The Best-Paid Celebs Under 30
From Beyonce to Taylor Swift, these young stars collectively banked $410 million in the last year.
By: Lacey Rose, Forbes.com
WireImage
In addition to topping charts, winning matches and luring fans, the top 12 highest-earning celebrities under 30 collectively pulled in $410 million over the last year. With an average age of 23, the cadre of talented--and rich--upstarts consists of athletes, singers, actors and 'tween machines.
In the top spot: Beyoncé Knowles, who earned nearly double the second top-earner on the list. The Queen B raked in an estimated $87 million between June 1, 2008 and June 1, 2009, thanks to a diversified portfolio of music, film, fashion and lucrative endorsement deals.
The 27-year-old songstress turned actress turned global brand found time to release a double album (I Am ... Sasha Fierce), star in two films (Cadillac Records and Obsessed), perform at both the Academy Awards and a presidential inaugural ball and embark on a 110-date international tour. She also added Crystal Geyser and Nintendo ( NTDOY.PK - news - people ) DSi to a lengthy list of endorsement deals that already included American Express ( AXP - news - people ), L'Oreal and Samantha Thavasa handbags.
Though Kimi Raikkonen's days as a 20-something are numbered--he turns 30 in October--his earning potential shows no sign of slowing. While Formula 1 racing's highest-paid driver failed to win the title in last year's world championship standings (he placed third), he still managed to pull down an estimated $45 million during the 12-month period. Ferrari announced a one-year extension in September, so the Iceman will remain behind the wheel for the Ferrari team through the 2010 F1 season.
Rounding out the top three is 24-year-old NBA superstar LeBron James. Though he failed to take his Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA finals, he managed to lead the team to the best record in the league--the feat garnered King James this year's NBA Most Valuable Player award.
Still more impressive: James banked $40 million over the course of the year, thanks to a lucrative salary padded by a slew of endorsement deals with companies like Nike ( NKE - news - people ), Upper Deck, State Farm Insurance and VitaminWater.
Also registering among the best paid: tween sensations Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas and their Disney Channel pal, Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus. Both Cyrus and the Jonas brothers earned $25 million care of a similarly young and ever-loyal audience willing to shell out for their music, television, films and merchandise galore.
In fact, the 16-year-old Queen of 'Tween sold 4 million albums, generated $86 million at movie theaters and shot 30 more episodes of her beloved Disney sitcom during the 12-month period. The brothers Jonas, 16, 19, 21, grabbed starring roles on the big screen (Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience) and the small (Disney Channel's JONAS), dropped a top-selling album (A Little Bit Longer) and toured relentlessly (Burning Up).
2009-07-08 13:30:41
COMMENTS ( 64 )
Rljbc
7:14AM Jul 27 2009
you realize these performers and entertainers are paid because people like you and I spend money to buy their stuff, if no one like Hannah Montana or the Jonas Brothers, they wouldn't be pulling in millions of dollars,so be mad at yourself (or your friends who buy their items) for their earnings.
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Sineadbolton
10:14PM Jul 9 2009
to hannahsmine, like it or not they did earn that money!!!
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Sganat
6:53PM Jul 9 2009
It is great that these young people are able to make a lot of money; however, I would like to see them donate a little more (if they even do at all?) to charities and worthwhile causes. I agree with TRiehl49 that entertainers and athletes are well overpaid. I'd like to see our teachers, firefighters and police officers make those kind of 6-digit salaries!!
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laymo84
5:21PM Jul 9 2009
This situation has nothing to do with studying harder and everything to do with how much these "illegals" are being paid. Companies hire these people because they are "cheap" labor. They will work for less than what American citizens will. So, companies hire them and pretend not to notice they're illegal immigrants. It has everything to do with cutting costs and reducing overhead.
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TRiehl49
3:17PM Jul 9 2009
There are 3 areas of our economically distressed country where people are still overvalued and overpaid. They are professioal athletes, CEO's, and entertainers. Why is this? Shouldn't they have to receive less like the 99% of the rest of us do? I, for one, as much as I enjoy sports, music, etc. will not support their outlandish pay. The CEO's can be hung from the town square for all I care. But I will never again buy a CD, a ticket to a professioanl sporting event, or anything else where they receive a profit from. Maybe it is time for a modern day revolution.
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