What is Beyoncé Knowles' Net Worth?
Beyoncé Knowles is an American pop singer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and actress who has a net worth of $600 million. Beyoncé Knowels's husband Jay-Z is separately worth $2 billion, so their combined net worth as of this writing is $2.6 billion.
In May 2023, Jay-Z and Beyonce paid $200 million for a home in Malibu. It is one of the most expensive private home purchases in US history. Here's a video tour of their Malibu home shot from a helicopter after their purchase was confirmed:
Beyonce is one of the highest-paid and most beloved celebrities on the planet. In a given touring year Beyonce Knowles earns $80 million from her various endeavors. She is also the winningest Grammy artist ever. In February 2023, Beyonce won her 32nd Grammy, which gave her the record for most Grammy wins ever, sliding one ahead of former record holder Georg Solti.
Beyonce had her first brush with fame thanks to the 90s TV show "Star Search" as a member of the rapping-and-dancing troupe Girl's Tyme. Girl's Tyme struggled in the late 1990s but was eventually signed by Columbia Records in 1997 under its new name, Destiny's Child. Destiny's Child would go on to release seven albums, five of which went platinum. In total, they sold over 50 million records worldwide. The group won the Best R&B/Soul Single award for their hit song "No, No, No." One of the most popular Destiny's Child songs was "Say my Name," which won the award for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" and "Best R&B Song." Other hits by Destiny's Child include "The Writing's on the Wall," "Jumpin, Jumpin," and "Bills, Bills, Bills." After they finished their album, "8 Days of Christmas," the group decided to go their separate ways and work on solo projects. Beyonce struck out on her own and has released several extremely successful solo albums. She also developed a serious acting career with leading roles in Dreamgirls, Cadillac Records, Obsessed, and Austin Powers.
Early Life & Origin of the Name Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas. The eldest daughter of Mathew Knowles and Tina Knowles.
Tina Knowles' maiden name is Celestine Ann Beyonce (specifically with no accent on the end "e"). Her parents' last name was actually "Beyincé." Unfortunately on the day of Celestine's birth, a hospital staffer accidentally wrote the last name on the birth certificate as "Beyonce," (with no accent on the e). The name stuck and Celestine legally had a different last name from her parents and two older siblings.
Tina's paternal great-grandfather Jean Boyancé (1832-1894) emigrated from Noaillac, France to the United States in roughly the 1850s. The exact date is not known, but it is known that he was living in Abbeville, Louisiana in 1859 when his son Alexandre was born. Alexandre had roughly 19 children from three wives. His youngest child, Lumis Albert Boyance, was born on May 22, 1910 in Delcambre, Louisiana. At some point during Lumis' life, for reasons that are not known, he began spelling his last name as "Beyincé" or even "Buyince" instead of "Boyance." In the April 1940 US Census, Lumis' wife was listed as "Agnes Buyince." Perhaps this was yet another clerical error, or this is how they were spelling their name at this point. FYI, Agnes' maiden last name was Deréon, hence the name of Tina's and Beyoncé's future fashion line "House of Deréon." Lumis and Agnes had three children. Their youngest child, daughter Celestine Ann Beyonce, AKA Tina, was born in 1954. In 1981 Tina named her first born child, a daughter, "Beyoncé," which is a portmaneau/homage to various versions of her paternal last name going back several generations.
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Destiny's Child
Beyoncé grew up in a middle-class household alongside her younger sister, Solange. Beyoncé's early exposure to music was through her mother's salon, where she would sing along to the tunes on the radio. It didn't take long for her parents to recognize her vocal talent, and at the age of seven, she won her school's talent show with a powerful rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine."
Beyoncé's career beginnings were as a member of the girl group Girls' Tyme, which she joined at the age of eight. The group, consisting of six members, including Beyoncé's cousin Kelly Rowland, gained initial recognition by competing in local talent shows. However, their big break came when they appeared on the television talent show "Star Search." Although they didn't win, the experience proved to be invaluable, cementing their desire to pursue a career in music.
The girl group underwent several lineup changes and, in 1993, was rebranded as Destiny's Child, a quartet consisting of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett. Managed by Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, Destiny's Child signed with Columbia Records in 1997. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1998, included the hit single "No, No, No Part 2." They quickly rose to fame with their second album, "The Writing's on the Wall," featuring chart-topping singles like "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name." Despite experiencing lineup changes, Destiny's Child continued to enjoy success, becoming one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.
Solo Career
Beyoncé's solo career began while Destiny's Child was on hiatus. In 2003, she released her debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love," which sold millions of copies worldwide and won five Grammy Awards. With hit singles like "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy," Beyoncé established herself as a viable solo artist. Since then, her career has continued to soar, with each album showcasing her vocal prowess, songwriting skills, and innovative artistry. Beyoncé has broken records, won numerous awards, and cemented her status as one of the most influential artists of her generation.
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Beyonce Endorsement Deals
While this successful Texan is known for her contributions to the entertainment industry, her savvy business acumen makes her a brand name to be reckoned with. Beyonce signed her first endorsement deal with Pepsi in 2002, which was quickly followed by deals with L'Oreal, American Express, Samsung, Ford, and DirectTV. She has launched a number of fragrances over the years and signed a $20 million, three-year deal to develop a signature fragrance for Coty. And don't forget the fashion line, House of Dereon, which she launched with her mom Tina.
She launched her first solo fragrance brand in 2010. She eventually created a total of six fragrance brands, which have generated more than $500 million in revenue since 2010. When combined, her brand is the most successful celebrity fragrance of all time.
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NetFlix Deal
In 2018 Beyonce signed a $60 million deal with Netflix to provide the streaming service three pieces of content. The first one, a documentary called Homecoming about her 2018 Coachella performance, was released in April 2019. Contrary to a popular online rumor, Beyonce did NOT take a 50% paycut in order to secure the rights to film her Coachella performance. The truth is she received a standard performance fee and essentially told Coachella that they had to let her film for Netflix. And when Beyonce tells Coachella she's planning to film her shows, they say yes! It's as simple as that.
Beyonce's best business deal to date has arguably been her marriage to Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, the hip-hop artist, producer, and multi-millionaire entrepreneur. The couple welcomed their first child, Blue Ivy Carter, in 2012. On June 13, 2017, Beyonce gave birth to twins, a daughter named Rumi and a son named Sir.
Did Beyonce Make $300 Million Off Uber?
Unfortunately, the short answer is no. In May 2019, a story went viral on Twitter that claimed Beyonce took $6 million in Uber stock for a private performance in 2015 and that after the company's IPO her shares were worth $300 million.
That is not true.
A few poorly researched articles made the false assumption that Beyonce was given 6 million shares in Uber, which at the company's IPO would have been worth around $270 million pre-tax. The reality is that she was given $6 million worth of Restricted Stock Units in 2015 when the company was worth $50 billion. After the company's IPO, Uber's market cap was $67 billion. Assuming she never sold a single share and never got diluted in future investment rounds (likely not possible), her shares at the $67 billion market cap would be worth around $9 million.
Beyonce Knowles Net Worth Via Getty Images
Beyonce Knowles Net Worth Over Time
- 2000 – $10 million
- 2004 – $20 million
- 2007 – $30 million
- 2008 – $55 million
- 2011 – $140 million
- 2014 – $250 million
- 2017 – $350 million
- 2019 – $400 million
- 2020 – $425 million
- 2021 – $450 million
- 2022 – $480 million
- 2023 – $600 million
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Real Estate
Beyonce and Jay-Z own an extremely valuable portfolio of real estate assets around the world.
They own around $300 million worth of real estate in Los Angeles alone.
In 2017, Beyonce and Jay-Z paid $88 million for a mansion in Bel Air. In May 2023, they paid $200 million for an unbelievable 30,000 square foot mansion in Malibu. At the time of their purchase, it was the second most expensive home sale in US history.
Here's a history of Beyonce and Jay-Z's real estate history:
- In 2008, they purchased a 7-bedroom mansion on the ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island in Miami for $8 million. They sold this home in 2010 for $9.3 million.
- Beyonce owns a $2.6 million home in New Orleans.
- Jay-Z owns a $10 million apartment in NYC that he bought solo in 2004 for $6.85 million.
- In 2017, Beyonce sold her long-time NYC condo for $9.95 million. She bought the condo in 2005 for $5 million.
- In 2017, Beyonce and Jay-Z together paid $26 million for a mansion in the Hamptons called Pond House.
- In 2017, Beyonce and Jay-Z together paid $88 million for an insane 30,000-square-foot mansion in Bel Air, California. Public records show that they took out a $52 million mortgage when they bought the house. Using the mortgage rates that were available at the time, B + J are likely paying north of $250,000 per month on their mortgage for the home that has a full basketball court, 2 acres of land, a 15-car garage, media room, multiple pools, and bulletproof windows.
- Together, they own a $4 million private island in the Bahamas.
- In May 2023, they paid $200 million for a 30,000-square-foot mansion in Malibu.
When you total it all up, Beyonce and Jay-Z own at least $350 million worth of real estate in the United States that we can find via public record searches. It's possible they own more real estate abroad or other properties hidden behind LLCs.
Other Fun Facts
When Jay turned 41, Beyonce gifted him a $2 million Bugatti Veyron Grand. For Father's Day in 2012, Beyonce bought him a brand new $40 million Bombardier Challenger 850 private jet. The plane's exterior has Shawn Carter painted on both sides.
