Taylor Swift cracks Forbes’ 2024 list of celebrity billionaires; as does 'Law & Order' creator Dick Wolf

US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift was officially named a member of the three-comma-club on April 2, 2024, as Forbes confirmed rumours estimating her wealth exceeds a billion dollars. Photo: AFP

Thanks to the overwhelming success of her whirlwind Eras Tour, Taylor Swift on Tuesday cracked Forbes’ 2024 list of the World’s Celebrity Billionaires.

“Her estimated US$190mil post-tax earnings from her historic Eras Tour helped boost the country-and-pop musician into the three-comma club – the first person to do it based solely on songwriting and performing,” the financial publication said of the 34-year-old sensation, who ranked 14th among entertainers in its 10-figure celebrity club.

Swift hit the billion-dollar mark in October, according to both Forbes and Bloomberg.

At that time, Bloomberg reported the All Too Well singer’s fortune included US$370mil from ticket sales and merchandise. The music she released since 2019 was good for another US$400mil. Swift also reportedly owns more than US$100mil in property.

Forbes lists her net worth at US$1.1bil.

Law & Order creator Dick Wolf joined Swift as a newcomer on Forbes’ 2024 rundown. The 77-year-old Manhattan native even outranked Swift, with an estimated net worth of US$1.2bil, putting him in 13th place among celebrity billionaires.

Former NBA star Magic Johnson can also count himself among 2024’s rookies, thanks to a US$1.2bil worth generated by investments in professional sports teams, movie theatres and other ventures. The 64-year-old debuted at No.12 among the world’s richest entertainers.

The 14 celebrities on the list are worth a collective US$31bil. The list is topped by George Lucas, whose Star Wars franchise helped him achieve a net worth of US$5.5bil.

Along with Swift, the other musicians in the lineup are singer Rihanna and rapper Jay-Z, who respectively rank ninth and fifth.

Rihanna’s stakes in Fenty Beauty and luxury brand LVMH help make her net worth US$1.4bil. The 36-year-old Diamonds singer was first deemed a Forbes billionaire in 2021.

Meanwhile, Jay-Z – “hip-hop’s first billionaire” – joined the club in 2019 and has since doubled his value, according to Forbes. His 50% share in the Armand de Brignac liquor brand is largely to thank for the 54-year-old Brooklyn native’s growing bank account. Jay-Z’s combined music and business ventures make him worth an estimated US$2.5bil.

Forbes on Tuesday (April 2) also released its rundown of all the world’s billionaires, led by entrepreneurs literally operating in a different stratosphere.

French luxury brand owner Bernard Arnault – who oversees the LVMH empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics companies, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora – topped the World’s Billionaires List with a net worth of US$233 billion.

Elon Musk, who’s made a fortune by manufacturing aerospace technology and electric cars – while losing billions on his dubious social media platform X – is worth US$195bil, according to Forbes.

That’s US$1bil more than what his fellow rocket-building entrepreneur Jeff Bezos is reportedly worth. Bezos founded Amazon and stepped down from his role as CEO in 2021, but continues to serve as the executive chairman of the Amazon board.

Forbes said there are currently 2,781 billionaires in the world, which is the most there’s ever been. That includes 265 newcomers who joined the ranks in 2024. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service