Oprah vs. Tyra

Forbes has just released it's top-earning Black celebrities list and Oprah tops it, of course, with - $260m a year ($2.6bn) i.e. she earns $712,000 a day! Last October, she gave away about $300,000 to her audience (click on link to read). Well, that is just less than a half day's salary innit?

Winfrey, 54, whose publicity got into some hot water last year (click to read) is still on top.

The Top Ten Are:

1. Oprah Winfrey $260 million
2. Tiger Woods $100 million
3. Jay-Z $83 million
4. 50 Cent $33 million
5. Kobe Bryant $33 million
6. Shaquille O’Neal $32 million
7. Michael Jordan $31 million
8. Will Smith $31 million
9. Beyonce $27 million
10. LeBron James $27 million

At the same time, talk show host, producer and supermodel, Tyra Banks is becoming a public role model, she was even given an award (click). That still doesn't stop her from being a tad bit jealous of talk show host, Oprah Winfrey according to a lie detector test. Who wouldn't be? Watch video below:

Now to Forbes Richest African American Celebs, a lot of these girls and guys are philanthropists but not all. It is one thing to make it but another to then reach out and push others higher. Pepsi Firsts celebrates a new generation of African American heroes (not necessarily as wealthy as our Forbes 10) who inspire and lead the way breaking barriers in various industries and life in general. Check out http://www.pepsifirsts.com/

Looking closely at one of the profiles, Sheila C. Johnson is the first African-American female billionaire. She is a successful businesswoman, entrepreneur and philanthropist and oversees a growing portfolio of luxury properties as CEO of Salamander Hospitality. She is also the first woman to have a stake in three professional sports teams - The Washington Mystics (WNBA), the Wizars (NBA) and the Capitals (NHL). She serves as Global Ambassador for CARE and is an avid sponsor of the arts.

Download the Pepsi Firsts calendar here to read about several other profiles in pictures.