It pays to be famous.
Forbes has just dropped their list of the top 10 highest-paid entertainers in the world in 2022.
Music icon Taylor Swift is the only woman on the list and she joins fellow musicians Bad Bunny, Sting, The Rolling Stones and Genesis.
The group of high-earners also includes a number of filmmakers and TV creators, like the dynamic duos behind “The Simpsons” and “South Park.”
The top earners in 2022 collected about $1.35 billion — just half as much as last year’s list which boasted entertainers such as Kanye “Ye” West, Jay-Z, and Bruce Springsteen.
Here’s a list of 2022’s top 10!
10. Bad Bunny ($88 million)
The Puerto Rican rapper sold over $400 million worth of tickets from his two tours, “El Último Tour Del Mundo,” and “The World’s Hottest Tour.”
The “Bullet Train” actor also secured endorsement deals with brands such as Corona, Cheetos and Adidas.
9. Taylor Swift ($92 million)
Despite the country-pop superstar’s successful “Midnights” album, which made her the first artist in history to snag the top ten spots of the Billboard Hot 100 song list, most of her $92 million comes from her back catalog of songs released in past years.
Swift has been on the highest-earners list six times in the past, topped the list in 2019 and remains the only woman on the list.
8. James Cameron ($95 million)
The director received at least $95 million from his film “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
Cameron is one of the highest-grossing directors of all time, having been at the helm of 1997’s “Titanic” and 2009’s “Avatar.”
7. The Rolling Stones ($98 million)
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones made over $8.5 million per night on their European tour last year. Their “Sixty” tour traveled to 15 cities around the continent.
6. Brad Pitt ($100 million)
In 2022, the Oscar winner starred in flicks such as “Bullet Train,” “Babylon,” and “The Lost City.”
He also made about $113 million after cashing in on fees from a deal he made last December where he sold a majority of his production company, Plan B Entertainment, to Mediawan.
5. James Brooks and Matt Groening ($105 million)
The creators of the hit animated comedy “The Simpsons” earned over a $100 million last year.
Over 700 episodes have been produced since the sitcom’s inception in 1989. In 2019, all the show’s seasons made the transition from FX to Disney+, which gave the pair a previously unreported $105 million annually, according to Forbes.
4. Trey Parker and Matt Stone ($160 million)
The “South Park” creators pocketed $160 million due to a contract they signed with Paramount+ in 2021.
The exclusive deal will earn them $935 million over a six-year period. The collaboration also allowed Parker and Stone to create 14 original “South Park” films for the streaming service.
3. Tyler Perry ($175 million)
The multi-hyphenate actor, writer, director and producer was swimming in green due to backlot sets he owns in Atlanta, as well as the multitude of projects he created for BET. Perry is the richest celeb on the list with an estimated fortune of $1 billion.
2. Sting ($210 million)
The musician and his band the Police sold their music catalog — as well as his own solo discography — to Universal Music Group in 2022. The former-Police frontman pocketed $300 million before fees from the sale.
1. Genesis ($230 million)
Frontman Phil Collins and his music group sold the rights to a piece of their song catalog to Concord Music Group in September 2022 for $300 million.
The contract even included several of Collins’ solo income streams, including his hit song “In the Air Tonight.”