American reality TV star Kim Kardashian has finally attained billionaire status.
Her net worth reached $1bn thanks to her cosmetics and clothing interests as well as income from TV, endorsement deals and investments, Forbes business magazine says. She is now one of the 2,755 figures on Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos leads the pack with a net worth of $177bn. Other Americans added over the past year include Bumble dating app founder Whitney Wolfe Herd ($1.3bn), filmmaker Tyler Perry ($1bn); and Miriam Adelson ($38.2bn), widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
Kim Kardashian’s estranged husband Kanye West is already on the list ($1.8bn). Her half-sister, Kylie Jenner, was removed last May by Forbes. The magazine alleged her family had inflated the value of her cosmetics business.
Forbes calculated that 40-year-old Kim Kardashian is now a billionaire from having $780m in October; thanks especially to her stakes in the KKW Beauty cosmetics business and the Skims shapewear company.
KKW Beauty launched in 2017 and Skims just two years ago after Kim dropped the initial brand name Kimono following accusations of cultural appropriation. Kardashian sold 20% of KKW Beauty to cosmetics giant Coty last year for $200m. The deal valued the business at $1bn.
Her most recent project Skims offers underwear and loungewear in the founder’s signature minimalist style. Skims has proven successful during the work-from-home era.
The celebrity has used her huge social media presence (213m followers on Instagram; 69.7m followers on Twitter) during the coronavirus lockdowns to promote Skims loungewear.