Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS Now Worth $5 Billion

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Kim Kardashian is doing more than amazing, sweetie.

Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company, SKIMS, recently received $225 million in new funding, bringing the company’s total value to $5 billion, according to Kardashian and her business partner, Jens Grede.

Kim announced on November 11th that the company has officially become a global brand selling through all available retail channels, thanks to the dedication of their team and partners. She said this news proves their hard work has paid off and marks the beginning of an exciting new phase.

SKIMS, with 18 stores across the U.S. in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, as well as an online shop, is planning to use some money to begin expanding into international markets.

Goldman Sachs Alternatives, the investment group of Goldman Sachs, led the latest funding round. They had previously invested in the company in 2023, four years after it was founded. The brand generated $270 million in revenue two years ago, which gave the company a $4 billion valuation.

After a second investment, Beat Cabiallavetta, who leads hybrid capital at Goldman Sachs Alternative, told The New York Times that SKIMS is impressive because it creates new product types and reimagines basic clothing.

Kim has always been willing to take risks with her business ventures. Recently, her brand SKIMS released a G-string with pubic hair detailing, available in a variety of colors, which surprised many customers. While she made a daring choice with this product, she confessed she was surprised by how much attention it received.

She told TopMob News last month that she was surprised by all the attention the story received, saying they’d been happily discussing it all day.

Although Kim Kardashian is known for innovative ideas with her SKIMS brand, the company’s main focus has always been practical, comfortable clothing. This was highlighted in 2023 when SKIMS became the official underwear provider for the WNBA, NBA, and USA Basketball. They’ve also recently announced a collaboration with Nike, set to launch in September 2025.

In a 2020 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she described her style as simple and functional. She explained that when she asked for shapewear without visible seams, people thought it was an unusual request. She’d always been frustrated with other brands because their shapewear had a seam right down the front.

She explained that wearing a very form-fitting dress can be ruined by visible seams, which defeats the point of wanting a smooth, seamless look. She believes in having both comfort and glamour, and thinks there’s no reason to sacrifice one for the other – you should have products that allow you to feel comfortable and look great at the same time.

For more eye-popping celebrity paychecks, keep reading.

Although Kim Kardashian is willing to try new and creative ideas for her SKIMS brand, the company’s main focus has always been practical, comfortable clothing. This commitment was highlighted in 2023 when SKIMS became the official underwear provider for the WNBA, NBA, and USA Basketball. They’ve also recently announced a collaboration with Nike, set to launch in September 2025.

In a 2020 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she described her style as simple and functional. She explained that when she asked for shapewear without visible seams, people were surprised. She’d always been frustrated with other brands because they all had a seam right down the front.

She explained that wearing a very fitted dress can be ruined by visible seams, which defeats the point of wanting a smooth, seamless look. She believes in having both comfort and glamour, and thinks you should be able to have everything you need to achieve both.

For more eye-popping celebrity paychecks, keep reading.

According to Joe Giudice, he and his ex-wife Teresa Giudice didn’t make much money during the first season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. He revealed on his daughter Gia’s Casual Chaos podcast in August 2025 that they were paid around $25,000, which he considered a very small amount, but they accepted it.

Creating the first season of the show wasn’t inexpensive. The father of four recalled, “I remember that big party we threw in my living room. I believe the whole season cost me around $150,000 that first year.”

Although the winner of Dancing With the Stars doesn’t receive a cash prize, all finalists are paid through the end of the show, according to season 33 champion Jenna Johnson. She also mentioned that they receive a bonus on top of that.

Johnson explained that winning doesn’t come with a huge financial reward – it’s mostly about the trophy. She also clarified that dancers and celebrities are guaranteed payment for a certain number of weeks on the show. While ABC hasn’t confirmed the exact figures, reports suggest dancers start earning around $1,200 to $1,600 per episode, potentially reaching $100,000 for the entire season. Celebrities, on the other hand, begin with a $125,000 salary, and those who reach the semifinals and finals can earn up to an additional $50,000 in bonuses.

Jennifer Lawrence, an Academy Award winner, earned $25 million for her role in Adam McKay’s comedy Don’t Look Up. However, her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, also an Oscar winner, received $30 million for the same film.

Jennifer Lawrence acknowledged that Leonardo DiCaprio earns more at the box office than she does. While she’s happy with her own salary, she explained to Vanity Fair that it’s often awkward for women to ask for equal pay. She’s observed, and believes many other women have experienced, a situation where questioning a pay discrepancy leads to vague explanations that avoid addressing potential gender bias.

Jennifer Lawrence’s positive outlook on the issue came after a difficult struggle. In 2014, a leak of Sony emails revealed she was paid less than her male co-stars in the 2013 film American Hustle, which sparked a widespread discussion about unequal pay for women in Hollywood.

In a 2017 interview with Channel 4 News, Lawrence explained she’s grateful for her career and isn’t concerned about her earnings. She clarified that her frustration wasn’t about the amount of money she made on films, but rather about the broader issues of unfairness and inequality.

Jonah Hill earned $60,000 for his role in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street – before taxes and commissions – a significantly smaller amount compared to the $10 million earned by the lead actor.

Hill remembered on The Howard Stern Show in 2014 that he was offered very little money for the role. However, it was an opportunity to work with director Martin Scorsese on the film Moneyball, so he was eager to finalize the deal quickly, before anyone had a chance to reconsider.

According to actor Jonah Hill, he’d be willing to sacrifice everything to work with director Martin Scorsese. He explained that while films like 22 Jump Street help pay the bills, working on something you’re passionate about is far more important. He’d happily do it all over again, even if it meant giving up all his possessions, because for him, it’s not about the money – it’s about doing work you truly care about.

Oprah Winfrey happily accepted only a little bit of green to star in 1985’s The Color Purple.

In a 2023 interview with Essence, the media billionaire said they were only paid $35,000 for the film, but it was the most valuable $35,000 they ever made. They explained that the experience was transformative and taught them a great deal.

Jennifer Lopez made history when she played the late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 movie Selena. She was the first Latina actress to be paid $1 million for a film role.

Looking back at her first big film, Lopez admitted to Variety in 2019 that she was naive at the time and didn’t fully understand what was happening. She was thrilled by the million-dollar offer and believes everyone involved was trying to prove a point.

This success allowed her to earn hundreds of millions of dollars, and sometimes she doesn’t even need to invest any of her own money to do so.

Okay, so J.Lo basically gets it, you know? She told GQ a while back that she does projects because her heart is in them, not for a huge paycheck. Like, she didn’t even take much money for Hustlers – she produced it for free! She just believes in herself, always has. She’s like, ‘It’s the Jenny From the Block way’ – I do what I’m passionate about, and I make it happen. It’s just so inspiring to see her follow her heart like that! I’ve been a fan forever, and this just proves why I adore her.

Adrien Brody wasn’t motivated by money when he made The Brutalist. He chose the role of a struggling Hungarian architect in post-World War II America, and ultimately won his second Best Actor Oscar for the $250,000 project.

Brody told Variety he’s ready for a big studio film, explaining he’s invested everything he has into renovating a unique property – a large, castle-like barn – in upstate New York.

When asked about his early spending habits after joining Saturday Night Live in 2014 at age 20, Pete Davidson joked to New York magazine, “Do you know how much we make?” He explained that he earned around $3,000 per episode, joking that it was just enough to cover dinner.

It’s notable that pay for new cast members on Saturday Night Live has stayed consistent over the years. In 1975, original cast members like John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase each reportedly earned $750 per episode. When adjusted for inflation, that’s about $3,300 in 2014, or $4,428 in 2025.

Kenan Thompson earns significantly more than $3,000 per episode of SNL these days, especially since he’s currently in his 22nd season. However, he began his career like everyone else, starting from the beginning.

In Demi Lovato’s 2024 documentary, Child Star, a former cast member of All That shared that their first paycheck was $800. They joked that, being 12 at the time, it felt like a million dollars.

It turns out Gilmore Girls’ status as a beloved rewatchable classic is literally priceless.

Actress Lauren Graham, best known for playing Lorelai Gilmore for seven seasons and in the 2016 revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, recently shared that she doesn’t receive any residual payments from Netflix. Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live in March 2025, she jokingly said she’s been compensated with ‘love and appreciation’ instead.

During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Tommy Dorfman revealed she wasn’t paid fairly for her work on 13 Reasons Why. The strike, like the WGA strike, was partly caused by streaming services such as Netflix not sharing additional profits with actors and crew when a show became successful.

Dorfman revealed on Threads on July 24th that she earned $29,953.24 for the first season of 13 Reasons Why before her agency, manager (combined 20%), and taxes took their cut. She worked on 8 episodes over six months, doing all the promotional work and appearing in key artwork for the show. She also traveled frequently between New York City and San Francisco to film, often working for days without pay and barely qualifying for health insurance.

Dorfman also noted that the show’s first season quickly became incredibly popular, racking up 476 million hours of viewing time in its first 28 days – a key reason for the strike.

Dax Shepard recently shared with Lauren Graham, a former co-star from their show Parenthood, that he was one of the lowest-paid actors on the NBC drama during its six-season run. He didn’t reveal any specific salaries or names, but indicated he earned significantly less than many of his colleagues.

But, the Armchair Expert host stressed that he did not mind.

Before becoming a parent, I always made it a priority to find out how much my coworkers were earning. I’d either ask them directly or discreetly check through my agent to get the information.

He deliberately avoided learning details about his family’s history at the company, and that helped him appreciate the experience, even when he started to realize how much he earned compared to others.

In 2005, George Clooney told the Los Angeles Times that he and Grant Heslov essentially worked for a dollar each to get their film, Good Night, and Good Luck, made. Clooney had to cash his directing check and forgo his acting salary, and Heslov did the same. They each received just one dollar for their efforts as actors, co-writers, and co-producers.

George Clooney’s passion project, a play about CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow and his courageous reporting in the 1950s, proved to be a success. Clooney made his Broadway debut playing Murrow, performing for months before the run ended in June 2025. The play earned a record-breaking $3.3 million during its preview week, even before its official opening on April 3rd, proving it was a significant financial success.

I was fascinated to recently read that Christian Bale took the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho for basically the lowest possible wage! Apparently, nobody on the production team was initially keen on him, except for the director, Mary Harron. He told GQ in 2022 that she was really the only one who fought for him to get the part, and he ended up being paid the bare minimum they were legally able to offer.

Bale recounted earning so little money that he recalled makeup artists on set joking that he was paid less than they were.

Although his uncle was Rico, Jon Heder revealed in 2010 that he originally earned just $1,000 for his role in Napoleon Dynamite.

Once the unexpectedly successful comedy film took off, he successfully asked for a share of the earnings. He told the New Zealand Herald that the offer was increased.

Despite a successful career with acclaimed films like Amistad and Blood Diamond, Djimon Hounsou believes he doesn’t earn enough as an actor in Hollywood.

The Beninese actor told CNN’s Larry Madowo in January 2025 that despite working in the film industry for over twenty years, and having received two Oscar nominations and starred in many successful blockbusters, he still finds it difficult to earn a living.

In her 2024 memoir, Rebel Rising, Rebel Wilson revealed she earned $3,500 for her role in Bridesmaids, but the entire amount went to joining the Screen Actors Guild. Essentially, she didn’t receive any money for the film.

Still, she wrote, the experience was “everything!”

The Australian actress’s career soared, and her salary increased dramatically from $65,000 for Pitch Perfect in 2012 to $10 million for Pitch Perfect 3 in 2017. She earned a total of $20 million from Pitch Perfect 3, Isn’t It Romantic, and The Hustle. However, after paying nearly 50% in taxes, 10% to her agents, and 5% to her lawyer, as well as covering the costs of her publicist, business manager, and assistant, she still considered her earnings to be a huge success.

In late 2017, Ellen Pompeo successfully negotiated a new contract for her role on Grey’s Anatomy. She secured $575,000 per episode, a substantial signing bonus, and a share of the show’s profits estimated to be worth between $6 and $7 million.

In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 48-year-old Pompeo explained that she’s reached a point in her career where she confidently asks for fair compensation. She believes this self-assurance comes with experience. Pompeo acknowledged she isn’t considered one of the most ‘in-demand’ actresses, a perception fueled by playing the same character for 14 years. However, she argued that while many actors can perform well during a show’s first couple of seasons, maintaining that quality after 14 years demonstrates true skill.

Looking back on the fact that she consistently earned less than her colleague, Patrick Dempsey, despite being the show’s central character, Ellen Pompeo explained she wasn’t resentful of his higher salary.

In a March 2025 episode of her podcast, Call Her Daddy, she explained that she felt she deserved equal recognition, considering the show was named after her. She wasn’t upset that someone else received success, but rather that her contributions weren’t valued as much, and she believed that would always be the case.

Jamie Lee Curtis remembers earning $2,000 per week, totaling $8,000, for her first movie, the 1978 film Halloween. As she explained to Rotten Tomatoes in 2018, essentially no one involved in the film received significant pay.

Although the actress playing Laurie Strode made a good amount of money – around four figures – director John Carpenter’s friend, Nick Castle, felt like he was living large earning $25 a day to share the role of Michael Myers. (Actually, it’s Anthony Moran whose face you briefly see when the killer’s mask comes off, and editor Tommy Lee Wallace also appeared on screen as Michael Myers.)

Looking back, it was a whirlwind,” said Castle, who went to film school with Carpenter at USC. He explained to Vanity Fair in 2018 that he was initially drawn to the project simply to learn how movies were made. “I wanted to get behind the scenes and see how directing worked. I figured I’d be working for free, so getting paid $25 a day just for wearing a rubber mask was a bonus!”

Taraji P. Henson received an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. However, she was still frustrated years later that she only earned $150,000 for the movie, despite initially requesting $500,000.

In a 2021 interview on the Ladies First With Laura Brown podcast, producer Dede Henson explained that Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett each commanded around $20 million for their roles in the film, which was a common practice at the time. Henson added that their high salaries were justified, stating they deserved to be well-compensated.

She explained that she was also bringing value to the project and believed her salary request was reasonable, considering the potential ticket sales the film could generate. She wouldn’t have accepted less. Taraji P. Henson said she was devastated when they initially offered her only $100,000. Ultimately, she ended up with $150,000, but felt she had to compromise to get it.

Henson understands some people might think $150,000 is a lot of money, but she wants to be clear she’s not ungrateful. However, after taxes and paying her team, the actual amount she receives is much lower. She explained that the government will take about half, leaving $75,000. Then, she has to pay her team 30% of the original amount before taxes, which comes off the $75,000. This means she might only end up with around $40,000.

Cate Blanchett has earned a substantial income throughout her career, but her role as the elf Galadriel in the hugely successful The Lord of the Rings films—which made $2.9 billion worldwide—wasn’t her sole source of wealth.

When Andy Cohen suggested on Watch What Happens Live in August 2024 that The Lord of the Rings was her highest-paying role, she jokingly replied, “No!” She explained that the cast didn’t actually receive much money for the film – she said she was mostly paid with free food and got to keep her prosthetic ears.

Orlando Bloom, known for his role as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, revealed on The Howard Stern Show in 2023 that he earned only $175,000 for all three films.

Hopefully he also got to keep his ears.

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2025-11-12 18:49