Kylie Jenner Becomes Youngest Self-Made Billionaire Of All Time

kyliejenner/Instagram

Kylie Jenner has just entered the history books by becoming the youngest self-made billionaire of all time.

At 21 years old, Jenner has now overtaken the record set by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who earned his first billion 11 years ago at the age of 23.

The reality star and social media icon has amassed a net worth of $1 billion; having enjoyed phenomenal success through her popular make-up range, Kylie Cosmetics.

Seriously, when I was 21 I used to get excited when I found a forgotten fiver in my coat pocket…

People have been speculating over Jenner’s billionaire status for some time now, however this has finally been confirmed by Forbes in their 2019 rich list.

Jenner reportedly told Forbes:

I didn’t expect anything. I did not foresee the future. But [the recognition] feels really good.

That’s a nice pat on the back.

She explained how her prolific social media presence helped to elevate her business to such dizzying heights:

It’s the power of social media. I had such a strong reach before I was able to start anything,

I see [Kylie Cosmetics] going very far. I work really hard.

Jenner – who is also youngest billionaire on Forbes’ young billionaire list – owns a 100 percent stake in Kylie Cosmetics, which is estimated to be worth at least $900 million.

She also has a separate income from endorsements and from her work on Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Jenner also owns a prolific real estate portfolio, including a $13.45 million Beverly Hills mansion she purchased last year with her partner Travis Scott.

Although the description of Kylie Jenner being a self-made billionaire is sure to raise a few – artfully contoured – eyebrows, this is indeed technically the case.

Forbes defines a ‘self-made’ person as ‘having built a company or established a fortune on her own, rather than inheriting some or all of it’.

This definition is obviously a little broad, and so Forbes have developed a scoring system to categorise how ‘self-made’ a person was on a scale of 1-10:

Based on that scale, someone who inherited everything scores a 1, while someone who not only grew up poor but also experienced substantial hardships – like Oprah Winfrey – scores a 10.

Kylie Jenner, who comes from a wealthy family and who has leveraged her fame to her advantage, ranks a 7.

Now, Jenner has come from a background of wealth beyond what many of us can imagine. However, she has used her platform in an entrepreneurial way, building a business empire which surpasses any of her older sisters.

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Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.