There has never been a better time for a superstar with the rights to decades’ worth of hits to sell out.
Following Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, who received $600 million in cash after selling a portion of his visual effects company for $1.6 billion in November, the 20-time Grammy winner now ranks No. 2 on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid entertainers of 2021. Through the transaction, Jackson became rich.
Not all rock stars are as wealthy as The Boss. Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Neil Young are three more legendary artists whose profitable music portfolios were sold in the previous year. These artists brought in a combined $500 million before fees, good for a spot in this year’s rankings of them. Springsteen’s longtime manager Jon Landau notes, “These deals haven’t been hand-to-hand fighting.” Everyone is receiving what is best for them.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Manchester United, who also happens to be the person with the most Instagram followers, tops the list for 2022 just as he did for 2021. Lionel Messi, a Paris Saint-Germain standout and Argentine legend, is currently in third place after moving up four spots from seventh in 2021.
The highest-paid female star on the list, Kylie Jenner, comes in at number two, sandwiched between the footballing gods. Thus, Kylie, who was in fourth place in 2021, replaces Ariana Grande, who fell to seventh place in 2022. It is significant that Kylie has over 365 million followers, making her the most popular female user on the social networking site.
Interestingly, as Hopper HQ notes, this is the first time that four Kardashian-Jenner sisters finished in the top 10 of the list. Kim Kardashian, who continues to be in the news for her recent appearances for Balenciaga, is 6th, followed by Khloé Kardashian in 9th position and Kendall Jenner taking the 10th spot.
Dwayne Johnson fell three spots from second in 2021 to fifth in 2022 after joining the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) with the signing of Black Adam (2022). On the other side, Selena Gomez rose from fifth position last year to fourth this time around.
The highest-paid Asian on the list is Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, who is now in position 14 on the list.
Here is the list;
- Cristiano Ronaldo — USD 2,397,000
- Lionel Messi — USD 1,777,000
- Dwayne Johnson — USD 1,713,000
- Ariana Grande — USD 1,687,000
- Beyoncé — USD 1,393,000
- Justin Bieber — USD 1,281,000
- Virat Kohli — USD 1,088,000
- Neymar — USD 945,000
- Kevin Hart — USD 780,000
