7 Richest Influencers in the World
Written by
Andrew Lisa
Edited by
Gary Dudak
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Everyone tries to portray themselves as wealthy, successful and sought after on social media. So, who’s telling the truth?
To find out, Forbes created its first-ever ranking of the 50 top influencers on the internet. One is a dog, but Forbes selected the remaining 49 humans based on their social media clout, success in entrepreneurship and, of course, their earnings.
Mainstream celebrities like Kim Kardashian earn billions and put up beastly social media stats, but Forbes did not include them on the list. While the ranking explores the chosen influencers’ earnings, their follower counts, their business ventures and their likes and other interactions, it doesn’t include their net worths.
To find out which of them are the richest, GOBankingRates cross-referenced the ranking with net worth information from CelebrityNetWorth and chose the seven with the largest personal fortunes. Keep reading to learn about the richest influencers in the world.
Olajide Olatunji (KSI)
- Net worth: $25 million
KSI was an early YouTube adopter, launching a channel in 2009 dedicated to FIFA video game commentary. He built his persona and parlayed his success into a career as a rapper and boxer.
The British influencer continued his brand-building campaign, launching a restaurant chain called Sides and his Vodka brand XIX. He also joined Logan Paul, the brother of fellow YouTuber-turned-pugilist Jake Paul, in creating a workout drink brand called Prime Hydration.
Alexandra Cooper
- Net worth: $25 million
Alexandra Cooper is proof that sex still sells. The one-time college soccer player’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast — which she co-hosts with her former roommate — spills the most intimate details of her private life, as well as those of famous people and her friends.
Once the pair gained traction, they signed a deal to produce the show with Barstool Sports — then came the real money. In 2020, Cooper inked a contract with Spotify worth a reported $60 million and built the show into the No. 1 female-led podcast on the platform.
Mark Edward Fischbach (Markiplier)
- Net worth: $35 million
The No. 3 highest-paid YouTube star of 2022, Markiplier was an early success on the platform, launching his channel in 2012 as a gaming influencer. He has demonstrated remarkable longevity, doubling his earnings between 2020 and 2021, thanks mostly to his Unus Annus line of hoodies, T-shirts and other apparel.
In 2021, he transitioned to podcasting and his show is being adapted for television. He earned $38 million in the 12 months ending in September 2022.
Jake Paul
- Net worth: $40 million
Few influencers are as polarizing as Jake Paul, who successfully transitioned from a trash-talking YouTube bad boy to one of the highest-paid prizefighters in history.
In 2022, Forbes ranked him the No. 46 highest-paid athlete in the world among all sports thanks to the $38 million in combined earnings he pulled in that year — despite never having fought a pro boxer in a sanctioned bout.
Tyler Blevins (Ninja)
- Net worth: $40 million
Twitch gaming god Tyler Blevins, aka Ninja, spent six hours a day streaming Fortnite and Valorant until he amassed a following of 18 million.
Although his gaming star power peaked around the time of Fortnite Battle Royale in 2018, he has since diversified his sphere of influence to include cooking and other lifestyle content. He pulled in $12.5 million in the year preceding September 2022.
Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast)
- Net worth: $100 million
Forbes ranked MrBeast as the world’s top influencer. Not only did no one make more money than the $54 million he earned in the year ending Sept. 6, 2022, but he has 162 million combined followers who watch his death-defying stunts, which include being buried alive for 50 hours and starving himself for 30 days.
On top of that, his MrBeast Burger shadow kitchen concept disrupted the service industry. Instead of investing in physical infrastructure like a restaurant or chain, his customers order burgers online to be prepared by partner restaurants with extra staff.
Huda Kattan
- $560 million
Huda Kattan quit her unfulfilling job in finance to work in makeup and start a blog in 2010. Three years later, she and her sisters founded Huda Beauty, which now does $200 million in annual sales across a 140-product line.
Although she says she’s never spent money on advertising, she has 50 million Instagram followers and a fortune of more than a half-billion dollars. According to Forbes, that’s a step down from 2019, when Huda Kattan was worth $610 million.
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