Let’s do a thought experiment: Think of who you might peg as the highest-paid celebrity on the planet. Definitely Beyoncé, maybe a Kardashian, Jenner or both. But ’90s rappers that no one has thought about in years like Diddy? Uh, no way.
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Apparently, Forbes didn’t get that message. Forbes‘ Celebrity 100 is out, and topping the list of celebrities who made bank in 2016 is one no one saw coming: Diddy. Yes, this is real.
“I ain’t foolin’ around…I’m building assets,” Diddy told Forbes back in 1999, which was, coincidentally, the last time he was relevant. It turns out Diddy nabbed the top spot on a technicality. According to Forbes, he made $130 million pre-tax, but an estimated $70 million (more than half of that income) comes from the 2017 sale of his clothing line, Sean John. Without that sale, he’d come in at $60 million, enough to land him somewhere around the middle of the Top 100. Predictably, Beyoncé comes in at No. 2, with $105 million in revenue thanks to her Formation World Tour and the release of Lemonade, but it’s still wild to think that someone who’s been enjoying such prominent success as she did in 2016 is second banana to a low-key power player.
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In third place this year was Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who saw buckets of profits from the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Drake came in fourth place and Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo rounded out the top five.
What’s a little surprising and very disappointing about the list is that out of the top 100, only 16 are women. Even more disheartening is the fact that not a single actress was named — not counting reality stars like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian.
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Considering how many badass ladies there are in Hollywood, I definitely think they deserve a lot more than 16 spots on a list of 100. How about half? Can we get equal representation on the Forbes 100 list please? That should be the goal for next year: 50 women in the 100 highest-paid celebs. Let’s get to work.
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