1. Sean Combs
Annual earnings: $130 million
Profession: Musician
Age: 48
Close to half of rapper-producer Sean Combs' earnings last year came from the $70 million sale of a portion of his clothing line, which does nearly $500 million in annual sales. He also raked in cash from the "Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour," which ran through the fall of 2016, and his multi-million dollar partnership with Ciroc vodka.
2. Beyoncé Knowles
Annual earnings: $105 million
Profession: Musician
Age: 36
Beyoncé was the highest-paid female musician of the year, unseating last year's title-holder Taylor Swift. Her "Formation World Tour" was a smash success, grossing more than $250 million, according to Forbes. Beyoncé owns a stake in streaming service Tidal, which surged when Sprint invested $200 million in the company in early 2017.
3. J.K. Rowling
Annual earnings: $95 million
Profession: Author
Age: 52
J.K. Rowling, the prolific "Harry Potter" author, is still collecting checks from her global phenomenon more than 20 years after she introduced the young wizard to the world. This year, she published another best-selling book, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," and produced the accompanying stage play in London, which is sold out through 2018. And the film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" debuted, grossing $812 million at the global box office.
4. Drake
Annual earnings: $94 million
Profession: Musician
Age: 31
Drake embarked on two world tours over the course of the year, "Summer Sixteen" and "Boy Meets World," raking in millions. But fans crave more than his live shows: The rapper is the most streamed artist in the world. On top of it all, lucrative endorsement deals with Apple, Sprite, and Nike make him one of the top-earning entertainers of the year.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
Annual earnings: $93 million
Profession: Athlete
Age: 32
Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo signed a new contract with the team in late 2016 securing a pre-tax annual salary of $50 million over the next four years. Around the same time, Nike scooped him up for a lifetime endorsement deal worth $1 billion. Ronaldo is the world's highest-paid athlete.
6. The Weeknd
Annual earnings: $92 million
Profession: Musician
Age: 27
After releasing his debut album in 2013, The Weeknd made a swift rise to global superstardom. His latest world tour, "Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour" ran from February to July 2017 and grossed an estimated $1.1 million per stop, according to Forbes.
7. Howard Stern
Annual earnings: $90 million
Profession: Talk show host
Age: 63
"Shock jock" Howard Stern renewed his contract with SiriusXM in late 2015 to continue producing his radio talk show and potentially venture into mobile apps and streaming. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but analysts peg Stern's annual salary between $80 to $90 million.
8. Coldplay
Annual earnings: $88 million
Profession: Musicians
Age: 39-40
Coldplay — the British rock band comprised of Chris Martin, Will Champion, Jonny Buckland, and Guy Berryman — kicked off its seventh concert tour in the spring of 2016, playing 122 shows around the globe, and culminating in November 2016. The band grossed over $5 million per city, according to Forbes, paving the way for the highest-earning year in the band's 20-year history.
9. James Patterson
Annual earnings: $87 million
Profession: Author
Age: 70
James Patterson is America's wealthiest author. Over the course of a year, 9.5 million copies of his books were sold and several of them are being adapted into films. Showtime recently acquired the rights to his forthcoming novel written with former president Bill Clinton, "The President is Missing," for which Patterson reportedly earned a seven-figure advance.
10. LeBron James
Annual earnings: $86 million
Profession: Athlete
Age: 32
Four-time MVP LeBron James re-signed a $100 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers after their championship win in 2016, reportedly earning him a starting salary north of $33 million for the 2017-18 NBA season — the highest single-season salary in NBA history. On top of that, James has an impressive portfolio of endorsement deals with Intel, Verizon, Nike, Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre, and Kia Motor.
11 (TIE). Guns N' Roses
Annual earnings: $84 million
Profession: Musicians
Age: 52-55
Tied with Limbaugh for No. 11 is a polar opposite in showmanship and craft: Guns N' Roses. Back in 2016, original band members Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan launched a world tour spanning five continents and continuing into 2017. As of July, it had become the highest grossing tour of the year so far with over $151 million in revenue.
11 (TIE). Rush Limbaugh
Annual earnings: $84 million
Profession: Talk show host
Age: 66
Conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh renewed his contract with iHeartMedia in 2016 to continue distributing his eponymous radio show. The deal keeps Limbaugh on the airwaves for another four years and is likely worth tens, if not hundreds, of millions. Meanwhile, he's still collecting money from his best-selling books and widely read digital content.
13. Justin Bieber
Annual earnings: $83.5 million
Profession: Musician
Age: 23
Playing 100-plus live shows boosted Justin Bieber's income last year, leading to his highest-earning year to date. The singer — who is the youngest celebrity among the top 20 highest-earners — also pulls in cash from a multi-million dollar global endorsement deal with Calvin Klein.
14. Lionel Messi
Annual earnings: $80 million
Profession: Athlete
Age: 30
Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer player who plays for FC Barcelona, is the highest-paid athlete in the world under 30. He renewed a lucrative endorsement deal with Adidas in December 2016, which accounted for half of the $27 million he earned from endorsements.
15. Phil McGraw
Annual earnings: $79 million
Profession: Talk show host
Age: 67
Edging out DeGeneres, Dr. Phil McGraw is the highest-paid talk show host on TV, according to Forbes. A sizeable portion of his earnings come from producing credits and his talk show's ad revenue and product placement fees.
16. Ellen DeGeneres
Annual earnings: $77 million
Profession: Talk show host
Age: 59
Besides earning tens of millions as the host of her eponymous talk show, Ellen DeGeneres runs Ellen Digital Ventures, which manages sponsored shows on her streaming platform Ellentube and various mobile games. Last year, DeGeneres cemented a deal with Netflix — reportedly in the ballpark of $40 million — to film her first stand-up special in 15 years.
17. Bruce Springsteen
Annual earnings: $75 million
Profession: Musician
Age: 68
The legendary singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen's 2016 worldwide tour reportedly grossed $232 million. Last year he also published a memoir, "Born to Run," which earned him a $10 million advance, along with a compilation album, "Chapter and Verse."
18 (TIE). Adele
Annual earnings: $69 million
Profession: Musician
Age: 29
It was another banner year for Adele. The British singer embarked on a year-long world tour in 2016, which grossed a whopping $167.7 million at the halfway mark. In early 2017, Adele nabbed five Grammys, bringing her total to 15. Behind Beyoncé — whom she dedicated her Album of the Year Award to — Adele was the second highest-paid woman in music last year.
18 (TIE). Jerry Seinfeld
Annual earnings: $69 million
Profession: Comedian
Age: 63
Jerry Seinfeld, the world's highest-paid comedian, struck gold with Netflix this year. The streaming giant paid him millions for a new stand-up special, two more seasons of his hit show "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," and development credits. He's also still raking in cash from Hulu, which owns the rights to his 1990s self-titled sitcom.
20. Mark Wahlberg
Annual earnings: $68 million
Profession: Actor
Age: 46
Mark Wahlberg had his highest-earning year to date thanks to massive paychecks for starring roles in blockbusters "Daddy's Home 2" and "Transformers: The Last Knight." He also appears in the A&E reality show "Wahlburgers" with his brothers about running and expanding their family restaurant business. He's currently the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.