Forbes is back with one of their annual lists, and topping it is Jay-Z and Beyonce … for Hollywood’s Top-Earning Couples.
According to the mag, Jay and B raked in a staggering $122 million between June 2008 and June 2009 to put them atop the list … by a mile … for the second year in a row. While both made a large amount of dough during that time period, Beyonce out-earned Jay-Z last year by bringing in $87 million to his $35 million. Last year, the couple sat atop the same list, earning $162 million.
Their fortune was made from Jay-Z’s musical empire, Beyonce’s chart-topping singles, and several clothing lines and ad deals.
The rest of the list is as follows, via Forbes.com:
2 – Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart ($69 million)
For the past few years Ford has stayed out of the spotlight, but he returned in a big way in 2008 with Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Ford earned $65 million for his work in the role. His girlfriend, Calista Flockhart, is no lazy daisy. She stars on the ABC show, Brothers & Sisters.
3 – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ($55 million)
Pitt and Jolie have always gotten plenty of attention, but now they’re making plenty of money too.The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was one of Pitt’s highest grossing films, earning $334 million at the worldwide box office. Jolie is profiting by embracing her inner action hero. Wanted earned $341 million at the worldwide box office. Later this year she’ll appear in Salt as a disgraced CIA agent.
4 – Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith ($48 million)
Smith is without a doubt the biggest movie star in the world. His films have earned a total $5.7 billion at the worldwide box office and studio heads say he earns every penny of his $20 million paycheck. Most of the couple’s earnings come from Smith, but Pinkett Smith has a growing career of her own. She’s been writing and producing films as well as voicing Gloria the hippo in the Madagascar films.
5 – David and Victoria Beckham ($46 million)
Beckham is still a worldwide soccer sensation at the ripe old age of 34. Part of the year he’s a star in Los Angeles with the Galaxy. The rest of the year he plays for A.C. Milan, which should help him land a spot on the England team to appear in a record-tying fourth World Cup this summer. Beckham’s wife, Victoria (better known as Posh Spice), is scheduled to appear as a guest judge on this year’s “American Idol.”
6 – Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi ($36 million)
DeGeneres has become an entertainment mogul. She has a successful talk show, shills for American Express and owns part of a dog food company. Next she’ll take over for Paula Abdul as a judge on “American Idol.” Her significant other, de Rossi, stars in the ABC show “Better Off Ted,” which has garnered a cult following but seems poised for cancellation.
7 – Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson ($35.5 million)
As one of the few actors in Hollywood who can still command a $20 million paycheck, Hanks is the main breadwinner in his house. He had another hit this year with Angels & Demons. The film earned $486 million at the worldwide box office. This summer he’ll once again voice Woody in Toy Story 3. Wilson has a much more low-key career, but she still pops up in best friend roles. She recently appeared with Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated.
8 – Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy ($34 million)
Carrey and McCarthy have been a couple for the last four years and in that time McCarthy’s profile has risen considerably. She’s gone from a Playboy model to an outspoken (and controversial) vaccine opponent. Carrey contributes the majority of money to the pair, but McCarthy will soon have her own television show under Oprah’s Harpo banner.
9 – Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ($33.5 million)
Cruise and Holmes are a source of endless fascination for tabloids and they’re also very rich. Cruise is the family breadwinner, earning $33 million between June 2008 and June 2009. Holmes still acts a little. In 2008 she starred in Mad Money alongside Diane Keaton. Up next for Cruise: Knight & Day with Cameron Diaz.
10 – Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow ($33 million)
As the front man for the group Coldplay, Martin outearns Paltrow. The group’s latest album, Viva la Vida, sold 2.6 million copies in the U.S. and 3 million in Europe. Paltrow will be the high-profile spouse in 2010 though when she reprises her role as Tony Stark’s assistant, Pepper Potts, in Iron Man 2.
11 – Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick ($29 million)
Thanks to the success of “Sex and the City” (both the TV show and the movie) Sarah Jessica Parker has become a huge movie star. She also has her own line of perfumes and a clothing line, which means she vastly outearns her spouse. These days Broderick focuses on smaller films and Broadway. He is currently in an off-Broadway show called “The Starry Messenger.”
12 – Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ($28 million)
McGraw and Hill are the Jay-Z and Beyonce of country music. Every time NBC plays the Sunday Night Football theme Hill picks up a check. McGraw recently had a double platinum album with Let it Go. The couple has even toured together. Next up for McGraw: movies. He’ll star in Love Don’t Let Me Down opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.
13 – Eva Longoria Parker and Tony Parker ($22 million)
The Parkers are pros at their respective jobs and at racking up lucrative endorsements. San Antonio Spurs point guard Parker has done ads for Nike, FedEx and VitaminWater. When she’s not appearing on “Desperate Housewives,” Longoria Parker shills for L’Oreal, Samsung and Bebe.
14 – Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley ($20 million)
Heigl has become the go-to girl for Hollywood romantic comedies, earning upward of $10 million per picture in the process. Despite complaining publicly about her weak storyline on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Heigl is slated to return to the show this season. Her husband, Kelley, is best known for his 2003 hit song “Amazing.”
15 – Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban ($17 million)
Kidman and Urban earned about the same amount between June 2008 and June 2009, Kidman from movies like Australia and Urban from his hit record Defying Gravity. The album went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Up next for Kidman: Rabbit Hole, costarring Aaron Eckhart, about a couple who lose their son.
