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In recent years, the number of celebrities who’ve joined the ranks of billionaires has grown rapidly. Stars who built their reputations through music, sports, television and film have leveraged their fame into global business empires. Their fortunes flow not only from their entertainment careers, but from strategic investments, brand partnerships, media companies and entrepreneurship. As a result, a new class of ultra-wealthy public figures has emerged, who can bring increasing financial power to their giving, along with celebrity influence and reach.
Inside Philanthropy recently analyzed celebrity giving trends in an update of our white paper on celebrity philanthropy. A key takeaway was that while in the past, producers, media executives and financiers like David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Rupert Murdoch tended to dominate the list of ultra-wealthy individuals from entertainment, it’s now more common for the entertainers and athletes themselves to hold significant wealth.
The stats show that in just the first several years of the 2020s, the richest celebrities are becoming much wealthier. According to Forbes, in 2020, the top 100 highest-paid celebrities in the world earned a combined $6.1 billion in annual income. In 2024, the top 10 alone brought in $6 billion. There were 18 celebrity billionaires in 2025, as compared to just four in 2020.
In music, an unprecedented five musicians have billionaire status as of 2026: Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé.
Celebrities with large public followings have long been adept at leveraging their fame to galvanize support for cherished causes. But in this era, with the growth of social media campaigns linked to personal branding, celebrity philanthropy and brand-building are more tightly interwoven than ever — and eagerly pursued by the celebrities themselves, along with their agents and managers.
Methodologies vary: Some celebrities have launched foundations to address social issues such as education, climate change and racial justice, while others engage in more ad hoc giving, with large, one-off personal donations to disaster relief, scholarships and community organizations.
These days, celebrity billionaires like Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan — both philanthropists — are becoming the old guard. Below are five prominent celebrity philanthropists who very recently became billionaires.
1. Selena Gomez
The actress and musician became a billionaire in 2024 at the age of 32. She is becoming something of a case study in harnessing fame, branding and networking for philanthropic ends. Her Rare Impact Fund has set a goal of raising $100 million to support youth mental health programs. Gomez raises funds through networking (many brands and peer celebrities have pledged funds), glitzy fundraising events, social media and advertising campaigns, and partnerships with her beauty brand, Rare Beauty. In a 2023 interview with Inside Philanthropy, Gomez said, “We want to reach people that may not feel heard. I want to get down into all of those areas and break down the stigma as much as I can and continue to share my platform.”
Gomez is following a somewhat similar model to Rihanna, another billionaire musician with a philanthropic outfit — the Clara Lionel Foundation — that we have covered extensively. Taylor Swift, likewise a recently minted billionaire, has so far followed a more improvisational model, with contributions to disaster relief, healthcare and other causes, along with financial support to her fans and staff.
2. LeBron James
With a current estimated net worth of $1.3 billion, the basketball legend achieved billionaire status in 2022. Lebron James’ philanthropy is directed through the Lebron James Family Foundation which announced plans to spend $41 million to send kids to college for free and opened its first elementary school in 2018. The foundation established the I PROMISE Institute at the University of Akron, aimed at helping students and their families transition to college life. Lebron and his business partner, Maverick Carter, donated $2.5 million to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to support “Muhammad Ali: A Force for Change,” an exhibit on the late boxer’s commitment to social justice.
James is the third NBA star to become a billionaire, following Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. In recent years, NBA celebrities are increasingly involved in strategic, networked philanthropy, working both as individuals and in collaboration with newer entities like the NBA Foundation to drive their impact.
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger
It’s true: The once-Terminator, action film actor and former governor of California became a billionaire in 2025, thereby joining the shortlist of actors, like Jerry Seinfeld and Tyler Perry, to have attained this status.
Schwarzenegger has long been active in philanthropy, going back to 1992, when he founded the Inner City Games Foundation — now the After-School All-Stars — to provide free after-school and summer programs to underserved youth. The organization has sites in over 80 cities across the U.S. and leverages Schwarzenegger’s star power and influence to fundraise — bringing in over $100 million in 2024. A recent $1 million donation to the organization came from Crypto.com as part of the After-School All-Stars’ partnership with the L.A. Kings. Schwarzenegger has also given one-off donations to a range of causes, including to wildfire relief in Los Angeles, Village for Vets, and ongoing donations to the Special Olympics.
4. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
According to Forbes, the musician and entrepreneur achieved billionaire status in late 2025, on the heels of two wildly successful world tours — first her Renaissance World Tour in 2023, which grossed $600 million, then the Cowboy Carter Tour, which was the highest-grossing concert tour of 2025. Queen Bey’s fortune mostly stems from her career as a musician, but her wealth is augmented by various business ventures, such as the hair care brand Cécred and the whiskey label SirDavis.
Beyoncé’s philanthropy has included a number of campaigns targeted at specific causes, often in partnership with businesses and other celebrities. She cofounded Chime for Change with the actress Salma Hayek and the Italian fashion brand Gucci. The campaign has raised over $20 million for women and girls causes globally. Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z — also a billionaire — have given to COVID relief, criminal justice reform and housing initiatives. Beyoncé also heads a philanthropic organization called BeyGOOD, which focuses on homelessness, children’s health, work and opportunity, racial justice and climate change. Jay-Z also runs a philanthropy — the Shawn Carter Foundation — which has granted tens of millions to a range of causes.
5. Jimmy Donaldson, aka “MrBeast”
If you haven’t heard of MrBeast, it’s likely you don’t have a tween child or family member in your life. The YouTube influencer is the first social media star to become a billionaire, with an estimated $2.6 billion fortune as of 2026, deriving from his popular YouTube channel along with the various entertainment and business ventures of his Beast Industries, including the chocolate brand Feastables and a virtual restaurant called MrBeast Burger. Despite his wealth, the 27-year-old entrepreneur recently told the Wall Street Journal that he reinvests all of his profits directly back into his companies, claiming to have little cash.
Donaldson runs his philanthropic endeavors in a similarly distinctive fashion, depending more on content creation and fundraising prowess than direct personal donations. Through Beast Philanthropy, Donaldson creates videos and channels the proceeds from associated ad revenue, merchandise sales and social media campaigns into impressive nonprofit fundraising. In 2025, Beast Philanthropy’s #TeamWater campaign, in collaboration with the WaterAid initiative, raised $40 million to provide clean water to people worldwide. Donaldson is now also collaborating with institutional philanthropy: in 2025, the Rockefeller Foundation announced a partnership with Beast Philanthropy to “collaborate, learn from each other, and drive progress for the most vulnerable.”
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Celebrity billionaires can bring massive public visibility and cultural influence to the charitable causes of their choice, and the giving patterns of these five newly minted billionaires exemplify the distinctive features of celebrity philanthropy. That often involves combining traditional models, like establishing 501c3 foundations, with strategies like partnering with brands and content creators on far-reaching social media campaigns.
Celebrity visibility can attract attention to underfunded causes, inspire fans to donate, and mobilize public conversations, but celebrity philanthropy also raises questions about accountability and long-term impact. For instance, highly visible donations or initiatives can overshadow systemic approaches to solving social problems, or cause nonprofits to rely too heavily on single, large donations.
Regardless, as more entertainers and athletes join the ranks of billionaires, their influence in philanthropy is likely to grow in the years ahead.
This article was written with AI research assistance.
