Oprah Winfrey has topped the Forbes List for celebrity wages, reports Reuters. She secures the top spot despite recent failings.
In spite of wrapping up her world-famous talk show last year, and the muted success of her television network, Own, Winfrey was named the highest-earning celebrity by the financial website, Forbes.com yesterday. Still raking in the money for the 58-year old are shows Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray and The Dr. Oz Show. There's also her magazine, O, and her satellite radio station. These enterprises have enabled her to earn a whopping (and estimated) $165 million between May 2011 and May 2012. Winfrey is a keen philanthropist, having given a great deal of time and money to combat Aids and poverty in South Africa, as well as being active in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, helping to raise $11 million for the cause.
Film director Michael Bay joins Winfrey on the list. His blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon enabled him to clean up $160m, with a hefty amount being procured from merchandise sales from the franchise. The release of the movies The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse means fellow film director Stephen Spielberg also makes the list. The E.T creator earned $130m, and was aided by his role in the TV show, Smash. Another director, Jerry Bruckheimer, placed 4th, with Dr Dre coming in at 5th; his Beats headphone franchise a huge factor in his inclusion.
The rest of the list looks something like this:
Actor and producer Tyler Perry, $105 million
Radio and TV personality Howard Stern, $95 million
Author James Patterson, $94 million
Movie producer George Lucas, $90 million
Music producer and TV personality, Simon Cowell, $90 million