Stars Who Made More Money in Business Than From Their Day Jobs

Veteran rock band U2 is no slouch in the earnings department, reportedly earning nearly $200 million in 12 months by touring a few years back. That, however, is a drop in the bucket compared to what U2 front man Bono took in by creating a group with six other investors — called Elevation Partners — wisely investing in a little Internet startup you may have heard of called Facebook. According to reports, Elevation's $86-million investment (made in 2009) is now worth a whopping $2.2 billion. Assuming a six-way equal partnership, Bono's initial investment of $14 million is now worth more than $350 million.

Find out where Bono falls on the list of the 20 richest rock stars.

Like Bono, former That '70s Show star Ashton Kutcher was an early investor in Internet startups, and founded Grade A Investments with partners Ron Burkle and Guy Oseary. According to estimates, the group's initial investment of $30 million into such startups as Uber and Airbnb has paid off handsomely — the $30 million investment has now grown to $250 million!

You may also like: 20 celebrities who married their mistresses.

Each week, viewers came and knocked on her door to watch her play ditzy Chrissy on '70s sitcom hit Three's Company, but Suzanne Somers built a multimillion-dollar empire after that, thanks to a weird spring-loaded device called the Thighmaster. Thanks to Somers' infomercials plugging the device, sales of the thigh-toning fitness contraptions went through the roof — Somers says she stopped counting after 10 million of them were sold. She cannily used that as a springboard to build her own business empire, including a line of health and beauty products as well as several bestselling books. Today, Somers is reportedly worth $100 million.

Plus, don't miss: 21 celebrities who are known for being great tippers.

A founding member of pioneering rap group N.W.A., Dr. Dre (real name: Andre Young) went on to launch the Beats headphone line. He subsequently sold his Beats Electronics business to Apple for a whopping $3 billion.

You may also like: 20 celebrities who are in relationships with normal folks.

As a boxer, former heavyweight champ George Foreman raked in some big bucks in the ring, but that was chump change compared to the dough he earned from his fat-cutting George Foreman grill, sold via TV infomercials. Since the product's introduction in 1994, more than 100 million have been sold worldwide. While Foreman has never divulged how much he's earned from the grill, he wound up selling his interest in the company in 1999 for a reported $137 million; prior to that, he took in 40 per cent of the profits from each grill sold, which would have earned him $4.5 million per month at the peak of its popularity. His net worth is estimated to be in the $250 million range.

Need a good chuckle? Check out 12 celebrities who look just like their pets.

Anyone who ever watched The Carol Burnett Show back in the '70s will remember square-jawed Lyle Waggoner, and you may well be asking yourself, "Gee, whatever happened to him?" We'll tell you: in 1979, he began a business called Star Waggons, renting tricked-out trailers to movie and TV productions. Anybody who's ever visited a Hollywood studio can attest that Star Waggons are pretty much ubiquitous on most film sets, and these days Waggoner is reportedly worth a cool $10 million thanks to the success of his business.

You may also like: celebrities who saved themselves for marriage.

Disappointed by the dearth of toxin-free products on the market for babies, new mom Jessica Alba decided to do something about it, and founded The Honest Company in 2012 to produce a line of toxin- and allergen-free baby and body care products. The company was an instant hit, raking in $10 million in sales during its first year. By 2016, sales reportedly topped $300 million per year.

Plus, don't miss: 20 celebrity bridezillas and groomzillas who might surprise you.

Best known to country music fans for his hit "Big Bad John", these days Jimmy Dean is far better known for his deliciously greasy breakfast sausages. Teaming up with his brother to found the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in 1969, the sausages proved to be a big hit with consumers. Dean sold the company to Sara Lee in 1984 for a tasty $80 million; he passed away in 2010 at age 81.

You may also like: celebrities who have been married two times or more.

Best known for her sizzling photoshoots for Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issues, model Kathy Ireland proved she's more than just a pretty face when she produced a line of socks that was such a big hit that it inspired her to launch an array of other product lines as well, including apparel, bridal wear, furniture, and home and garden decor. Today, Ireland's net worth is estimated at $350 million.

Plus, don't miss: celebrities who survived cheating and stayed together.

After retiring from the NBA, Earvin "Magic" Johnson struck out in the business world, opening a chain of movie theatres, several fitness clubs and a few Burger King franchises. By 2010, his holdings included more than 100 Starbucks franchises, which he sold — along with his shares in the LA Lakers — for more than $100 million. In 2011, he invested an undisclosed amount in a venture capital firm and signed on as a general partner. The firm's fund, Detroit Venture Partners LP, raised $55 million.

Next up: 20 celebrity couples you won't believe were once together.

The Olsen twins got an early start in show biz, sharing the role of youngest Tanner daughter Michelle on sitcom Full House. The oh-so-clever twins parlayed their sitcom fame into the then-burgeoning home video market, producing countless video adventures for kids, then branching out into ancillary merchandising and clothing through their company, Dualstar. These days, the Olsen sisters have entered the world of fashion, with their lines — The Row, Elizabeth and James  — contribute to the twins' vast fortune, estimated to be in excess of $1 billion.

They may be with older partners, but that's not always the norm in Hollywood. See 16 celebs with a penchant for younger men.

Fans of 1970s sitcoms will recall Wayne Rogers as wisecracking army surgeon Trapper John McIntyre on M*A*S*H, but after exiting show biz he launched a career as a business manager and financial counsellor for his fellow actors. Through his company, Wayne M. Rogers & Co., Rogers developed a knack for playing the stock market; when he died in late 2015, he had amassed a fortune estimated at $75 million.

As a singer, Merv Griffin's biggest hit was "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts", and while he found later success in the 1970s as a talk show host, he was never in the same league as Johnny Carson. As a mogul, however, Griffin was as smart as they came; in addition to creating such long-running game shows as Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune (as well as writing their theme songs) through his TV production company, he went on to amass an array of hotels and casinos. When he died in 2007, his net worth was estimated at more than $1 billion.

Nostalgic? Don't miss the '90s couples who need to get back together.

Sean Combs (AKA Puff Daddy, AKA P. Diddy) parlayed his success as a recording artist into his own record label, Bad Boy Entertainment. Over time, his empire grew to include TV productions, Ciroc vodka and ownership of his own TV cable network, Revolt. Diddy's net worth is reportedly in the $750 million range.

You may think that Paris Hilton is merely a washed-up reality TV star — and you wouldn't necessarily be wrong — but what you may not know is that she's also a fashion mogul whose clothing, shoe and lifestyle brands — which include pet products, stationery and bedding — brings in a reported $10 million per year.

Oscar-winning actor Paul Newman used to make his own homemade salad dressing for friends and family, and soon began selling it to the general public. Over time, the Newman's Own brand included an array of other food products and a variety of dressing flavours. Newman — who died in 2008 — insisted 100 per cent of the profits were funnelled into various charities. According to the Newman's Own Foundation website, sales of the company's products have raised over $450 million for charity since 1982.