Rihanna Debuts on ‘Forbes’ Annual Billionaires List

For the first time in her career, Rihanna has made the ‘Forbes‘ annual billionaires list. The 34-year-old officially reached billionaire status in 2021 with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion.

According to Forbes Madeline Berg, Rihanna’s newfound wealth isn’t due to her musical career. Instead, her successful ventures into beauty and fashion are the key to her wealth. Per Forbes’ report, RiRi’s stake in her Fenty Beauty line makes up most of her wealth.

The company, which Rihanna co-owns with conglomerate LVMH, brought in more than $550 million in revenue in 2020. She also owns a 30 percent stake in her Savage x Fenty beauty line, which raised $115 million at a $1 billion valuation in 2021.

Rihanna, expecting her first child with ASAP Rocky, is also the first billionaire from Barbados. She spoke about the achievement with the New York Times in September 2021.

“It’s tricky because it’s hard to even accept that’s where you’re at because I know where I’ve come from,” RiRi said. “At the same time, it feels good to be able to inspire young women and boys, who like me, come from humble beginnings, who come from parents who are immigrants or who are immigrants themselves, to be able to do this.”

Rihanna poses with Fenty Beauty ICON lipsticks at the launch of Fenty Beauty at Ulta Beauty on March 12, 2022. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)

Rihanna joins other ‘Forbes’ celebrities

According to Forbes, there are now 2,668 billionaires with a collective net worth of $12.7 trillion. Rihanna was ranked at 1,729. 2021’s list had 2,755 billionaires with a total estimated net worth of $13.1 trillion. The publication attributes the decline- the most significant drop since 2009- to sanctions on Russia, which lost 1/3 of its fortune due to the ruble’s collapse.

This year’s list was topped by Elon Musk, with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos taking the number two spot. LVMH owners Bernard Arnault, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet filled out the rest of the top five. Other celebrities included on the list were Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Jay Z.

Written by Olan Bryant

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