Hollywood’s Billionaire List Is Getting Shorter: These Are the Stars Who Have Been Kicked Out

You can indeed build a fortune from the entertainment industry, but despite the massive paychecks actors take home, only a handful manage to become a billionaire. Yes, there are many millionaires in show business; however, there are less than ten who we can call the richest among the rich.

Steven Spielberg

While stars often pocket tons of money from box-office hits, it is the director that gets the bigger paycheck – and Steven Spielberg is a master of his craft, which means he usually earns significant from his films. If you would look at his filmography, you’ll be amazed to know that he is the man behind marvelous, award-winning pictures like ‘E.T.,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ and ‘Jaws.’

Bakounine/Shutterstock — Steven Spielberg directed ‘Jaws’ and ‘E.T.’

Another reason for his eye-popping net worth was a deal he had with fellow director George Lucas many years ago, wherein they bet on whose movie will fare better in the box-office: Steven’s ‘Close Encounters’ or his pal’s ‘Star Wars’?

Although both were critically acclaimed, it was the latter film that was more successful, earning the ‘Schindler’s List’ filmmaker a 2.5-percent of the backend gross of ‘Star Wars.’ That’s not all; Steven also acts as a creative consultant on theme parks that revolve around his films and the deal is that he gets 2 percent of ticket sales.

Jay-Z

Being an artist is also quite lucrative – just take a look at Jay-Z, who has an estimated net worth of $1 billion, half of which he got from his more than ten albums. The other $500 million comes from his business ventures.

Debby Wong/Shutterstock — Half of Jay-Z’s money is from his music

Rocawear, his clothing line, was sold for a whopping $204 million. The rapper is also the owner of the majority of streaming service Tidal in a $56-million acquisition deal. The company is worth $600 million, and his estimated share is valued at $100 million.

George Lucas

Steven’s good friend George is also a living proof that you can make a fortune out of building quality films. As mentioned, he blessed us with his magnificent masterpieces like ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones.’

These titles earned millions of dollars in global sales, which is enough proof that he is a billionaire. A chunk of his money, however, came from a 2012 deal with Disney in which he sold Lucasfilm for $4 billion!

Oprah

The famous TV personality is one of the most influential and recognizable faces in the entertainment industry today. But Oprah started as a small-town reporter and later made a name because of her eponymous show.

She managed to build a media empire and now owns Harpo production company. About 25 percent of OWN network is hers, and she has a deal with Apple TV+. On top of these, she has an 8-percent share in ‘Weight Watchers’ – all these are reasons for her $3.5-billion fortune.

Kanye West

DKSStyle/Shutterstock — Kanye West is worth $3.2 billion because of Yeezy

Kanye West has long been pushing to be included in the list of billionaires, and recently, he made it after he has earned $3.2 billion – and no, the bulk of the money didn’t come from his musical creations. He became a billionaire because of Yeezy.