Janet Jackson and Britney Spears have a lot in common: They're both moms, they're both legendary singers, they both have been working in the entertainment industry since they were kids, and they've both been wronged by Justin Timberlake. In fact, Justin recently reached out to these ladies to apologize for the way he's behaved in the past — where his Super Bowl performance with Janet was concerned and his past romantic relationship with Britney — but it's easy to see that not even Justin could topple either of their empires!
Today, 39-year-old Britney and 54-year-old Janet have both more than earned their places in music history, and it goes without saying that both women have managed to build a massive fortune thanks to their hard work and talent. But who's made more over the course of their career: Britney Spears or Janet Jackson?
Read on for the answer to that question, as well as how both of these superstars have made their money. We're a little jealous of the amount of cash they've got in the bank, but they've certainly worked for it.
Britney's Music
Of course, Britney is best known for her music — it's what got all of our attention in the first place, right? She's considered one of the best selling artists of all time, and according to Chart Masters, she does numbers in the hundred millions when it comes to streaming, even though she hasn't released a new album since Glory in 2016.
Touring
Even more than her music sales, touring to promote her albums over the years has likely contributed a big chunk to her overall net worth. To give an idea of exactly how lucrative Britney's tours have been for her, let's take 2009's Circus tour. According to Business Insider, the tour brought in over $24 million in just the first three weeks Brit was on the road.
Her Las Vegas Residency
Over the course of four years, Britney performed in her Piece of Me Las Vegas residency — we're talking well over 200 shows in that time. According to Billboard, in the end, Britney had made about $137 million with over 900,000 tickets sold during that time.
'The X-Factor'
In 2012, Britney became a judge on The X-Factor, and ended up making a lot more than we would have guessed. As The Wrap reported, Britney was paid $15 million for one season of judging music hopefuls, after she'd originally been offered $10 million but requested $20 million to do the gig.
Her Acting Career
Aside from her music career, Britney has also done some acting (though she hasn't had a role in a while). Not only did she star in her famed early 2000s movie Crossroads, but she's also appeared as a guest star on shows like Glee, How I Met Your Mother, and Jane the Virgin.
Britney's Real Estate
Britney owns a lot of real estate, and she's managed to profit from the sales, too. People reported that in February 2021, she sold one of her former homes for a cool $6.1 million, and these days, she's living in a $7.4 million home located in Thousand Oaks, California.
Britney's Total Net Worth
Ready for the grand total? According to Celebrity Net Worth, in 2021, Britney is worth about $70 million — not too shabby, considering the fact that she hasn't been making music and touring the way she once did. And on that kind of money, Britney would never have to work again if she didn't want to!
Janet's Early Start
Considering the fact that Janet has been in the spotlight since childhood as the sister of The Jackson 5, it makes sense that she'd start her career in entertainment at a young age. She started out by performing in the family's variety show, The Jacksons, in the '70s, and her fame only grew from there.
Her Music Career
It probably won't surprise anyone to hear that Janet has easily become one of the top selling artists of our time. In 2019, the BBC estimated that she's sold over 100 million records globally after releasing 11 studio albums, which is certainly one impressive career.
Acting
Like Britney, Janet's not just about the music — she's dabbled in acting, too. She's had roles in movies including For Colored Girls, Why Did I Get Married?, and Poetic Justice, and in 2004, she even had a guest starring role on Will & Grace (though that might be the least impressive thing she's done over the span of her career).
Her Jewelry Line
In 2015, Janet came out with her own jewelry line called Janet Jackson's Unbreakable Diamonds. As outlets reported at the time, her products were quite pricy, with some of the price tags for the jewels in the millions. Then again, these were real, quality diamonds we're talking about …
Her Touring Fortune
Also like Britney, Janet has made a lot of her fortune through touring, performing her music for fans across the world. According to The Source, Janet's State of the World tour brought in more than $44 million in ticket sales while she was on the road from 2017 to 2019.
Real Estate
Janet has an impressive real estate portfolio, especially considering that she also rents out some of her properties. As Curbed New York reported, Janet's swanky NYC apartment rented for $35,000 a month — potentially money going straight into the singer's pocket.
Janet's Total Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Janet is worth an estimated $190 million — an impressive figure, of course, but it makes sense because she's been working as an entertainer for most of her life. Considering Janet's star power, she'll likely only go up from here.
And the Winner Is …
We can definitively say that Janet is the winner, by over a $100 million margin. But hey, both ladies have plenty of cash, and who knows? Britney could end up catching up in the future, especially with all of the renewed interest in her music and her career. Either way, they're both incredibly talented and will live on forever as music legends, no matter what they have in the bank.
