She's #1 her fourth year in a row and he's the only rapper to grace this years list! Guess Who?
CHECK OUT 2012'S HIGHEST PAID CELEBRITY LIST FROM FORBES!
1. Oprah Winfrey
$165 million
The media mogul's earnings fell by a staggering $125 million from last year. However, even with the drop, she remains the highest earner on the list.
2. Michael Bay
$160 million
Bay nabs the title of top-earning director this year thanks to Transformers:Dark of the Moon. The 3-D film brought in $1.1 billion at the box office.
3. Steven Spielberg
$130 million
Spielberg's DreamWorks moved into television in a big way this year with four new shows, Falling Skies, The River, Terra Nova and Smash.
4. Jerry Bruckheimer
$115 million
Bruckheimer's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was one of the highest-grossing films of 2011, bringing in $1 billion at the global box office.
5. Dr. Dre
$110 million
The only rapper on the list, but this super-producer's latest hit isn't a song, but rather a line of headphones. In August handset maker HTC paid $300 million for a 51% stake in Beats by Dr. Dre, the headphone company he co-founded with Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine in 2006.
6. Tyler Perry
$105 million
Perry continues to be a busy, well-paid director/producer/writer/actor.
7. Howard Stern
$95 million
The syndicated satellite radio host's new role as a judge on America's Got Talent gives him some extra visibility, along with a reported $15 million a year.
8. James Patterson
$94 million
There's a reason Patterson's earnings just keep going up: Every year, he seems to write more books. In 2011, he released 14 titles, a group that includes adult thrillers and fantasy/sci-fi novels aimed at younger readers.
9. George Lucas
$90 million
Thanks to the massive success of the Star Wars franchise.
10. Simon Cowell
$90 million
Hits like American Idol and The X Factor (U.S. & U.K.)
11. Glenn Beck
$80 million
Who needs Fox News? Beck is his own network now. GBTV, his Internet-only video channel, already has more than 300,000 subscribers, making it the biggest component of his fast-growing multimedia empire, Mercury Radio Arts.
12. Elton John
$80 million
The 65-year-old pop-rocker is still going strong with over 100 shows in the past 12 months, including a lengthy Las Vegas stint. His animated film Gnomeo and Juliet brought in $200 million at the box office.
13. Tom Cruise
$75 million
Thanks to Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , Cruise landed in the Top 10 of our Celebrity 100 this year.
14. Dick Wolf
$70 million
Law & Order's creator hasn't suffered in the earnings department despite the original detective drama going off air after 20 seasons in 2010.
15. Rush Limbaugh
$69 million
Think Limbaugh is mellowing after 40 years on the radio? Fat chance.
16. Manny Pacquiao
$67 million
Pacquiao has become a pay-per-view stud, with five fights each generating at least one million PPV buys during the past four years. He has expanded his endorsement reach by signing deals with Monster Energy and Hennessy. His longtime partners include Nike and Hewlett-Packard.
17. Dr. Phil McGraw
$64 million
Despite ranking 17th on Forbes list of the highest-paid celebrities, Dr. Phil failed to make the cut for our Celebrity 100 this year. That's because in the "personality" category, he was pushed off by more famous folks like Kim Kardashian.
18. Donald Trump
$63 million
The Apprentice, now in its twelfth season, once again helped keep The Donald relevant while raking in extra cash. The real estate mogul also reaps millions from his books, speaking engagements, pageants, and ever-expanding portfolio of products.
19. Ryan Seacrest
$59 million
After signing on to host American Idol for at least two more years, Seacrest also recently inked a new deal with Comcast that extends his presence within the company from E! to NBC, where he'll cover news, sports and entertainment. Seacrest also produces TV shows like the Keeping up with the Kardashians franchise and his latest, Shahs of Sunset, about Iranian-Americans in Beverly Hills. Seacrest also endorses brands like Bing and Coca-Cola.
20. Britney Spears
$58 million
Conspicuously absent from our 2011 list due to limited touring, Britney blasts back into the top 20 this year with over 75 shows in the past 12 months. She also earns millions from endorsements and a fragrance line with Elizabeth Arden.
21. Tiger Woods
$58 million
Tiger Woods broke a 30-month winless streak on the PGA Tour when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
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