From Rihanna to Reese, women entertainers are transforming into business owners

By Liat Weinstein, NBC News

From pop singer Rihanna’s billion-dollar clothing and cosmetic lines to actress Reese Witherspoon’s media company, which just sold for $900 million, female celebrities who branch out and reinvent their brand are boosting their public image — and their fortune.

While dozens of female celebrities have started their own companies, with many expanding into the beauty and fashion industries, some brands — like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company — have amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, turning their entertainer founders into fully fledged business owners.

Female entertainers face unique pressure to reinvent themselves as their career progresses, said Sharon Marcus, a professor at Columbia University whose research focuses on celebrity culture. When these celebrities reach their peak fame, Marcus said, they often feel as though they must extend themselves into other industries in order to stay relevant in the public eye — a phenomenon that Marcus said is not as common with male entertainers.

“When it comes to men, people associate age with experience and genius, even,” Marcus said. “But as women get older, people are just less interested in seeing them or hearing about them. Male standards of attractiveness are less dependent on freshness.”

Rihanna, who took a step back from music after the release of “Anti” in 2016 to focus on her beauty and fashion businesses, was recently named a billionaire and the world’s wealthiest female musician by Forbes. The majority of her wealth comes from her three businesses — Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin and Savage x Fenty — rather than her music.

Marcus said Rihanna’s focus on developing her businesses mirrors a larger trend of celebrities expanding into other areas in order to curate their image as well-rounded and multifaceted entertainers.

“The very biggest stars understand how celebrity works,” Marcus said. “And so they don’t just develop their talent — they develop their stardom. And a big part of that is ‘how can I build on this?’”

Witherspoon’s portfolio includes the Draper James clothing line, named after her grandparents; and the female-centered media business Hello Sunshine, which last week was sold to a group that includes former Disney executives and private equity giant Blackstone.

Founded in 2016 with the goal of promoting female-centered stories and media, Witherspoon said the sale of her media company would enable Hello Sunshine to increase the number of female-led shows it produces.

“It’s fascinating to see how a company like this, that started just four years ago, can really resonate with audiences,” Witherspoon said in an interview with CNBC last week. “I think when you do things authentically and the mission is so clear to people, that you’re there for intersectional storytelling that puts women at the center.”

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