Forbes Celebrity 100 Explained

Celebrity 100 was an annual list compiled and published by Forbes magazine from 1999 to 2020, preceded by the Forbes Top 40 entertainers list. Until 2014, the rankings were made based on a complex combination of factors, including earnings, social media following, magazine covers and a range of qualitative metrics, with the aim of "measuring power". Since 2015, Forbes had solely factored pretax earnings (from June of the previous year through June of the publishing year), before deducting fees for managers, lawyers and agents.^{[1] [2]}

Celebrity 100 lists

Below is the top 10 for each year since the list's inception.

Top 10 most powerful celebrities

1999^[3]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Michael Jordan	Sportsperson (basketball)
2	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
3	Leonardo DiCaprio	Actor
4	Jerry Seinfeld	Comedian
5	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker
6	Spice Girls	Musicians
7	Harrison Ford	Actor
8	Robin Williams	Comedian
9	Celine Dion	Musician
10	The Rolling Stones	Musicians

• Note: Jerry Seinfeld was the highest-paid celebrity of 1999, with $267 million.^[4]

2000^[5]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Julia Roberts	Actress
2	George Lucas	Filmmaker
3	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
4	Tom Hanks	Actor
5	Michael Jordan	Sportsperson (basketball)
6	The Rolling Stones	Musicians
7	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
8	Backstreet Boys	Musicians
9	Cher	Musician
10	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker

• Note: George Lucas was the highest-paid celebrity of 2000, with $400 million.^[6]

2001^[7]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Tom Cruise	Actor
2	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
3	The Beatles	Musicians
4	Britney Spears	Musician
5	Bruce Willis	Actor
6	Michael Jordan	Sportsperson (basketball)
7	Backstreet Boys	Musicians
8	NSYNC	Musicians
9	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
10	Mel Gibson	Actor

• Note: George Lucas was the highest-paid celebrity of 2001, with $250 million.^[8]

2002^[9]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Britney Spears	Musician
2	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
3	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker
4	Madonna	Musician
5	U2	Musicians
6	NSYNC	Musicians
7	Mariah Carey	Musicians
8	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
9	Michael Jordan	Sportsperson (basketball)
10	Tom Hanks	Actor

• Note: George Lucas was the highest-paid celebrity of 2002, with $200 million.^[10]

2003^[11]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Jennifer Aniston	Actress
2	Eminem/ Dr. Dre	Musicians
3	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
4	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker
5	Jennifer Lopez	Musician and actress
6	Paul McCartney	Musician
7	Ben Affleck	Actor
8	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
9	Tom Hanks	Actor
10	The Rolling Stones	Musicians

• Note: Steven Spielberg was the highest-paid celebrity of 2003, with $200 million.^[12]

2004^[13]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Mel Gibson	Actor
2	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
3	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
4	Tom Cruise	Actor
5	The Rolling Stones	Musicians
6	J.K. Rowling	Writer
7	Michael Jordan	Sportsperson (basketball)
8	Bruce Springsteen	Musician
9	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker
10	Johnny Depp	Actor

• Note: Mel Gibson was the highest-paid celebrity of 2004, with $210 million.^[14]

2005^[15]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
2	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
3	Mel Gibson	Actor
4	George Lucas	Filmmaker
5	Shaquille O'Neal	Sportsperson (basketball)
6	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker
7	Johnny Depp	Actor
8	Madonna	Musician
9	Elton John	Musician
10	Tom Cruise	Actor

• Note: George Lucas was the highest-paid celebrity of 2005, with $290 million.^[16]

2006^[17]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Tom Cruise	Actor
2	The Rolling Stones	Musicians
3	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
4	U2	Musicians
5	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
6	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker
7	Howard Stern	Radio personality
8	50 Cent	Musician
9	James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Jamie-Lynn Sigler	Actors
10	Dan Brown	Writer

• Note: Steven Spielberg was the highest-paid celebrity of 2006, with $332 million.^[18]

2007^[19]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
2	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
3	Madonna	Musician
4	The Rolling Stones	Musicians
5	Brad Pitt	Actor
6	Johnny Depp	Actor
7	Elton John	Musician
8	Tom Cruise	Actor
9	Jay-Z	Musician
10	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker

• Note: Oprah Winfrey was the highest-paid celebrity of 2007, with $260 million.^[20]

2008^[21]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
2	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
3	Angelina Jolie	Actress
4	Beyoncé	Musician
5	David Beckham	Sportsperson (association football)
6	Johnny Depp	Actor
7	Jay-Z	Musician
8	The Police	Musicians
9	J.K. Rowling	Writer
10	Brad Pitt/ Paula Deen	Actor / Television personality

• Note: J.K. Rowling was the highest-paid celebrity of 2008, with $300 million.^[22]

2009^[23]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Angelina Jolie	Actress
2	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
3	Madonna	Musician
4	Beyoncé	Musician
5	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
6	Bruce Springsteen	Musician
7	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker
8	Jennifer Aniston	Actress
9	Brad Pitt	Actor
10	Kobe Bryant	Sportsperson (basketball)

• Note: Oprah Winfrey was the highest-paid celebrity of 2009, with $275 million.^[24]

2010^[25]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
2	Beyoncé	Musician
3	James Cameron	Filmmaker
4	Lady Gaga	Musician
5	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
6	Britney Spears	Musician
7	U2	Musicians
8	Sandra Bullock	Actress
9	Johnny Depp	Actor
10	Madonna	Musician

• Note: Oprah Winfrey was the highest-paid celebrity of 2010, with $315 million.^[26]

2011^[27]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Lady Gaga	Musician
2	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
3	Justin Bieber	Musician
4	U2	Musicians
5	Elton John	Musician
6	Tiger Woods	Sportsperson (golf)
7	Taylor Swift	Musician
8	Bon Jovi	Musician
9	Simon Cowell	Television personality
10	LeBron James	Sportsperson (basketball)

• Note: Oprah Winfrey was the highest-paid celebrity of 2011, with $290 million.^[28]

2012^[29]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Jennifer Lopez	Musician and actress
2	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
3	Justin Bieber	Musician
4	Rihanna	Musician
5	Lady Gaga	Musician
6	Britney Spears	Musician
7	Kim Kardashian	Television personality
8	Katy Perry	Musician
9	Tom Cruise	Actor
10	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker

• Note: Oprah Winfrey was the highest-paid celebrity of 2012, with $165 million.^[30]

2013^[31]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
2	Lady Gaga	Musician
3	Steven Spielberg	Filmmaker
4	Beyoncé	Musician
5	Madonna	Musician
6	Taylor Swift	Musician
7	Bon Jovi	Musicians
8	Roger Federer	Sportsperson (tennis)
9	Justin Bieber	Musician
10	Ellen DeGeneres	Television personality

• Note: Madonna was the highest-paid celebrity of 2013, with $125 million.^[32]

2014^[33]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Beyoncé	Musician
2	LeBron James	Sportsperson (basketball)
3	Dr. Dre	Musician
4	Oprah Winfrey	Television personality
5	Ellen DeGeneres	Television personality
6	Jay-Z	Musician
7	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	Sportsperson (boxing)
8	Rihanna	Musician
9	Katy Perry	Musician
10	Robert Downey Jr.	Actor

• Note: Dr. Dre was the highest-paid celebrity of 2014, with $620 million.^[34]

Top 10 highest-paid celebrities

2015^[35]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	Sportsperson (boxing)
2	Manny Pacquiao	Sportsperson (boxing)
3	Katy Perry	Musician
4	/ One Direction	Musicians
5	Howard Stern	Television personality
6	Garth Brooks	Musician
7	James Patterson	Author
8	Robert Downey Jr.	Actor
8	Taylor Swift	Musician
10	Cristiano Ronaldo	Sportsperson (association football)

2016^[36]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Taylor Swift	Musician
2	/ One Direction	Musicians
3	James Patterson	Author
4	Cristiano Ronaldo	Sportsman (association football)
4	Dr. Phil McGraw	Television personality
6	Kevin Hart	Comedian
7	Howard Stern	Radio personality
8	Lionel Messi	Sportsman (association football)
9	Adele	Musician
10	Rush Limbaugh	Radio personality

2017^[37]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Sean "Diddy" Combs	Musician
2	Beyoncé	Musician
3	J. K. Rowling	Author
4	Drake	Musician
5	Cristiano Ronaldo	Athlete (association football)
6	The Weeknd	Musician
7	Howard Stern	Radio personality
8	Coldplay	Musicians
9	James Patterson	Author
10	LeBron James	Athlete (basketball)

2018^[38]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	Athlete (boxing)
2	George Clooney	Actor
3	Kylie Jenner	Personality
4	Judge Judy Sheindlin	Television personality
5	Dwayne Johnson	Actor
6	U2	Musicians
7	Coldplay	Musicians
8	Lionel Messi	Athlete (association football)
9	Ed Sheeran	Musician
10	Cristiano Ronaldo	Athlete (association football)

2019^[39]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Taylor Swift	Musician
2	Kylie Jenner	Personality
3	Kanye West	Rapper
4	Lionel Messi	Athlete (association football)
5	Ed Sheeran	Musician
6	Cristiano Ronaldo	Athlete (association football)
7	Neymar	Athlete (association football)
8	The Eagles	Music group
9	Phil McGraw	Television personality
10	Saul "Canelo" Alvarez	Athlete (boxer)

2020^[40]

No.	Recipient	Career
1	Kylie Jenner	Media personality
2	Kanye West	Rapper
3	Roger Federer	Athlete (tennis)
4	Cristiano Ronaldo	Athlete (association football)
5	Lionel Messi	Athlete (association football)
6	Tyler Perry	Actor
7	Neymar	Athlete (association football)
8	Howard Stern	Radio personality
9	LeBron James	Athlete (basketball)
10	Dwayne Johnson	Actor

See also

• Forbes list of highest-earning musicians

External links

• of The Celebrity 100 (latest)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Celebrity 100: Our New Methodology Explained . .
2. Web site: Methodology . .
3. Web site: AmIAnnoying.com – Forbes' Celebrity 100 Power Ranking [1999]]. amiannoying.com.
4. Web site: 2006-10-30 . Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100 . . 2023-12-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061030054824/http://www.forbes.com/lists/results.jhtml?passListId=53&passYear=1999&passListType=Person&resultsStart=1&resultsHowMany=25&resultsSortProperties=+numberfield1,+stringfield1&resultsSortCategoryName=power+rank . 2006-10-30 .
5. Web site: AmIAnnoying.com – Forbes' Celebrity 100 Power Ranking [2000]]. amiannoying.com.
6. Web site: 2001-11-16 . Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100 2000 . . 2023-12-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20011116201829/http://www.forbes.com/lists/home.jhtml?passListId=53&passListType=Person&passYear=2000 . 2001-11-16 .
7. Web site: AmIAnnoying.com – Forbes' Celebrity 100 Power Ranking [2001]]. amiannoying.com.
8. Web site: 2001-11-15 . Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100 2001 . . 2024-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20011115161300/http://www.forbes.com/lists/results.jhtml?passListId=53&passListType=Person&passYear=2001&resultsHowMany=25&resultsSortCategoryName=earnings+($mil)&resultsSortProperties=-numberfield3,+stringfield1&resultsStart=1 . 2001-11-15 .
9. Web site: AmIAnnoying.com – Forbes' Celebrity 100 Power Ranking [2002]]. amiannoying.com.
10. Web site: 2006-02-16 . Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100 . . 2024-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060216221837/http://www.forbes.com/lists/results.jhtml?passListId=53&passYear=2002&passListType=Person&searchParameter1=&searchParameter2=&resultsStart=1&resultsHowMany=25&resultsSortProperties=+numberfield2,+stringfield1&resultsSortCategoryName=money_rank&passKeyword=&category1=&category2= . 2006-02-16 .
11. Web site: Forbes.com. Forbes.
12. Web site: 2006-02-17 . Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100 2003 . . 2024-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060217093208/http://www.forbes.com/finance/lists/53/2003/LIR.jhtml?passListId=53&passYear=2003&passListType=Person&uniqueId=4XKR&datatype=Person . 2006-02-17 .
13. Web site: The Celebrity 100. Peter Kafka. June 18, 2004. Forbes.
14. Web site: 2005-04-08 . Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100 2004 . . 2024-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050408073308/http://www.forbes.com/maserati/celebrities2004/LIR0YIW.html?passListId=53&passYear=2004&passListType=Person&uniqueId=0YIW&datatype=Person . 2005-04-08 .
15. Web site: The Celebrity 100. Forbes.
16. Web site: Forbes List Directory . https://web.archive.org/web/20050828233929/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2005/53/PNOV.html . 2005-08-28 . .
17. Web site: The Celebrity 100 - Forbes.com. Forbes.
18. Web site: Forbes List Directory . https://web.archive.org/web/20060813092509/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/53/Compen_Salary.html . 2006-08-13 . .
19. Web site: The Celebrity 100 - Forbes.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20070616185842/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/53/07celebrities_The-Celebrity-100_Rank.html. dead. June 16, 2007. Forbes.
20. Web site: Forbes List Directory . https://web.archive.org/web/20070817094045/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/53/07celebrities_The-Celebrity-100_EarningsPrevYear.html . 2007-08-17 . .
21. Web site: The Celebrity 100 - Forbes.com. Forbes.
22. Web site: Forbes List Directory . https://web.archive.org/web/20080913113709/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/53/celebrities08_The-Celebrity-100_EarningsPrevYear.html . 2008-09-13 . .
23. Web site: The Celebrity 100. https://web.archive.org/web/20090607233833/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/53/celebrity-09_The-Celebrity-100_Rank.html. dead. June 7, 2009. Forbes.
24. Web site: Forbes List Directory . https://web.archive.org/web/20090801044633/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/53/celebrity-09_The-Celebrity-100_EarningsPrevYear.html . 2009-08-01 . .
25. Web site: The Celebrity 100. Forbes.
26. Web site: #1 Oprah Winfrey - Forbes.com . . 2024-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100804054727/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/53/celeb-100-10_Oprah-Winfrey_O0ZT.html . 2010-08-04 .
27. Web site: Celebrity 100 2011. Forbes. August 28, 2017. September 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160905004028/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/celebrities/celebrity-100_2011.html. dead.
28. Web site: The Celebrity 100: The World's Highest-Paid Celebrities 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110816014731/http://www.forbes.com/wealth/celebrities . 2011-08-16 . .
29. Web site: Forbes' Celebrity 100: Jennifer Lopez Tops The 2012 List. The Huffington Post. May 16, 2012 .
30. Web site: The Celebrity 100: The World's Highest-Paid Celebrities 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120917204511/http://www.forbes.com/celebrities/ . 2012-09-17 . .
31. Web site: Forbes Lists Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities in 2013: Oprah Winfrey Takes Number One Spot [FULL LIST]]. Rebecka Schumann. June 26, 2013. International Business Times.
32. Web site: The Celebrity 100: The World's Highest-Paid Celebrities 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130809020739/http://www.forbes.com/celebrities/ . 2013-08-09 . .
33. Web site: Beyoncé Knowles Tops The FORBES Celebrity 100 List. Dorothy Pomerantz. June 30, 2014. Forbes.
34. Web site: The World's Highest-Paid Celebrities . https://web.archive.org/web/20140814114113/http://www.forbes.com/celebrities/list/#tab:overall_header:earnings_sortreverse:true . 2014-08-14 . .
35. News: Celebrity 100: The World's Highest-Paid Superstars Of 2015. Greenburg, Zack O'Malley. Forbes. June 29, 2015. September 1, 2016.
36. Web site: Celebrity 100: The World's Highest-Paid Superstars Of 2016. Zack O'Malley Greenburg. Forbes.
37. Web site: Celebrity 100: The World's Highest-Paid Celebrities Of 2017. Natalie Robehmed. Forbes.
38. Web site: Forbes Releases 2018 Celebrity 100 List Of The World's Highest-Paid Entertainers. July 16, 2018. Forbes.
39. Web site: The Celebrity 100: The World's Highest-Paid Entertainers of 2019. July 10, 2019. Forbes.
40. Web site: Greenburg . Zack . Lafranco . Rob . 2020: The World's Highest Paid Celebrities . . June 7, 2020.