There Are Only Six…Nope, Now Five Billionaires In Hollywood

We have already said: it takes a certain type of dynamism, ambition and commitment to your vision to become a billionaire. This is especially true in Hollywood, where actors and celebrities are very often very well paid, but so few reach the ranks of billionaires. In fact, only six people in Hollywood are currently billionaires. Wait, the latest news, we've just been demoted for not being a billionaire. What sets them apart from their equally hardworking peers? Luck? Determination? A little further from family ties? Clever skills for making deals? A touch of madness? Well, that's all based on the Hollywood billionaire we're talking about.

Let's start with the most obvious: Steven spielberg, George Lucas and Oprah Winfrey. These are the OG Hollywood billionaires. Then we will enter the legitimate Hollywood billionaire and the first billionaire rapper, the only one, Jay-Z. Next, we will explore the slightly crazy Kanye West and its transition from several million debts to several billion. Finally, we will review the question of whether Kylie Jenner is a billionaire or not. Yes again. It seems that she and Kris Jenner told lies about Kylie Cosmetics' valuation, their tax returns and other relevant financial facts and figures.

George Lucas, $ 6.5 billion

It's just that the man who brought us Star Wars and Indiana Jones is by far the richest person in Hollywood. Of course, most of his money came from the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney for more than $ 4 billion in cash and stock in 2012. His most profitable film is Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which reported $ 474 million worldwide. Office.

Steven Spielberg, $ 3.7 billion

Like Lucas, it's just that the man behind Jaws, E.T. and Jurassic Park is one of the wealthiest people in Hollywood. Although it made his fortune, it is not essential. A bet he placed with his friend George Lucas on which film would be more successful: Star Wars by Lucas or Close Encounters by Spielberg, brought him 2.5% of the gross backend of Star Wars. The other transaction that led to Spielberg's multi-billion dollar fortune was to have a theme park clause in his contract with Universal in the late 1980s. Universal was strapped for cash and could not not afford the upfront fees like other studios of the time could afford. Spielberg would serve as a creative consultant on all of the theme park attractions related to his films, and any film he directed would remain at Universal. The theme park advisory service paid Spielberg 2% of all park ticket revenues as well as a portion of the park concession revenue in perpetuity. Spielberg's annual payment exceeds $ 50 million. This number will continue to grow unless it accepts a buyout. The clause allowed Spielberg to terminate the agreement in June 2017 and receive a single payment equal to the value of the contract. This would have amounted to around $ 535 million in mid-2017. Spielberg chose to stay in the deal and that means he could ultimately see a payment of $ 1 billion or more for his theme park clause. In 2017, Comcast was the parent company of Universal. Comcast and Spielberg have agreed to a new agreement in which Comcast acquired a stake in its film studio, Amblin Partners, in an agreement that could ultimately pay more than $ 1 billion.

Oprah Winfrey, $ 3.5 billion

Oprah Winfrey started out as a television reporter in a small town and has become, well, the most famous woman in the world with 25 years of participation in The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is also the owner of the production company Harpo, which staged the show. She built on the success of her show to build a media empire, including her own cable network. It owns 25.5% of its OWN television network, an 8% interest in Weight Watchers, and has entered into a content creation agreement with Apple TV +.

Jay-Z, $ 1 billion

Jay-Z has made about $ 500 million from the 14 number one albums he has released. The rest of its wealth comes from its investments and its wise businesses. He sold Rocawear, the clothing line he founded, for $ 204 million. In March 2015, Jay became the majority owner of the Tidal music streaming service through a $ 56 million acquisition. Tidal has been valued at $ 600 million. Jay-Z's stake in the company is worth $ 100 million. Jay is the co-founder of the 40/40 Club Nightclub franchise. The first establishment opened in New York in 2003. Over the years, it has approved a number of major brands, including Chevy, Budweiser, Armadale Vodka and Hewlett Packard. He is co-director of Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on marketing and advertising development. In 2014, Jay became the majority shareholder of the champagne company Armand de Brignac. He had previously been a paid endorser of the brand, but ultimately decided to completely acquire the business. He also has a stake in Uber valued at $ 70 million.

Kanye West, $ 3.2 billion

You would not be alone if you think Kanye is not quite right. That said, he's the new Hollywood billionaire and it's not his music or his albums. His streetwear brand Yeezy made him a billionaire. In recent years, Kanye has earned at least $ 100 million through his various efforts. The vast majority of its revenues come from royalties and other revenues related to its Yeezy brand and its partnership with Adidas. Yeezy separately owns its own 100% Yeezy clothing line, but collects a royalty on sales reportedly north of $ 1.5 billion a year.

Kylie Jenner is no longer a billionaire and has literally never been based on lies about Kylie Cosmetics finances

Kylie Jenner's equity has been downgraded to $ 700 million. When Kylie sold Kylie Cosmetics to Coty, even we had to accept the idea that she was a billionaire. But recent reports have revealed that the numbers reported by Kylie and Kris Jenner were fabricated, inflated, false, a lie. That, coupled with a significant drop in Coty's shares after the purchase of Kylie Cosmetics, deprived her of her billionaire status.