Oprah Winfrey topped Forbes’ 2023 ranking of the richest female celebrities in America, with an estimated fortune of $2.5 billion. Forbes put the 15 celebrity members of its America’s Richest Self-Made Women list at a combined $10.8 billion. These are historical estimates published June 1, 2023—not current net worth figures.
Forbes’ 15 richest female celebrities in 2023
Forbes’ published order and estimates are shown below. The figures are Forbes’ estimates, not audited personal balance sheets; the source’s valuation date and approach are explained below.
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| Rank | Celebrity | Estimated net worth | What Forbes identified as a major wealth source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oprah Winfrey | $2.5 billion | Media work and a substantial real-estate portfolio, including properties in Hawaii, California and Wyoming. |
| 2 | Rihanna | $1.4 billion | Forbes attributed most of her fortune to Fenty Beauty, co-owned with LVMH, and estimated that she held a 30% stake in Savage X Fenty. Her Super Bowl halftime show was reported to have drawn 121 million viewers. |
| 3 | Kim Kardashian | $1.2 billion | Forbes estimated that her largest asset was a 35% stake in Skims. A lower valuation of the brand reduced the estimate of her fortune by $600 million. |
| 4 | Taylor Swift | $740 million | Forbes attributed a $170 million year-over-year increase to the Midnights album and the Eras tour. The article noted that more than 2 million tickets were sold on one Ticketmaster day. |
| 5 | Kylie Jenner | $680 million | Forbes estimated that she owned 44.1% of Kylie Cosmetics after selling a 51% stake to Coty for $600 million in 2020. |
| 6 | Madonna | $580 million | Her wealth reflected a four-decade music career; Forbes also discussed her then-planned Celebration tour. |
| 7 | Beyoncé Knowles | $540 million | Forbes cited the Renaissance tour and Ivy Park clothing line, as well as the reported $200 million purchase of a Malibu home with Jay-Z. |
| 8 | Celine Dion | $480 million | Forbes said Las Vegas residency earnings accounted for most of her fortune. It also noted that her disclosed neurological disorder had affected her singing plans. |
| 9 | Judy Sheindlin | $480 million | After Judge Judy, she moved to Amazon Freevee’s Judy Justice and expanded with Tribunal Justice and Justice on Trial. |
| 10 | Dolly Parton | $440 million | Forbes identified Dollywood as her main wealth source and also noted television specials, a novel written with James Patterson, books, baked goods and pet products. |
| 11 | Reese Witherspoon | $440 million | She executive-produced series including Daisy Jones & the Six and Tiny Beautiful Things, starred in The Morning Show, and retained at least 18% of Hello Sunshine after its purchase by Candle Media. |
| 12 | Barbra Streisand | $430 million | Forbes linked her wealth to a lifetime of performing and noted the release of Barbra Streisand Live at the Bon Soir and her then-forthcoming memoir, My Name is Barbra. |
| 13 | Ellen DeGeneres | $380 million | After her daytime show ended, she bought and sold multiple properties, including a Carpinteria estate for $70 million. |
| 14 | Serena Williams | $290 million | Forbes cited nearly $95 million in career prize money, endorsements, Serena Ventures, a production company and Will Perform muscle-care products. |
| 15 | Shonda Rhimes | $250 million | Her work includes Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte. Forbes reported a Netflix deal worth $100 million or more and said her shows had brought more than $2 billion to ABC parent company Disney. |
How Forbes calculated the estimates
Forbes’ 2023 methodology used stock prices from May 12, 2023, to value public-company stakes. For private businesses, it consulted outside experts and compared the companies conservatively with public companies. Forbes also said it attempted to vet estimates with list entrants. The resulting figures combine estimates of assets and business interests; they should not be read as cash holdings.
The underlying list was America’s Richest Self-Made Women, not a ranking limited to entertainers. For the 2023 list, the threshold was $225 million. Forbes’ eligibility rules required that fortunes be made substantially in the United States and/or that entrants be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Its methodology said none of the women inherited their wealth. Celine Dion, who was born in Canada, appeared under that U.S.-oriented eligibility framework.
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What the ranking shows about celebrity wealth
Fame alone does not explain the order. The fortunes in this list came from different kinds of assets and business activity: media careers and property, music and touring, consumer brands, television production, sport and entertainment businesses. Several estimates depended in part on private-company stakes or property valuations, which can change as business valuations, markets and real-estate conditions shift.
Ownership is an important distinction. A celebrity’s business may be a major source of wealth, but the estimated value of a stake is not the same as the company’s total value or the owner’s annual income. The Skims, Fenty Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics and Hello Sunshine estimates illustrate why ownership percentages and company valuations matter when comparing fortunes.
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Forbes’ 2023 feature framed the broader shift this way: “Women celebrities are making history, and along the way taking control of their fame and fortune.” In a quote reported by Forbes, Shonda Rhimes said in 2021: “I never worried that I deserve the money. I deserve every penny I make.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read these figures today
Use this ranking as a dated snapshot of Forbes’ estimates, not as a live leaderboard. Its public-company valuations use a May 12, 2023 stock-price cutoff, and private-business and real-estate estimates can move over time. The figures are useful for comparing the scale and sources of the fortunes Forbes estimated in 2023, but they do not establish what each person is worth in 2026.
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