5 richest female celebrity self-made billionaires of 2023, ranked: from Kim Kardashian and Rihanna to fashion mogul Tory Burch, media magnate Oprah Winfrey and ex-COO of Meta, Sheryl Sandberg

Jun 6 , 2023

Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna are some of the richest female celebrities who are self-made billionaires. Photos: Getty Images, AP, @fentybeauty/Instagram

Forbes’ newly released America’s Richest Self-Made Women list includes female celebrities like Skims co-founder Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, who is the youngest self-made billionaire at 35

Fashion mogul Tory Burch and ex-COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg rank too, but Oprah Winfrey takes the throne – she’s co-producing a film with Steven Spielberg, set to premiere in December

Forbes just released its 2023 list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women on June 1.

While Taylor Swift has made headlines for her jaw-dropping net worth at US$740 million, landing her the 34th position on the list, she still has a long way to go to catch up with the billionaire club.

Billionaire Barbadian singer-actress Rihanna arrives for the 2023 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, US, on May 1. Photo: AFP

Questions over how Forbes defines “self-made” regularly arise when the publication releases its rich lists. It reports that it uses a combination of factors, including valuing individual assets like stakes in public companies using stock prices. It consults experts to help establish the value of private companies. Forbes also claims that to be eligible, women have to have “substantially made their own fortunes” in the US and/or be US citizens or permanent residents.

Here are five female stars who made the list, hailing from the fashion industry to tech, music, media and beauty.

5. Tory Burch – US$1 billion

Fashion designer Tory Burch smiles at the end of her runway show during New York Fashion Week on February 13. Photo: AFP

In 2022, the lifestyle brand named after its founder, Tory Burch, sold around US$1.75 billion in clothes, fragrances and shoes. With 370 stores around the world, Burch clearly has an aggressive expansion plan. She started the brand in 2004 in New York City and, according to her website, has a strong focus on empowering women. The Tory Burch Foundation gives access to capital and education to enable women to achieve their dreams, with Burch being the executive chairman and CEO of the brand.

4. Kim Kardashian – US$1.2 billion

Kim Kardashian attends the 2022 Baby2Baby Gala presented by Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California, in November 2022. Photo: TNS

She may be down US$600 million compared to last year, but Kim Kardashian’s net worth still sits at an impressive US$1.2 billion. Forbes reports the value of Kardashian’s shapewear firm Skims saw a decline because of “lower value for publicly traded figures”. She has a 35 per cent stake in Skims, the biggest source of her revenue. The reality star-turned-entrepreneur also has a private equity firm, SKKY Partners and she launched a skin care line SKKN by Kim, boosting her revenue streams.