Hollywood is a notorious boy’s town. Men both in front and behind the scenes consistently out-earn women. But don’t cry for Tinseltown’s highest-earning women entertainers. According to Forbes, they collectively earned more than $700 million during the last fiscal year. Still, these women didn’t earn their millions overnight. Whether it was by pure determination, or skill, these Made Women eventually climbed their way to the top of their fields.
10. Danielle Steel - $35 million
You might not know Danielle Steel’s face but you certainly know her work. The popular author has published novels that practically live on the New York Times best sellers list and has had her work adapted for over 20 television shows. Before she wrote bestsellers like Wanderlust or The Long Road Home, she worked as a public relations agent and copywriter.
9. Beyonce Knowles - $35 million
Unlike some of the other women on this list, Bey’s career before entertainment doesn’t include cleaning tables or selling merchandise because that would have been, well, illegal. Getting her start at age eight, Queen B has been a force to be reckoned with for over 15 years now. And since she’s been killing it on the stage with a baby in her belly, there’s no sign motherhood will slow her down.
8. Katy Perry - $44 million
Life for Katy hasn’t always been as bright as her unconventional outfits. Using the name her mama gave her, Katy Hudson released a gospel album in 2001 that flopped. She was then dropped by two major labels until she kissed a girl and Capital Records liked it. Now Katy is set to break a major record held by none other than the King of Pop himself.
7. Judge Judy - $45 million
Who says being mean can’t earn you green? The feisty judge known for her no-nonsense legal approach has been at the top of her game ever since she opened her courtroom to cameras. Before her syndicated show averaged over 10 million viewers a day, Judge Judy worked as a prosecutor in family court where she fought against child abuse and domestic violence.
6. Ellen DeGeneres - $45 million
Before she was a talk show host, the head of her own record label, founder of a pet-food company, actress, and Cover Girl, Ellen worked in retail and waited tables at TGI Fridays. Using her childhood and career experiences as material, Ellen did stand up at coffee houses and small clubs until Showtime eventually named her the funniest person in America in the early ‘80s.
5. Taylor Swift - $45 million
When Kanye stormed the stage at the VMA’s and declared that Beyonce should’ve topped Taylor, he certainly wasn’t basing that on Taylor Swift’s pocketbook. Like Bey’, Taylor has been in the spotlight since she was a young girl and received her first record deal at just 14 years old. But it wasn’t just for singing. Sony hired her as a songwriter, skills she likely honed after winning a national poetry contest when she was in the fourth grade.
4. Gisele Bundchen - $45 million
Gisele isn’t your average pretty face. She’s a Goodwill Ambassador, actress, and mom who hit the runway weeks after giving birth. Discovered in a mall as a teenager, Gisele has since been dubbed “the most beautiful girl in the world” and broke a record when Victoria’s Secret gave her $25 million to wear their bras and panties.
3. Bethenny Frankel - $55 million
Frankel has managed to make a fortune through several reality-TV stints, most notably, “The Real Housewives of New York,” but she earned big bucks long before she learned how to milk America’s reality-TV obsession. After graduating from culinary school, she started her own bakery and in 2009 launched Skinnygirl Cocktails, a company that creates and markets low calorie cocktails to women. Frankel reportedly sold her cocktail company for $120 million.
2. Lady Gaga - $90 million
She’s mostly known for her outrageous costumes and over-the-top performances, but before she was an international pop star Stefani Germanotta worked as a waitress in New York City. In 2005 she started a band called Stefani Germanotta. Three years later, she only responded to “Lady Gaga,” released her first single “Just Dance,” and within a year was nominated for a Grammy and became a household name.
1. Oprah Winfrey - $290 million
O isn’t just the highest-earning woman in entertainment; she’s the highest earner period. Out-earning the closest male by $160 million, Oprah is a force that can only be taken down by her fiercest competitor: herself. If her OWN Network continues to lag in ratings, some predict Oprah might not make the top of the list next year (which seems unlikely). Since she started her career as the first black woman anchor at a Nashville news station in the early 1970s, she’s been overcoming odds with remarkable success.
If history repeats itself and these women continue to inspire us, make us laugh, or do the ugly cry, 2012 is bound to be just as profitable for these heavy hitters. They’ve proven the journey to get to the top – full of its ups and down – is far more important than where we take off on our quests to be Made.
Hollywood is a notorious boy’s town. Men both in front and behind the scenes consistently out-earn women. But don’t cry for Tinseltown’s highest-earning women entertainers. According to Forbes, they collectively earned more than $700 million during the last fiscal year. Still, these women didn’t earn their millions overnight. Whether it was by pure determination, or skill, these Made Women eventually climbed their way to the top of their fields.
10. Danielle Steel - $35 million
You might not know Danielle Steel’s face but you certainly know her work. The popular author has published novels that practically live on the New York Times best sellers list and has had her work adapted for over 20 television shows. Before she wrote bestsellers like Wanderlust or The Long Road Home, she worked as a public relations agent and copywriter.
9. Beyonce Knowles - $35 million
Unlike some of the other women on this list, Bey’s career before entertainment doesn’t include cleaning tables or selling merchandise because that would have been, well, illegal. Getting her start at age eight, Queen B has been a force to be reckoned with for over 15 years now. And since she’s been killing it on the stage with a baby in her belly, there’s no sign motherhood will slow her down.
8. Katy Perry - $44 million
Life for Katy hasn’t always been as bright as her unconventional outfits. Using the name her mama gave her, Katy Hudson released a gospel album in 2001 that flopped. She was then dropped by two major labels until she kissed a girl and Capital Records liked it. Now Katy is set to break a major record held by none other than the King of Pop himself.
7. Judge Judy - $45 million
Who says being mean can’t earn you green? The feisty judge known for her no-nonsense legal approach has been at the top of her game ever since she opened her courtroom to cameras. Before her syndicated show averaged over 10 million viewers a day, Judge Judy worked as a prosecutor in family court where she fought against child abuse and domestic violence.
6. Ellen DeGeneres - $45 million
Before she was a talk show host, the head of her own record label, founder of a pet-food company, actress, and Cover Girl, Ellen worked in retail and waited tables at TGI Fridays. Using her childhood and career experiences as material, Ellen did stand up at coffee houses and small clubs until Showtime eventually named her the funniest person in America in the early ‘80s.
5. Taylor Swift - $45 million
When Kanye stormed the stage at the VMA’s and declared that Beyonce should’ve topped Taylor, he certainly wasn’t basing that on Taylor Swift’s pocketbook. Like Bey’, Taylor has been in the spotlight since she was a young girl and received her first record deal at just 14 years old. But it wasn’t just for singing. Sony hired her as a songwriter, skills she likely honed after winning a national poetry contest when she was in the fourth grade.
4. Gisele Bundchen - $45 million
Gisele isn’t your average pretty face. She’s a Goodwill Ambassador, actress, and mom who hit the runway weeks after giving birth. Discovered in a mall as a teenager, Gisele has since been dubbed “the most beautiful girl in the world” and broke a record when Victoria’s Secret gave her $25 million to wear their bras and panties.
3. Bethenny Frankel - $55 million
Frankel has managed to make a fortune through several reality-TV stints, most notably, “The Real Housewives of New York,” but she earned big bucks long before she learned how to milk America’s reality-TV obsession. After graduating from culinary school, she started her own bakery and in 2009 launched Skinnygirl Cocktails, a company that creates and markets low calorie cocktails to women. Frankel reportedly sold her cocktail company for $120 million.
2. Lady Gaga - $90 million
She’s mostly known for her outrageous costumes and over-the-top performances, but before she was an international pop star Stefani Germanotta worked as a waitress in New York City. In 2005 she started a band called Stefani Germanotta. Three years later, she only responded to “Lady Gaga,” released her first single “Just Dance,” and within a year was nominated for a Grammy and became a household name.
1. Oprah Winfrey - $290 million
O isn’t just the highest-earning woman in entertainment; she’s the highest earner period. Out-earning the closest male by $160 million, Oprah is a force that can only be taken down by her fiercest competitor: herself. If her OWN Network continues to lag in ratings, some predict Oprah might not make the top of the list next year (which seems unlikely). Since she started her career as the first black woman anchor at a Nashville news station in the early 1970s, she’s been overcoming odds with remarkable success.
If history repeats itself and these women continue to inspire us, make us laugh, or do the ugly cry, 2012 is bound to be just as profitable for these heavy hitters. They’ve proven the journey to get to the top – full of its ups and down – is far more important than where we take off on our quests to be Made.
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