Beyoncé has been crowned the world's most powerful celebrity, beating Oprah Winfrey, who has taken the throne five times in the past decade. But how did she overtake the media mogul (this year in fourth place), who owns Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on America's cable and raked in a cool $82 million last year?
"Beyoncé doesn't stop with music – she's built a small business empire," says Forbes. "She earns millions endorsing companies like H&M and Pepsi. She has a line of fragrances with names like Heat, Rise and Pulse, and then there's her clothing company House of Dereon, which features jeans, shoes and accessories. "All together we estimate that Beyoncé earned $115 million between June 1, 2013 and June 1, 2014."And queen Bey is in good company. Her husband, rapper Jay Z came in at number six in the list of most powerful celebrities, according to business magazine Forbes.
More stars who made it to the top are NBA's top player LeBron James, in second place, followed by Dr. Dre, who shot up from the 63rd spot and earned $620million in 2014 – more money earned in the past 12 months than any other celebrity in the history of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. After Oprah in fourth place is funnywoman Ellen DeGeneres, who this year made it into the top five, from the tenth spot last year.
Barbados-born Rihanna made it into the top ten with earnings of $48million in the last year, with Roar singer Katy Perry at no. nine with a healthy bank balance accrual of $40million. Justin Beiber is the youngest on the list at no. 33, followed by Miley Cyrus at 17, Kate Upton at 94, and Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence in 12th place.
