Reese Witherspoon's Astounding $440 Million Net Worth Makes Her the World's Richest Self-Made Actress
Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon is officially the world's richest self-made actress with a whopping net worth of $440 million. The successful businesswoman and producer holds 59th place on the 'America's Richest Self-Made Women' list published by Forbes.
The majority of her earnings come from the staggering $900 million deal made when Witherspoon sold her production company to a Blackstone-backed media company owned by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. The Legally Blonde actress founded Hello Sunshine in 2016 as a medium of focusing on women-driven stories to "change the way all women are seen in media."
According to Marca, Witherspoon retained an 18% stake in her production company, which increased her net earnings to an estimated $120 million. This in turn increased her overall wealth to an estimated $400 million back in 2021.
She even shared an Instagram post announcing the lucrative deal, and wrote, "I started @HelloSunshine to change the way all women are seen in media. Over the past few years, we have watched our mission thrive through books, TV, film, and social platforms. Today, we're taking a huge step forward by partnering with @blackstone, which will enable us to tell even more entertaining, impactful, and illuminating stories about women's lives globally."
According to The Things, Reese began her career with the 1991 film The Man in the Moon. Since then, she has starred in some of the highest-grossing films including the $141 million Legally Blonde franchise, $182 million Sweet Home Alabama, $187 million Walk the Line for which she received the Academy Award for Best Actress, and $631 million animated film Sing.
According to Parade, Reese took a paycheck of an estimated $250,000 for her role in Cruel Intentions in 1999. A few years later, she made a staggering $15 million for Legally Blonde 2 and charged $12.5 million for Sweet Home Alabama. For her role in HBO hit thriller series Big Little Lies, Reese earned less than $5 million during the first season, however, she reported making $1 million per episode for season 2.
She made an estimated $2 million per episode or $20 million for hosting the first season of Apple TV's The Morning Show. In 2020, Reese took a paycheck of $1.1 million per episode for Hulu's eight-episode miniseries Little Fires Everywhere. In 2018, she debuted as New York Times bestseller with her lifestyle book, Whiskey in a Teacup.
The Dapper James clothing line founder also owns an impressive real estate portfolio. In 2020, she sold a Malibu farm for $6.7 million and invested in the luxe property a year earlier for $6.2 million. In 2014, she and her ex-husband Jim Toth purchased a Pacific Palisades home for a whopping $12.7 million, selling it for a profit of $17 million.
She and Toth also invested in an estate in Brentwood, California, which the couple bought for an estimated $10.5 million. The actress continues to make millions through her business ventures and progressive entertainment.
