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Reese Witherspoon Named America's Richest Self-Made Woman Actor By Forbes

The actress came in 59th place on the list. While her net worth put her in the lower half of the list, she is still the only self-made actress who made her way to this ranking.

BY SUNAYNA KANJILAL

UPDATED JUN 2, 2023

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Jon Kopaloff

Reese Witherspoon has been named the world's richest self-made woman actor by Forbes. The publication released its 2023 list of "America's Richest Self-Made Women" Thursday. The "Legally Blonde" star featured on the 59th spot on the list. While her net worth put her in the lower half of the list, the 47-year-old is still the only self-made actress who made it to this ranking. The actor has a staggering net worth of $440 million.

The other women on the list include TV screenwriter Shona Rhimes, famous for her Netflix show "Bridgerton", comedian and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres, and pop stars Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Madonna. The list was topped by 76-year-old businesswomen Diane Hendricks, who has a net worth of $15 billion.

Who Is Reese Witherspoon?

Laura Jeane Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976, in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a child, Witherspoon spent quite some time in West Germany before moving to Nashville where she worked as a model and appeared in commercials. In 1991, she finally made her debut in the critically acclaimed coming-of-age drama, "The Man in the Moon."

Following her breakthrough she went on to do many movies and TV shows like "Legally Blonde", "Sweet Home Alabama", and "Walk the Line" among others.

Witherspoon has always been among the highest-paid actresses and reportedly earned a whopping $35m (£28m) in 2023, as per Women in The World.

How Did Reese Witherspoon Become One The World's Richest Actors?

In 2021, Forbes had named her the world's richest actress after her production company Hello Sunshine, which has churned out projects like, "The Morning Show," "Big Little Lies" and "Your Place Or Mine", was sold to media production company Blackstone. It was reported that her production house was valued at $900 at the time and Witherspoon retained an ownership stake of around 18% and collected $120 million after taxes.

How Much Does Reese Witherspoon Earn From Her TV and Movie Roles?

Witherspoon's earnings come from her TV and movie roles. According to Parade, she made a $250,000 for her role in Cruel Intention in 1999. The publication also reported that her standard earning per movie is around $15 million.

For her HBO gig, "Big Little Lies", she earned less than $5 million for the first season and then went on to earn $1 million per episode. StyleCaster also reports that she and her co-star Jennifer Aniston earned a whopping $1.2 million per episode which brings their total to $12 million for 10 episodes.

Reese Witherspoon's Recent Divorce

Reese Witherspoon had been married for more than a decade until March when she posted on Instagram announcing her divorce from her husband Jim Toth. "It is with a great deal and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce," Witherspoon wrote on Instagram.

"We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness, and mutual respect for everything we have created together." Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal," as per Page Six.

Witherspoon and Toth had signed a prenuptial agreement in March 2011, which, according to the divorce filings, will provide “adequate and sufficient provisions” for their assets.