OPRAH WINFREY – $30 MILLION
Oprah Winfrey is media icon who got her success by being a top-rated TV show host, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She made a career in TV at the young age of 22. Her biggest break was when ABC greenlighted her own talk show, which ran for half an hour and eventually displaced Phil Donahue from the number 1 spot. This led to her having a full hour talk show named The Oprah Winfrey Show, where she earned $1 million per year. During her peak with the show, she earned up to $30 million annually.
Winfrey has built quite the empire with her magazine O, The Oprah Magazine and Oprah.com. She also has real estate properties and numerous investments, thus giving her billionaire status. Aside from being a popular face on TV, Oprah also starred in several movies such as The Color Purple, Beloved, The Butler, and Selma.