The 10 Most Shockingly Rich Celebrities & Their Net Worth

The lifestyles of the rich and famous are a point of interest for many of us ordinary citizens. While it is no shock just how wealthy A-list celebrities are, it is still surprising to hear just how much money famous people really make. This list looks at the outrageous net worth of ten international celebrities ranging from actors and musicians to designers and authors.

Bryan “Birdman” Williams - Estimated Net Worth $125 Million

Bryan Williams co-founded Cash Money Records with his brother two decades ago just before making a distribution deal in 1998 with Universal Records valued at $30 million. The label has been behind successful albums for many popular artists such as Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Drake. In 2000, Birdman himself released a song which earned two Grammy awards. Cash Money is the most commercially successful hip-hop label to date selling over one billion units. By the age of 22, Birdman was worth over $40 million owning multiple properties worth tens of millions. Only a few other hip hop labels and executives surpass Birdman’s wealth including Roc-A-Fella record’s founder Jay-Z at $460 million and Bad Boy Record’s founder Sean “P-Diddy” Combs at $820 million.

Gisele Bündchen - Estimated Net Worth $360 Million

Gisele Bündchen is a Brazilian supermodel who achieved international success in the late 1990s. Vogue magazine dubbed her as “The Return of the Sexy Model” in 1999. Since 2004, Bündchen has been one of the top paid models in the world. In 2014, she was listed by Forbes as the 89th Most Powerful Woman in the World. She has been the face of million-dollar fashion campaigns by Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren and Victoria’s Secret. Bündchen is known for pioneering the “horse walk” where she picks up her knees and kicks her feet out front on the runway. In 2009, Bündchen married New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with whom she has two children. Bündchen is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program.

Howard Stern - Estimated Net Worth $600 Million

Howard Stern is an American radio and television personality best known for being the host of his own radio show. Stern is known for his outspoken and often controversial opinions and his on-air personality earned him the label of one of radio's first “shock jocks”. Stern signed a deal with Sirius XM Radio in 2006 worth $100 million. Due to exceeding subscriber targets, Stern received 34.3 million shares of stock from the company valued at $218 million. In 2007, he earned a second set of stocks worth over $82.9 million.

Stern has dubbed himself the “King of all Media” for his successes outside of radio including writing bestselling books and producing and starring in a number of comedy films. Stern was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2012.

Magic Johnson - Estimated Net Worth: $700 Million

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who had a long and successful NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. For 13 seasons, Johnson played point guard for the Lakers after being drafted as the first overall pick in 1979. Johnson retired in 1991 after announcing he had HIV but returned to play in 1992 winning the All-Star MVP Award. In his career, has achieved three NBA MVP Awards, twelve All-Star game appearances and has been honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Johnson’s company Magic Johnson Enterprises includes a real estate empire of various commercial partnerships with AMC Theatres, Starbucks, T.G.I. Fridays and 24 Hour Fitness. In 2010, Johnson sold his stake in ownership of the LA Lakers.

Jerry Seinfeld - Estimated Net Worth: $870 Million

Jerry Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and television producer. He is most popular for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the sitcom Seinfeld, which he co-wrote with Larry David. According to Forbes magazine, Seinfeld’s earnings in 1998 alone were $267 million, which made him the highest earning celebrity that year. A large portion of the comedian’s income comes from his sitcom, which ran for 9 seasons and even longer in syndication. Seinfeld is a best-selling author with many endorsement deals. In 2008, he was paid $10 million for appearing in Microsoft ads. He is rumored to own one of the largest Porsche collections in the world. Comedy Central named Jerry Seinfeld the “12th Greatest Stand-up Comedian of All Time” in 2005.

Bono - Estimated Net Worth: $900 Million

Bono is an Irish singer/songwriter, musician, businessman and philanthropist who is most ell known for being the lead singer of rock band U2. Considered one of the most successful bands in history, U2 has sold more than 150 million albums worldwide and earned 22 Grammy Awards. U2’s 360° Tour is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time with a revenue of $736,137,344.

Much of Bono’s music and activism for social justice causes has been fueled by his Christian faith. He has been heavily involved in poverty reduction programs in Africa for which he co-founded the ONE Campaign and Product Red. In addition to his music and philanthropy work, Bono is a venture capitalist. His investment firm, Elevation Partners, has a 1.5% stake in Facebook which has a current value of $700 million.

J. K. Rowling - Estimated Net Worth: $1 Billion

J.K. Rowling is a British author, screenwriter, and producer most well known for creating the Harry Potter fantasy series. Selling over 400 million copies worldwide, Harry Potter has become the best-selling book series in history. A series of films based on the books have also garnered international success. Rowling maintains creative control and final approval on all movie scripts.

Rowling conceived the idea for Harry Potter while on a delayed train ride in 1990. In the seven years it took her to finish the first novel, Rowling lost her mother, had her daughter and left an abusive marriage. She lived in poverty subsiding off government assistance until the success of Harry Potter. Currently, she is the 197th richest person in the UK.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Estimated Net Worth: $3.4 Billion

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress, comedian, and producer most well known for starring in the sitcom Seinfeld as Elaine Benes. Before Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus was a cast member on Saturday Night Live during the early 1980s. Most recently, Louis-Dreyfus played the role as U.S. Vice-President on the satirical comedy series Veep. Throughout her active career as an actress and producer, Louis-Dreyfus earned nine Emmy Awards, seven Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe. In 2010, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Though Louis-Dreyfus has achieved a successful career, a large portion of her wealth comes from an inheritance from her billionaire father Gérard Louis-Dreyfus. The Louis Dreyfus Group is one of the largest commodities trading and merchandising firms in the world.

George Lucas - Estimated Net Worth: $5.2 Billion

George Lucas Jr. is an American filmmaker and the founder and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He sold the latter to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. Lucas is best known for his creation of the ultra successful films Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The Star Wars franchise earned over $5 billion in worldwide revenue for all six of its films. Out of his seven features, five of them are among the 100 highest-grossing movies at the box office in North America. Lucas pledged half of his fortune to charity influenced by The Giving Pledge, an initiative led by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett where America’s richest individuals donate their wealth to charity. He was named one of the 100 “Greatest Americans” by the Discovery Channel.

Giorgio Armani - Estimated Net Worth: $8.5 Billion

Earning top spot and top dollar, Giorgio Armani is the world’s wealthiest fashion designer. Based in Italy, Armani first started as a menswear collection known for its clean, tailored lines. He started his company in 1975 and has since expanded to women’s designs, home collections and fragrance, and beauty products with apresence in over 37 different countries. By 2001, he was considered the most successful designer to come out of Italy. As of 2013, his collections were earning an annual revenue of $1.6 billion and his personal wealth totaled $8.5 billion. As a sports fan, Armani has designed suits for England’s national football team and the Italian athletes’ uniform for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is currently the owner of the Olimpia Milano basketball team.