Jessica Athayde Highest-Paid Actress in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Lisbon
  • Last updated on

Jessica Athayde
Jessica Athayde led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid actresses” released on Friday.

It's been a rough year for the actress, but at least she has her millions of dollars to ease the pain. 40-year-old Jessica Athayde has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid actresses for 2026 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 10/01/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Jessica Athayde tops annual list of highest-paid actresses

In 2023 it looked like the actress’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Friday (January 9) that Athayde is the highest-paid actress in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between December 2024 and December 2025, a nearly $20 million lead over her 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 Portuguese actress-model has an estimated net worth of $145 million. She owes her fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Athayde Burger” chain) in Lisbon, a Football Team (the “Lisbon Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderathayde - Portugal), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Jessica) and a fashion line called “Jessica Athayde Seduction”.

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

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