Beyonce & Jay-Z Are The Top-Earning Couple

Are you all ready for a bit of depression? Forbes have released their annual list of the Top-Earning Celebrity Couples and just like last year the top spot is owned by Beyonce and Jay-Z. But unlike last year the couple made $162 million, this year they earned $122 million. A sign of the recession?

01. Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles : $122 million

Between Jay-Z’s musical empire, Beyonce’s chart-topping hit “Single Ladies” and several clothing lines and ad deals, this couple knows how to use their fame to make money. Jay-Z has a hit with “Empire State of Mind,” which he performed with Alicia Keys at the World Series. His next tour launches in February. Last year Beyonce sang at Obama’s inaugural ball and her film, Obsessed, earned $74 million at the worldwide box office.

02. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart : $69 million

For the past few years Ford has stayed out of the spotlight, but he returned in a big way in 2008 with Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Ford earned $65 million for his work in the role. His girlfriend, Calista Flockhart, is no lazy daisy. She stars on the ABC show Brothers & Sisters.

03. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie : $55 million

Pitt and Jolie have always gotten plenty of attention, but now they’re making plenty of money too. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was one of Pitt’s highest grossing films, earning $334 million at the worldwide box office. Jolie is profiting by embracing her inner action hero. Wanted earned $341 million at the worldwide box office. Later this year she’ll appear in Salt as a disgraced CIA agent.

04. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith : $48 million

Smith is without a doubt the biggest movie star in the world. His films have earned a total $5.7 billion at the worldwide box office and studio heads say he earns every penny of his $20 million paycheck. Most of the couple’s earnings come from Smith, but Pinkett Smith has a growing career of her own. She’s been writing and producing films as well as voicing Gloria the hippo in the Madagascar films.

05. David and Victoria Beckham : $46 million

Beckham is still a worldwide soccer sensation at the ripe old age of 34. Part of the year he’s a star in Los Angeles with the Galaxy. The rest of the year he plays for A.C. Milan, which should help him land a spot on the England team to appear in a record-tying fourth World Cup this summer. Beckham’s wife, Victoria (better known as Posh Spice), is scheduled to appear as a guest judge on this year’s American Idol.

06. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi : $36 million

DeGeneres has become an entertainment mogul. She has a successful talk show, shills for American Express and owns part of a dog food company. Next she’ll take over for Paula Abdul as a judge on American Idol. Her significant other, de Rossi, stars in the ABC show Better Off Ted, which has garnered a cult following but seems poised for cancellation.

07. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson : $35.5 million

As one of the few actors in Hollywood who can still command a $20 million paycheck, Hanks is the main breadwinner in his house. He had another hit this year with Angels & Demons. The film earned $486 million at the worldwide box office. This summer he’ll once again voice Woody in Toy Story 3. Wilson has a much more low-key career, but she still pops up in best friend roles. She recently appeared with Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated.

08. Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy : $34 million

Carrey and McCarthy have been a couple for the last four years and in that time McCarthy’s profile has risen considerably. She’s gone from a Playboy model to an outspoken (and controversial) vaccine opponent. Carrey contributes the majority of money to the pair, but McCarthy will soon have her own television show under Oprah’s Harpo banner.

09. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes : $33.5 million

Cruise and Holmes are a source of endless fascination for tabloids and they’re also very rich. Cruise is the family breadwinner, earning $33 million between June 2008 and June 2009. Holmes still acts a little. In 2008 she starred in Mad Money alongside Diane Keaton. Up next for Cruise: Knight & Day with Cameron Diaz.

10. Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow : $33 million

As the front man for the group Coldplay, Martin outearns Paltrow. The group’s latest album, Viva la Vida, sold 2.6 million copies in the U.S. and 3 million in Europe. Paltrow will be the high-profile spouse in 2010 though when she reprises her role as Tony Stark’s assistant, Pepper Potts, in Iron Man 2.

Lists like this make me really depressed, especially after I look at my bank account.

source: Hollywood’s Top-Earning Couples [Forbes]

Popularity: unranked [?]

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