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Kim Kardashian's billionaire status: how did she make her money?

The mother-of-four is the newest addition to Forbes' World's Billionaires List

April 8, 2021
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Forbes has announced that Kim Kardashian has officially become a billionaire after estimating her net worth to be $1 billion, up from $780 million in October.

With multiple businesses, investments, and endorsement deals under her belt, we dove into how Kim became the latest name to land on the Billionaires List.

MORE: Kim Kardashian's children have their own life-sized village at $60 million mansion

KKW Beauty & Fragrance

The reality TV star founded her own beauty and fragrance lines, KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance, in 2017, following the success of her half-sister Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics.

Kim Kardashian at KKW Beauty Launch

Kim's first ever launch of KKW Beauty sold out in just two hours!

Her first launch within KKW Beauty, which consisted of 300,000 contour kits, sold out in just two hours, according to Forbes, and made her over $14 million. Over the following year, Kim expanded the range of her products to include lipsticks, concealers and perfumes, before selling 20 per cent of the business to global beauty company, Coty, for $200 million.

The star also currently retains a 72 per cent stake in the company, which is valued at $500 million.

SKIMS

Kim Kardashian at SKIMS launch

Kim's newest business venture makes her millions

Formally named 'Kimono', SKIMS "is a solutions-oriented brand creating the next generation of underwear, loungewear and shapewear", according to their website. Kim launched this latest business venture in 2019 and it has been a hit despite early criticism and changing of the brand name, with a revenue of $12 million, according to ZoomInfo.

Forbes also estimates that the mother-of-four's majority stake in SKIMS is worth around $225 million.

MORE: Kim Kardashian restocks SKIMS collection fave with new dreamy spring colors and styles

Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Have you been watching the new season?

Although coming to an end in September, KUWTK has been a lucrative career choice for the entire Kardashian clan.

According to reports by media company Showbiz Cheat Sheet, for example, each family member earns around $930,000 per episode.

During an interview on My Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, the star said, "We would not be who we are today without Keeping Up with the Kardashians and that's why we continue to share our lives."

Mobile app

Kim launched Kim Kardashian: Hollywood in 2014. The mobile game, which Google Play summarises as "a red carpet adventure" where you "create your own aspiring celebrity and rise to fame and fortune", earned her $45 million in the first year. Landing on the front page of Forbes magazine in 2016, they reported that Kim's game had been downloaded 45 million times.

Even seven years down the line, millions of people still have the app downloaded.

MORE: Kim Kardashian shows her curves - and rocks Kanye West's shoes - during Easter workout

Social media endorsements

Kim Kardashian Instagram Sponsored Post

The influencer charges a hefty price for an Instagram post

It's no secret Instagram influencers are paid thousands, if not, millions for each of their sponsored posts - and the social media queen is no different.

Speaking on Ashley Graham's Pretty Big Deal podcast in 2018, Kim hinted that she earned around $1 million on certain Instagram posts. However, the figure is likely more often to be around $858,000, as per Hopper HQ's 2020 Instagram Rich List.

MORE: Kim Kardashian's fans say the same thing about Chicago in latest family snap

Company shares

Other sources of income for the reality TV star involves shares in companies. For example, Kim has shares in multiple corporations including Amazon, Netflix, Disney, Adidas and Apple, which were gifted by her soon to be ex-husband Kanye West in 2017. It is estimated that from these stocks, Kim has gained over $650,000.

Flipping properties

The newly appointed billionaire also makes her money from flipping real estate. According to TMZ, the soon-to-be divorced couple bought a Bel-Air mansion in 2013 for $9 million and sold it four years later for over $17 million, banking a huge profit.

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