Here are the list of most paid celebrities in the world according to Forbes
1.Genesis
The pioneers of progressive rock topped 2022 with a $300 million music rights sale to Concord Music Group in September. The deal comprised publishing rights and a selection of recorded music income streams from the group, as well as solo income streams from Phil Collins (including hit song “In The Air Tonight”) and bandmates Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. Touring and recorded music royalties rounded out their income.
2. Sting • $210 M
The 17-time Grammy winner and former Police frontman—known for hits including “Every Breath You Take” and “Roxanne”—pocketed $300 million before fees by selling his entire musical output, both solo and with The Police, to Universal Music Group in February. “It’s a good catalog,” says one longtime industry attorney on the British singer’s work. “Wouldn’t mind owning it.”
3. Tyler Perry • $175 M
Just call multi-hyphenate Perry a modern Renaissance man. The actor-director-writer-studio mogul had another lucrative year thanks to simultaneous income streams from film, his BET TV shows and the sprawling production backlot he outright owns in Atlanta. In his second year among Forbes’ top 10 highest-paid entertainers, Perry is the list’s sole billionaire with an estimated $1 billion fortune.
4. Trey Parker & Matt Stone •$160 M
The devilish duo behind South Park had another banner year, thanks to earnings from a legacy HBO Max deal and Book of Mormon, their comedic musical (and skewering) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The majority comes from their Paramount deal, signed in 2021 and guaranteeing the pair $935 million over six years.
5. James L. Brooks & Matt Groening • $105 M
America’s favorite yellow cartoon family, The Simpsons, migrated all 30 seasons to Disney+ from FX in an April 2019 streaming deal made after Disney’s previous acquisition of Fox for some $52 billion. Series co-creators Brooks and Groening aren’t having a cow, man, having earned a previously unreported $105 million annually after fees, according to sources familiar with the deal.
6. Brad Pitt • $100 M
Pitt’s majority sale of his Plan B production company in December earned the actor an estimated $113 million after fees. The deal also had Hollywood chattering. “It’s definitely become a brand,” says one lawyer, adding that Plan B in addition to producing Oscar winners Moonlight, 12 Years A Slave and Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, likely owns back ends and has a development slate that would increase its value. Others weren’t sold. “It doesn’t really have assets,” says a second attorney, pointing out that the company simply produces projects, rather than owning them. Pitt earned an additional estimated $30 million from roles in Bullet Train, Babylonand The Lost City.
7. Rolling Stones • $98 M
If Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and company can’t get (no) satisfaction from a $136 million grossing tour and record royalties, then perhaps they should paint their coffers black. The OG British rockers pocketed over $8.5 million per night on a 15-city tour across Europe last summer, according to concert tracker Pollstar.
8. James Cameron • $95 M
His wallet will go on: The smash success of Avatar: The Way of Water made Cameron the director of three of the highest-grossing movies of all time, alongside the first Avatar (2009) and Titanic (1997). His second outing to Pandora netted him at least $95 million, according to industry insiders, in a deal that’s said to be back-end-heavy with bonuses for crossing certain box office thresholds.
9. Taylor Swift • $92 M
Combined income streams from physical record sales, streaming on platforms like Spotify, digital downloads, licensing and sync make up Swift’s earnings. It begs the question: What can’t the 33-year-old superstar (and her loyal fanbase, the Swifties) accomplish? Crashing Ticketmaster with insane demand for her Midnights tour in November suggests an even bigger 2023 for her, as she’ll be on the road for 52 nights across the U.S. with a potential nine-figure payout as a result.
10. Bad Bunny • $88 M
The Puerto Rican rapper, best known for combining reggaeton (a mix of Caribbean reggae and mainland rap) with Latin trap (a hip-hop subgenre with roots in the southern U.S.) charmed millions around the world as he flew on a palm tree on tour, appeared alongside Brad Pitt in Bullet Train and challenged machismo with genderfluid style. The lion’s share of his income came from two tours: El Último Tour Del Mundo, performed in arenas, and The World’s Hottest Tour, his first time playing in the biggest possible stadiums. Endorsements with the likes of Corona, Cheetos and Adidas were icing on the cake.
