Taylor Swift tops Forbes celebrity 100 as the top-earning star
Taylor Swift's accountant probably won't be calming down any time soon: She's just topped Forbes' annual list of top 100 highest-paid stars.
Swift raked in pretax income of $185 million over the past year, marking her most lucrative year yet, according to Forbes. That's up 131% from 2018, when she earned $80 million.
Contributing to her total is her Reputation Stadium Tour, which is the highest-grossing tour in U.S. history, taking in $266.1 million domestically and $345 million overall, according to Forbes. Swift also cashed a check from Netflix to do a live concert special, in addition to her sponsorship deals with AT&T and Diet Coke, according to the magsazine. She may have also been paid for her role in the upcoming film "Cats."
On top of that, Swift's new deal with Universal Music Group’s Republic Records could be worth up to $200 million, sources told Forbes. As part of the deal, if Universal sells its $1 billion stake in Spotify, they're required to share that money with the artists signed to their label...including Swift.
With the impending release of Swift's new album "Lover," which will likely be followed by a tour, the singer is poised to continue earning millions in the near future.
After Swift, the rest of the Forbes' Celebrity 100 Top 10 includes, in descending order, Kylie Jenner, Kanye West, soccer star Lionel Messi, Ed Sheeran, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer star Neymar, The Eagles, Dr. Phil McGraw and boxer Canelo Alvarez.
Of note, 38 people who made Forbes' Celebrity 100 list this year are musicians, but of those 38, only eight are women. Other musicians on the list include:
- #19: Elton John
- #20: Jay-Z and Beyonce
- #25: Drake
- #28: Sean "P. Diddy" Combs
- #36: Rihanna
- #39: Travis Scott
- #41: Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake
- #43. BTS and Pink
- #53: Billy Joel
- #54: Bruno Mars
- #57: Jimmy Buffett and Eminem
- #59: Fleetwood Mac
- #62: Ariana Grande and Paul McCartney
- #67: The Chainsmokers
- #71: Guns N' Roses
- #76: Jennifer Lopez
- #78: Luke Bryan
- #83: The Rolling Stones
- #87: DJ Khaled and Marshmello and The Weeknd
- #90: Lady Gaga
- #92: Dave Matthews Band
- #95: Zac Brown Band and Calvin Harris and Kendrick Lamar
- #98: Shawn Mendes
- #100: Celine Dion
