The OWN owner leads the yearly list, followed by the 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' helmer and his fellow directors Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer.
- Aug 28, 2012
AceShowbiz - Oprah Winfrey and Michael Bay are the biggest money makers among celebrities in Hollywood, Forbes says. The TV host is ranked first on this year's list of the highest-paid celebrities although her OWN network suffered disappointing ratings and multi-million dollar losses. "Transformers" helmer trails behind her at the second spot.
Winfrey is estimated to cash in $165 million between May 2011 and May 2012, thanks to her Harpo productions that created popular shows like "Dr. Phil", "Rachael Ray" and "The Dr. Oz Show". Bay falls short of ruling the list and settles at No. 2 with $160 million, some of which he got from his recent blockbuster "Transformers: Dark of the Moon".
The third spot is claimed by director Steven Spielberg. He is believed to have pocketed $130 million in the past 12 months during which he released two Oscar-nominated films "War Horse" and "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn".
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" helmer Jerry Bruckheimer follows at the fourth place with $115 million. Rounding up the top 5 is Dr. Dre, making the rapper/producer the highest-earning musician of this year. The Doc is predicted to have earned a whooping $110 million. Instead of getting the money from his records, he receives it mainly from the multi-million deal he had with handset maker HTC for a 51|percent| stake of his Beats by Dr. Dre headphone company.
- TV personality Oprah Winfrey - $165 million
- Movie director Michael Bay - $160 million
- Movie director Steven Spielberg - $130 million
- Movie director Jerry Bruckheimer - $115 million
- Rapper and producer Dr. Dre - $110 million
- Actor and producer Tyler Perry - $105 million
- Radio and TV personality Howard Stern - $95 million
- Author James Patterson - $94 million
- Movie producer George Lucas - $90 million
- Music producer and TV personality Simon Cowell - $90 million
