Introduction

Tyra Banks is an American television personality, producer, businesswoman, and model with an estimated net worth of $90 Million. 

Despite earning millions annually as a Victoria’s Secret model between 1996 and 2005, Banks built the majority of her net worth later on when she transitioned to television. Both The Tyra Banks Show and America’s Next Top Model have contributed significantly to Tyra’s wealth, helping her earn as much as $30 million in a single year.

Earnings History

In the early to mid-2000s, during the peak of her modeling career, Tyra Banks typically earned between $4 million and $6 million annually. She was featured on the Forbes Highest-Paid Models list thrice (2000, 2004, 2005). She earned an estimated $5.5 million in 2000, $4 million in 2004, and $6 million in 2005.

However, these would not be the highest-earning years of her career. She began earning significantly higher paydays after transitioning to television with shows such as America’s Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show. 

In 2006, Forbes reported that Tyra Banks earned an estimated $18 million in the previous twelve months. This was primarily due to her salary from both America’s Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show. The exact split was unknown, but it was reported that she was earning roughly $3.5 million annually from her talk show at the time.

By 2009, her earnings had increased to an estimated $30 million. During this time, Banks was heavily criticized, as contestants on America’s Next Top Model claimed they were paid just $38 per day while filming the show. 

Based on the figures above, Tyra Banks’ estimated earnings for just five years (2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2009) total $63.5 million.

Endorsement Income

In the late 1990s, as her modeling career was in full swing, Tyra Banks began signing numerous endorsement contracts with global fashion brands, including CoverGirl, COSME, and Victoria’s Secret. Based on the figures we’ve already mentioned above, it should be clear that Banks’ earnings during this period and up until the mid-2000s were primarily generated through her modeling contracts and brand deals. 

Victoria’s Secret Partnership

Perhaps the most notable of these was her partnership with Victoria’s Secret, which she initially signed in 1996 and maintained until 2005. Here’s an interesting fact for you: When Banks first appeared on the cover of the Victoria’s Secret catalog in 1996, she was the first black woman in history to do so. Tyra continued modeling for Victoria’s Secret, appearing in both catalogs and runway shows. Some sources suggest she was paid approximately $3 million per year at the time, which would make the partnership responsible for roughly 60% of her total income. 

Mainstream Endorsements

Before Banks made her transition to television, the bulk of her endorsement deals were within the realm of fashion. However, in the late 2000s, she also added more mainstream brands to her portfolio, such as Pepsi and Nike. Additionally, she secured various fashion endorsements from prominent brands, including Dolce & Gabbana, H&M, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Highlights

Here are some of the best highlights of Tyra Banks’ career:

• Victoria’s Secret Model (1997-2005) 
• The Tyra Banks Show (2005-2010) 
• America’s Next Top Model (TV-Show, 2003-2015, 2017-Present)

Introduction

Brendan Schaub is an American stand-up comedian, podcast host, and former professional MMA fighter with an estimated net worth of $4 Million.

UFC Earnings

While Brendan Schaub was never one of the highest-paid fighters in the UFC, he managed to secure some decent paydays throughout his MMA career. For his knockout against Mirko “Cro Cop” at UFC 128 in 2011, Schaub earned a combined $94,000, comprising $12,000 to show, $12,000 to win, and a $70,000 bonus for Knockout of the Night. 

In 2013, he reportedly earned a combined $82,000 from his bouts with Matt Mitrione and Lavar Johnson. A year later, he earned an additional $79,000 from his fights with Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski. Schaub reportedly earned at least $255,000 from these five fights.

The figures mentioned above don’t include additional income from sponsorships and PPV splits. It’s also worth noting that his fights took place before the UFC’s deal with Reebok, when fighters were allowed to display sponsor logos on their shorts and fight banners. Before the agreement, sponsors accounted for a significant amount of a fighter’s income.

The Fighter & The Kid Podcast

In 2013, shortly before retiring from mixed martial arts, Brendan Schaub launched The Fighter & The Kid podcast with his friend Bryan Callen, under the Fox Sports umbrella. The podcast features various guests to discuss topics related to MMA, comedy, and other miscellaneous day-to-day stories. They hosted TFTK with Fox Sports between 2013 and 2016, airing roughly 160 episodes, before leaving the network to publish independently on YouTube and other platforms.

In the last few years, the show has gone through several setbacks, one of which was due to the sexual misconduct allegations levied against Bryan Callen, which led him to step out of the limelight for a brief period. 

Another, more recent issue was when Callen decided to move his family, and the podcast, from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas. It appears that Schaub wasn’t particularly keen to move, but was somewhat forced to do so to keep the podcast alive. Many spectators have shared their opinions on the move, claiming that Schaub has looked slightly depressed in recent interviews after moving to a new studio in Austin.

Pure Spectrum CBD Earnings & Lawsuit

In February 2019, Brendan Schaub signed a contract with the CBD company, Pure Spectrum, that would give him a 10% stake in the brand. The terms of the agreement were recently disclosed as part of a lawsuit filing against Schaub, and outline Brendan’s obligations as follows:

• Post 5 Instagram stories per month
• Publish two static posts per month on all platforms
• Feature Pure Spectrum on the TFTK podcast
• Allow the brand to use his likeness for marketing
• Host the owner of Pure Spectrum on his podcast
• Make one in-person event appearance per year

Aside from an equity percentage, Schaub was also given the highest affiliate commission rate possible for generating sales for Pure Spectrum. According to various affiliate platforms, the base commission rate is 20% of the order value for each sale referred; however, premium affiliates can earn up to 40% per sale. This is likely the percentage that Schaub received, although it could have been as high as 50%.

Pure Spectrum Lawsuit

In June 2025, Brady L. Bell, the founder of Pure Spectrum, filed a civil lawsuit against Brendan and several others, citing numerous allegations, including civil theft, fraud, wire fraud, and IRS fraud. The lawsuit detailed the contractual obligations listed above and also stated that Schaub had earned $370,000 in affiliate commissions from Pure Spectrum but failed to fulfill his duties.

One of the more interesting claims from the court documents was that Schaub allegedly demanded that Pure Spectrum send emails to its customer database promoting Schaub’s comedy specials, which had received very negative reviews on review websites such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. This case was so severe that IMDb and Showtime allegedly threatened legal action against the company for improper promotional activities. The lawsuit is currently ongoing.

Highlights 

Here are some of the best highlights of Brendan Schaub’s career:

• The Ultimate Fighter (Television Series, 2009) 
• The Fighter and the Kid (Comedy Podcast) 
• Been doing stand-up since 2015 

Introduction

Maria Sharapova is a Russian former professional tennis player with an estimated net worth of $180 Million. 

Quick Facts

• Earned $38.8 million in prize money during her career
• Fourth-highest earning female tennis player of all time
• Peak annual winnings of $6.5 million in 2012

Prize Money

According to the official WTA website, Maria Sharapova earned a total of $38.8 million in prize money throughout her career. We went ahead and compiled all of her individual tournament winnings to get a better understanding of Sharapova’s annual earnings.

Early Prize Money

Beginning in 2001, Maria earned just $700 from her first professional tournament, an ITF/USTA event held in Florida. This was the only event she entered that year. In 2002, she gradually increased her activity, appearing in several additional ITF tournaments, winning three of them. The prize pools for these events were relatively low, and Sharapova won a total of $23,100 in prize money that year.

Stepping up her game in 2003, Sharapova competed in all four major Grand Slam tournaments, which helped her increase her annual winnings to roughly $222,000. However, 2004 would be her breakout year, as she skipped the $1 million bracket entirely and earned a total of $2.5 million. This year was special for Sharapova, as she beat Serena Williams twice, once in the final of Wimbledon, earning $888,211, and again at the WTA Tour finals, earning a flat $1 million. 

2005 – 2008 Earnings

Following her breakout year, in which she bested Serena, Maria continued to earn at least seven figures per year in prize money. She earned $1.92 million in 2005, and similar cases occurred in 2007 and 2008, with $1.76 million and $1.94 million, respectively.

However, during this period, her most lucrative year of competition was 2006, when she earned a total of $3.8 million in winnings. Examining the numbers, the bulk of this figure was earned when she defeated Justine Henin to win the US Open, earning her $1.61 million. Her other significant paydays that year included:

• Pacific Life Open – $332,000 (winner)
• NASDAQ-100 Open – $266,675 (runner up)
• Sony Ericsson Championships – $250,000 (semi-finalist)
• Wimbledon – $246,429 (semi-finalist)
• Acura Classic – $196,900 (winner)
• Zurich Open – $196,900 (winner)

Peak Career Winnings

After suffering from a brief slump between 2009 and 2010, Sharapova returned to form in 2011, winning $2.9 million. For the next four years, her annual prize money would never drop below $3.5 million. In 2012, she had her highest-earning year of her career. This was an incredibly impressive year for Sharapova, earning a total of $6.5 million, with two tournaments earning her at least $1 million each.

These were the Australian Open, where she lost in the finals to Victoria Azarenka, but still earned $1.21 million, and her Grand Slam win at the French Open, which earned her $1.69 million in prize money. She also had several high six-figure tournament winnings, which included:

• WTA Finals – $890,000 (winner)
• BNP Paribas Open – $500,000 (runner-up)
• US Open – $464,513 (semi-finalist)
• China Open – $424,000 (runner-up)

In 2013, she won $3.54 million in prize money, followed by $5.84 million in 2014 (the second-best year of her career), and $3.95 million in 2015. From this point onwards, Maria’s winnings decline rapidly. For her final year in competition, she earned just $74,353.

Endorsement Income

Even after her 2016 suspension, Sharapova remains among the most successful female athletes. Her career endorsement earnings from top brands, including Nike, Evian, and Porsche, exceed $300 million. Despite the sponsorship losses caused by the doping scandal, she successfully regained partnerships with many major global brands, including Nike, showcasing her enduring market appeal.

In 2012, she launched Sugarpova, a premium candy brand, with an initial investment of $500,000. The company now generates $20 million annually and is valued at more than $187 million. These ventures showcase her success in transforming her career earnings into thriving enterprises and achieving long-term financial stability.

Financial & Legal Issues

Sharapova’s career faced significant challenges in 2016 when she was suspended for 15 months after testing positive for meldonium. This caused estimated losses of $500,000 in prize money and over $10 million in endorsements, including deals with Nike and Tag Heuer.

In 2017, Sharapova was involved in a legal dispute over the “Ballet by Sharapova” housing project in Gurugram, India. Homes in the project were priced between $200,000 and $335,000, but the development was never completed. Investors accused her of fraud and misrepresentation, claiming her endorsement and promotional appearances misled them into purchasing properties. Buyers filed lawsuits seeking compensation for their financial losses, highlighting the risks of tying endorsements to failed projects.

Although Sharapova claimed she was unaware of the developers’ intentions, the project tarnished her reputation in India, and currently, no public information indicates that the lawsuits have been resolved.

Real Estate

Sharapova’s real estate portfolio focuses on acquiring high-value properties in sought-after locations. In 2020, she purchased a five-acre ocean-view estate in Summerland, California, for $8.6 million, featuring modern design and impressive views.

In early 2024, she expanded her portfolio by purchasing a 3.3-acre estate in Montecito, California, for $11.5 million in an all-cash transaction. The property features a five-bedroom main house, landscaped gardens, and offers panoramic views of the ocean and surrounding mountains. Sharapova’s portfolio illustrates her strategic approach to wealth management, turning her career earnings into valuable investment opportunities.

Philanthropy

Sharapova has been deeply committed to philanthropy throughout her career, with a primary focus on global development and disaster relief. Through the Maria Sharapova Foundation, she donated $100,000 to victims of the Chernobyl disaster, a cause connected to her family’s heritage, as her parents left Belarus after the nuclear accident.

In 2019, she contributed $25,000 to Australian bushfire relief, supporting wildlife rescue and community recovery. She also provided aid for Hurricane Maria recovery in Puerto Rico, focusing on rebuilding infrastructure and helping affected families. As a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, Sharapova has supported efforts to reduce poverty, improve education, and promote gender equality, reflecting her commitment to using her success to help others.