The World's Highest Paid Celebrities

[Maximus Rex]

20. David Copperfield

Earnings: $63M

Magician

Known for tricks such as making the Statue of Liberty disappear, illusionist David Copperfield is still the most prominent name in magic today. He's won 21 Emmys and boasts 11 Guinness World Records, including selling more tickets than any other solo entertainer -- Michael Jackson and Elvis included. He earns his money performing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where he hosts a residency show. Fittingly, Copperfield owns the world's largest collection of magic artifacts.

19. Justin Timberlake

Earnings: $63.5M

Musician

Timberlake is no newcomer to high earnings, having brought in millions ever since his 'NSYNC days. But now the "Mirror" artist--who is still primarily a musician, playing 59 tour dates during our scoring period--also earns big from endorsements deals with the likes of Bud Light and Sony, as well as his own Sauza tequila.

18. LeBron James

Earnings: $65M

Athlete, NBA

James is the first NBA player to appear in five straight NBA Finals since the Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1960s. The NBA's four-time MVP returned to Cleveland in July 2014 when he signed a two-year, $42.1 million contract after four seasons in Miami. James inked the shorter deal, instead of a richer four-year pact, so he could be a free agent again in 2016 when the NBA's new $24 billion TV deals kick in and sends the salary cap soaring. The NBA's top pitchman added Kia Motors to his endorsement portfolio, which already included Nike, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Beats by Dre, Upper Deck, Tencent and Audemars Piguet. Sales of his signature Nike shoes were tops among active players at $340 million in the U.S. during 2014, according to research firm SportsOneSource. His Cavs jersey was also the NBA's best-seller.

17. Calvin Harris

Earnings: $66M

Musician

The Scottish DJ solidified his ascent in mainstream culture by capturing the heart of pop music icon Taylor Swift. The pair are now dating, creating perhaps the most powerful music power couple this side of Jay Z and Beyonce. Love life aside, Harris has had a pretty good year at the office and is once again the world's highest-paid electronic dance music artist. While he played fewer shows than last year, he's seen a rise in club and festival fees prop up his earning total. He also has seven-figure endorsements with the likes of Giorgio Armani, which made Harris its newest face for its men's underwear line. A rare artist who writes, performs and produces his own tracks, he released "Motion" last October with collaborations from the likes of Gwen Stefani and Big Sean.

16. Roger Federer

Earnings: $67M

Athlete, Tennis

After seeing his world ranking drop to No. 7 in 2013, Federer rebounded last year and finished the year ranked second. He continues to be among the world's best players 17 years after he turned pro. He holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins (17) and career prize money ($90 million). He appeared in a staggering 18 out of 19 Grand Slam finals between 2005 and 2010. His endorsement portfolio is filled with long-term deals with blue-chip companies like Nike, Rolex and Credit Suisse. He extended his Mercedes-Benz deal at the end of 2014 for another three years. His sponsors collectively pay him more than $40 million annually. The latest addition is a five-year pact with Sunrise, the largest private telecommunications provider in Switzerland.

 

[Maximus Rex]

15. Dr. Phil McGraw

Earnings: $70M

Personality, Television

In addition to hosting his eponymous show, Dr. Phil McGraw published his 13th book in 2015. "The 20/20 Diet: Turn Your Weight Loss Vision Into Reality" sold over 51,000 copies in its first week and made the New York Times bestsellers list. Oprah Winfrey's earliest protege is also going digital: Dr. Phil helped launch an app called Doctor on Demand, which connects users with a network of psychologists in the U.S. for 25- or 50-minutes sessions ranging in price. Dr. Phil, with son Jay McGraw and cofounder Adam Jackson, raised $24 million from the likes of venture firm Andreessen Horowitz and investor Richard Branson for the app.

14. The Eagles

Earnings: $73.5M

Musicians

Though the classic rock band hasn't had a no. 1 single in ages, The Eagles are still alive and well on the tour circuit. The 57 shows they played during our scoring period, part of the History of the Eagles tour, helped propel them to the No. 14 spot on this year's Celebrity 100 list, beating out many younger names like Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. Thanks to their devoted fan base, The Eagles also earned millions from merchandise and DVD sales.

13. Lionel Messi

Earnings: $74M

Athlete, Soccer

In 2014, Barcelona awarded their record four-time FIFA player of the year with a $9 million a year raise in his 7th contract since 2005 to bring his take home pay to $50 million a year through 2018. The Argentine holds records for most goals in Barca competitions, most goals in La Liga competitions, most goals scored in a calendar year and most hat tricks scored. His superhuman talent is why sponsor Samsung cast him as superhero Iron Man in their ad to promote the Avengers film. It's also why his main sponsor Adidas launched a Messi icon line of shoes and apparel which has exceeded company sales expectations, including in the U.S.

12. Ellen DeGeneres

Earnings: $75M

Personality, Television

TV's best-paid personality is branching out. The Queen of Daytime is also a prolific producer; her Very Good Productions has five shows on the air, and a show based on Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" in development at Netflix. DeGeneres has long been savvy about where and how TV viewers are watching, capitalizing on the power of YouTube years ago. More recently, she developed her own website devoted to video, "ellentube," and struck a deal with Vessel, which allows viewer to stream clips of her show. Heads Up!, the game she played with guests on her show then turned into an iPhone app, was the best-selling paid app of 2014 (it's also being turned into its own TV show). DeGeneres is taking the Ellen brand in new directions this year with her first women's clothing line, ED by Ellen, expected to hit stores this summer. A forthcoming book on interior design will complete her transition from media mogul to lifestyle guru.

11. Rush Limbaugh

Earnings: $79M

Personality, Radio

Rush Limbaugh's talk show remains one of conservative America's favorite programs--broadcast through 625 affiliates across the continent to an audience of 20 million. Never one to dull listeners, he delights in a savage ultrapatriotism that more often than not puts liberals directly in its cross hairs. (Last year, he threatened to sue the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a powerful leftist political machine.) He has embraced a get-'em-while-they're-young mentality in his new sideline: a children's book series. Its main character? Time-traveler Rush Revere and trusty, talking steed Liberty. The pair bounces around colonial America, meeting the original patriots.

10. Cristiano Ronaldo

Earnings: $79.5M

Athlete, Soccer

The three-time and reigning FIFA best player in the world has scored 60 or more goals in each of the last four calendar years and averages a goal a game for his club Real Madrid. He has a $50+ million a year salary (with bonuses) through 2018 to show for it. He's also the world's most popular athlete, with 102 million Facebook and 35 million Twitter followers. His commercially good looks have landed him mega sponsorships with Nike and his own underwear and shirt line CR7.

8. Taylor Swift

Earnings: $80M

Musician

The singer-songwriter completed her transition from country starlet to pop superstar with the launch of album 1989, the top release of 2014 with over 3.6 million copies sold--making her one of only three artists with a platinum album last year. That new state of affairs is partly due to the rise of streaming, a distribution system of which Swift has become one of the most outspoken critics, pulling her music from Spotify in November and forcing Apple in June to pay artists during their service's free trial period.

 

[Maximus Rex]

8. Robert Downey Jr.

Earnings: $80M

Actor

Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.'s earnings continue to skyrocket thanks to his roles in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and the forthcoming "Captain America: Civil War," for which he is commanding a reported $40 million. This year, Downey made more than any other actor and recorded his highest ever annual payday. A large portion of his $80 million paycheck comes from the backend of "Avengers: Age of Ultron," which grossed $1.4 billion at the box office. Though Marvel has been accused of penny pinching when it comes to paying its stars, Downey has leveraged his Iron Man role into a bulletproof position in which the Disney-owned studio must give him a favorable deal on any movie the character appears in.

7. James Patterson

Earnings: $89M

Author

James Patterson continues to earn more than any other author in publishing. He is also its busiest penman, churning out some 16 books a year with the help of coauthors. Writer of the "Alex Cross" and "Michael Bennett" series, Patterson has sold more than 300 million copies since his 1976 debut. Though best known for adult crime thrillers and airport book store fodder, Patterson also boasts more New York Times best sellers for children than any other living author, with some 30 million youth novels sold. Concerned about child literacy, in 2015 Patterson announced he was launching a children's book imprint that would publish eight to 12 kids books a year. Patterson last year donated over $1 million in grants to independent bookstores and is now giving more than $1.5 million to school libraries across the States. CBS has also signed on to turn two of his books, "Zoo" and "The Thomas Berryman Number," into TV shows.

6. Garth Brooks

Earnings: $90M

Musician

The country legend finally returned to the stage from semi-retirement to launch a long-promised concert tour, and the results have been staggering. Brooks has been grossing well over $1 million at every stop, partly because he's been playing back-to-back shows in the same arena on the same night. He'll continue touring at least through the summer, lining him up for a spot on next year's Celebrity 100 as well.

5. Howard Stern

Earnings: $95M

Personality, Radio

The off-beat, and often off-color, Howard Stern has yet to signal where he'll be on air next year. His contract negotiations--dispute, really--with Sirius XM Radio continue. At stake, an eight-digit payday for Stern and the loss of a main attraction for Sirius XM. Stern's part nasty, part pervy shtick has made him radio royalty in America, his F-bombs and prickliness delighting the nation during rush hour for nearly three decades. Not just a voice on the airwaves anymore, Stern has co-hosted "America's Got Talent" since 2012.

4. One Direction

Earnings: $130M

Musicians

The world's biggest boy band is also its biggest band of any sort, at least when it comes to earnings over the past year. With 74 dates during our scoring period--and seven-figure grosses at every stop--One Direction's payday is more than twice as high as that of the Rolling Stones. Look for that trend to continue even without recently departed bandmember Zayn Malik.

3. Katy Perry

Earnings: $135M

Musician

The "Roar" singer is the highest-earning non-boxer on this year's Celebrity 100 list, thanks mostly to her Prismatic World Tour. During our scoring period, Perry grossed more than $2 million per city over the course of 126 shows--75 of them overseas--while pulling in an astounding $20 per head in merchandise sales. She also pads her coffers through deals with Coty, Claire's and Covergirl, and from a new Perry-themed mobile game due out this fall.

2. Manny Pacquiao

Earnings: $160M

Athlete, Boxing

Pacquiao's $125 million payday for his bout against Floyd Mayweather was four times his previous high for a boxing match (Pacman's boxing earnings also include $23 million for his November fight against Chris Algieri). Pacquiao boosted his income further through endorsement deals with Nike, Foot Locker, Wonderful Pistachios, Nestle's Butterfinger and a handful in the Philippines. The pugilist and Filipino Congressman is sidelined for the rest of 2015 after shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Earnings: $300M

Athlete, Boxing

Mayweather's $300 million year shatters the record for athlete earnings, which was previously held by Tiger Woods who banked $115 million in 2008. Mayweather's May 2 fight against Manny Pacquiao crushed multiple boxing financial records, including PPV buys (4.4 million), total gate ($73 million) and sponsorships ($13 million). The fight is expected to gross more than $600 million once everything is counted. Mayweather has typically shunned endorsement deals, but inked agreements with Hublot, FanDuel and Burger King ahead of the May fight. The Pacquiao fight marked the fifth bout in the blockbuster 30-month, six fight deal he signed with Showtime in 2013. Mayweather, whose record stands at 48-0, plans to fight in September to complete his Showtime deal and then retire.

 

[obnoxiouslyfresh]

Dr Phil is seeing that kinda paper? Smh

 

[7figz]

 

[Idiopathic Joker]

Names and amount. Could have done it all with one post

 

[Elzo69Renaissance]

These lists should be taken,in jest

 

[cannonspike1994]

DOPE AF

Another note, Jay-Z hasn't put out any music in 3 years and is still seeing crazy paper.

Hes Jay-Z he doesn't need to oversaturate the market with his music.

 

[CeLLaR-DooR]

Damn these white musicians gwup hard.

 

[Trillfate]

Rush Limbaugh = Hate sells

 

[Go figure]

Doesnt one direction split that 4 ways?

After taxes slice that all in half

Im not a hater

 

[ShencotheMC]

Ed Sheeran made 57Ms? Got damn that dude did numbers on that tour. I know Elli Gouldiing somewhere mad as hell

 

[dalyricalbandit]

Spoiler

 

[VIBE]

Stern the GOAT, I listen to him often. Dude makes bank. He was denying he made that much, said how the fuck would anyone know and was irritated by it.

 

[Paprika]

James Patterson made bank. I wonder how he shares that loot with his ghostwriters. Every damn book of his is a NY bestseller.

And with that new TV show, he'll be a little higher this year.

 

[MR.CJ]

 

[D0wn]

Doesnt one direction split that 4 ways?

After taxes slice that all in half

Im not a hater

Lmao 4 ways, more like 400....

In music, the artist is always the last to get paid, even when they write and produce their own shit... so imagine a boy band?

Song writer gets paid, producers, egineers, the band that play at live shows , dancers, back up singers, stylist, manager, lawyers (if their smart),agents, choregrapher, label, taxes, then they split it 4 ways ....

 

[Figo]

Messi & Ronaldo. Big tings ah gwan for de biggest sport globally. dais de seen