Just 14 stars have ever entertained their way into the billionaire ranks, including 8 in the past three years.
When The Forbes 400 ranking of America’s richest people debuted in 1982, just two entertainers made the cut: Yoko Ono and Bob Hope. Back then only a net worth of $150 million was needed. In the two decades that followed, just six more squeaked on. Only three of those first eight ever became billionaires: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.
Then came a celebrity wealth boom: In the past eight years, 11 additional stars have hit billionaire status (though two, Kylie Jenner and Kanye West, have since dropped off). That includes eight since 2021 and three newcomers this year alone: Jimmy Buffett, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.
Driving the boom is the fact that these multi-hyphenate performers and personalities have added even more corporate titles to their resumes, becoming investors, CEOs and dealmakers, in addition to their creative work.
These ventures aren’t just just side-hustles: they’re often more lucrative than what initially made the star famous. More than half of Michael Jordan’s net worth, for example, comes from his ownership of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. Jay-Z’s fortune has more than doubled in four years thanks to two investments he’s made in liquor businesses. The bulk of Rihanna’s net worth comes from her 50% stake in Fenty Beauty. And Kim Kardashian has amassed more wealth from her SKIMs shapewear line than anything else. “I realized this is really going to be the next cycle of my career and this is what I want to focus on,” she told Forbes in 2016, when discussing some of her earliest entrepreneurial ventures.
From old school TV producers to the new generation of social media influencers, here’s a walk down Forbes’ own Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Yoko Ono
Debut 1982, $150 million | Dropped off: 1986
Nearly two years after John Lennon was murdered, Ono appeared on the first Forbes 400. Her late…
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