often in the millions of dollars per year, but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 9,160 individuals were employed by major league sports teams as of 2022 — and there are probably that many high school or college athletes in every city of any size alone who dream of making it to the major leagues.

The reason statistics like that don’t discourage more people is that those who do achieve real success in their chosen field reap enormous rewards — and as the old New York State Lottery slogan had it, “Hey, you never know.” (And it’s never too late. Here are 14 Celebrities Who Did Not Make It Until They Were in T heir 30s.)

To assemble a list of those who have amassed impressive wealth through their efforts, which is to say the 20 celebrities with the highest new worth — including actors and actresses, recording artists, filmmakers, sports figures and media personalities — 24/7 Tempo reviewed a study published by Slingo.com, an online gaming and gambling site. The site consulted sources including Forbes and The Numbers to create a seed list of the wealthiest celebrities, then used Celebrity Net Worth to gather data on each celebrity’s estimated net worth, ranking the 10 richest males and females separately. (We have combined the lists.) Data collection was completed on Jan. 15, 2024.

We may think of movie stars as among the most successful of all public figures, but you might be surprised to note that only six of the 20 people listed here are known for their work in front of the camera (and one of those also works behind the lens). The top two celebrities here are filmmakers, followed by a sports legend, a media personality (who admittedly also acts), and a rapper (Curious about more out-there beliefs on how to gain money? Check out Bizarre Rituals for Riches: Superstitions People Think Will Bring Wealth.)

Scroll down to see the celebrities with the highest net worth.