From Britney Spears’ historic debut in 1999 to the recent #FreeBritney movement, the Princess of Pop’s net worth has exploded and cratered depending on the year.
Celebrity The millionaire mother of two revealed she’s pregnant with her third child on April 11. From Britney Spears’ industry-alerting debut in 1999 to her earning the Princess of Pop title in the 2000s to the years-long #FreeBritney movement, her fortunes have risen and fallen, with her net worth exploding and cratering depending on the year. Spears’ money trail is convoluted, taking into consideration a lot going with her estate, a semi-retirement, reported financial mismanagement, and the controversial legal arrangement she freed herself from in court. Forbes once declared Spears the world’s most powerful celebrity, and in 2002 alone she brought in $40 million, so her current total net worth of $70 million (based on Celebrity Net Worth ’s 2022 estimate) might not sound like it makes sense when put into the context of her historic career. Throughout her legal battle to end her conservatorship and now after Spears announced on April 11 that she’s pregnant with her third child, fans are wondering how she made all her millions and what impact the conservatorship had on her bank account? Let’s dive in. Spears’ wealth started, of course, with the music. While she may not make the bulk of her riches from the pop songs she’s recorded, none of her other successful ventures would have happened without her mega hits and massive albums, all of which made her a household name. RCA Records, her label (after her longtime company Jive became inactive), reports that she has sold nearly 100 million records throughout her career, with 70 million of those purchases happening in the U.S. alone. The singer has now dropped nine full-lengths, several popular compilations and scored at least 25 top 40 hits, including five Hot 100 No.1 singles: “… Baby One More Time,” “Womanizer,” “3,” “Hold It Against Me,” and Rihanna’s “S&M (Remix)” featuring Spears. Spears became a global sensation nearly overnight, and her first two albums remain among the bestselling in U.S. history, as both have been certified diamond for selling at least 10 million copies in America. The pair of releases —… Baby One More Time and Oops!… I Did It Again — performed so well, Spears was reportedly paid a $10 million advance for her next project, Britney. It’s not clear how the pop star is paid these days when it comes to royalties, as she’s not credited as a songwriter on most of her material, and that’s where the real money usually is when it comes to residuals. That means she may rely more on advances than on back-end payments. Spears may not be performing these days (and she may never do so again), but she has made a significant amount of money appearing in front of large audiences on tour. The superstar proved she was a must-see in concert by making the most of every major televised performance possible, and she quickly became a staple of the MTV Video Music Awards.
