Oprah Winfrey is back on her throne at the top of Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful celebrities, after a two-year stint in the runner-up seat.

 

The billionaire American talk-show host, 59, knocked singer Jennifer Lopez off the spot and into number 12, but still shares the top ten winners’ enclosure arena with a multitude of women.

There are six girls in the plum positions – and the only man to make it into the top five is film director Steven Spielberg, who, coming third, is sandwiched between Lady Gaga in second and Beyonce in fourth.

 

Winfrey was top of the list in 2010, but lost out to Jennifer Lopez last year and Lady Gaga in 2011.

Singer and actress Madonna comes fifth and Taylor Swift makes her top 10 debut at number six in the annual Top 100 compiled by the financial magazine, which is based on income over a 12-month period and fame, as defined by a media presence across all platforms, as well as social media power.

 

Forbes calculated celebrity’s earnings on income from tours, books, contracts, endorsements, movies and residuals and each star was given a marketability score, created by California market research firm E-Poll.

Forbes credits Oprah’s $77 million (£50m) earnings between June 2012 and June 2013 – as well as her prominence on TV, on social media and in the press – for her placing.

 

 

Gaga, despite being forced to cancel numerous dates on her moneymaking ‘Born This Way Ball’ tour due to hip surgery earlier this year, earned $80 million from the global jaunt.

Forbes writer Dorothy Pomerantz said: ‘She still wields an enormous amount of power, which is really what we look for in our fame matrix. Forbes also cites the lady gaga's star’s devoted fan following on social media for her lofty ranking.

Pomerantz said again: ‘She is still a huge force in pop music. Even when she is not playing, people are talking about her and speculating about her.’

 

 

Winfrey, who has topped the list on four previous occasions, is one of three celebrities who have featured on the prestigious list every year since its inception in 1999, along with radio DJ Howard Stern and director Steven Spielberg.. ‘She is taking this cable network and turning it around just through the sheer force of her will, her connections and her ability.’

Buy she wasn’t the highest earning star over the last year. Madonna earned $125 million (£81m) between June 2012 and June 2013.

 

Singer Beyonce came fourth on the list, just below Steven Spielberg but above Madonna.

 

 

Director Steven Spielberg, is the only man to make the top five, while singer Taylor Swift, right, makes a Top 10 debut at number six

Last year’s number one, Jennifer Lopez – who topped the chart thanks to her public profile and earnings of $52 million – drops to 12 on this year’s countdown.

 

Forbes also deciphered how often individual stars appeared in the media and used Starcount – a Singapore-based company that studies celebrity’s presence on 11 different social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to assess popularity and influence.

 

Madonna, shot up to number five, having not made the top 100 last year, while Jennifer Lopez, right, drops from the  top spot on last year’s list to number 12 (but she still made $45m, so she probably isn’t too worried).

Justin Bieber manages to hold onto his place in the top ten, coming in at number nine.

2013 FORBES’ CELEBRITY TOP 20:
1 Oprah Winfrey $77m (income this year)

2 Lady Gaga $80m

3 Steven Spielberg $100m

4 Beyonce $53m

5 Madonna $125m

6 Taylor Swift $55m

7 Jon Bon Jovi $79m

8 Roger Federer $71m

9 Justin Bieber $58m

10 Ellen DeGeneres $56m

11 Hugh Jackman $55m

12 Jennifer Lopez $45m

13 Rihanna $43m

14 Coldplay $64m

15 Tiger Woods $78m

16 LeBron James $60m

17 Simon Cowell $95m

18 Katy Perry $39m

19 David Beckham $47m

20 Robert Downey Jnr $75m