News & Current Affairs

Rihanna and Taylor Swift Both Make Forbes' List of America's Wealthiest Self-made Women.

By Azeezat Okunlola | Jun 3, 2023
This year, Forbes compiled a list of the 100 Richest Self-Made Women in America, which included such famous names as Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Kim Kardashian.
 
Rihanna, 35, has the largest net worth of any self-made woman in music at US $1.4 billion (£1.1 billion), placing her at number 20 on the list. Kim Kardashian, 42, a reality celebrity, came in at number 21 with a net worth of $1.2 billion (£958 million), just below Rihanna.
 
Pop sensation Taylor Swift, meanwhile, was the list's runner-up in terms of wealth, coming in at number 34 with a total of US $740 million (£591 million).
 
Forbes said that Rihanna's fortune came from two sources: music and her cosmetics company, Fenty Beauty, while Taylor's wealth was credited to music alone. According to Forbes, the bulk of Kim's fortune comes from her ownership of the SKIMS shapewear brand.
 
With a score of 8, Beyoncé, 41, who is dominating the summer with her Renaissance Tour, comes in at position number forty-eight. Forbes estimates that Queen Bey's musical career is responsible for her $540 million fortune. Beyoncé set a new record earlier this year by bringing home a whopping 32 Grammy Awards.
 
Oprah Winfrey, 69, has a $2.5 billion fortune, making her the highest-earning female celebrity on the list of the top thirteen. Forbes gave her a self-made score of 10 after considering her history and the challenges she has faced to get where she is now. Forbes defines her as one "who not only grew up poor but also overcame significant obstacles." Winfrey endured sexual molestation as a child and was born poor in rural Mississippi.
 
Profits from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and the movies "The Colour Purple," "Beloved," and "Selma," which her Harpo Productions co-produced, reportedly yielded a $2 billion return for the creator of the OWN network, as reported by Forbes.
 
Beyonce placed 48th with a net worth of US $540 million (£431 million), and Reese Witherspoon came in at 59th with a net worth of US $440 million (£351 million). Other artists and actors on the list include Madonna at number 45 with a net worth of US $580 million (£463 million).
 
Forbes claims that Reese made US $20 million (£16 million) for appearing in just 10 episodes of her blockbuster series The Morning Show in 2018, making her the most-paid actress in the world.
 
Diane Hendricks, co-founder of the American roofing supply firm ABC Supply, has a net worth of US $15 billion (£12 billion) and comes in at number one on the list. She is 76 years old.
 
Eight newcomers made the list this year, including Shonda Rhimes, who entered at No. 96 with a $250 million fortune. The Shondaland creator, whose shows include the Emmy Award–nominated "Grey's Anatomy," left network television in 2017. She entered the streaming industry and produced blockbuster shows including "Bridgerton," "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," and "Inventing Anna," all of which can be seen in one sitting.
 
Also included are Tory Burch (No. 24 with $1 billion), Madonna (No. 45 with $580 million), Donna Karan (No. 52 with $520 million), Celine Dion (No. 57 with $480 million), Judge Judy's Judy Sheindlin (No. 57 with $480 million), Dolly Parton (No. 59 with $440 million), Reese Witherspoon (No. 59 with $440 million), Barbra Streisand (No. 61, with $430 million), Danielle Steel (No. 62, with $420 million), Nora Roberts (No. 64, with $410 million), Ellen DeGeneres, (No. 73, with $380 million) and tennis star Serena Williams (No. 89, with $290 million).

 

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