Karina Smirnoff Highest-Paid Dancer in the World

By Carol Kearney
Kyiv
Last updated on May 12, 2025

Karina Smirnoff led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid dancers” released on Sunday.

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It's been a rough year for the dancer, but at least she has her millions of dollars to ease the pain. 47-year-old Karina Smirnoff has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid dancers for 2025 with an estimated $96 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 12/05/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Karina Smirnoff tops annual list of highest-paid dancers

In 2022 it looked like the dancer’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Sunday (May 11) that Smirnoff is the highest-paid dancer in the world, pulling in an astonishing $96 million between April 2024 and April 2025, a nearly $60 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 Ukrainian dancer has an estimated net worth of $275 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 Smirnoff Burger” chain) in Kyiv, a Football Team (the “Kharkiv Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondersmirnoff - Ukraine), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Karina) and a fashion line called “Karina Smirnoff Seduction”.

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