The Forbes Celebrity 100: The Richest and the Most Entrepreneurial


Lady Gaga - The Celebrity 100


Note: This is the In Brief item I wrote for the June 6  issue of Forbes featuring the 100 top-earning celebrities and the rise of Hollywood’s entrepreneurial elite.

“Welcome to Hollywood. What’s your dream? Some dreams come true, some don’t. But keep on dreamin.’”
Those lyrical lines from “Pretty Woman,” the hit movie about a corporate raider and a hooker with a heart of gold, resonated with me back then and remain stuck in my brain to this day. I wasn’t after the Hollywood dream. Mine was the entrepreneur’s dream — to start a company.
Many of today’s fresh-faced celebrities have that dream, too. Some are living it. That’s why this year’s Celebrity 100 issue, our 13th annual ranking of the most powerful stars, focuses on the rise of Hollywood’s entrepreneurial elite.
My involvement with this FORBES list goes back to my first stint here. Forbes had long tracked the wealth of entertainers. I proposed to Tim Forbes that we add athletes, authors and all the “models, actresses, whatevers” to a new list. The Celebrity 100 was born.
The first cover, back in 1999, featured the unlikely pairing of Jerry Seinfeld, who was raking in syndication money, and Puff Daddy (now Diddy, but first Sean Combs), whose business acumen perhaps led the way for Jay-Z (“I’m a Business, Man”), who last fall appeared with Warren Buffett on the cover of the FORBES 400 issue of the richest Americans.
Our Celebrity 100 Power Ranking is based on an algorithm that includes earnings, press clippings, magazine covers and TV/Radio mentions. In a world of social media, we’ve added Twitter followers and Facebook fans to the mix.
Bethenny Frankel is truly a member of Hollywood’s entrepreneurial elite. She’s turned her Reality TV fame into a big business with the recent sale of her Skinnygirl drinks to Fortune Brands for $100 million. Her ultimate goal? Billionaire stardom, of course. For now, she debuts at No. 43 on our list.
“What’s the point of being on TV,” asks Frankel, “if you don’t have something to sell?” Now that’s a line likely to set off a flurry of celebrity phone calls, emails and Twitter messages to agents, managers and attorneys across the entertainment universe.
A Celebrity 100 issue like this needs a party. So, we’re having one — with awards, too. On June 8 in Los Angeles, FORBES will host the Entrepreneur Behind the Icon event.
So, “what’s your dream?”

Aventura Net Worth

How much money is Aventura worth?

Net Worth: $5 Million

Aventura is an American-based music group, known for albums including Generation Next, We Broke the Rules and God's Project.

Davey Havok Net Worth

How much money is Davey Havok worth?

Net Worth: $18 Million

Davey Havok is an American singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of alternative rock band AFI, known for albums such as Sing the Sorrow and Decemberunderground.

Tinchy Stryder Net Worth

How much money is Tinchy Stryder worth?

Net Worth: $4 Million

Tinchy Stryder is a British rapper and producer, known for albums including Catch 22, Star in the Hood and Third Strike.

Jae Millz Net Worth

How much money is Jae Millz worth?

Net Worth: $2 Million

Jae Millz is an American rapper, signed with Young Money Entertainment and known for his debut album entitled We Are Young Money.

Kurupt Net Worth

How much money is Kurupt worth?

Net Worth: $15 Million

Kurupt is an American rapper, known as a member of the rap group Tha Dogg Pound, and for solo albums including Kuruption!, Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha and Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey.

Jensen Ackles Net Worth

How much money is Jensen Ackles worth?

Net Worth: $5 Million

Jensen Ackles is an American actor, featured on the television series Supernatural, Smallville and on the soap opera Days of our Lives.