Top 10 Celebrity Side Hustles That Made More Than Their Day Jobs

Clooney and his buddies Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman created Casamigos because they wanted a tequila smooth enough to drink without making a face. Five years later, Diageo bought it for $1 billion — the largest tequila acquisition in history. Clooney reportedly earned $233 million from the sale alone, which is more than his entire film career earnings combined. The man made more money from agave than from Ocean's Eleven, Gravity, and every Nespresso ad put together.

Kim K turned a sex tape scandal into a reality show, then turned a reality show into SKIMS — a shapewear brand valued at $4 billion as of 2023. SKIMS became the official underwear partner of the NBA and WNBA. Annual revenue hit $750 million in 2023. Love her or despise her, Kim Kardashian built a business empire that would make most Harvard MBAs weep with envy, and she did it by understanding one thing better than anyone: people will pay premium prices for products attached to aspirational beauty.

Reynolds bought a stake in Aviation Gin in 2018, personally wrote irreverent ads that went viral, and sold it to Diageo for $610 million in 2020. Then he did the exact same playbook with Mint Mobile — investing, starring in ads, and selling to T-Mobile for $1.35 billion in 2023. His ownership group also bought Wrexham AFC, turning a Welsh fifth-tier football club into a global brand via the FX documentary. Reynolds makes more as a marketing genius than he ever did as Deadpool — and Deadpool made $1.5 billion at the box office.

Alba went from action movies to baby wipes and disrupted the entire consumer products industry. The Honest Company launched in 2012 selling non-toxic household and baby products, went public in 2021 at a $1.44 billion valuation, and proved that celebrity-founded startups could be real businesses, not vanity projects. Revenue hit $300 million. Critics said she was just an actress playing CEO; she responded by building a company that survived going public, something most startups never achieve. The IPO made her worth over $200 million.

The Rock is the highest-paid actor in Hollywood at $20 million per film. That sounds impressive until you learn that Teremana Tequila sold 600,000 9-liter cases in its first full year — making it the fastest-growing spirits brand in history. By 2023, it was doing over $300 million in annual revenue. Johnson also co-owns the XFL (again) and ZOA Energy drinks. The man treats his film career like a marketing funnel for his CPG brands, and honestly, it's working. Instagram's most-followed American with 395 million followers is basically a walking billboard.

At 21, Forbes (controversially) declared Kylie Jenner the youngest "self-made" billionaire in history. Kylie Cosmetics launched with lip kits that sold out in 30 seconds — literally crashing the website. She sold 51% to Coty for $600 million in 2020. The brand did $360 million in revenue in its first 18 months with a team of only seven employees. Yes, being born a Kardashian-Jenner is the ultimate head start, but turning Instagram followers into a $900 million beauty exit before your 23rd birthday is undeniable business execution.

Beckham negotiated a clause in his 2007 MLS contract giving him the right to buy an expansion franchise for $25 million. Inter Miami CF launched in 2018. After signing Lionel Messi in 2023, the club's value skyrocketed to $600 million, and merchandise sales exceeded every other MLS team combined. Beckham's total business empire — including his Diageo whisky deal, Tudor watches, and brand ambassador fees — generates more annually than his entire football career earnings of $500 million. The most handsome man in sports turned beauty into a business model.

Paltrow built a wellness empire worth $250 million by selling jade eggs, $75 candles named "This Smells Like My Vagina," and pseudoscientific health advice that made actual doctors furious. Goop has been sued, fined by regulators, and roasted by every science journalist alive — and it keeps growing. Revenue hit $400 million. Paltrow essentially monetized rich-lady anxiety about toxins and turned it into a lifestyle brand. She won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and it's probably the fifth most interesting thing on her resume now.

LeBron earned $430 million in NBA salary over 21 seasons. His business portfolio will dwarf that. SpringHill Entertainment (Space Jam, The Shop) is valued at $725 million. His 2% stake in Liverpool FC — bought for $6.5 million in 2011 — is now worth over $150 million. He was the first active NBA player to reach billionaire status in 2022, with Forbes estimating $1.2 billion in total wealth. Blaze Pizza, Ladder supplements, his Nike lifetime deal worth $1 billion — LeBron treats the NBA like his internship. The real career started when the games ended.

Clooney and his buddies Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman created Casamigos because they wanted a tequila smooth enough to drink without making a face. Five years later, Diageo bought it for $1 billion — the largest tequila acquisition in history. Clooney reportedly earned $233 million from the sale alone, which is more than his entire film career earnings combined. The man made more money from agave than from Ocean's Eleven, Gravity, and every Nespresso ad put together.

Kim K turned a sex tape scandal into a reality show, then turned a reality show into SKIMS — a shapewear brand valued at $4 billion as of 2023. SKIMS became the official underwear partner of the NBA and WNBA. Annual revenue hit $750 million in 2023. Love her or despise her, Kim Kardashian built a business empire that would make most Harvard MBAs weep with envy, and she did it by understanding one thing better than anyone: people will pay premium prices for products attached to aspirational beauty.

Reynolds bought a stake in Aviation Gin in 2018, personally wrote irreverent ads that went viral, and sold it to Diageo for $610 million in 2020. Then he did the exact same playbook with Mint Mobile — investing, starring in ads, and selling to T-Mobile for $1.35 billion in 2023. His ownership group also bought Wrexham AFC, turning a Welsh fifth-tier football club into a global brand via the FX documentary. Reynolds makes more as a marketing genius than he ever did as Deadpool — and Deadpool made $1.5 billion at the box office.

Alba went from action movies to baby wipes and disrupted the entire consumer products industry. The Honest Company launched in 2012 selling non-toxic household and baby products, went public in 2021 at a $1.44 billion valuation, and proved that celebrity-founded startups could be real businesses, not vanity projects. Revenue hit $300 million. Critics said she was just an actress playing CEO; she responded by building a company that survived going public, something most startups never achieve. The IPO made her worth over $200 million.

The Rock is the highest-paid actor in Hollywood at $20 million per film. That sounds impressive until you learn that Teremana Tequila sold 600,000 9-liter cases in its first full year — making it the fastest-growing spirits brand in history. By 2023, it was doing over $300 million in annual revenue. Johnson also co-owns the XFL (again) and ZOA Energy drinks. The man treats his film career like a marketing funnel for his CPG brands, and honestly, it's working. Instagram's most-followed American with 395 million followers is basically a walking billboard.

At 21, Forbes (controversially) declared Kylie Jenner the youngest "self-made" billionaire in history. Kylie Cosmetics launched with lip kits that sold out in 30 seconds — literally crashing the website. She sold 51% to Coty for $600 million in 2020. The brand did $360 million in revenue in its first 18 months with a team of only seven employees. Yes, being born a Kardashian-Jenner is the ultimate head start, but turning Instagram followers into a $900 million beauty exit before your 23rd birthday is undeniable business execution.

Beckham negotiated a clause in his 2007 MLS contract giving him the right to buy an expansion franchise for $25 million. Inter Miami CF launched in 2018. After signing Lionel Messi in 2023, the club's value skyrocketed to $600 million, and merchandise sales exceeded every other MLS team combined. Beckham's total business empire — including his Diageo whisky deal, Tudor watches, and brand ambassador fees — generates more annually than his entire football career earnings of $500 million. The most handsome man in sports turned beauty into a business model.

Paltrow built a wellness empire worth $250 million by selling jade eggs, $75 candles named "This Smells Like My Vagina," and pseudoscientific health advice that made actual doctors furious. Goop has been sued, fined by regulators, and roasted by every science journalist alive — and it keeps growing. Revenue hit $400 million. Paltrow essentially monetized rich-lady anxiety about toxins and turned it into a lifestyle brand. She won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and it's probably the fifth most interesting thing on her resume now.

LeBron earned $430 million in NBA salary over 21 seasons. His business portfolio will dwarf that. SpringHill Entertainment (Space Jam, The Shop) is valued at $725 million. His 2% stake in Liverpool FC — bought for $6.5 million in 2011 — is now worth over $150 million. He was the first active NBA player to reach billionaire status in 2022, with Forbes estimating $1.2 billion in total wealth. Blaze Pizza, Ladder supplements, his Nike lifetime deal worth $1 billion — LeBron treats the NBA like his internship. The real career started when the games ended.