Staggering Celebrity Paychecks
Beyonce
To make even more money, Beyonce not only stars in Pepsi commercials, but she also has creative control for future projects she does with the soda company. beyonce 50 million pepsi deal, beyonce pregnant,
Jessica Simpson
In case Jessica Simpson needed an incentive to lose the baby weight after her first pregnancy, Weight Watchers gave her millions of reasons to do so. jessica simpson 4 million weight watchers,
Robert Downey Jr.
RDJ's salary to film "Iron Man 3" was so much that he's not sure the producers will bring him back if there's a round four. robert downey jr. 50 million iron man 3,
Farrah Abraham
After her stint on MTV's "Teen Mom," Farrah knew not to settle for anything less than her asking price when it came to selling her sex tape. farrah abraham 1 million sex tape, farrah abraham weight loss pill endorsements,
Mariah Carey
Mimi's salary for her first season of "American Idol" makes Jennifer Lopez's paycheck look measly. mariah carey american idol $18 million,
Scarlett Johansson
This 27-year-old actress will beat out Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock when she takes home her record-breaking paycheck for the "Avengers" sequel. scarlett johansson $20 million avengers 2, Who is Scarlett Johansson dating,
Rihanna
Most people would kill for front-row seats at a fashion show. But RiRi actually gets paid to sit there. And you thought getting free clothes was a great celeb perk! rihanna paid $100,000 to sit front row at fashion week, rihanna chest tattoo for grandmother,
Kanye West and Jay-Z
Most teens today dance to the sounds of Kanye West and Jay-Z at their Sweet 16 parties. So did Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's daughter at her big birthday bash, only her father shelled out cash money for the rappers to perform there live. kanye west jay-z $3 million each sweet 16, jay-z kanye west hip-hop highest earners 2012,
Kristen Stewart
Sandra Bullock is so 2011. Thanks to her fat paychecks from "Snow White and the Huntsman" and the final two installments of "Twilight," K-Stew is currently the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. kristen stewart highest-paid actress $34.5 million, kristen stewart and robert pattinson reconciled,
The Kardashian-Jenner Family
Say what you want about them, but the Kardashian-Jenners know how to work the system. In fact, they just signed on with E! for three more seasons of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," for which they'll receive a record-breaking amount of money. Kardashians sign $40 million for three seasons, keeping up with the kardashians,
Tom Cruise
Tom hasn't had the best year ever when it comes to relationships, but he's had a pretty kick-ass year on the money front, thanks mostly to "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol." tom cruise highest-paid actor $75 million, tom cruise katie holmes suri custody settlement,
Charlie Sheen
Even when he was spiraling downward, Charlie Sheen was profiting from it, thanks to his heavily read Twitter feed. With all eyes on him, he was paid an absurd amount of money to send out ads as tweets.Charlie Sheen paid $50,000 per tweet, charlie sheen anger management picked up,
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine dialed up a winner when she scored her two-year endorsement deal with T-Mobile. catherine zeta-jones paid $20 million T-Mobile 2006,
Daniel Radcliffe
Most teens work for minimum wage. Not Daniel Radcliffe! The "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" star was 19 when he became the highest-paid teen star ever. daniel radcliffe paid $25 million half-blood prince salary, daniel radcliffe dating rosie cocker, daniel radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg,
Tiësto
DJs make a lot these days. We guess spinning the 1s and 2s adds up to a lot. Tiësto $250,000 nightly gross,
Gisele Bundchen
It pays to look this good. In fact, Gisele may be the most financially successful runway walker ever. According to Forbes magazine, when her total income for 2011 is added up, she may well be the first model whose earnings exceed a certain number. forbes gisele bundchen $1 billion,
Johnny Depp
Movie audiences love Jack Sparrow, and so should Johnny: Playing the character a fourth time earned him a whopping sum that overshadows other actors' blockbusters salaries. Johnny Depp Pirates 4 $35 million, johnny depp damien echols tattoo west memphis three,
Leonardo DiCaprio
You'd be smiling too if you lived like Leo. The guy pulls major paychecks when he stars in movies, but he also gets to supplement his earnings with advertising income -- like from a certain series of cinematic spots for a Chinese cell phone company. Roughly three minutes of film yielded a whopping sum. leonardo dicaprio chinese cell phone commercial $5 million, leonardo dicaprio dating erin heatherton,
Ashton Kutcher
It's not just that Ashton's contract for starring in a single year of "Two and a Half Men" was itself record breaking. It's also that the guy got it for joining a show that's beginning its ninth season -- and it was increased for season 10. ashton kutcher two and a half men 2012 $725,000, ashton kutcher mila kunis,
Oprah Winfrey
She didn't retire after the end of her show, but Oprah totally could have, considering how much dough she made during her last two seasons. Oprah $315 million per year, OWN gets Rachael Ray and Nate Berkus,
Kim Kardashian
She's the highest-paid reality star ever, but the paycheck she'll probably be forever known for is the mother lode she found in the form of her 2011 wedding to Kris Humphries. Sure, Kim's union didn't last, but the split only further riled up critics over how much money she made by getting married. kim kardashian wedding $17.9 million profit,
Snooki
Snooki made headlines this year when it was revealed that Rutgers University was paying her to speak at the campus ... and that the amount was higher than what they paid to acclaimed author Toni Morrison. Take that, literary world! Snooki rutgers speech $32,000, toni morrison rutgers speech $30,000, snooki $150,000 per episode jersey shore,
Michael Jackson
He may be moonwalking in another place now, but Jackson is still breaking the bank. In fact, after his death, he scored the biggest record contract ever. +Michael Jackson $250 million deal Sony, paris prince blanket jackson trust fund issues,
Ryan Seacrest
He's one of the hardest-working men in Hollywood. And you might put your nose to the grindstone too if you pulled the kind of cash that Seacrest does. This year alone, he scored a sweet deal just for renewing his "American Idol" hosting gig. Ryan Seacrest American Idol two-year $30 million deal, ryan seacrest broke up with julianne hough,
Alex Rodriguez
Sure, it's paid out over a decade, but 10 years does nothing to belittle the fact that A-Rod holds the highest-valued sports contract ever. alex rodriguez $275 million over 10 years,
Tiger Woods
This is how much money Tiger Woods makes: Even in light of lost endorsements and faltering game after his adultery scandal, he's still one of the best-paid athletes ever. tiger woods $55 million in endorsements in 2012,
Jerry Seinfeld
He's TV royalty, so it makes sense that Jerry would be the first lead actor to make a certain landmark sum per episode. It's kind of a lot for a show about "nothing." Jerry Seinfeld earned $1 million per episode Seinfeld,
Elizabeth Taylor
Taylor left behind a legacy of drama and glamour. But she was also a record breaker for being the first actress to be paid a certain landmark paycheck for a movie role. Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra $1 million, kristen stewart highest paid in hollywood,
Bethenny Frankel
Low-cal alcohol is a good business to be in, apparently. Reality show alumna Bethenny allegedly sold her Skinnygirl line of diet booze for an amount that's ridiculous, even by "Real Housewives" standards. bethenny frankel sells skinnygirl alcohol for $120 million, bethenny frankel skinnygirl lawsuit,
Marlon Brando
Brando racked up quite a few memorable roles in his day, but it's his cameo in the original "Superman" movie that paid him a notably hefty sum. You might be surprised to find out how much a few minutes of screen time as Superman's dad is worth... Marlon Brando Superman cameo $3.7 million, marlon brando elizabeth taylor michael jackson 911, marlon brando grandson model, whopping sum that overshadows other actors' blockbusters salaries. Johnny Depp Pirates 4 $35 million,
