J.K. Rowling is No. 3 on Forbes' highest-paid celebs list
Harry Potter's creator is as rich as her character, who possesses a Gringotts vault stuffed with gold coins. Talk about magical.
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Harry Potter is rich, but so's his creator.
Harry Potter has a bank vault full of gold galleons (wizard world currency), but his creator, J.K. Rowling, might have even more.
Forbes on Monday released its list of the world's 100 highest-paid entertainers of the past 12 months, and author J.K. Rowling was third, earning $95 million last year.
First on the list is musician Diddy, who really is all about the Benjamins, as his 1997 single proclaimed. Diddy earned $130 million (before taxes) in the past 12 months, Forbes reports, mostly from selling one-third of his Sean John clothing line for about $70 million.
Singer Beyonce is No. 2 with $105 million, and Rowling comes in third with her $95 million, just ahead of musician Drake's $94 million.
"Rowling returns after a three-year hiatus and pockets her largest payday since 2008's $300 million haul," Forbes reports. "This year's $95 million paycheck comes from her bestselling 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' an estimated cut of profits from 2016's top-grossing 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' and payouts from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter."
In 2010, Rowling told Oprah Winfrey -- herself no stranger to these lists -- that she never forgot what it felt like to go from struggling single mother to the world's first billionaire author.
"If you've ever been (poor), you will never, ever take for granted that you don't need to worry (about money)," she says. "Never."