Kylie Jenner (centre) and Kanye West (right) top the list, while BTS are the only Korean artistes in the Top 50. Photos: AP (centre and right), Big Hit Entertainment (left)
On June 4, Forbes released their annual Celebrity 100 list.
According to Forbes, celebrity earnings have dropped a whopping US$200 million compared to 2019. Even so, the combined earnings of the top 100 come out to US$6.1bil (RM26bil) – certainly not a figure to sneeze at.
Top earners include Kylie Jenner in the number one spot with a pay-out of US$590mil (RM2.5bil), followed by Kanye West at US$170mil (RM725mil).
The top 10 spots also feature several athletes, including tennis player Roger Federer, basketball player LeBron James, plus soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Lionel Messi.
Honourable mentions go out to K-pop boy band BTS, who remain the only Korean artistes to have made the list. BTS ranked number 47 with a gross income of US$50mil (RM213mil), pocketing “more than any American band except Metallica, ” wrote Forbes.
However, this is a notable decrease from BTS’ US$170mil (RM725mil) earnings from 2019.
There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on showbiz. Despite this, the world’s biggest stars continue to demonstrate that their careers will not be hampered.
The full Celebrity 100 list can be seen here.