Jessica Simpson and 25 More Celebs Who Got Richer From Their Second Jobs
Jessica Simpson transitioned from pop princess to business mogul with the launch of the Jessica Simpson Collection, a fashion and accessories brand that brings in a reported $1 billion in annual sales — enough that she never has to sing another note again. Simpson isn’t the only celebrity whose career change ended up being immensely profitable. These 26 stars transitioned from actors to singers, models to moguls and rappers to fashion designers to add millions to their net worths.
Last updated: Oct. 6, 2020
Jessica Alba
Net worth: $200 million
Her first career: Actress
Her second career: Household goods entrepreneur
Jessica Alba’s acting career brought her fame, but she gained fortune as co-founder of The Honest Company, which sells nontoxic household goods. The Honest Company was valued at $756 million as of 2017, and Alba owns 15% to 20% of it, according to Forbes.
Tyra Banks
Net worth: $90 million
Her first career: Supermodel
Her second career: Media mogul
Although she started as a model, Tyra Banks built her empire as a media mogul, at one point producing and appearing in her own namesake daytime talk show as well as “America’s Next Top Model.” Most recently, she’s served as star and executive producer of the TV movie “Life-Size 2” and became the new host of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Net worth: $885 million
His first career: Rapper
His second career: Liquor entrepreneur
You might know him as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy or Sean Combs, but no matter what you call him, there’s no denying that this rapper-turned-entrepreneur has become a serious mogul in the beverage space. The main contributor to Combs’ fortune is his vodka brand, Ciroc, Forbes reported. He also owns DeLeon tequila and Aquahydrate alkaline water.
Victoria Beckham
Net worth: $450 million
Her first career: Pop star
Her second career: Fashion designer
Formerly known as Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham has left her pop star days behind to focus on her fashion empire. The one-time Spice Girl is now the founder and creative director of Victoria Beckham Ltd., a fashion brand that includes ready-to-wear dresses, handbags, shoes, eyewear and more. The company was valued at more than $130 million as of 2018, Forbes reported.
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Lauren Conrad
Net worth: $40 million
Her first career: Reality star
Her second career: Fashion designer
Lauren Conrad rose to stardom in high school as the star of the reality show “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.” She went on to star in its spin-off, “The Hills,” and in 2009, she launched her fashion and accessories line for Kohl’s, called LC Lauren Conrad. She has also dabbled in real estate and penned several books, including The New York Times bestseller “L.A. Candy.”
Drake
Net worth: $180 million
His first career: Actor
His second career: Rapper
Before he was a rapper and hip-hop superstar known as Drake, Aubrey Graham starred on the popular Canadian TV series “Degrassi: The Next Generation” from 2001 to 2009. He released his first mixtape, “So Far Gone,” the year the series ended and landed his first No. 1 hit in 2010 when he teamed up with Rihanna for the song “What’s My Name?” He has since had several successful singles and albums, including “Views” and “Scorpion.”
Ellen DeGeneres
Net worth: $490 million
Her first career: Standup comedian
Her second career: Television personality
Ellen DeGeneres began her career as a standup comic and reached new levels of fame when she starred in her own sitcom, “Ellen,” in the ’90s. Her star rose even higher when she became a talk show host for the self-titled “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
That said, DeGeneres recently came under fire from both former staff members and celebrity guests claiming the show was a toxic environment and that DeGeneres was not as nice as she appeared on television. On Oct. 2, OK! reported that the show had lost 25% of its viewership in one week. Considering her massive wealth, though, she’ll continue to live quite comfortably no matter the fate of her show.
Rihanna
Net worth: $550 million
Her first career: Singer
Her second career: Cosmetics entrepreneur
Barbados native Rihanna made a name for herself as a pop star and has parlayed that fame into a lucrative entrepreneurial career. Her Fenty Beauty makeup line, which she co-owns with luxury goods group LVMH, made an estimated $570 million in revenue in 2018, Forbes reported. Rihanna also co-owns a Fenty fashion line and Savage X Fenty lingerie line. On Oct. 2, the second volume of her recorded Savage X Fenty Show premiered on Amazon Prime, featuring models of all shapes and sizes, as well as celebrities like Lizzo and Demi Moore.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Net worth: $320 million
His first career: Wrestler
His second career: Actor
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson started his career in the pro wrestling ring but successfully made a transition to the big screen, becoming the highest-paid actor in the world in 2019, Forbes reported. Johnson earned $89.4 million last year alone thanks to eight-figure checks for his roles in franchise films such as “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Hobbs and Shaw.”
The Rock is also quite the entrepreneur. He founded small-batch liquor company Teremana Tequila, co-founded production company Seven Bucks Productions and, most recently, purchased the XFL with plans to bring it back in 2022.
Kylie Jenner
Net worth: $700 million
Her first career: Reality star
Her second career: Cosmetics entrepreneur
Kylie Jenner grew up before America’s eyes on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” and at 21 years old, she was dubbed the youngest “self-made billionaire” by Forbes, due in large part to her Kylie Cosmetics line. Though the publication has since retracted that announcement, claiming that Jenner’s people purposely misled Forbes, the influencer is still worth an impressive $700 million.
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Selena Gomez
Net worth: $75 million
Her first career: Actress
Her second career: Singer
Before she was a pop star, Selena Gomez was a Disney star. She appeared on the TV show “Wizards of Waverly Place” from 2007 to 2012. Gomez released her first album as the lead singer of “Selena Gomez & The Scene” in 2009 and released her first album as a solo artist in 2013. Her success as a musician landed her on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016.
Ron Howard
Net worth: $200 million
His first career: Actor
His second career: Director
Ron Howard is best known these days for his directing work as the acclaimed filmmaker behind “Frost/Nixon,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “Apollo 13” and more. But he got his start as a child actor with roles in a number of TV series, including “The Andy Griffith Show,” where he played Opie Taylor from 1960 to 1968. Howard also starred in the popular 1970s series “Happy Days” as well as the hit movie “American Graffiti” in 1973.
Jessica Simpson
Net worth: $200 million
Her first career: Singer
Her second career: Lifestyle entrepreneur
The early 2000s saw Jessica Simpson rise to fame as a pop princess. In 2005, she officially added “business mogul” to her resume with the launch of her lifestyle brand, the Jessica Simpson Collection. Simpson sold a majority stake in the company in 2015, which was bringing in $1 billion in annual retail sales at the time, Forbes reported.
Additionally, earlier this year, Simpson debuted a memoir entitled “Open Book” that reached No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list.
Miley Cyrus
Net worth: $160 million
Her first career: Actress
Her second career: Singer
Miley Cyrus got her start on Disney’s “Hannah Montana,” which paved the way for her to become a pop star herself after playing one on TV for years. Music is now her main source of wealth, according to Forbes. Three of her albums as a solo artist have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Dr. Dre
Net worth: $820 million
His first career: Rapper
His second career: Electronics entrepreneur
Dr. Dre has had a prolific career in hip-hop as a rapper and producer — and he still brings in money thanks to his extensive back catalog — but his headphone company, Beats By Dr. Dre, moved him into a much higher income bracket. Apple acquired the company for $3 billion in 2014. Forbes estimates that Dr. Dre took home a little over $500 million from that deal.
Dre’s fortunes may soon change, though, as his wife of 24 years, Nicole Young, filed for divorce in June. The couple reportedly did not have a prenuptial agreement, meaning half of his wealth could be up for grabs.
Ariana Grande
Net worth: $150 million
Her first career: Actress
Her second career: Singer
As with Gomez, Ariana Grande got her start on Disney. She starred on the TV show “Victorious” from 2010 to 2013 and its spin-off show “Sam & Cat” from 2013 to 2014. She released her first album, “Yours Truly,” in 2013 and went on to release two No. 1 albums within the span of six months: 2018’s “Sweetener” and 2019’s “thank u, next.” Her Sweetener World Tour grossed over $1 million per stop, Forbes reported.
Jay-Z
Net worth: $1 billion
His first career: Rapper
His second career: Liquor entrepreneur and investor
Jay-Z released his debut album in 1996 and has released 14 No. 1 albums since then. Though he continues to bring in big money through his music and touring, his business empire and investments are likely worth even more. Forbes reported that Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac champagne brand is worth an estimated $310 million, his Uber investment is worth an estimated $70 million, his cognac brand D’Usse is worth an estimated $100 million, his music streaming service Tidal is also worth an estimated $100 million, his entertainment company Roc Nation is worth an estimated $75 million and his art collection is worth an estimated $70 million.
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Kim Kardashian West
Net worth: $900 million
Her first career: Reality star
Her second career: Cosmetics entrepreneur
Kim Kardashian West is a household name after years of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” but her reality show paychecks haven’t brought her the most wealth. Most of her fortune comes from her cosmetics line, KKW Beauty, which was valued at $1 billion in 2020. The pop culture icon sold a 20% stake of the company in June, bumping up her net worth significantly.
Kardashian West also has a shapewear line called Skims and a successful mobile game called “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” which has made $200 million in revenue thus far — 28% of which she gets to keep.
Michael Strahan
Net worth: $65 million
His first career: Professional football player
His second career: TV host
As a player for the New York Giants from 1993 to 2008, Michael Strahan’s career earnings from his time with the NFL totaled $76.8 million, according to Over the Cap. While that’s no chump change, Strahan is now earning a $20 million annual salary as a host of “Good Morning America,” People reported. He is also a football analyst on “Fox NFL Sunday.”
Heidi Klum
Net worth: $160 million
Her first career: Supermodel
Her second career: Business mogul
Supermodel Heidi Klum has made millions off the runway thanks to her lucrative business deals and television endeavors. She inked a deal with New Balance for a collaborative collection and also starred in several TV shows, including “Project Runway” and “Seriously Funny Kids.” Klum currently appears as a judge on “Germany’s Next Top Model” and “America’s Got Talent,” and has her own line of lingerie, Heidi Klum Intimates.
Mark Wahlberg
Net worth: $300 million
His first career: Rapper
His second career: Actor
Mark Wahlberg first rose to fame as rapper Marky Mark. Although his musical career made him a teen idol, his acting has really produced the big bucks. Wahlberg was the highest-paid actor of 2017 with $68 million in earnings for the year, according to Forbes. His lucrative film roles include “Transformers: The Last Knight” and “Daddy’s Home 2.” Additionally, Wahlberg is a producer or executive producer on several shows such as “Ballers,” “Shooter,” and “Boardwalk Empire.”
The rapper-turned-actor also co-owns a burger chain called Wahlburgers with his brothers Paul and Donnie. The siblings had a reality show about their line of restaurants from 2014 to 2019.
Jennifer Lopez
Net worth: $400 million
Her first career: Actress
Her second career: Singer
Jennifer Lopez got her big break when she starred in the movie “Selena” back in 1997. Two years later, she released her first single, “If You Had My Love,” and successfully transitioned from “actress” to “singer-slash-actress.” Now, singing might be her biggest moneymaker. J-Lo earned a whopping $100 million over her two-year Vegas residency alone, according to Forbes.
That said, the starlet is still making movies. In 2019, Lopez garnered Oscar buzz with her role in “Hustlers.”
Demi Lovato
Net worth: $40 million
Her first career: Actress
Her second career: Singer
Demi Lovato first gained fame as the star of the 2008 Disney Channel movie “Camp Rock.” Her first album, “Don’t Forget,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart that same year and she’s been churning out the hits ever since.
Kanye West
Net worth: $3.2 billion
His first career: Rapper
His second career: Fashion designer
Rapper Kanye Wests has built up a music catalog worth $80 million, however, nowadays he makes most of his money from his Yeezy apparel line and sneaker partnership with Adidas. The Yeezy brand is valued at about $3 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In addition, the mogul also has real estate assets of $120 million.
Reese Witherspoon
Net worth: $200 million
Her first career: Actress
Her second career: Entertainment mogul
Reese Witherspoon struggled to find strong roles as an actress earlier in the decade, so she took it upon herself to create them. Witherspoon founded the production company Pacific Standard in 2012, which produced the films “Gone Girl” and “Wild.” In 2016, Witherspoon partnered with Otter Media to launch Hello Sunshine, which now operates a book club, audio programming with Audible, multiple podcasts and an Apple TV+ collaboration.
Rachel Zoe
Net worth: $16 million
Her first career: Celebrity stylist
Her second career: Fashion entrepreneur
Rachel Zoe started her career as a stylist to the stars and arguably became as famous as her clients when she starred on the reality show “The Rachel Zoe Project.” Since gaining reality fame, Zoe has launched a number of business ventures, including her upscale fashion line, the Rachel Zoe Collection, and her subscription service, The Zoe Report Box of Style.
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Disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted, all net worths were sourced from Celebrity Net Worth and are up to date as of Oct. 5, 2020.
Erica Corbin contributed to the reporting of this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Jessica Simpson and 25 More Celebs Who Got Richer From Their Second Jobs
