Highest Paid Entertainer Of 2022 Is Not Even An Actor

Peter Jackson, the critically acclaimed director behind the “Lord of the Rings” films, topped Forbes' 2022 list of the highest-paid entertainers in the world.

The 60-year-old New Zealand director made $580 million last year, primarily through the sale of part of his visual-effects company Weta Digital to Unity Software for $1.6 billion in November 2021, Forbes reported.

Jackson personally made about $600 million in cash and $375 million in stock from the sale, according to the outlet. The deal reportedly made the "King Kong" director the third person in history, after Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, to become a billionaire from making films.

The "Hobbit" director is estimated to be worth $1 billion by Celebrity Net Worth following the deal.

Trailing behind Jackson on Forbes' latest highest-paid entertainers list is singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, who made $435 million last year.

The majority of his earnings came not from a new album or tour, but from the sale of his entire catalog of music, including his master recordings and song publishing catalog, to Sony Music Entertainment in a blockbuster deal worth nearly $500 million, according to the outlet.

Aside from Springsteen, fellow musicians Bob Dylan and Paul Simon also made the top 10 after selling their back catalogs to Sony last year. Simon earned $200 million, while Dylan got $130 million from their respective deals.

Coming in at no. 3 on the list is rapper Jay-Z, who reportedly made $340 million from the sale of his stakes in his music streaming service Tidal and his champagne brand Armand de Brignac, also known as “Ace of Spades.”

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, meanwhile, ranked fourth on Forbes' list of highest-paid entertainers. Part of the $270 million the actor made last year came from his roles in films such as "Jungle Cruise" and "Red Notice," but the majority of the figure came from his tequila brand Teremana.

Kanye West grabbed the fifth spot with earnings of $235 million. According to Forbes, most of the rapper's 2021 earnings came from his multi-year deal to design Yeezy sneakers for Adidas.

The top 10 entertainers on the list are all male, with only three women making the top 20.

Reese Witherspoon was the top-earning woman at no. 12 after making $115 million last year. She sold her production company Hello Sunshine to private equity firm Blackstone at a $900 million valuation in August 2021. She retained a stake in the company following the deal.

The actress also collected $20 million for her role in the second season of Apple TV's "The Morning Show."