# Forbes Top 40

The Forbes Top 40 was an annual list of 40 highest-paid entertainers compiled and published by Forbes magazine from 1987 until 1998. The following year, 1999, it was created the Forbes Celebrity 100. The list was published every September, compiled by using the income of performers over two years to overcome the year-to-year of a performer's income.
Forbes representatives said that those individual are "more than entertainers, they are businesses", declaring: "Not only do they create wealth for the entertainment industry and their business sponsors, they create wealth for the nation in exportable merchandize in the form of TV programming, motion pictures, and videocassette and music recordings".

## Forbes Top 40 lists

Below is the top 10 for each year since the list's inception.

### 1980s

1987 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Bill Cosby | Television personality |
| 2 | Sylvester Stallone | Actor |
| 3 | Bruce Springsteen | Musician |
| 4 | Charles Schulz | Cartoonist |
| 5 | Eddie Murphy | Actor |
| 6 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 7 | Madonna | Musician |
| 8 | Whitney Houston | Musician |
| 9 | Michael Jackson | Musician |
| 10 | Johnny Carson | Television personality |
1988 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Michael Jackson | Musician |
| 2 | Bill Cosby | Television personality |
| 3 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 4 | Sylvester Stallone | Actor |
| 5 | Eddie Murphy | Actor |
| 6 | Charles Schulz | Cartoonist |
| 7 | Bruce Springsteen | Musician |
| 8 | Mike Tyson | Sportsperson (Boxing) |
| 9 | Madonna | Musician |
| 10 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Actor |
1989 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Michael Jackson | Musician |
| 2 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 3 | Bill Cosby | Television personality |
| 4 | Mike Tyson | Sportsperson (Boxer) |
| 5 | Charles Schulz | Cartoonist |
| 6 | Eddie Murphy | Actor |
| 7 | Pink Floyd | Musicians |
| 8 | The Rolling Stones | Musicians |
| 9 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 10 | George Michael | Musician |

### 1990s

1990 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Bill Cosby | Television personality |
| 2 | Michael Jackson | Musician |
| 3 | The Rolling Stones | Musicians |
| 4 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 5 | New Kids on the Block | Musicians |
| 6 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 7 | Sylvester Stallone | Actor |
| 8 | Madonna | Musician |
| 9 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Actor |
| 10 | Charles Schulz | Cartoonist |
1991 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | New Kids on the Block | Musician |
| 2 | Bill Cosby | Television personality |
| 3 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 4 | Madonna | Musician |
| 5 | Michael Jackson | Musician |
| 6 | Kevin Costner | Actor |
| 7 | Johnny Carson | Television personality |
| 8 | The Rolling Stones | Musicians |
| 9 | Charles Schulz | Cartoonist |
| 10 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
1992 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Bill Cosby | Television personality |
| 2 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 3 | Kevin Costner | Actor |
| 4 | New Kids on the Block | Musicians |
| 5 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 6 | Michael Jackson | Musician |
| 7 | Charles Schulz | Cartoonist |
| 8 | Madonna | Musician |
| 9 | Julio Iglesias | Musician |
| 10 | Guns N' Roses | Musicians |
1993 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 2 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 3 | Bill Cosby | Television personality |
| 4 | Guns N' Roses | Musicians |
| 5 | Prince | Musician |
| 6 | Charles Schulz | Cartoonist |
| 7 | Kevin Costner | Actor |
| 8 | U2 | Musicians |
| 9 | Garth Brooks | Musician |
| 10 | David Copperfield | Illusionist |
1994 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 2 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 3 | Sheryl Leach | Television personality |
| 4 | Pink Floyd | Musicians |
| 5 | Bill Cosby | Television personality |
| 6 | Barbra Streisand | Musician |
| 7 | Eagles | Musicians |
| 8 | David Copperfield | Illusionist |
| 9 | The Rolling Stones | Musicians |
| 10 | Harrison Ford | Actor |
1995 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 2 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 3 | The Beatles | Musicians |
| 4 | The Rolling Stones | Musicians |
| 5 | Eagles | Musicians |
| 6 | David Copperfield | Illusionist |
| 7 | Pink Floyd | Musicians |
| 8 | Michael Jackson | Musician |
| 9 | Barbra Streisand | Musician |
| 10 | Sylvester Stallone | Actor |
1996 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 2 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 3 | The Beatles | Musicians |
| 4 | Michael Jackson | Musician |
| 5 | The Rolling Stones | Musicians |
| 6 | Eagles | Musicians |
| 7 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Actor |
| 8 | David Copperfield | Illusionist |
| 9 | Jim Carrey | Actor |
| 10 | Michael Crichton | Filmmaker |
1997 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 2 | George Lucas | Filmmaker |
| 3 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 4 | Michael Crichton | Filmmaker |
| 5 | The Beatles | Musicians |
| 6 | Jerry Seinfeld | Television personality |
| 7 | David Copperfield | Illusionist |
| 8 | Stephen King | Author |
| 9 | Tom Cruise | Actor |
| 10 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Actor |
1998 :
| No. | Recipient | Career |
| 1 | Jerry Seinfeld | Television personality |
| 2 | Larry David | Television personality |
| 3 | Steven Spielberg | Filmmaker |
| 4 | Oprah Winfrey | Television personality |
| 5 | James Cameron | Filmmaker |
| 6 | Tim Allen | Actor |
| 7 | Michael Crichton | Filmmaker |
| 8 | Harrison Ford | Actor |
| 9 | The Rolling Stones | Musicians |
| 10 | Master P | Musician |

## Statistics

Most entries by entertainer at the top 10 :
| Entries | Individual | Country of origin | Main profession |
| 12 | Steven Spielberg | United States | Filmmaker |
| 10 | Oprah Winfrey | United States | Television personality |
| 8 | Michael Jackson | United States | Musician |
| 8 | Bill Cosby | United States | Television personality |
| 7 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | Musicians |
| 7 | Charles Schulz | United States | Cartoonist |
| 5 | Madonna | United States | Musician |
| 5 | David Copperfield | United States | Illusionist |

### Forbes reports and summarize

Forbes 20th-century lists were predominantly dominated by male figures. In 1996 alone, only four female celebrities made appearances at the list (Oprah Winfrey ranked 1, Roseanne Barr at 25, Mariah Carey at 33, and Sandra Bullock at 40). Winfrey, however, often appeared even above many individuals regardless of gender, which has been maintained with the inception of Forbes Celebrity 100 in 1999. Various musicians often dominated the list, although high ranks were not usually attained by female artists. Like Winfrey, Madonna was an almost premier exception.
On the other hand, lists were dominated by American personalities rather than foreigners. The Beatles attained the highest ranked for non-Americans. According to Forbes, after list' 11th anniversary, Steven Spielberg and Bill Cosby were the individuals with the most appearances at the top, with three each.