George Clooney made more money last year than any actor across a 12-month period – thanks in part to the sale of the tequila company he co-founded.
Forbes estimates the 57-year-old star made $239m (£180m) in pre-tax earnings in the year beginning 1 June 2017.
That puts him second in its annual list of the world’s best-paid celebrities, a place behind boxer Floyd Mayweather.
Kylie Jenner is placed third in the Celebrity 100 countdown, having made an estimated $166.5m (£125.5m) last year.
Earlier this month Forbes said the social media star was on track to become “the youngest-ever self-made billionaire”.
U2, and British acts Coldplay and Ed Sheeran are also included in a top 10 alongside global football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Celebrity 100 list ranks “front of the camera” stars around the globe using their estimated pre-tax earnings from 1 June 2017 to 1 June 2018.
Of the 100 top-earning celebrities, just 15 were women – down one compared with last year’s list.
Times are pretty good for those who made it to this year’s list: the world’s 100 top-earning celebrities pulled in a combined $6.3bn (£4.8bn) over the past 12 months – up 22% from last year.
Eleven superstars now cross the $100m (£75.6m) threshold – more than double the number from the last two years combined.
Social media key to ‘ungodly’ sums of money
Many of this year’s best-paid celebrities have monetised their strong social media presence, and in doing so, have shot up the rankings of the top 100.
Speaking to BBC News, Zack Greenburg, Forbes senior editor of media and entertainment said: “Two of the biggest stories in entertainment this year are Kylie Jenner and The Rock, who have used their massive followings to make an ungodly amount of money.
“In Kylie’s case, she’s used it to make a business; and in Dwayne Johnson’s, he takes his followers from film to film. It makes them an incredibly attractive prospect.
“They both have among the top 10 social media followings in the world, and it’s no accident that they’re in the top five on this list.”
Similarly, Kim Kardashian West jumped from number 47 in last year’s list to 30 this year – helped in no small part by the launch of her own cosmetics brand, KKW Beauty, in June 2017.
“Social media does play a massive part, but it’s not the be-all and end-all,” added Greenburg. “George Clooney does almost no social media and he’s number two on the list.”
Source: BBC
