Beyoncé Knowles (No. 1) topped Forbes’ 15th annual Celebrity 100 ranking of the world’s most powerful celebrities for the first time since she debuted on the list in 2004. LeBron James (No. 2), the NBA’s top player, who just opted out of his contract with the Miami Heat to explore other options, moved up to No. 2 from the 16th spot last year. Dr. Dre (No. 3), who moved up from the 63rd spot, earned $620 million in 2014, which is more money earned in the past 12 months than any other celebrity in the history of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. Oprah Winfrey (No. 4) fell to fourth place from the top spot last year, primarily because the three people ranked above her on this year’s list currently have more influence and power. Despite Oprah’s decline in rank, her OWN cable network became cash-flow positive in 2013, and she was instrumental in making Lee Daniels’ The Butler a success. Ellen DeGeneres (No. 5) is a returnee to the list, and moved up from the tenth spot, rounding out the top five.
This year, once again, musicians ranked high on the list. Musicians can earn a lot of money when they go on tour and are successful in using social media to leverage their brand, which is an important part of Forbes’ fame metric. Thirteen of the top 25 on the list were musicians, including Beyoncé Knowles (No. 1), Dr. Dre (No. 3), Jay Z (No. 6), Rihanna (No. 8), Katy Perry (No. 9), Bon Jovi (No. 13), Bruno Mars (No. 13), Miley Cyrus (No. 17), Taylor Swift (No. 18), Lady Gaga (No. 19), Kanye West (No. 20), Calvin Harris (No. 21), and Bruce Springsteen (No. 25).
Notable newcomers to the 2014 list include musicians Bruno Mars (No. 13), One Direction (No. 28), Pharrell Williams (No. 38), Avicii (No. 47); actors Bradley Cooper (No. 48), Matthew McConaughey (No. 52), Vin Diesel (No. 66); television actors Jon Hamm (No. 89), Bryan Cranston (No. 88), Kevin Spacey (No. 74); personality Jimmy Fallon (No. 45); actresses Amy Adams (No. 81), Natalie Portman (No. 100); television actresses Kerry Washington (No. 93), Kaley Cuoco (No. 99); athlete Kevin Durant (No. 33); model Kate Upton (No. 94); and author Veronica Roth (No. 95).
Among the drop-offs this year are Madonna, Carrie Underwood, Coldplay, Jerry Bruckheimer, Charlize Theron, Kenny Chesney, David Beckham, Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Brady, Mila Kunis, Tom Cruise, Danica Patrick, Tina Fey, Donald Trump, Rachael Ray, Amy Poehler, Alec Baldwin, David Letterman, Kristin Stewart, Louis C.K., and Adam Sandler.
The Top Ten includes five women and seven African-Americans:
1. Beyoncé Knowles,
$115 million
2. LeBron James,
$72 million
3. Dr. Dre, $620 million
4. Oprah Winfrey,
$82 million
5. Ellen DeGeneres,
$70 million
6. Jay Z, $60 million
7. Floyd Mayweather,
$105 million
8. Rihanna, $48 million
9. Katy Perry, $40 million
10. Robert Downey Jr.,
$75 million
The Celebrity 100 measures money and fame, which includes estimated earnings over the last 12 months, to compile a ranking of the most powerful celebrities from the worlds of movies, television, music, sports, books, and modeling. Our press number is a count of how many times each celebrity was mentioned in print, on TV, and radio. We also use a score from StarCount, which measures social media power over 11 platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. This year, in addition to ranking media and social networking power, we’ve added an impact score to measure how each celebrity is influencing the entertainment industry and the overall culture. Earnings consist of pretax income between June 1, 2013 and June 1, 2014. Management, agent and attorney fees are not deducted.
For the complete list, related features, and more, visit: www.forbes.com/celebrities.
Beyoncé Knowles (No. 1) topped Forbes’ 15th annual Celebrity 100 ranking of the world’s most powerful celebrities for the first time since she debuted on the list in 2004. LeBron James (No. 2), the NBA’s top player, who just opted out of his contract with the Miami Heat to explore other options, moved up to No. 2 from the 16th spot last year. Dr. Dre (No. 3), who moved up from the 63rd spot, earned $620 million in 2014, which is more money earned in the past 12 months than any other celebrity in the history of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. Oprah Winfrey (No. 4) fell to fourth place from the top spot last year, primarily because the three people ranked above her on this year’s list currently have more influence and power. Despite Oprah’s decline in rank, her OWN cable network became cash-flow positive in 2013, and she was instrumental in making Lee Daniels’ The Butler a success. Ellen DeGeneres (No. 5) is a returnee to the list, and moved up from the tenth spot, rounding out the top five.
