Oprah Winfrey’s TV empire may be crumbling but for the meantime she is still the world’s highest paid celebrity for the fourth consecutive year. Forbes magazine recently released figures revealing the talk show titan earned $205 million from May 2011 to May 2012 – down from $360 million the previous year.
The reason for Oprah’s $155 million paycut is said to be due to shortfalls from her OWN network, which has had serious teething problems since its launch – although her syndicated shows such as Dr Phil and Rachael Ray have maintained a lot of her income. While Oprah has been streets ahead of her nearest rivals in the past, the gap at the top is closing. Transformers director Michael Bay is now just $6 million behind her and fellow director Steven Spielberg is in third place, earning $162 million.
Forbes’ top ten celebrity earners:
Oprah Winfrey, TV mogul: $205 million
Michael Bay, director: $199 million
Steven Spielberg, director: $162 million
Jerry Bruckheimer, producer: $143 million
Dr Dre, rapper and headphone manufacturer: $137 million
Tyler Perry, actor and producer: $130 million
Howard Stern, radio and TV personality: $118 million
James Patterson, author: $117 million
George Lucas, producer: $112 million
Simon Cowell, producer and TV personality: $112 million
