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Boxer Mayweather, George Clooney Lead World's Highest Paid Entertainers


FILE - Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is seen during the first half between the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, April 11, 2018.
FILE - Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is seen during the first half between the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, April 11, 2018.

American boxer Floyd Mayweather was named the world's highest-paid entertainer on Monday on a list that saw actor George Clooney take the No. 2 spot with the highest annual pay of his career.

Reality star Kylie Jenner, 20, came in third on the annual Forbes Celebrity 100 list, largely thanks to her booming cosmetics line that Forbes said put her on track to become the youngest self-made billionaire in the United States.

FILE - Kylie Jenner arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in New York City, May 1, 2017.
FILE - Kylie Jenner arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in New York City, May 1, 2017.


Forbes compiled its 2018 list estimating pre-tax earnings from June 2017-June 2018, before deducting fees for managers, based on data from Nielsen, touring trade publication Pollstar, movie database IMDB, and interviews with industry experts and celebrities themselves.

Mayweather pulled in some $285 million in the period, largely thanks to his August 2017 comeback fight win over mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor.

Oscar-winning star Clooney earned an estimated $239 million after selling the Casamigos tequila company he co-founded to British spirits company Diageo in June 2017. Forbes said the sale gave Clooney the best annual earnings of his 35-year career in film and television.

U.S. actor George Clooney speaks on stage prior to receiving an Honorary Cesar award during the ceremony of 42nd Cesar Film Awards, at the Salle Pleyel, in Paris, France, Feb. 24, 2017.
U.S. actor George Clooney speaks on stage prior to receiving an Honorary Cesar award during the ceremony of 42nd Cesar Film Awards, at the Salle Pleyel, in Paris, France, Feb. 24, 2017.


Forbes said entertainers on its 2018 Celebrity 100 list earned a combined $6.3 billion before tax, up 22 percent from last year's list. Many of the highest earners came from celebrities leveraging their brands through side ventures and through their social media presence.

“There’s never been a more lucrative time to be famous than now, with 11 superstars earning $100 million or more over the past year,” Zack O’Malley Greenburg, senior entertainment editor at Forbes, said in a statement.

“Entertainers have found all sorts of new ways to monetize their audiences, especially with the help of social media,” he added.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson almost doubled his earnings from the previous year to land in 5th place with estimated earnings of $124 million. Forbes said the earnings of the “Jumanji” and “Fast & Furious” star were the largest acting-related earning it had recorded in 20 years.

FILE - Actor Dwayne Johnson attends the premiere of his film "Central Intelligence" in Los Angeles, June 10, 2016.
FILE - Actor Dwayne Johnson attends the premiere of his film "Central Intelligence" in Los Angeles, June 10, 2016.


The top earner on last year's list, musician Sean Diddy Combs, dropped to No. 32 on the current list. His earnings on the 2017 list were inflated by a tour and the sale of part of his Sean John clothing line, Forbes said.

Musicians and athletes fared well, with Irish band U2, British band Coldplay and British singer Ed Sheeran appearing in the top 10. Soccer players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo also earned more than $100 million, Forbes said.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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