Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style At Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Coco Gauff's New Balances
    • Dyson
    • Postpartum Texts
    • Ayan Broomfield
    • Everyday Handbags
    1. Celebrity

    Forbes Just Released Its List of the Highest Paid Actresses of 2016 and It's *Very* Interesting

    Is Hollywood finally rethinking what a leading lady looks like?

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 23 August 2016 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Forbes Top Actresses
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Forbes released its annual list of the top-earning actresses in Hollywood and, we have to say, we're pleasantly surprised by some of what the list reveals.

    In a totally unsurprising turn, 26-year-old actress/aspirational BFF of the internet Jennifer Lawrence took the top spot for the second year in a row, earning $46 million. But while there are plenty of mainstream mainstays, there are some other great reveals as well.

    The always-hilarious Melissa McCarthy took the second spot on the list this year with $33 million in earnings. McCarthy's rise up the Forbes list is wonderful and signals an important change in Hollywood and in what moviegoers expect from a leading lady. McCarthy isn't the only woman bringing some much-needed diversity to the Forbes list.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Warner brothers television

    (Image credit: Warner Brothers Television)

    As E! Online points out, half of the top-earning women are over 40 and two women of color made it to the top 10 this year (although we'd like to see that number go up for next year's list). Chinese actress Fan Bingbing appeared on the list for the second year in a row and Indian actress Deepika Padukone was the only newcomer to break into the top 10 this year.

    With women like McCarthy, Bingbing, and Padukone bringing in major bucks at the box office, hopefully Hollywood will continue to reevaluate what a leading lady looks like and bring us more and more diverse stories.

    You may like
    • collage of the best celebrity looks at the 2026 Venice Film Festival The Best Celebrity Red Carpet Looks at the 2026 Venice Film Festival
    • Four women (actresses Isla Fisher, Leslie Mann, Michelle Buteau, and Anna Faris) laugh together while holding cocktails, in the movie 'Spa Weekend.' We'd Love to Have a 'Spa Weekend' With Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Michelle Buteau, and Anna Faris
    • A blonde woman (Elle Fanning) lies on a pink couch with black-and-white striped pillows, resting her head on a pillow in her mother's (Michelle Pfeiffer) lap. The pair sit in a living room with a kitchen behind them, through a circular doorframe, in Apple TV+'s 'Margo's Got Money Troubles.' I Watch Hundreds of TV Shows Each Year. Here Are the Best Series of 2026 So Far

    Here's the full top 10:

    1. Jennifer Lawrence: $46 million

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    2. Melissa McCarthy: $33 million

    3. Scarlett Johannson: $25 million

    4. Jennifer Aniston: $21 million

    What to read next
    • director salli richardson whitfield wears a lime green dress and poses smiling with her hand on her hip opposite a photo of directors chair on the set of the gilded age I Changed Careers in My Late 40s. Then I Made Hollywood History
    • A promotional graphic for Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike and Issa Rae. Issa Rae Thinks Now Is the Best Time to Be a Creative
    • A collage of celebrities and models wearing the red-and-black color combination for summer 2026 It Girls Agree: Red and Black Is Summer's Coolest Color Combination Trend

    5. Fan Bingbing: $17 million

    6. Charlize Theron: $16.5 million

    7. Amy Adams: $13.5 million

    8. Julia Roberts: $12 million

    9. Mila Kunis: $11 million

    10. Deepika Padukone: $10 million

    Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.

    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    collage of the best celebrity looks at the 2026 Venice Film Festival
    Celebrity Style The Best Celebrity Red Carpet Looks at the 2026 Venice Film Festival
    By Meguire Hennes
    director salli richardson whitfield wears a lime green dress and poses smiling with her hand on her hip opposite a photo of directors chair on the set of the gilded age
    TV shows I Changed Careers in My Late 40s. Then I Made Hollywood History "I trusted my instincts. I trusted my vision. I trusted myself," writes Salli Richardson-Whitfield.
    By Salli Richardson-Whitfield
     
     
    Four women (actresses Isla Fisher, Leslie Mann, Michelle Buteau, and Anna Faris) laugh together while holding cocktails, in the movie 'Spa Weekend.'
    Movies We'd Love to Have a 'Spa Weekend' With Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Michelle Buteau, and Anna Faris We tested the on-screen besties with our trivia challenge.
    By Quinci LeGardye
    Jennifer Lawrence has long blonde hair and is wearing a black Dior suit, Priyanka Chopra wears her black hair tied back and wears a black Dior dress with a white tiered skirt
    Celebrity Style Priyanka Chopra and Jennifer Lawrence Twin in Matching Dior
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity
    Meghan Markle wears a white dress with a matching hat, while Prince Harry and King Charles wears suits and top hats at Royal Ascot in 2018
    Royals Charles Reveals His Position on Harry and Meghan's Return
    King Charles, And Queen Camilla, And King Harald Attending An Official Dinner At The Royal Palace In Oslo in 2012
    Royals One Royal Will Miss King Harald's Funeral After Being Hospitalized
     
     
    Amal Clooney Takes the Editor-Beloved Wedge Trend and a Sheer Snakeskin Skirt to Venice Film Festival
    Celebrity Style Amal Clooney Takes the Editor-Beloved Wedge Trend to Venice
    Prince Harry, Prince William, Meghan Markle, and Kate Middleton join King Charles on Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020.
    Royals King Charles Displays "A Unique Form of Watchful Attention"
     
     
    Latest in Features
    purple background with models wearing blush and the milk makeup cheek and lip cream blush stick
    Makeup I Can’t Stop Wearing the Blurred Blush Trend
    the best nail looks of the week feature six images with three polishes and three fall nail designs
    Nails Fall's Top Nail Trends Have Gone to the Dark Side
     
     
    a black woman brushing her teeth with a pink Dyson Camera Jet over a black and white photo of two people with open mouths and white teeth
    Beauty I Ditched My Analog Toothbrush for a $500 Replacement—Is It Worth the Price Tag?
    life in plastic next to a barbie face
    Skincare I Spent My Life Savings on a Facelift—It Was the Best Investment In Myself I Ever Made
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.