2025 was jam packed with cultural moments to remember, and it was also a big year for celebrity money moves. 

This was the year we saw Beyoncé go on tour (again!) and record growth in women’s sports, namely the WNBA. The celebrities who led those moments and influenced them from behind the scenes certainly have the bread to show for it. Keep scrolling for the 10 biggest money moves of 2025 and who is rolling dough, from Serena Williams to dicey legal feuds between former friends.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour became the highest grossing country tour in history

Beyoncé is no stranger to making history, and this year, she did that on tour. Her “Cowboy Carter Tour” captured the audiences from Los Angeles to Paris, and it became the highest grossing country tour ever. She raked in over $400 million in revenue across 32 shows. This also helped her become the highest-grossing Black artist of all time, per Live Nation data. We are talking about the most awarded artist in Grammy history, after all.

Rihanna built two billion-dollar companies

Few do it like Rihanna, who won us over as a pop star and then became a beauty and fashion mogul. The Barbados-born talent also became the first Black woman to build two separate billion-dollar companies in 2025. Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty are worth more than $3 billion combined. This is a testament to Rihanna’s mission of not leaving all women, especially Black women, out of mind when building a brand.

Cardi B’s victory against $24 million assault lawsuit

Cardi B went to court this fall to defend herself against a $24 million lawsuit alleging she assaulted a security guard in 2018. She was acquitted of charges and not made to pay a dime in damages to the security guard. She also won the internet with the case, which led to several viral memes from inside the courtroom, weeks before rolling out her Am I the Drama? album.

Megan Thee Stallion won her defamation trial

Megan Thee Stallion sued a blogger for defamation and won the case in December. The jury found the blogger guilty of defaming the rapper, using deepfake and AI-manufactured versions of the Megan in adult content. The blogger did this shortly after Tory Lanez shot her, in tandem with narratives he tried painting of her. The jury initially awarded her $75,000, which was then adjusted to $59,000 because of media defendant laws.

Serena Williams invested big in the WNBA

Serena Williams has a net worth of about $350 million in 2025, according to Forbes, and the retired tennis star has been growing that through savvy investments. She took an ownership stake in the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo (the league’s debut Canadian team) in 2025. She also invested in Unrivaled, a buzzy three-on-three league, created by WNBA players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

Coco Gauff was the highest paid Black woman athlete

Coco Gauff was the highest-paid Black woman athlete of 2025. She ended the year having been paid $31 million total in 2025, including $8 million from prize money and $23 million from endorsements. A chunk of this came from her 2025 French Open win, where her prize was about $2.9 million.

Beyoncé & Jay-Z remain the wealthiest celeb couple

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are the wealthiest celebrity couple, period, according to several industry analyses. Their combined net worth is an estimated and eye-watering $3.38 billion, as of late 2025. Jay-Z accounts for an estimated $2.5 billion of this, accrued through his music career, Roc-A-Fella companies, owning brands, and other investments.

Zendaya became one of the highest-paid Black actress in TV history

Zendaya reportedly secured a $1 million per episode deal for Euphoria‘s Season 3, which is set to release spring 2026. This year made her one of the highest-paid Black actresses in TV history, boosting her net worth of about $30 million that’s expected to grow steadily in the coming years.

Oprah’s reigning net worth of billions

The “Queen of Media” held onto her rule in 2025, maintaining her towering net worth that makes her the richest woman celebrities, period. Her current net worth is an estimated $3.2 billion, only slightly up from last year. Thanks to leveraging her hit talk show, her wealth comes from her media empire and investments in the likes of real estate.

Mary J. Blige sued for $5 million by longtime friend

Misa Hylton — a legendary New York-born stylist known for shaping the image of stars like Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, and more  — sued Blige for $5 million in 2025. Hylton alleged that Blige interfered with her management deal with Vado and then tanked the rapper’s album rollout to favor Blige’s own label. Officially, Hylton (who dated Diddy in the early ’90s) is suing for emotional distress, breach of contract, and interference with business relationships.