The story of human evolution is a fascinating one, stretching back in an unbroken chain over millions of years.įrom the tiniest protocells to modern humans, our species has undergone a remarkable journey of adaptation, innovation, and survival. The 4 Billion Year Path of Human Evolution With more celebrities embracing social media to grow followings and earnings revenue, it might not be long before we see more influencers and social media creators in the list of the world’s highest-earning celebrities. Notably, that would place MrBeast in the top 25 of celebrity earners, just ahead of Taylor Swift’s $52 million in 2021. Comparing YouTubers to Traditional CelebritiesĪs social media and online entertainment continue to gain traction, it’s interesting to see how much social media creators are earning compared to their traditional media counterparts.Īccording to Forbes, the highest-paid YouTuber (Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast) earned $54 million in 2021. But they were the only females in an upper echelon of celebrity earners composed mainly by males. Women have made the top 10 earners in Forbes celebrity rankings in recent years, including Kylie Jenner from 2018-2020, Taylor Swift in 2019, and Judge Judy Sheindlin in 2018. Research indicates that there’s about a one-million-dollar pay gap between male and female actors at the “superstar” level.īut the gender gap in the entertainment industry extends further than that-women aren’t just underpaid compared to their male counterparts, they’re also just underrepresented, especially in big-decision, behind-the-scenes roles, and may subsequently miss out on the business opportunities made available. Hollywood’s gender pay gap has been a hot topic of conversation over the last few years. Only two actors made the list, while six are musicians.Nine out of 10 entertainers on the list are American.Taking a closer look at this list reveals a few trends worth highlighting: But only about a quarter of his earnings came from leading roles in movies like Jungle Cruise and Red Notice, with the bulk coming from his tequila brand Teremana. One of the only actors on the list is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who comes in fourth place with an estimated $270 million in 2021 pre-tax earnings. Like Jackson, Springsteen’s earnings came from a major sale, as he sold Sony Music the rights to his entire music collection in a deal worth nearly $500 million last December. Second on the list is singer, songwriter, and musician Bruce Springsteen, who earned an estimated $435 million in 2021. In addition to creating and directing blockbuster hits, Jackson is also the founder of the VFX studio Weta Digital, which he sold a portion of last year for a whopping $1.6 billion and the bulk of his earnings. The world’s celebrities may be well known for the media they produce, but the bulk of their earnings are made through business dealings.įirst on the list is New Zealand director Peter Jackson, best known for directing, producing, and writing the screenplays for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. Using data from Forbes, this graphic by Athul Alexander highlights the top paid entertainers around the world, based on 2021 pre-tax earnings (minus business expenses such as management fees, agent costs, etc). Who are these high-earning entertainers, and how do they make their hundreds of millions? In 2021, the world’s 10 highest-paid celebrities earned a combined $2.7 billion. It can be hard to make money in media-but for those lucky enough to make it to the big leagues, the payoff can be astronomical.

Highest paid tv actors 2022