Highest Paid Celebrities Of 2020
Fame and fortune are nothing compared to what these celebrities have. Actors like Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, makeup moguls like Kylie Jenner, and even shock jocks like Howard Stern were declared the highest paid celebrities of 2020 by Forbes. And their wealth is truly immeasurable. Whether it is from movie deals (The Rock), writing books (James Patterson), heading out on tour (the Jonas Brothers), or any other savvy business deal, they proved they had what it took to make it to the top in 2020.
Kylie Jenner topped the list at #1, raking in an insane $590 million in 2020 after selling 51% of Kylie Cosmetics to Coty Inc. She pocketed $540 million pretax from the $600 million deal. To see who joined Kylie and made it onto Forbes’ 100 Highest Paid Celebrities of 2020 list, like her brother-in-law Kanye West, scroll through this gallery.
Kanye West
Kanye West was in 2nd place with $170 million, mainly due to his Yeezy fashion line and business deals. A collaboration between Adidas and Yeezy sneakers netted him $1.3 billion in sales in 2019.
Roger Federer
Tennis star Roger Federer became 2020’s highest paid athlete at $106.3 million. It’s all thanks to lucrative endorsement deals, including his $300 million deal with Uniqlo in 2018.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed athlete on social media, and hits the list at $105 million. The soccer star joined Juventus in 2018 with a $64 million annual salary.
Lionel Messi
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is in 5th place at $104 million. His contract with the soccer team earns him $80 million yearly. Additionally, he has a lifelong contract with Adidas.
Tyler Perry
Filmmaker and studio head Tyler Perry, best known for his Madea movies, came in sixth at $97 million. His wealth comes from his cut as producer on his films, and his 100% ownership of his content library. His current net worth is $1 billion.
Neymar
Soccer star Neymar has one of the most massive deals in soccer and comes in seventh with $95.5 million. Paris Saint-Germain signed him through June 2022 for a $350 million annual salary.
Howard Stern
Howard Stern’s the highest paid radio host of 2020 thanks to an eight-figure annual contract with SiriusXM. The shock jock ranks eighth overall with $90 million.
LeBron James
LeBron James is ninth at $88.2 million. That’s partly thanks to joining the LA Lakers in 2018 under a four-year, $153 million contract.
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was 2020’s highest paid actor, thanks to his salaries for upcoming films Black Adam and Red Notice, along with his endless product endorsements and TV shows like Titan Games. He’s at 10th with $87.5 million.
Rush Limbaugh
AM Radio host Rush Limbaugh sits at 11th with $85 million. The conservative jock renewed a contract with Premiere Radio Networks that gets him $70 million annually for his show.
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres earned her $84 million in 2020 with the 8-figure check she gets from hosting her talk show, as well as million more from producing shows like Little Big Shots.
Bill Simmons
Sports analyst Bill Simmons sold his podcast platform The Ringer to Spotify in March 2020 for $155 million, making him the first podcaster to hit the Forbes list ever. He’s at 13th with $82.5M.
Elton John
Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour grossed $212 million in 2019, setting him at 14th on the list with $81 million. The rest of the tour was postponed due to the pandemic.
James Patterson
James Patterson remains America’s highest-paid author. He sold almost five million books in the US between June 2019 and June 2020, and is 15th on the list with $80 million.
Steph Curry
Golden State Warriors guard and two-time MVP Steph Curry signed the NBA’s first $200 million contract in 2017, and he’s had the top salary for the past three seasons. He’s 16th on the list with $74.4 million.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande entered the Top 100 list for the 1st time in 2020. She earned her $72 million thanks to the Sweetener world tour, which grossed $146 million in 2019.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds earned $71.5M in 2020 for his Netflix films Six Underground and Red Notice. He’s also the co-owner of Aviation Gin.
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay is the only chef on the list, with $70 million. He owns 35 restaurants worldwide and has multiple TV shows, including Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef.
Jonas Brothers
Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas raked in the big ones this year, sitting at #20 on the list with $68.5 million. They grossed $1.5 million per stop during their reunion tour.
