Everyone should know this by now: Never count Oprah out. Despite
business stumbles and an $88 million earnings drop since last year, Oprah Winfrey returns to the top of Forbes’ annual Celebrity 100 ranking of the most powerful celebrities after two years in second place. She leads a female-dominated top 10 that includes Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Madonna, Taylor Swift and Ellen DeGeneres.Even without her eponymous daytime
talk show, Winfrey made an estimated $77 million between June 2012 and June
2013, down from last year’s $165 million. While she wasn’t the highest earner
on our list, her money, mixed with strong fame scores in metrics like press
mentions and social networking power, pushed her to the top.
Winfrey remains a powerful force in Hollywood.
Her Oprah Winfrey Network, once a drifting cable outpost that lost an estimated $330 million for parent company
Discovery between 2008 and the end of 2012, is now a smoothish - running media
machine that could turn a profit by the end of 2013
.
Mistakes like Rose O’Donnell’s talk
show? History. Nailing must-see viewing, like her two-night interview with
disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, is Winfrey’s focus now, as are
scripted shows with help from fellow Celebrity 100 member Tyler
Perry. In the near future, shows that don’t star Winfrey could
become as much of a draw as her own programs. Winfrey also earns from an empire
that includes her O magazine, talk shows from protégés like Rachael
Ray and Dr. Phil, and a network on SiriusXM satellite radio.
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