Whenever we see a celebrity on the news, we cannot help but wonder just how much money he/she had amassed. Some of you might be surprised to find that some celebs actually made a fortune in other industries and this may or may not be their primary jobs.
While most celebs are OK with their full-time jobs, some do attempt to expand their portfolio with at least one side business. Surprisingly enough, celebs having side businesses only became a thing from the beginning of the 21st century. This may not come as a surprise for people who follow their celebrities on a daily basis. As for the reason why they do it, several reasons come to mind such as having an additional source of income, keeping themselves occupied, or broadening their life experiences.
Not all celebs will talk about their side jobs though. This list features 25 celebrities who will not speak of their side hustles, even when the cat is already out of the bag. Let us see what else they have been doing.
#1 Andrew Shue
Source: Instagram
Businesses: CafeMom, DoSomething.org
Andrew and his friend Michael Sanchez co-founded CafeMom and DoSomething. The former was shut down in 2018 due to advert costs, while the latter, a non-profit organization, continues to support the young generation to this day.
#2 Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen
Source: David Shankbone
Businesses: Elizabeth and James, The Row
The Row was founded in 2006 and Elizabeth and James in 2007. Out of the two fashion brands, only The Row remained active to this day.
#3 Bethenny Frankel
Source: Gina Hughes
Business: Skinnygirl
Frankel is both the founder and the CEO of Skinnygirl. The company started off as a cocktail line in 2009 and was sold in 2011 to Beam Global.
#4 Cindy Crawford
Source: Flickr – Ibsan73
Businesses: Meaningful Beauty, Cindy Crawford Home, Ladder
Ladder is Crawford’s latest side business, launched in 2019 in collaboration with major celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger and LeBron James.
#5 Drew Barrymore
Source: Instagram
Businesses: Flower Films, Flower Beauty, Flower Eyewear, Flower Home
Barrymore has her own film production company, Flower Films, which is also her first side business outside of being an actress. Additionally, she has three more companies, all of which bear the “Flower” brand.
#6 Francis Ford Coppola
Source: Gerald Geronimo
Business: Francis Ford Coppola Winery
The Academy-winning director established his own winery in 2006. The winery was later acquired in 2018 by Delicato Family Wines at an undisclosed price.
#7 Gwyneth Paltrow
Source: Andrea Raffin
Business: Goop
Founded in 2008, the Goop brand quickly found itself deep in hot water, with marketed products and treatments being harmful and containing false health claims.
#8 Jay-Z
Source: Joella Marano
Businesses: ROC Nation, Tidal, Armand de Brignac Champagne, D’Usse cognac
Jay-Z is probably one of the few celebrities who became a billionaire thanks to his diverse business portfolio. As of 2022, the rapper has a net worth of $1.3 billion.
#9 Jessica Alba
Source: Flickr – TechCrunch
Business: The Honest Company
Alba’s side hustle is called The Honest Company. Accusations aimed at Honest in the past few years, on the other hand, have proved that the company did just the opposite.
#10 Jessica Simpson
Source: Instagram
Business: Jessica Simpson Collection
Simpson’s own brand was all about fashion. It was one of the most successful fashion brands for a long time.
#11 Kate Hudson
Source: Flickr
Businesses: Fabletics, HappyxNature
Hudson had launched two clothing brands in a span of 6 years, with the second brand, HappyxNature, focusing more on sustainability.
#12 Khloé Kardashian
Source: Instagram
Business: Good American clothing
It should come as no surprise that a clothing brand established by a member of the renowned Kardashian family in the U.S. blew up within days. In fact, the first day alone earned the company $1 million in sales.
#13 Kim Kardashian West
Source: Instagram
Businesses: Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, KKW Fragrance, KKW Beauty, Skims
It’s no surprise to see Kim Kardashian on this list along with her older sister. Kim also established several companies under her name, mostly selling beauty products. All of Kim’s brands enjoyed massive success in just hours after opening.
#14 Kylie Jenner
Source: Condé Nast
Businesses: Kylie Cosmetics, Kendall + Kylie clothing line, the Kylie Shop official merchandise, Kylie Skin
Kylie Jenner is the youngest billionaire ever at the age of 21 according to Forbes. This is thanks to her business enjoying great success and, in her own words, “It’s the power of social media”.
#15 Lauren Conrad
Source: Glenn Francis
Businesses: LC Lauren Conrad, The Little Market
Lauren Conrad is the co-founded?? The Little Market in 2013. This is a non-profit trade shop that aims to support artisans around the world.
#16 Lisa Vanderpump
Source: Instagram
Businesses: Vanderpump Pets, LVP Sangria, various restaurants
As of 2022, Vanderpump and her husband are the owners of more than 30 establishments, most of which are restaurants and bars. These establishments can be found all over the US and UK.
#17 Mark Wahlberg
Source: Instagram
Businesses: Wahlburgers, AQUAhydrate
The Wahlburgers chain is family business, owned by the actor’s brother, Paul. So far, the fast food chain has been deployed mainly in the States, with branches in Canada and Germany.
#18 Oprah Winfrey
Source: Instagram
Businesses: OWN, O, The Oprah Magazine
The Oprah Winfrey Show saw its final episode aired in 2011. That same year, the Oprah Winfrey Network was launched. The legendary talk show host also founded O, The Oprah Magazine in 2000.
#19 Reese Witherspoon
Source: Instagram
Businesses: Draper James clothing and lifestyle brand, Hello Sunshine media company
Witherspoon’s clothing brand, Draper James, was so well known, the brand sold out on day one. An interesting fact about the brand: its name is a tribute to Reese’s grandparents, Dorothea Draper and William James Witherspoon.
#20 Rihanna
Source: Instagram
Businesses: Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty lingerie, Fenty clothing line
Rihanna‘s Fenty Beauty is one of the first cosmetics brand to include darker shades for women of color in general, and is also one of the most successful. Other cosmetic brands vied for Fenty’s success and sought to introduce more inclusive shades as well.
#21 Robert De Niro
Source: Georges Biard
Businesses: Nobu, Tribeca Enterprises, various other restaurants
It does not matter whether he is acting or operating food chains. Robert De Niro can make serious money left and right.
#22 Sarah Jessica Parker
Source: Georges Biard
Businesses: SJP Beauty, SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker, SJP for Hogarth
Sarah named her companies after herself, all beginning with SJP. SJP for Hogarth is different from the other two in that it promotes books and novels from iconic writers such as Charles Dickens, Lev Tolstoy, Shakespeare, etc.
#23 Sean “Diddy” Combs
Source: Alexander Vaughn
Business: Combs Enterprises
Combs Enterprises doesn’t generate income on its own, it is an umbrella company with many other companies under it, such as Mark Wahlberg‘s AQUAhydrate.
#24 Serena Williams
Source: Instagram
Businesses: Serena Ventures, Serena clothing line
“The Queen” recently retired on Aug 29, leaving behind a colossal legacy. She is without a doubt one of the most consequential figures of the 21st century.
Serena has her own clothing brand, too, and the brand itself is just as empowering as Serena is, “Strong Sexy Sophisticated”.
#25 Sofía Vergara
Source: Instagram
Businesses: EBY, Sofia Jeans by Sofia Vergara, Sofia Vergara furniture collection, Fragrances by Sofia Vergara
Not content with just being a successful actress, Vergara expanded her horizon with multiple companies covering various categories including fashion, fragrance, and furniture.
