Oprah Winfrey Named Highest Paid Celebrity Despite OWN Troubles
Despite massive losses at OWN Oprah Winfrey was the highest paid celebrity of the last year. According to Forbes Oprah managed to haul in $165 million from May 2011 through May 2012.
The top spot on Forbes‘ celebrated list is the fourth year in a row in which Oprah Winfrey, 58, has topped the list.
Oprah’s massive wealth continues to grow thanks to her magazine, satellite radio show and her stake in OWN. Oprah also controls interests in Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray Show and The Dr. Oz Show.
Oprah was nearly unseated by director/producer Michael Bay who’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon landed him in second place with a massive $160 million personal take on a gross of $1.1 billion.
Steven Spielberg wasn’t far behind with $130 million thanks to four new TV series and the release of two movies The Adventures of Tintin and the critically acclaimed War Horse.
Rounding out the Forbes’ top five money makers were Jerry Bruckheimer with $115 million and super-producer and rapper Dr. Dre who pulled in $110 million.
The top 10 money makers in Hollywood were rounded out by Tyler Perry, Howard Stern, James Patterson, Simon Cowell and George Lucas.
In most cases money earned by celebrities came from standard pay, profit sharing, residuals from past work and endorsement deals. Dr. Dre also earned money from his Beats Audio ownership stake while other celebrities are also invested in businesses outside of their own industry.
To check out the full list of highest paid celebrities based on publicly available information and figures taken from celebrity agents visit here.
