3 Country Stars Earn Spots on Forbes’ ‘Top 100 World’s Highest-Paid Celebrities’ List

Three country stars have nabbed spots on Forbes‘ annual “Top 100 World’s Highest-paid Celebrities” list, with Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks andKenny Chesney all making the cut this year.

Byan came in at No. 45, earning $52 million. After serving as a judge on the reboot of American Idol and releasing his album, What Makes You Country, in December 2017, Bryan was already likely to earn a major amount, but the singer’s current What Makes You Country Tour helped propel him to the lofty spot. The trek grossed seven figures nightly and is still going, cementing Bryan’s position as one of country music’s biggest acts.

Country music icon Brooks made the list at No. 59, with the 56-year-old netting $45.5 million this year. Brooks wrapped up his three-year World Tour with wife Trisha Yearwood in late 2017, and the trek became the best-selling North American tour of all time, with Brooks selling over six million tickets and breaking his own record. This year, he’s headlined several festivals and shows no signs of slowing down.

Chesney is the third country act on the chart, taking the No. 87 spot with $37 million. The “Get Along” singer is currently on his Trip Around the Sun Tour, which is stopping at stadiums around the country to give Chesney the chance to perform for his No Shoes Nation. The 50-year-old also has endorsement deals with Corona and earns from his Blue Chair Rum.

Each of the three stars will likely have plenty of success in the coming months as well thanks to various ventures. Bryan is scheduled to open a bar in downtown Nashville in July, joining other acts like Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton, who also have their names on various Lower Broadway establishments.

Brooks will perform his first-ever concert at Notre Dame Stadium on an as-yet-undisclosed date, and Chesney is gearing up to release his new album, Songs for the Saints, at the end of July.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather topped this year’s list, earning an astounding $285 million, followed by George Clooney with $239 million and Kylie Jenner with $166.5 million. The Top 10 is rounded out by stars including Judge Judy star Judy Sheindlin, actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, soccer star Lionel Messi and singer Ed Sheeran.

Last year’s list included a handful of country acts, with Bryan, Brooks and Chesney all earning spots along with Dolly Parton, Toby Keith, Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean.

Photo Credit: Getty / Erika Goldring