Mariah Carey vs. Madonna: Which Iconic Pop Diva Has the Higher Net Worth?
Mariah Carey and Madonna are both chart-topping, iconic, record-breaking pop divas — but which megastar has the higher net worth? Here’s what we know about the singers’ earnings and an inside look at their years-long feud.
Mariah Carey’s net worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mariah Carey has amassed a spectacular fortune. The “Obsessed” singer has an estimated net worth of $320 million. Besides her highly successful career as a singer and performer, Carey is also a songwriter, actor, producer, and entrepreneur.
She is one of the top 15 best-selling music artists in history, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide. Carey ranks among the best-selling female artist of all time, with more No. 1 hit songs than any other female musician in U.S. chart history. Carey has won five Grammys, 10 American Music Awards, and 19 Billboard Music Awards.
Madonna’s net worth
Although Mariah Carey’s net worth is impressive, Madonna’s blows her out of the water. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the actor and musician has an estimated net worth of $850 million.
While Mariah Carey has sold over 200 million records, Madonna has sold a whopping 300 million albums throughout her career and holds the record for the best-selling female musician of all time.
After launching her solo career, Madonna’s first two songs, “Burning Up” and “Everybody,” were instant successes. Her self-titled 1983 debut album reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. The 1984 record Like a Virgin was her first No. 1 album. It was also the first album by a solo female artist to sell over five million copies in the U.S. She has recorded 14 studio albums and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
The “Material Girl” singer has also found success as an actor. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1996 movie Evita. The superstar has appeared in several other films, including Dick Tracy, The Next Best Thing, and Body of Evidence.
Madonna and Mariah Carey have shaded each other for years
Although they are both pop culture icons with wildly successful careers in the same industry, Madonna and Mariah Carey are not friends. In fact, the two megastars have reportedly feuded for years.
According to Culled Culture, Madonna shaded Carey in an interview with Spin. “I was talking to k.d. lang about it last night,” the “Like a Prayer” singer said. “I don’t want to get into slagging off other artists, but we were talking about her record versus someone like Mariah Carey’s – and I think she’s a very talented singer – but we have to realize that the same country that acquitted O.J. is the same country that makes a complete piece of shit movie number one, that buys Mariah Carey records. It’s this homogeneity. But it’s got nothing to do with art.”
When the interviewer asked her, “Are there moments when you just say I wish I was Mariah Carey, just singing silly pop songs?” Madonna laughed and replied, “I’d kill myself.”
Carey fired back in a London press conference in December 1995. “I really haven’t paid attention to Madonna since I was in like seventh or eighth grade when she used to be popular,” the “Emotions” singer said.
