From Taylor Swift to George Lucas: The World’s Celebrity Billionaires of 2024 Ranked

In October 2023, Taylor Swift achieved something no other musician had ever achieved: she became a billionaire based solely on income from her music and performances. In December 2023, Forbes also named television mogul Dick Wolf a billionaire, earning approximately $1.9 billion from producing shows during his career.

Most of the list made their billions from their own businesses and businesses. Here are 14 celebrities with a combined net worth of $31 billion who have parlayed their fame into enough wealth to land on the world’s billionaire list in 2024.

Taylor Swift

Net worth: $1.1 billion. The American singer, one of the most influential figures in music history, became a billionaire in October. Her after-tax earnings from the Eras tour, estimated at $190 million, helped the country and pop artist become the first person to achieve success based solely on her songwriting and performance.

Dick Wolf

Net worth: $1.2 billion. The creator of some of television’s most popular crime series, including “Law & Order” and “FBI,” Wolfe makes his debut on the billionaires list thanks to pre-tax income of nearly $2 billion over his 30-year television career.

Magic Johnson

Net worth: $1.2 billion. Johnson made a name for himself in basketball, and he also made a fortune in business and, in particular, through savvy partnerships with other billionaires. He is a co-owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders (with Justin Harris), Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers (with Todd Boely), WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and MLS’ LAFC. And most of his wealth comes from his stake in the Iowa-based life insurance company EquiTrust.

LeBron James

Net worth: $1.2 billion. During his twenty-year career, the basketball player earned more than $1 billion both on and off the court. He has moved sports prize money into real estate, has stakes in companies such as Blaze Pizza, his own production and entertainment company SpringHill and, of course, sports. James owns a stake in Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Major League Baseball Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

Tiger Woods

Net worth: $1.3 billion. Golfer Tiger Woods and LeBron James became billionaires while remaining active in their sport. The five-time Masters winner has earned more than $1.7 billion during his career, most of which he earned through endorsements. In January 2024, his most notable deal with the brand ended – a nearly thirty-year partnership with Nike. Woods soon announced the creation of his own clothing line, Sun Day Red.

Rihanna

Net worth: $1.4 billion. The American pop star has stakes in two brands: cosmetics company Fenty Beauty, which she owns with French luxury goods giant LVMH, and lingerie business Savage X Fenty. Both brands are named after the Barbados-born singer, whose real name is Robyn Fenty.

Tyler Perry

Net worth: $1.4 billion. Over the course of his thirty-year career, the actor has made a fortune starring in television shows, films and theater productions. He famously provided one of his Los Angeles homes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they stepped down as working members of the British royal family.

Peter Jackson

Net worth: $1.5 billion. The director behind the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit franchises made most of his wealth through his visual effects company Weta Digital, which sold some of its assets to game maker Unity Software in 2021. The deal netted the New Zealander nearly $1 billion in cash and shares.

Kim Kardashian

Net worth: $1.7 billion. No one has profited more from the reality star’s fame than Kim Kardashian, who has become a billionaire thanks to her beauty and clothing brands. In 2023, her shapewear line Skims was valued at $4 billion, and in 2020, she sold 20 percent of cosmetics company KKW Beauty to Coty for $200 million. She has since closed KKW Beauty.

Jay-Z

Net worth: $2.5 billion. Hip-hop’s first billionaire sold a 50 percent stake in his champagne brand Armand de Brignac to luxury goods giant LVMH in 2021 for at least $300 million, and a majority stake in his cognac brand D’Usse in 2023 for a reported $750 million dollars to Bacardi. He also owns stakes in Uber and Blockchain. The rapper’s income does not include his wife Beyoncé’s half-billion-dollar fortune.

Oprah Winfrey

Net worth: $2.8 billion. The daytime talk show host became the first black female billionaire in 2003. Over the years, she has grown her brand into a media empire and business company, including real estate investments and her own production company.

Michael Jordan

Net worth: $3.2 billion. The athlete became the first billionaire athlete in 2015, but not thanks to his legendary basketball career or gambling winnings. Jordan has also earned over $1.8 billion through brand partnerships, the most famous of which is the Nike Jordan brand. He also made a very smart investment in 2010, purchasing the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets for $175 million. In August 2023, he sold the team for $3 billion.

Steven Spielberg

Net worth: $4.8 billion. Spielberg made the list in 1994, becoming the first director to make the list after a string of hits including Jaws, Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. “I’m a player,” he described himself in an interview with Forbes that year. “I haven’t received a salary for almost ten years.” The fact is that he negotiated to be paid a percentage of the sales of his films, and still receives a portion of every ticket sold at Universal theme parks.

George Lucas

Net worth: $5.5 billion. The Star Wars director, who debuted as a billionaire in 1997, is the world’s richest celebrity thanks in large part to his production company LucasFilm, which he sold to Disney in 2012 for more than $4 billion in cash and stock.