Early this week, magazine publication Forbes released its annual list of the year’s Highest Paid Entertainers. For its 2017 edition, the well-established magazine enlisted mega R&B star The Weeknd to pose on the cover, alongside the title, “Streaming Grows Up.”
On this year’s list, there were a number of newcomers and notable names. Starting with the cover star, The Weeknd, who made the Top 10 for the very first time, raking in $93 million and taking the number 6 spot. In contrast to The Weeknd’s rise to the Top 10 rankings, singer Taylor Swift took a notable tumble from her rankings last year. As you may recall, Taylor dominated at the top of Forbes list in 2016. However, this year she dropped to number 49 with a 74% decrease in income from last year (going from $170 million in 2016 to $44 million in 2017). With that being said, Taylor has done very few performances and cheque-paying appearances this year, therefore even $44 million is quite the enviable feat for the 1989 artist.
So what entertainer took the top spot in 2017? None other than Sean “Diddy” Combs, who garnered over $130 million in income this year. The star was able to reign supreme on Forbes list, as he has kept busy with his Ciroc vodka line, his Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, as well as selling a third of his Sean John clothing line (for an estimated $70 million). Not surprisingly, Lemonade songstress Beyoncé took the number 2 spot, bringing in about $105 million.
Another star who is getting ample attention for earning a spot on the list is makeup mogul/reality starlet Kylie Jenner. 2017 marks the first time that the young beauty has made it on Forbes’ list, making her the youngest entertainer to earn herself a spot. For her first appearance on the Highest Paid Entertainers rankings, Kylie landed herself the impressive 59th spot. However, she still has some work to do before she overtakes her older sister, Kim Kardashian, who ranked 47th on this year’s list.
As much as it pains me to report, we will not be seeing TV legend Oprah Winfrey in the Oval Office. A few months back, there were rumors swirling that the former daily TV show host was contemplating running for office. However, while doing an interview on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast, the 63-year-old legend assured listeners that she has no intention to pursue a career in politics.
While promoting her HBO movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Oprah told the podcast host that her not running for office was “a pretty definite thing.” The interviewer went on to ask the star if she believed she could beat Donald Trump if he were to run for a second term as president (if he is to make it that far). Oprah replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that, but I’ll never have to know the answer to that, because I will never run for public office.”
While Oprah talked quite a bit about the speculation surrounding her running for office, she also discussed her [relatively] newfound acting career. Winfrey gushed, “I love this acting thing. I find that it opens me up and stimulates me in a way that absolutely nothing else does, because you get to not just read about a character – you actually get to explore the nature of another human being. So that’s really fascinating. But I haven’t had the training. You know, you just get better with stuff when you do it, whether you’re sweeping a floor or playing basketball or learning to play pool or Scrabble. Whatever you do and you do more of it, you get better at it. How many films have I done? Five? Six, including The Color Purple. Every time I do it there’s a level of anxiety and fear I have to wrestle with for myself.”
Oprah’s latest HBO project (which is a biographical drama), The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is now available for viewing.
Kim Kardashian West takes her status as a role model seriously and says part of that is owning up to her past mistakes and not letting online hatred distract her from her goals.
The reality show star spoke to media outlets Tuesday before taking the stage as one of the keynote speakers at the annual Forbes Women’s Summit. Her wide-ranging conversations touched on how hurtful comments affect her, her still-growing brand, how the robbery in Paris has changed her life and husband Kanye West‘s photographic ability, or lack thereof.
Kardashian West told the AP she is aware of her detractors, but said she has a bigger message of positivity to share.
“I obviously have made my fair share of mistakes like everyone else, but I hope to never repeat those mistakes, and just learn from what I’ve done,” she said. “So if people, or young girls, or kids can look up to just someone that works really hard, and focuses on really what I want, and makes that happen, then you know I hope that inspires them.”
Earlier in the day, Kardashian West added to that brand as announced the launch of her beauty line KKW. Forbes just released its 2017 list ranking the world’s highest-paid celebrities, and Kardashian came in at number 47 with $45.5 million.
Kardashian West has a combined 180 million followers on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and has mastered each platform for maximum exposure for her overall brand, something she attributes to a simple rule.
“The most important thing is being authentic, and listening,” she said.
With that many followers, Kardashian West said she knows there’s going to be a certain level of negative comments, which of course bother her.
“Absolutely it affects me… there could be one or two negative comments that really do affect you, and get to you,” she said. “You know I’m human just like everyone else. Like things do hurt my feelings, but I think that I do have a really thick skin.”
She is more concerned that people, young and old, are victims of the same online bullying tactics.
“They have this keyboard courage that no one will see them, and they will just write whatever and hurt your feelings,” she said. “I know I can handle it, but I just fear for – I do see why young kids and people and teenagers, even get … so hurt and bothered. That is what really bothers me.”
In some instances, Kardashian West has turned the online hatred into fuel for her posts. She responded to the backlash of her appearing on the cover of Forbes magazine last year with a self-deprecating tweet.
“We’ve built this brand, and I’m so proud of it,” she said. “For everyone saying I have no talent, you know, I think I wrote, ‘Not bad for a girl with no talent.'”
She credited her father, Robert Kardashian, with building bonds that allows her to draw strength from her family to deal with online negativity.
“We’ve always been a close family, but I think with everything that we go through, I think it brings us closer and closer,” she said. “We’re the only ones that really understand what it’s like. You can report about it, you can talk about, but no one has really been through it, unless you are going through it with us. And luckily, we have each other. I don’t know where most of us would be if we didn’t have each other to vent to, to lean on, so I think we’ve been really blessed with a big family that all have the same core values.”
“Keeping Up With the Kardashians” has exposed the private side of family struggles into the public forum, including her former brother-in-law Lamar Odom‘s addiction struggles, her brother Rob’s issues with weight and depression, and sister Kourtney’s tenuous relationship with Scott Disick. Then there’s family tension after revelations in Caitlyn Jenner’s book, where Kim came to her mother Kris Jenner‘s defense.
No struggle has shaken Kardashian West more than last year’s Paris robbery where she was held at gunpoint. Thieves got away with more than $10 million dollars in jewelry after learning of her moves on social media. She admits that experience changed her life. Now she doesn’t post pictures until she’s returned from the event.
She hasn’t necessarily transferred her social media acumen to her husband, rapper Kanye West.
She joked with Forbes Media CEO Steve Forbes during his onstage interview that she tried to enlist West to help take photos of their recent trip to Japan to share online.
“It was such a mess,” she said. “He was just not the best photographer.”