Oprah Winfrey's Annual Earnings Drop by $125 Million, Says Forbes
The TV mogul tops the magazine's highest-paid celebrities list for a fourth time, but her reign is in danger of coming to an end.
Oprah Winfrey's annual earnings fell by a whopping $125 million last year, according to Forbes.
The media mogul earned an estimated $165 million between May 2011 and May 2012, down from $290 million a year earlier.
PHOTOS: Hollywood's Top Earners
She still ranked atop Forbes' list of highest-paid celebrities -- which was released Monday -- for a fourth consecutive year. Although her syndicated talk show ended last year, Winfrey's Harpo Productions is behind Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray and The Dr. Oz Show; she also oversees the O magazine, a satellite radio station and her struggling cable network OWN.
But next year, Forbes said, it won't be including any of Winfrey's syndication money, meaning she could lose her No. 1 spot.
Additionally, she beat director Michael Bay by only $5 million. The filmmaker, estimated to have earned $160 million, came in at No. 2 thanks to the success Transformers: Dark of the Moon and related toys, of which he takes part of the profits. He's also not expected to make as much money next year, with only the relatively low-budget movie Pain & Gain on the horizon.
VIDEO: The 5 Best Clips From 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'
Coming in at No. 3 was Steven Spielberg, estimated to have made $130 million thanks to residuals from his classic films, his cut of ticket sales at Universal Studios amusement park, his DreamWorks earnings and his fees for directing.
Jerry Bruckheimer, whose Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides brought in $1 billion at the worldwide box office, came in fourth with $115 million.
Rounding out the top five was Dr. Dre, who earned $110 million. Last year, HTC paid $300 million for a 51 percent stake in the record producer's Beats by Dr. Dre headphones company, which he co-founded in 2006 with Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine.
PHOTOS: Oprah Through the Years
Forbes calculated upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work to determine its rankings. For the complete list, click here.
THR's Daily Must Feeds
-
Billboard Music Awards Winners List
-
Bradley Cooper On Why He Left 'Jane Got A Gun'
-
Zoe Saldana & Marion Cotillard: 'Blood Ties' Cannes Premiere
-
Justin Bieber Booed While Accepting Award
-
Jay-Z Says Beyonce is Not Pregnant
-
The Final Word On Daft Punk's Album
-
Oh, Drake Is Also in 'Anchorman 2'
-
Robin Wright’s Film Takes ‘Craziest Movie at Cannes’ Honors
In This Week's Magazine
- MOST SHARED
- MOST POPULAR
- 1
The Hangover Part III: Film Review
- 2
Cannes: 'Nymphomaniac' Producer Reveals Graphics Are Used in 'Grounbreaking' Sex Scenes
- 3
'The Big C' Postmortem: Cathy Was 'Lucky and Unlucky at the Same Time'
- 4
'Mad Men' Deconstruction Vol. 1: Episode 8: 'The Crash'
- 5
'Bates Motel's' Carlton Cuse on the Bloody Finale, Season 2 Plans
- 6
'How I Met Your Mother' Makes Cristin Milioti a Series Regular
- 7
CBS Pulls Tornado-Themed 'Mike & Molly' Finale
- 8
'Mad Men' Deconstruction Vol. 2: Episode 8: 'The Crash'
- 9
Eminem's Music Publisher Suing Facebook (Exclusive)
- 10
'How I Met Your Mother' Reveals the Mother (Video)



