The highest paid celebrities in the world have received $ 6.1 billion in pre-tax and revenue, a $ 200 million decline since 2019, following stadiums plagued by global epidemic and silenced global performance all across the world. The drop was the first since 2016, the following year Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao earned nearly half a billion dollars between them in the richest fight in boxing history. But even though Covid-19 is on the verge of collapse – and America is on fire with every word following the assassination of George Floyd – the shows are still going on.
Below are the top 10 highest paid celebrities of 2020 according to Forbes:
1. Kylie Jenner ($590M)
The reality TV star sold 51% of Kylie Cosmetics to publicly traded Coty, Inc. in January 2019 for $600 million; she pocketed $540 million, pretax.
Source of income: Cosmetics
Born: 10 August 1997 (age 23 years), Los Angeles, California, United States
Height: 1.68 m
Partner: Travis Scott (2017–2019)
Children: Stormi Webster
2. Kanye West ($170M)
Ranked at number 2 on the list by making $170 million was American rapper and record producer Kanye West, who is also coincidentally Kylie’s brother-in-law. He has his Adidas partnership to thank for this hefty payday.
Source of income: Music, Sneakers
Born: 8 June 1977 (age 43 years), Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Net worth: 1.3 billion USD (2020) Forbes
Children: North West, Psalm West, Saint West, Chicago West
3. Roger Federer ($106.3M)
How they earned it: the highest-earning man in sport for 2020, the Fed Express’s lucrative sponsorship deals netted him more than nine figures.
Source of income:Tennis
Citizenship: Switzerland
Sponsors: Barilla, Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, Uniqlo, Wilson
Total Earnings: USD$106 million
Salary/Winnings: USD$6.3 million
Endorsements: USD$100 million
4. Cristiano Ronaldo ($105M)
Just pipping long-time rival Leo Messi to the post as the highest-earning soccer player in the world, it’s Ronaldo’s extensive list of sponsorships that make up for the fact that he took a significant paycut to move to Italian giants Juventus.
Source of income: Soccer
Citizenship: Portugal
Sponsors: Altice, DAZN, Herbalife, MTG, Nike, Unilever
Total Earnings: USD$105 million
Salary: USD$60 million
Endorsements: USD$45 million
5. Lionel Messi ($104M)
Ironically coming in just behind his Portuguese rival, former highest-paid athlete Lionel Messi made USD$104 million in 2020. The Argentine scored an incredible USD$72 million salary this year, helped along by USD$32 million in endorsement earnings.
Source of income: Soccer
Citizenship: Argentina
Sponsors: Adidas, Gatorade, Huawei, Mastercard. Pepsi
Total Earnings: USD$104 million
Salary: USD$72 million
Endorsements: USD$32 million
6. Tyler Perry ($97M)
The first actor/producer to make the highest paid celebrities 2020 list, Tyler Perry made a ridiculous USD$97 million this year. Best known for his Madea franchise, which has grossed more than USD$660 million, Perry now has an estimated net worth of around USD$1 billion. The crux of his success comes from the impressive deals he’s negotiated. Unlike other producers and filmmakers, Perry owns 100 per cent of the content he’s created.
Source of income: Film
Born:13 September 1969 (age 51 years), New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Net worth: 1 billion USD (2020) Forbes
Partner: Gelila Bekele (2009–)
7. Neymar ($95.5M)
With USD$95.5 million in earnings, football star Neymarslides easily into the highest paid celebrities 2020 list. His five-year contract with Paris Sanit-Germain through June 2022 is worth an estimated USD$350 million in salary. Pair that with his USD$25 million in endorsements and it’s safe to say Neymar is set for life.
Source of income: Soccer
Citizenship: Brazil
Sponsors: Beats, DAZN, Electronic Arts, Gillette, Mastercard, Nike, Red Bull, TCL
Total Earnings: USD$92.5 million
Salary: USD$70.5 million
Endorsements: USD$25 million
8. Howard Stern ($90M)
Veteran shock jock Howard Stern continues to make ridiculous money. In 2020, the radio host netted an estimated USD$90 million thanks to his eight-figure annual contract with SiriusXM. Interesting to note is that Stern’s Sirius contract expires in December 2020 and retains rights to his archives, which could lead to a huge cashout.
Source of income: Radio
Born: 12 January 1954 (age 66 years), Jackson Heights, New York, United States
Height: 1.96 m
Spouse: Beth Ostrosky Stern (m. 2008), Alison Berns (m. 1978–2001)
Children: Ashley Jade Stern, Emily Beth Stern, Deborah Jennifer Stern
Books: Howard Stern Comes Again, Private Parts, Miss America
9. LeBorn James ($88.2M)
Reigning NBA Finals MVP, LeBron James has become a regular on Forbes’ highest-paid list over the years and 2020 is no different. The Los Angeles Lakers star netted total earnings of USD$88.2 million, thanks to his 2018-signed four-year contract worth USD$153 million. In 2018, James launched health and wellness brand Ladder with Cindy Crawford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lindsay Vonn. While the four-time MVP’s contract is far lower than some of his football counterparts, James more than makes up for it with a whopping USD$60 million in endorsements.
Source of income:Basketball
Citizenship: United States
Sponsors: 2K Sports, AT&T, Beats, Coca-Cola, GMC, KIA Motors, Nike, RIMOWA, Walmart
Total Earnings: USD$88.2 million
Salary: USD$28.2 million
Endorsements: USD$60 million
10. Dwayne Johnson ($87.5M)
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson rounds out the top 10 highest paid celebrities for 2020 and it’s not a huge surprise. The 48-year-old former professional wrestler-turned-action star made an estimated USD$87.5 million in 2020, thanks to a healthy USD$23.5 million payday for his upcoming Netflix film Red Notice. Johnson also made a massive amount of money from his successful Under Armour line, Project Rock.
Source of income: Film
Born: 2 May 1972 (age 48 years), Hayward, California, United States
Height: 1.96 m
Spouse: Lauren Hashian (m. 2019), Dany Garcia (m. 1997–2008)
Children: Simone Alexandra Johnson, Jasmine Johnson, Tiana Gia Johnson
Nationality: American, Canadian, Samoan
