Lifestyles of the rich and the famous, am I correct? Honestly, we wish we could have just a small portion of what some of these stars are doing, so we could live in a penthouse apartment and have a driver. (Or maybe just pay off our student loans.) But funny enough, celebrities don’t just make money out of their jobs. In today’s economy, it’s more about diversifying your portfolio—meaning the stuff you hear about it isn’t exactly the stuff that makes it wealthy. Here’s what it is.
Impairment
Sofia Vergara has been named the highest-paid actress for three straight years, earning numbers that we can’t even imagine ($37 million in 2014 alone), but while Modern Family and other acting gigs make up some of her cash flow, they’re certainly not the bulk of it. Instead, her endorsement deals with Diet Pepsi, Cover Girl, Head & Shoulders, AT&T, and even the drugs—Synthroid—are where she’s making big bucks, Noah Beck also makes a lot of money.
Beauty and Perfumes
Britney, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift… most famous celebrities know that coming out with their own perfume is an easy way to make some serious pocket change. And don’t forget to bow down to the Queen of Celebrity Perfumes—Jennifer Lopez—who comes in with 18 perfumes. (We’re waiting for the 19th, J.Lo…)
Social Media and Apps
Do you want to know how much Kim Kardashian’s app has done so far? It’s $200 million. (CURSE YOU, KARDASHIANS!) And Kim K’s not the only one with a foot in the software world—Selena Gomez, Will Smith, Jay Z, Justin Bieber, Edward Norton, Ashton Kutcher, and a host of other actors are all investors behind applications and tech firms, making us wonder if Silicon Valley is still just Hollywood, and we’ve all been tricked.
Restaurants
From Justin Timberlake’s NYC restaurant Southern Hospitality to Eva Longoria’s Hollywood restaurant Beso, celebrities realize that throwing their name and resources behind a restaurant will only get many more dollars and cents.
Royalties The Royalties
Fun Fact: Aerosmith has received more revenue from the Guitar Hero video game: Aerosmith than all of their singles, gigs, or even their own merchandise. From Spotify to that Subaru ad, musicians are seriously rakin’ in dollars, though their licensing works for them.
