10. Rush Limbaugh – $79 million

The renowned radio talk show host and politicianThe commentator has moved up one position to finally crack the top ten of this Forbes list. However, his rank in this list is not surprising as he was one of the highest paid people in US media. The conservative political commentator signed a $400 million deal with Clear Channel Communications in 2008, which ends this year. However, he would find it difficult to land an equally lucrative new deal given his show’s plummeting ratings and his strained relationship with advertisers. However, he will continue to plow money for his writing endeavors. His patriotic books were a big hit with children and teenagers.

9. Adele – $80.5 million

After a hiatus of more than four years, Adele returned to the music industry. Their third album, 25 was an enormous success in terms of commercial earning and critical acclaim. By the end of 2015, the album had sold around 12.3 million copies worldwide. To ease the transition, you’ll need Hello, which was one of the tracks on the album, debuting at number one in many countries. It became the first song in the US to sell at least one million downloads in one week, breaking a record 1.11 million. It also became the fastest video to hit 1 billion views on YouTube, breaking the mark in 88 days.

Adele is the only musician on the Forbes list to make more than half of her money from her album. She’s definitely a rare breed of modern singer who prefers to just focus on her work and draw attention to finding antics for others.

8. Lionel Messi – $81.5 million

If you listen to half of football fans, you will learn that Messi is one of the best football players. The other half makes you believe that he is the greatest player in football history. The diminutive Argentinian star holds almost every record when it comes to the attacking aspect of the game. He is the top scorer and assist provider in La Liga. He’s also a top scorer in his club and country. He has won the FIFA Player of the Year award five times in record time, including four in a row. His tremendous accomplishments have made him a lucrative brand and he earns well from his endorsements.

7. Howard Stern – $85 million

Though he slipped two positions that year, Howard Stern still managed to make $85 million. In December 2015, he signed a new five-year contract with Sirius XM, totaling eight figures. The deal gives the radio company rights to the audio and video archives for a future on-demand streaming application. He recently quit America’s Got Talent.

6. Kevin Hart – $87.5 million

It always pays to be a visionary, and Kevin Hart was a visionary when it came to comedy. He changed the dynamic of the comedy biz by touring around like a pop star. Unlike others in his profession and music stars, Kevin performs in stadiums and arenas. In the past year he has appeared in around 100 shows and the average earnings from those shows have been around $1 million. In 2015 he was one of the 100 most influential people in the prestigious Zeit magazine.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo – $88 million

The Portuguese superstar fared slightly betterHis rival Messi has won a major tournament with his national team and is almost certain he will be crowned FIFA Player of the Year for the fourth time, putting him just behind Messi. Now, you could argue that he’s not number one in football in terms of skill, but you can’t deny that he’s number one when it comes to being the most marketable star in the game. He has more than 200 million followers across social media platforms and sponsorship deals with leading brands. He’s not a lout on the field either. He is the only player to have scored more than fifty goals per season over the past six years.

4. dr Phil McGraw – $88 million

He has since attained celebrity status by appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 1990s, Dr. Phil McGraw has carved his own niche in the television industry. His business acumen and ability as a good psychologist helped him make his eponymous day show a resounding success. He also earns a sizable streak as executive producer on The Doctors. Also, he recently launched Doctor On Demand App that connects users to a network of psychologists.

3. James Patterson – $95 million

James Patterson is a rarity among elite writers. While most books take years to complete, Patterson has a habit of producing a dozen each week. Still, now that he has a team of assistant writers to help him with his projects, it’s a tremendous achievement to be able to publish so much every year, and best of all, at least some of his works appear on bestseller lists every year. In addition, some of his works have been adapted for films and television series, which further increased his earnings.

2. One Direction – $110 million

Even though the famous boy band decided to take a break for some time, they still managed to sneak up to the second position on this list. They are successful Back on the road was a monumental success in her teens and young fans lined up at the airports to greet her. The concerts sold out within days, and some tickets even cost thousands of dollars, when opportunistic sellers decided to make some money selling these tickets on eBay and other sites.

1. Taylor Swift – $170 million

Taylor Swift is undeniably women of the moment. Her transformation from country music prodigy to popular pop star has been one of the industry’s success stories. Their new album , 1989 , was a monumental chart success as well as critical reviews. She managed to get two music streaming giants to bend to her opinion when she got Spotify and Apple to change their royalty programs, and her fan base is stronger and more engaged than ever.

Her place at the top of this list is the tremendous success of her 1989 world tour, which is said to have netted her a quarter of a billion. Her other source of income is her brand ads, including those for Diet Coke, Keds, and Apple.