François de Closets Highest-Paid Journalist in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Paris
  • Last updated on

François de Closets
François de Closets led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid journalists” released on Monday.

It's been a rough year for the journalist, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 92-year-old François de Closets has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid journalists for 2026 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 17/03/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

François de Closets tops annual list of highest-paid journalists

In 2023 it looked like the journalist’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Monday (March 16) that de Closets is the highest-paid journalist in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between February 2025 and February 2026, a nearly $20 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 French journalist has an estimated net worth of $145 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 de Closets Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “Enghien-les-Bains Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderde Closets - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from François) and a fashion line called “François de Closets Seduction”.

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

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