SO FAMOUS AND SO RICH
Who’s in the money? MARION McMULLEN looks at the 2018 Rich List high earners
1 BOXER Floyd Mayweather, left is the world’s highestpaid celebrity of 2018 according to the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. The American sportsman and boxing promoter takes the top spot after earning more than £204 million, thanks to his fight against Conor McGregor last August. The bout generated more than £415.7 million in revenue overall.
2 HOLLYWOOD star George Clooney, below, is in second place, though his earnings largely come from the sale of Casamigos, the tequila company he cofounded. The 57-year-old did not appear on the list last year, but is said to have taken home £180.6 million in the last 12 months. Forbes says it is the most the actor has earned annually in his career so far.
3 KEEPING Up With The Kardashians star and make-up brand entrepreneur Kylie Jenner’s (inset) £125.8 million over the past year puts her in third place, a significant jump from 59 last year. It also puts her 30 places ahead of her older half-sister Kim Kardashian West.
4 JUDGE Judy TV star Judy Sheindlin is watched by more than 10 million viewers a day and she sold the rights to her extensive library last year for an estimated £75 million. It earns her fourth place in the list with estimated earnings for the year of £110 million.
5 HOLLYWOOD action hero Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson continues to remain a fan favourite and is ranked fifth with estimated pre-tax earnings of £93.4 million. The 46-year-old recently starred in box office hit Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle alongside Kevin Hart and Jack Black.
6 ED SHEERAN, left, has been named the highest-earning solo musician in the world, having taken home more than £80 million over the past year. He is the ninth highest-paid solo artist according to the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. The 27-year-old jumped 62 places from last year and his number one album Divide and world tour earned him £81.1 million in 12 months.
7 BRITISH rock band Coldplay, fronted by Chris Martin, has risen one place on the list from last year. They are ranked in seventh, with estimated earnings of £86.8 million with their A Head Full Of Dreams Tour grossing more than half a billion dollars.
8 ARGENTINIAN player Lionel Messi, pictured left, is the world’s highest-paid footballer. He features at number eight in the list after his contract extension with Barcelona netted him an annual salary and bonus worth more than £60 million. The Messi Experience Park is set to open in China in 2020.
9 IRISH rockers U2 saw a big jump in earnings thanks to their live shows. The Joshua Tree world tour in 2017 marked the 30th anniversary of their landmark album and was seen by 2.7 million fans. It has been closely followed by the current global Experience + Innocence tour and Forbes say both tours have earned Bono and co. £89 million over the last year.
10 MORE than 700 actors, actresses, musicians and other stars have appeared on the list over the past two decades accumulating $80 billion. Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, joins the ranking for the first time at number 28 as the largest-earning newcomer, along with musicians Imagine Dragons at number 89 and Nas at number 98. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who held the top spot in 2017, drops to number 32.