49. Lewis Hamilton ($46 million)
AthleteThe British racecar driver signed a three-year contract extension last year to drive for Mercedes' F1 team; it kicks in with the 2016 season and could pay out more than $140 million, including...
View Article48. Judy Sheindlin ($47 million)
PersonalityThe chief justice of daytime TV, better known to fans as Judge Judy, still rules over the courtroom that made her a centimillionaire. Despite getting a late start--she first appeared on...
View Article47. Toby Keith ($47.5 million)
MusicianHe's been filling his Red Solo cup up--with money. The veteran country star has earned more than $450 million pretax over the past nine years from constant touring, endorsements with the likes...
View Article46. Johnny Depp ($48 million)
ActorIn May a judge ordered a restraining order against Depp after his wife alleged he physically and verbally abused her. The damning accusations did not impact his earnings during our scoring...
View Article45. Foo Fighters ($48.5 million)
MusiciansAfter more than two decades, the Seattle rock band is still fighting the good fight. The Foo Fighters made the majority of their cash from their Sonic Highways tour, which was nearly derailed...
View Article44. Muse ($49 million)
MusiciansThe British rock band may not have the name recognition of the Foo Fighters or Dave Matthews Band, but still topped both in earnings. The reason: Grammy-winning album Drones and the ensuing...
View Article43. Kobe Bryant ($50 million)
AthleteThe NBA's third all-time leading scorer retired with $680 million in salary and endorsements during his two decade career, the most ever for a team athlete during his or her playing career....
View Article42. Kim Kardashian West ($51 million)
PersonalityReality TV's most-followed woman has a new title: tech entrepreneur. Her Kim Kardashian: Hollywood mobile game generated $71.8 million in 2015; some 40% of her annual paycheck comes from the...
View Article37. Jordan Spieth ($53 million)
AthleteGolf's golden boy had a massive 2015 where he won two major titles, including a record-tying -18 at the Masters, and became the youngest U.S. Open champion. Spieth captured the FedEx Cup and its...
View Article37. Cam Newton ($53 million)
AthleteThe new face of the NFL won the MVP award with 48 of the 50 votes and led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl with a 15-1 regular season record while accounting for 45 touchdowns. Newton...
View Article37. Phil Mickelson ($53 million)
AthleteThe SEC named Mickelson in May as a "relief defendant," but did not charge him with a crime in an insider trading case; the golfer agreed to pay back $1 million in profits and interest from the...
View Article37. Tom Cruise ($53 million)
ActorHollywood's favorite Scientologist banked a big backend paycheck for 2015′s Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation,plus upfront fees for a Jack Reachersequel and Mena.At 53, he still manages to notch...
View Article37. Luke Bryan ($53 million)
MusicianiHeartRadio's Country Artist of the Year has crooned in over $34 million to date from his 2016 Kill The Lights Tour. Bryan brings in additional cash from lucrative endorsement deals with the...
View Article36. Jay Z ($53.5 million)
MusicianThe multifaceted mogul didn't play many shows or release a new album over the past 12 months, but he continued to cash in on a plethora of outside business ventures including his Armand de...
View Article34. Gordon Ramsay ($54 million)
ChefNo celebrity chef has ever earned more than Gordon Ramsay. His big payday comes from his starring role on three hit Fox shows, Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef and MasterChef Junior. Those network shows...
View Article34. Beyoncé Knowles ($54 million)
MusicianQueen B turned betrayal into Lemonade, which became her sixth No. 1 album. Originally released on Tidal--the streaming service she co-owns with husband Jay Z and Celebrity 100 listmates...
View Article30. The Weeknd ($55 million)
MusicianWith the release of last year's Beauty Behind The Madness, complete with its ubiquitous hits "I Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills," The Weeknd became a mainstream pop star--and his earnings...
View Article30. U2 ($55 million)
MusiciansThough U2's latest tour, Innocence+Experience, pales in comparison to the record-breaking 360 Tour, which grossed $700 million in two years, Bono and friends still walked away with a hefty sum...
View Article30. Ryan Seacrest ($55 million)
Radio HostRyan Seacrest bade farewell to American Idolin April after 15 seasons. While that's an estimated $15 million dent in his earnings, Seacrest renewed a 3-year contract with iHeartMedia in 2015...
View Article30. Matt Damon ($55 million)
ActorThe red planet turned green: Damon's The Martiangrossed a mighty $630.1 million on a $108 million budget. Damon earned handsomely from the film and nabbed a Best Actor Oscar nod, while banking...
View Article26. Kevin Durant ($56 million)
AthleteDurant shocked the sports world when he left Oklahoma City to sign a two-year contract with the Golden State Warriors in July. KD launched his own underwear line last year in partnership with...
View Article26. Novak Djokovic ($56 million)
AthleteThe world's top tennis player has been on a remarkable run where he banked $82 million and 11 Grand Slam titles over the past 5 1/2 years (his Slam count sits at 12, including his 2008...
View Article26. Kenny Chesney ($56 million)
MusicianThe country mainstay continues to make bank on his summer stadium tours, playing the same venues as Taylor Swift and the Rolling Stones. He scores additional millions by shilling the likes of...
View Article26. Justin Bieber ($56 million)
MusicianHis comeback album, Purpose, complete with hits like "Love Yourself" and the aptly-named "Sorry," propelled the erstwhile bad boy back onto our Celebrity 100 list. In addition to music, Bieber...
View Article25. Paul McCartney ($56.5 million)
MusicianWith more tour dates during our scoring period than Katy Perry or Beyoncé--each of whom is less than half his age--the 74-year-old former Beatle continues to rock at an unbelievable pace. He...
View Article24. Bruce Springsteen ($60.5 million)
MusicianThe Boss turns 67 this fall, but he hasn't slowed down, making tens of millions from touring with The E Street Band. After his The River tour, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of his first...
View Article23. Jackie Chan ($61 million)
ActorThe world's No. 2 highest-paid actor hasn't had a stateside live-action smash in ages, but he's the king of China's burgeoning box office, thanks in part to a cozy connection with Beijing. Chan...
View Article22. Diddy ($62 million)
MusicianOne of the few musicians on the Celebrity 100 who does little touring, Diddy makes the bulk of his bucks from an outrageously lucrative deal with Diageo's Ciroc vodka and other non-musical...
View Article21. Calvin Harris ($63 million)
MusicianWith the bulk of his live shows coming from Las Vegas--where he can fly in-and-out in a night on a private jet from Los Angeles--the Scottish star kept his crown as the highest-earning DJ in...
View Article20. David Copperfield ($64 million)
MagicianThis illusionist's cash is no trick--he earns big from a Las Vegas residency, performing a stunning 638 shows in our scoring period. The man who once appeared to levitate through the Grand...
View Article19. Dwayne Johnson ($64.5 million)
ActorRock-solid box office numbers helped the erstwhile wrestler become the world's highest-paid actor. Since helping launch the billion-dollar Fast and Furious franchise and leading 2015's San...
View Article18. Rolling Stones ($66.5 million)
MusiciansMore than half a century into their career, Mick, Keith & co. are still going strong. Despite only playing 27 shows during our scoring period, many of them in American football stadiums,...
View Article17. AC/DC ($67.5 million)
MusiciansThe nearly half-century-old Scottish-Australian band hit a bump in a road when lead singer Brian Johnson had to drop out of their world tour due to a medical condition. But AC/DC found an...
View Article16. Roger Federer ($68 million)
AthleteRoger Federer's 16-year streak of Grand Slam appearances ended at 65 in May when he pulled out of the French Open with a back problem. He remains the top player off the court with $60 million in...
View Article15. Garth Brooks ($70 million)
MusicianThe country crooner's comeback tour continues for the second year, and his total gross has already soared well into nine-figure territory. With dates planned through the rest of the summer and...
View Article13. Rihanna ($75 million)
MusicianThough Rihanna's latest album, Anti,has sold less than any No. 1 album in history, the Barbados native is still topping the charts. The 28-year old recently scored her 21st top five single,...
View Article13. Ellen DeGeneres ($75 million)
PersonalityA cut of profits from her TV show, a CoverGirl deal and a role voicing the titular character in Finding Doryhelped daytime host Ellen match last year's career-best total. Thanks in part to...
View Article12. Madonna ($76.5 million)
MusicianThough Taylor Swift out-earned Madonna this year, the Material Girl's recent Rebel Heart tour grossed $170 million, bringing her career total on the road to $1.4 billion before taxes, fees and...
View Article11. LeBron James ($77 million)
AthleteKing James delivered on his promise to bring a championship to Cleveland when the Cavs won the 2016 NBA Finals, the city's first title in any sport in 42 years. Nike signed James to the first...
View Article10. Rush Limbaugh ($79 million)
Radio HostThe talk-show host has been reveling in an election season cast with cartoonish candidates. His contract is reportedly up for renewal in July of 2016; with Premiere Radio's parent company...
View Article9. Adele ($80.5 million)
MusicianWith a new album that sold a record 3.38 million copies in its November 2015 opening week, she's the only musician on our list who made more than half her money from music. Adele is also...
View Article8. Lionel Messi ($81. 5 million)
AthleteThe reigning Ballon d'Or winner has won FIFA's player of the year award five times and his playing contract is loaded with bonuses for such feats, which help make him one of the highest-paid on...
View Article7. Howard Stern ($85 million)
Radio HostKnown for stirring up controversy with oft-times offensive content, the radio host announced in December that he signed a new five-year deal with Sirius XM Radio. With a reportedly upped...
View Article6. Kevin Hart ($87.5 million)
ComedianKevin Hart--the first comedian to ever make more than Jerry Seinfeld--has changed the economy of the funny business by touring like a rockstar. Unlike most comedians, Hart plays stadiums and...
View Article4. Cristiano Ronaldo ($88 million)
AthleteThe three-time FIFA best player in the world has broken the 50-goal mark six seasons in a row for Real Madrid, where his $50 million a year in salary and bonus runs through 2018. He's the...
View Article4. Dr. Phil McGraw ($88 million)
PersonalityThe straight-talking Southerner is a shrewd businessman as well as a shrink: He earns a sizable cut of profit from his eponymous daytime show and is an executive producer on The Doctors....
View Article3. James Patterson ($95 million)
AuthorPublishing's richest penman is also its busiest; Patterson churns out over a dozen books a year with coauthors. Many have moved onscreen--an adaptation of his sci-fi thriller Zooairs on CBS. Next...
View Article2. One Direction ($110 million)
MusiciansThe top-earning boy band of all time may be on hiatus, but the tail end of last year's $200 million-plus On The Road Again tour kept their earnings higher than any active band--despite the...
View Article1. Taylor Swift ($170 million)
MusicianThe pop superstar smashed the Rolling Stones' North American touring record, grossing $200 million on the continent en route to quarter of a billion dollars in total for her 1989 World Tour....
View ArticleThe Global Celebrity 100 2016
Taylor Swift tops this year's list of the world’s 100 highest-paid celebrities; collectively, they pulled in $5.1 billion pretax, more than the GDP of Belize, Gambia and Bhutan combined. The list...
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