Gordon Ramsay Earns as Much as Beyoncé, More Than Kim Kardashian
Swear-y chef Gordon Ramsay seems to be omnipresent with a load of cooking shows, 30 restaurants, and his own mobile game. That's the reason he ranks 34th, tied with Beyoncé, on the Forbes list of the highest-paid celebrities in the last year.
Over the last 12 months, Ramsay and Bey have raked in $54 million. That puts the list's only celebrity chef ahead of massive names like fellow mobile-game star Kim Kardashian, who isn't even sure herself why she's famous. She ranks 42nd this year, with a reported income of $51 million.
"No celebrity chef has ever earned more than Gordon Ramsay," says Forbes. "His big payday comes from his starring role on three hit Fox shows, Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef and MasterChef Junior."
His ranking is actually a bit of a dip from last year when he ranked 22nd on the list. Nonetheless, it's a remarkable ranking for the list's only chef. Overall, the list is predictably filled with actors, musicians, talk show hosts, and athletes. Rising far above other stars in your field, as Ramsay has done, is impressive. There aren't many who did it. James Patterson (ranked third) is the list's only author, David Copperfield (ranked 20th) is the list's only magician (go figure), and Ben Affleck (ranked 58th) is the list's only sad meme.
Topping the list was Taylor Swift, who is reported to have brought in $170 million in the last year. Next year's list is expected to be topped by Pikachu, because how the hell could that not be the case?
Here are the top 10 on the list. Head to Forbes to view the full list.
1. Taylor Swift ($170 million)
2. One Direction ($110 million)
3. James Patterson ($95 million)
4. Dr. Phil McGraw ($88 million)
4. Cristiano Ronaldo ($88 million)
6. Kevin Hart ($87.5 million)
7. Howard Stern ($85 million)
8. Lionel Messi ($81.5 million)
9. Adele ($80.5 million)
10. Rush Limbaugh ($79 million)
Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He holds a Guinness World Record, but has never met the fingernail lady. He’s written for Sports Illustrated, Men’s Journal, The Rumpus, and other digital wonderlands. Follow him @dlukenelson.