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Taylor Swift Is The Highest-Paid Celebrity Of 2019 With $185 Million

And this isn't the first time she's topped the list

Still heartbroken that Taylor Swift's master recordings from her first six albums were recently sold to Scooter Braun for a whopping $300 million? Well, here's some better news: Swift is literally the highest-paid celebrity in the world (again!), according to Forbes's Celebrity 100 list — a list she likewise topped in 2016 after earning $170 million.

So what is the pre-tax income of the highest-paid celebrity, you ask? Great question! According to Forbes, Taylor's 2019 income totals $185 million, which the publication says is "her biggest earnings total yet." In fact, her salary grew 131% since 2018, due in large part to the massive world tour she went on last year in support of her Reputation album. The tour turned out not only to be Swift's most successful tour to date, but the highest-grossing tour in U.S. history — earning $266 million and surpassing her previous record held by the 1989 World Tour.

While most of Swift's income came from her 53-city trek, she also released a live concert special on Netflix — and yes, she did earn a pretty penny from that as well. According to Forbes, "The streaming giant's payout and endorsement deals with Apple, AT&T and Diet Coke added millions to Swift's coffers."

But in addition to the tour, the Netflix special, and the endorsements, Swift also signed the biggest deal of her whole career in late 2018. In November, the pop star announced her split from Big Machine Records — the label she was signed to for her entire career — and confirmed that she'd signed with Universal Music Group's Republic Records instead. The deal, according to Forbes sources, "could be worth up to $200 million," and included a stipulation that requires the label to share the proceeds of its $1 billion stake in Spotify with its musicians.

With the Lover era officially in full swing, there's no telling what will happen next. But the smart money is still on Taylor. After all, she's the first musician to top the list twice. Who's to say she won't do it again?

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