Rihanna returns and Usain Bolt debuts on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list
NEW YORK, United States, Wednesday July 3, 2013 – It’s that time of year again when Forbes magazine shifts its focus slightly away from net worth towards overall fame with its annual Celebrity 100 list.
While celebrity earnings over the last 12 months are factored into the equation, Forbes also tallies how often each celebrity is mentioned in print and on TV, and gauges the strength of their Internet presence and how they’re viewed by consumers.
The resulting list this year saw Barbadian superstar Rihanna return to the rankings in 13th place while Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt made his debut on the list at number 48.
The “We Found Love” girl took home US$43 million last year, but shone brighter than most celebrities for her press and social media rankings, at number one and two, respectively.
The overall ranking was nevertheless a marked drop for Rihanna who last year was named by Forbes as the fourth most powerful celebrity of 2012, with earnings of US$53 million between May 2011 and May 2012.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s “lightning” Bolt made his debut on the list this year with US$24 million, making him among the top 40 highest paid athletes in the world.
The world’s fastest man, who acquired legendary status as the “double-triple” Olympic medallist, earns little in prize money, but cashes-in through endorsements, appearance fees and sponsor bonuses for record race times.
Heading this year’s list, Oprah Winfrey returned to the top of Forbes’ annual Celebrity 100 ranking after two years in second place.
The media mogul led a female-dominated top 10 that also comprised Lady Gaga (second), Beyonce (fourth), Madonna (fifth), Taylor Swift (sixth) and Ellen DeGeneres (10th).
Winfrey made an estimated US$77 million between June 2012 and June 2013, down from last year’s US$165 million. While she wasn’t the highest earner on Forbes’ list, her money mixed with fame scored in metrics like press mentions and social networking power to push her to the top spot.
The four men who made it to the top 10 were director Steven Spielberg (third), rock band Bon Jovi (seventh), tennis player Roger Federer (eighth), and pop star Justin Bieber (ninth).
This year Forbes added a marketability score for each celebrity, based on opinion polling over 40 different attributes for 6,600 different celebrities. Will Smith, Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock emerged the most marketable celebrities on that list.
Last year’s overall winner, Puerto Rico-born Jennifer Lopez, fell to 12th place on the 2013 list. With American Idol behind her, Lopez didn’t carry the same buzz as a year ago, but still managed to pull in US$45 million from a major concert tour and endorsement work.