Reese Witherspoon: The World’s Richest Self-Made Actress According to Forbes

Reese Witherspoon, the acclaimed actress and producer, has been in the headlines of almost every foreign media news since Forbes recognized her as the world’s richest self-made actress.

On June 1, Forbes published the much-anticipated list of “America’s Richest Women in 2023.” The “Smart Blonde” star was listed at number 59. Although her net worth puts her at the bottom of the list, the 47-year-old is still the only self-made actress to make it into the rankings. The actress has a net worth of $440 million.

The other women on the list include TV writer Shawna Rimes, famous for the Netflix series Bridgerton, comedian and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres, and pop stars Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Madonna. At the top of the list was 76-year-old businesswoman Diana Hendricks, who has a net worth of $15 billion.

Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 in New Orleans, USA. As a child, Witherspoon spent time in West Germany before moving to Nashville, where she modeled and appeared in commercials. In 1991, she finally made her debut in the critically acclaimed The Man in the Moon.

Later, she went on to appear in many movies and TV series such as “Smart Blonde”, “Sweethearts in Alabama” and “Heart’s Edge”.

Witherspoon has always been among the highest paid actresses and reportedly earned a whopping $35 million in 2023.

While her salary as an actress is undoubtedly huge, her net worth was boosted by the sale of her production company Hello Sunshine in 2021 in a deal valued at $900 million.

The actress founded Hello Sunshine in 2016 with the goal of telling stories by women to change the way all women are portrayed in media. Some of the most popular hits include TV series such as “Big Little Lies”, “Little Fires Everywhere” and “The Morning Show”. She has acted in all three.

Witherspoon still owns 18% of the company.

The source of her total wealth is labeled as “self-made” through entertainment. This status is attributed to those identified as middle class or upper middle class.

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“Self-made” wealth is defined as someone who has built a business on their own, rather than inheriting some or all of it. As long as the actress on the list has not inherited a company or money, she is labeled as “self-made.”