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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Forbes: Oprah Tops List Of Entertainment's Highest-Paid Women


But Her Reign May Soon End

Although she’s no longer on syndicated TV, Oprah Winfrey still seems to be everywhere. She’s got three shows on her still struggling OWN Network, her face still graces the cover of every O magazine and she recently appeared on the cover of our Forbes 400 issue.

Now she tops Forbes’  list of Hollywood’s Highest-Paid Women. Winfrey earned an estimated $165 million between May 2011 and May 2012, according to a story by Dorothy Pomerantz at forbes.com.

Her net worth, which we peg at $2.7 billion, will keep her on Forbes' 400 list for years to come, but this might be one of the last years she tops our highest-paid women list. Winfrey was still earning money from her syndicated show during the time frame we used for this list, but she shut it down in May 2011 (reruns went through the summer). She has yet to take a salary at OWN, so her sources of revenue are now the shows she produces through her Harpo production company (like Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray), her satellite radio station and her magazine.


But don’t cry for Winfrey — even though she’ll earn less than $165 million next year, she’ll still pull in enough to keep her on the list, even if she’s not at the top.

Her nearest competitor this year is Britney Spears, who earned an estimated $58 million between May 2011 and May 2012, $107 million less than Winfrey. Television and music were the best ways for women to make our highest-paid list this year and Spears works in both mediums. As the newest judge on The X Factor, Spears is earning praise for her tough criticism of early contestants but she hasn’t helped the ratings. The show’s premiere episode earlier this month was down 32% from last year’s.

Rounding out the Top 5:  Taylor Swift checks in at #3 with Rihanna and Ellen Degeneres tied at #4.

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