Oprah tops Forbes Most Powerful Celebrity list

By Mariam Digges

(REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
(REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
After spending two years in the runners’ up position, Oprah Winfrey was named Forbes’ most powerful celebrity this week.

Winfrey toppled last year’s winner, Jennifer Lopez from the top position, the singer plunging to 12th place after her surprise victory last year. The talk-show host was tailed by Lady Gaga, followed by Steven Spielberg, Beyonce and Madonna.

“There is nobody else with that kind of consistency and power,” said Dorothy Pomerantz of Forbes.com. “There are only three people who have been on every single one of our lists since 1999. It is Oprah, Howard Stern and Steven Spielberg.”

Winfrey was not the highest-earning celebrity on the list, grossing $77 million from June 2012 to 201. That honour went to Madonna who raked in $125 million. But it was Winfrey’s standing in Hollywood and her formidable media presence that saw her top the list for the fifth time in her career.

“She still wields an enormous amount of power, which is really what we look for in our fame matrix. She is taking this cable network and turning it around just through the sheer force of her will, her connections and her ability.”

At the age of 23, Taylor Swift made her inaugural entry into the list, sitting pretty at number six.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Print Recipe

BECOME A MiNDFOOD SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Let us keep you up to date with our weekly MiNDFOOD e-newsletters which include the weekly menu plan, health and news updates or tempt your taste buds with the MiNDFOOD Daily Recipe. 

Member Login