Tyler Perry Is a Billionaire, Kanye West Named Highest-Earning Male Celebrity

Tyler Perry has become Hollywood’s newest billionaire, according to Forbes.

The financial publication which keeps track of celebrities’ net worths announced Tuesday (September 01, 2020) that the longtime filmmaker’s name is among other top earners such as Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Forbes’ estimate is that Perry, 51, has a net worth at $1 billion having earned more than $1.4 billion in pretax income since 2005—not bad for someone who was once homeless.

Tyler Perry 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones - Arrivals — Tyler Perry attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 4, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

According to the magazine, Perry’s films alone have grossed nearly $1 billion to date, and he owns the rights to all of them.

“Ownership for me was easy because I was underestimated,” Perry said. “They said, ‘Sure, you can own it.’ They didn’t think it’d be worth anything.”

Rapper Kanye West was named Forbes magazine’s top-earning male celebrity after banking $180 million over the past year.

West is followed by tennis ace Roger Federer and soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who each earned just over $100 million.

The list, consisting of singers, entertainers, actors, athletes, and television personalities, also features Tyler Perry in the number five spot with $97 million, basketball star LeBron James, Howard Stern, and Dwayne Johnson with $87 million.

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