Move Over Oprah: Bethenny Lands in Entertainment's Power Elite
B tops Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and more on list of top-earning women.
She's always been kind of a big deal to us, but now Bethenny Frankel's ascending to the dizzying heights of Oprah and Lady Gaga among the entertainment industry's power elite. The brassy Bravoleb made the Top Three of Forbes' annual list of Entertainment's Highest-Earning Women.
Oprah Winfrey tops the list as usual at $290 million, while Lady Gaga came in second, having earned $90 million between May 2010 and May 2011. The Bethenny Ever After star's financial fierceness, of course, comes from the sale of her uber-popular Skinny Girl Margarita mix to Fortune Brands for $120 million. During the past year, the Bravoleb was able to cash in around $55 million (without ever having to crawl inside a single egg!). The financial magazine noted, "Frankel has been a master when it comes to using the world of reality shows to build and sell a brand." You can't put anything past Forbes, can you?
Bethenny's rank sets her just above a four-way, fourth-place tie between genial daytime guru Ellen DeGeneres, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, country crossover ingénue Taylor Swift, and legal eagle Judge Judy at $45M. The tiny tycoon even beat out ubiquitous popbot Katy Perry, who made $44 million.
Where else is Bethenny popping up? Keep tabs on all your favorite Bravo stars with our Tweet Tracker.
