While equality is becoming more and more important in today’s society, there are still going to be income discrepancies between any pair. One person might work more than another or perhaps one does a different kind of job that simply pays more. While many of these celebrities are certainly self-sufficient and make millions upon millions of dollars, there’s still one of the pair that makes more than the other.
Power couples are taking Hollywood on one PDA at a time and they take the red carpet, and the bank, by storm. Earning plenty on their own is great, but earning lots as part of a duo can really rack up a huge net worth. The problem is that not every celebrity marriage is built to last. While some celebrities marry and stick with it, others are in and out of marriages in a matter of hours. (Remember Britney Spears’ 55-hour long marriage?).
When you look at the pure numbers of these relationships, it can be enough to make jaws drop. The person you think is the breadwinner isn’t always the frontrunner in the earning department. Being in the most pictures doesn’t make them the most well-paid. From movie starts to music moguls, here are some famous stars who make more than their also famous partners.
15 Michelle may overtake the former President as breadwinner
The President of the United States holds the highest office in the country and the most power in the world. Yet, as Business Insider reporter, Title 3 of the US Code dictates that the President makes a salary of $400,000, along with money set aside for things like an expense account, travel account and entertainment account. They still get paid after leaving the Oval Office. Apparently, Barack Obama is looking at earning around $200,000 in his annual pension.
But after eight years in office and living in The White House, he and his wife are making more than they did when they were serving.
It sounds rather far-fetched, but Michelle Obama can actually earn $200,000 just for agreeing to one speaking engagement or public appearance. Business Insider reports that Michelle usually accepts speaking engagements on equal rights, health and wellness and feminism, which are all areas she advocated for when she was First Lady. While Barack has held powerful offices, she may be taking over the majority of the earning in their retirement after The White House years. Luckily, he seems just find with that and has been seen out on his jet ski and relaxing in a number of other ways now that he doesn’t have the weight of running a country on his shoulders.
14 Beyoncé trumps Jay-Z by millions in earnings, but he's worth more
Beyoncé seems to have met her match when she coupled up with Jay-Z when she was still in her teen years. According to Forbes, Jay Z was worth $810 million in 2017. That sounds like enough to raise a small family in Hollywood, right? Or perhaps to feed a large country almost anywhere else. Beyoncé, on the other hand, has a net worth of $350 million, according to The Sun. Although you definitely hear her music more and see her perform a lot more, Jay-Z's wealth is considerably larger than his wife's. When you look at them together, they made $147 million in 2017, according to Forbes, but much of that was due to Beyoncé, not Jay Z. He may be worth more, but when it came to actual earnings last year, she made more of the cash.
Alone, they’re both millionaires. But together? Well, they’re billionaires, now wouldn’t they! When asked how they pull off all of their work, Beyoncé told an interviewer with Forbes that she’s never satisfied and works harder than anyone else in the industry. Apparently, her husband works pretty hard as well.
13 Meghan was making more than her prince
When you think about the terms "king," "queen," and even "prince," you automatically think about great wealth, along with automatic fame. And while Prince Harry was born into a fame beyond what most of us can imagine, it’s his soon-to-be princess that has more earning potential, at least for now.
While Prince Harry actually has more money to his name, his salary is much lower than what Meghan Markle was earning on Suits, the TV show on which she appeared for many years. PopBuzz states that Markle made $50,000 per episode when she played Rachel Zane on the series, whereas Prince Harry made $45,000 for the entire year with his paycheck as a pilot in the British Army Corps.
Both of them are set for life with a luxurious home in a British palace ahead of them after the honeymoon, but Meghan was the higher earner when they met.
Now that she's leaving Hollywood behind, though, Meghan won't be getting a steady paycheck from her acting work. We doubt their earning gap will ever be an issue since it’s not like he doesn’t have plenty of cash to his name as well. At least we know she was making it on her own before he arrived on his white horse in shining armor.
12 Justin is the larger family support
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have a long-standing Hollywood romance. They’ve been together since 2007, married since 2012 and are parents to a little boy. It seems like they have a great life. It's apparently paid for mostly by Timberlake's earnings, however. In fact, Timberlake is one of the highest-paid musicians in the world. Though actresses earn quite a bit when they have the work, Jessica Biel hardly brings home anything compared to her husband. Elite Daily reports that she's only worth about $18 million. That's nothing to scoff at, but Timberlake is worth a whopping $225 million.
Her most recent movie, Shock and Awe, in 2017 brought in an extra $1 million to the family's finances. With Timberlake’s recent Man of the Woods album, Super Bowl performance and highly demanding concert schedule, he’s busier and richer than one movie shoot can make her. While the money discrepancy is there, the couple seems to enjoy each other’s company even after several years of marriage and for many, that’s what really matters. With their sixth anniversary on the horizon, perhaps they will celebrate with something expensive. You know, really treat themselves to something special since they can definitely afford it.
11 Gwen brings the dough, Blake bakes the cookies
One of the most fascinating Hollywood couples of this day has to be the odd pairing of Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. A rock goddess and a country star? Who would have thought! But the pair seems to be happy together after their respective divorces and they are lucky in money as well as in life. Together, they are worth $160 million, but since they aren’t married—and who knows if they'll ever walk down the aisle—it’s easier to compare their earnings separately.
Gwen has many sources of income, including high selling albums, clothing lines and TV hosting gigs. Celebrity Net Worth says she’s banked up to $100 million in her career. Blake, on the other hand, makes $4 million for every cycle of The Voice, as well as plenty for country music and concerts, but the southern crooner is still only worth $60 million. That's still a decent amount of money, though.
Put the two of them together and they can afford as many houses in as many different locations as they want.
She can buy something in the city and go clubbing and he can buy a farm and wear jeans. It’s all good where their incomes are involved. If she keeps appearing on The Voice, he’ll have an even harder time keeping up.
10 J-Lo on track to lose out to A-Rod
Do you have any guesses when it comes to earnings between A-Rod and J-Lo? It’s probably a safe bet to say they’re both doing pretty well for themselves. In fact, they are one of sport’s richest and one of music’s richest celebrities combined. If they were to marry, we'd imagine their prenup would be iron-clad because they both have a lot of assets to protect.
While you might guess that Jennifer Lopez—with her TV shows, movies, music, and hosting gigs—makes way more than A-Rod, he’s actually on pace with her.
According to Bankrate, she was worth $360 million in 2017 and her annual salary is around $40 million. With her juggling so many roles, it’s easy enough to see where it all comes from. However, A-Rod is alongside her, worth about $480 million after his years in Major League Baseball, as reported by Coed. Since leaving the field, he's been bringing in cash with appearances and investments. J-Lo may have large beauty contracts, but she’s going to need to add a few extra things to her already busy schedule if she’s going to keep up with her man in his retirement.
9 Kim makes more no matter what Kanye says
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are always going to make headlines, and she has made it no secret that she earns a lot of money. Since she's a reality star a lot of her earnings come from her social media presence. In fact, she can make up to $500,000 for every sponsored Instagram post, which makes her husband look almost broke. According to Yahoo! Finance, Kim is worth $175 million, with $45.5 million of that added on just in 2017. She has a lot of ways to earn as well, with a beauty line that reportedly sold out in less than five minutes, as well as paydays for appearances and other collaborations. On the other hand, Kanye sticks with music and, while he does just fine for the family, his earnings aren’t as high as hers. He's valued at just $160 million, according to Celebrity Networth.
Either way, together they managed to afford a quaint $20 million mansion in Bel Air and a comfortable life.
Kim also brings in paychecks from her family's reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” and she earns a salary because of her involvement in her sister’s reality show spin-offs as well. A lot of people complain that Kim isn't famous for having any talent, but her ability to hustle seems like a talent to us.
8 Ellen makes Portia look almost poor
Ellen has stayed true to herself and her persona over the years. The Ellen Show is really just a vehicle for her attitude and spirit. It's a way for her to share her love for dancing, make people laugh and show off her stellar casual wardrobe. She has gained legions of fans because of who she is, which means her show is bring in in a lot of money. Ellen, in fact, is one of the highest-paid TV show hosts of all time, taking in over $50 million in 2017, according to Variety. Her Australian model turned actress wife, Portia de Rossi, is also a Hollywood name, and recently has found work on Scandal, Santa Clarita Diet and other supporting roles. While she gets regular paychecks, she's only worth $20 million total, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Though their relationship has been plagued with divorce rumors, as has any other couple in Hollywood, they seem to be around to stay.
The couple lives together in a beautiful California mansion, which we are betting Ellen pays the mortgage on, which would only be fair. While Portia enjoys acting roles as they come about, Ellen does her show daily and dabbles other projects, like her new game show Ellen’s Game of Games, which showcased some of the games she plays on her show all in one place.
7 Carrie brings home the bacon while Mike plays games for money
Carrie Underwood started out a sweet young girl on American Idol, but she has turned into a force to be reckoned with in the country world. She’s enjoyed her rise to fame and has hit it big since her days growing up in Oklahoma. Celebrity Net Worth shows her net worth at $85 million, while Article Bio estimates husband Mike Fisher's net worth at $30 million. Fischer, a hockey player with the Nashville Predators, earned a $4.8 million annual salary. He also starred in several movies, believe it or not, including Remember the Titans, Transformers and Glory Road. With his collection of cars and homes, he has an impressive garage, but his wife is one of the highest-paid stars in the music industry today.
Combined, they had plenty to afford their 2010 Ritz-Carlton resort wedding and their adorable little boy probably wants for nothing.
Though he’s too young to realize just how much he stands to inherit, chances are he will get nothing but the best as he ages. Now he just has to decide if he wants to sing or play hockey. Perhaps he will do both and earn more money than both mom and dad. Time will tell, but for now, this couple is taking on the music, sports and entertainment industry with a storm.
6 Ashton takes his wife to the bank
This is one celebrity pair that has an interesting past. They started out together on That ‘70s Show and while they were an adorable on-again, off-again couple on screen as Jackie and Kelso, The Daily Mail states that they actually didn’t get along when they were filming the show. Even so, their chemistry was alive and when they met up again later in life, the sparks were flying. They eventually married and now have children together.
While they both make plenty of money (and it probably doesn’t matter who makes what when it’s all in the same account), Ashton Kutcher definitely contributed more.
Bank Rate says that Kunis is worth $45 million, while Kutcher is worth a cool $200 million. Kunis stars in a number of movies, but Kutcher has been on Two and a Half Men as well as the more recent Netflix show The Ranch. He also has investments all over the place, ranging from social media and to putting cash into Uber. To her credit, Mila’s family moved to the country from the Ukraine with only a few hundred dollars to their name, so she’s certainly living the American Dream to its fullest in every way.
