kim kardashian sa you magazine

In this file photo, Kim Kardashian attends the 2017 Forbes Women’s Summit at Spring Studios in New York City. Image: AFP/Angela Weiss

Forbes has spoken: Kim Kardashian West is officially a billionaire

Kim Kardashian West has been included in Forbes magazine’s 2021 World’s Billionaires list for the first time.

kim kardashian sa you magazine

In this file photo, Kim Kardashian attends the 2017 Forbes Women’s Summit at Spring Studios in New York City. Image: AFP/Angela Weiss

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star has been included in Forbes magazine’s 2021 World’s Billionaires list for the first time, which cites her businesses, KKW Beauty and SKIMS, as well as cash from reality TV and endorsement deals, for her vast wealth.

Forbes on Tuesday 6 April released its annual list of the world’s billionaires. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was awarded the top spot on the list of wealthiest in the world for the fourth year in a row. He’s followed by Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who reported the biggest gains throughout the past year, according to Forbes. 

See the full list of the world’s richest people here.

Kim Kardashian West hits the billion mark

Kim’s worth increased from $780 million (about R11.3 billion) last October to $1 billion (about R14.5 billion) after she cashed in on KKW Beauty by selling 20% of the business to Coty for $200 million (about R2.9 billion).

The 40-year-old star launched KKW Beauty in 2017 after seeing the success of half-sister Kylie Jenner’s makeup company Kylie Cosmetics.

When she announced the project, Kim said: “It’s the first time I’ve moved away from having licensing deals and transitioned into being an owner.”

Kylie Jenner stripped from Forbes title

Kylie had been given the title of the world’s youngest self-made billionaire by Forbes in 2019, but had the title removed after the publication claimed that she “inflated” figures about her business affairs.

Kim previously defended her half-sister on the issue, claiming that Kylie hasn’t had any of her success “handed” to her after her appearance on the cover of Forbes’ America’s Richest Self-Made Women issue prompted ridicule from some of her critics.

The curvaceous beauty shared: “You know, everyone has a team. I don’t care who you are. But when you don’t get it from someone else, that’s ‘self-made’.

“She made her own money for over a decade, she put it in the bank, she saved every nickel.

“And then, when she decided on what she wanted to do, she spent her money on a venture that could have gone south or north, and it did really well.”

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