Forbes Top 40

[5] Forbes representatives said that those individual are "more than entertainers, they are businesses", declaring: "Not only do they create wealth for the entertainment industry and their business sponsors, they create wealth for the nation in exportable merchandize in the form of TV programming, motion pictures, and videocassette and music recordings".

In 1996 alone, only four female celebrities made appearances at the list (Oprah Winfrey ranked 1, Roseanne Barr at 25, Mariah Carey at 33, and Sandra Bullock at 40).

Winfrey, however, often appeared even above many individuals regardless of gender, which has been maintained with the inception of Forbes Celebrity 100 in 1999.

Various musicians often dominated the list, although high ranks were not usually attained by female artists.

[19] According to Forbes, after list' 11th anniversary, Steven Spielberg and Bill Cosby were the individuals with the most appearances at the top, with three each.