Damien Chazelle Highest-Paid Director in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Washington
  • Last updated on

Damien Chazelle
Damien Chazelle led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid directors” released on Friday.

It's been a rough year for the director, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 41-year-old Damien Chazelle has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid directors for 2026 with an estimated $82 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 18/07/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Damien Chazelle tops annual list of highest-paid directors

In 2024 it looked like the director’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Friday (July 17) that Chazelle is the highest-paid director in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between June 2025 and June 2026, a nearly $50 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The American director-screenwriter-producer has an estimated net worth of $245 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Chazelle Burger” chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the “Providence Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderchazelle - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Damien) and a fashion line called “Damien Chazelle Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Damien fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

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