Michèle Cotta Highest-Paid Journalist in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Paris
  • Last updated on

Michèle Cotta
Michèle Cotta 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 she has her millions of dollars to ease the pain. 87-year-old Michèle Cotta has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid journalists for 2024 with an estimated $75 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 05/11/2024 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Michèle Cotta tops annual list of highest-paid journalists

In 2022 it looked like the journalist’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Monday (November 4) that Cotta is the highest-paid journalist in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between October 2023 and October 2024, a nearly $40 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 French journalist-author has an estimated net worth of $215 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 Cotta Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “Nice Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondercotta - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Michèle) and a fashion line called “Michèle Cotta Seduction”.

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

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