Paul McCarthy Highest-Paid Artist in the World

By Carol Kearney
Washington
Last updated on February 18, 2025

Paul McCarthy led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid artists” released on Monday.

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It's been a rough year for the artist, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 79-year-old Paul McCarthy has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid artists for 2025 with an estimated $96 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 18/02/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Paul McCarthy tops annual list of highest-paid artists

In 2022 it looked like the artist’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Monday (February 17) that McCarthy is the highest-paid artist in the world, pulling in an astonishing $96 million between January 2024 and January 2025, a nearly $60 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 artist has an estimated net worth of $275 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 McCarthy Burger” chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the “Salt Lake City Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure WondermcCarthy - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Paul) and a fashion line called “Paul McCarthy Seduction”.

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