Most Lucrative Magazine Cover Deals in History

Publication: People, Sep. 15, 1997
Sold: 3.1 million copies*
Cost: Undisclosed

When Princess Diana tragically perished in a high-speed car accident in Paris in 1997, it shook the world. Everyone adored her and felt devastated at the loss of a public icon that left two kids behind at just 36 years old. The news hit the headlines, disrupting regular programming on channels like Fox. 

Tribute to Diana People, Sep. 15, 1997 @Mashable / Pinterest.com

People jumped on the bandwagon with a special tribute to Diana released on September 15, 1997. The cover featuring the fallen Princess in a glittering tiara sold over 3 million copies. It’s not clear what the publication paid for the rights to the image. 

Publication: Vogue, 1989
Sold: Undisclosed (increased sales by 40%)
Cost: Undisclosed

It’s hard to imagine a world without Madonna in it. The star debuted back in 1982 and went on to become one of the biggest names the world has ever seen. Way before she married Sony’s Snatch director Guy Ritchie, Madonna was busy giving interviews to Vogue in 1989. 

Madonna at Home Vogue, 1989 @Miss Lua / Pinterest.com

At that point in her career, Madonna was making the transition from blonde-haired temptress to brunette beauty exploring the gospel genre with songs such as “Like a Prayer.” It’s not known exactly how much the star was paid for the at-home interview, but it did increase Vogue’s circulation by a sizable 40%. 

Publication: OK! Magazine, July 1999
Sold: 1.5 million copies*
Cost: $1 million*

When Posh Spice, aka Victoria Beckham, married her beau David back in 1999, the world went wild for it. As a Spice Girl, Victoria established a solid fanbase when they were signed to Tencent’s Virgin Records. Fans couldn’t wait to see her marry one of the most famous soccer players of all time. 

Posh Spice and David Beckham’s Wedding @Think Weddings / Pinterest.com

The couple capitalized on that desire and sold pictures of their lavish wedding to OK! Magazine for a cool $1 million. Featuring Victoria in her gold-colored dress and David in his white suit, the feature boosted magazine sales exponentially. Over 1.5 million people picked up a copy. 

Publication: Hello, 2000
Sold: 600,000 copies*
Cost: Undisclosed

David Bowie established a reputation as one of the finest musicians of all time, recording under labels like Sony’s Columbia and starring in numerous movies and stage productions. Back in 2000, he appeared on the cover of Hello alongside his wife of eight years, Iman, and their newborn daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones. 

David Bowie and Iman Introduce Their Daughter Hello, 2000 @HELLO! Magazine / Pinterest.com

It’s not clear how much the 53-year-old star got for the baby exclusive at the time, but it helped boost the magazine’s circulation from 400,000 up to 600,000. Bowie passed away in 2016 after accumulating a net worth of $179 million.

Publication: OK! Magazine, December 1, 2000
Sold: 1 million copies*
Cost: $2 million*

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are both Hollywood royalty. Catherine has starred in hits like Disney’s 20th Century Fox feature Entrapment with Sean Connery, while Michael is known for Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct.

Michael Douglas & Catherina Zeta-Jones' Wedding OK! Magazine, December 1, 2000 @IBTimes / Pinterest.com

Despite there being an age gap of 26 years, the two actors tied the knot at The Plaza in New York on November 18, 2000. They sold the exclusive pictures to OK! Magazine for $2 million, but a sneaky photographer managed to get in and sold unauthorized photos to Hello, resulting in a lawsuit.

Publication: People,  June 19, 2006
Sold: 2.2 million copies*
Cost: $4.1 million*

When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got together it was a shock to many fans considering he seemed to have the perfect marriage to the star of AT&T’s HBO series Friends, Jennifer Aniston. When Brangelina welcomed their first child, Shiloh, in 2006, People got the exclusive. 

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie's Daughter Shiloh People, June 19, 2006 @People / Pinterest.com

The cover features the actors on a bed, with Brad looking dotingly at the newborn while Angelina looks dotingly at Brad. Over 2.2 million copies of the magazine were sold, helping to cover the $4.1 million the publication paid out to secure the deal.

Publication: People, March 31, 2008
Sold: Undisclosed
Cost: $6 million*

By the time 2008 rolled around J-Lo had already established herself as a huge star. Not only was she an actor with roles in numerous hits, but she was a successful entrepreneur with perfumes released under Coty. 

"Jenifer Lopez's Twins" People, March 31, 2008 @sherry Rodriguez / Pinterest.com

If she wasn’t in the headlines for her business moves, she was in them for her personal relationships. When she welcomed twins Max and Emme with singer Marc Anthony in 2008, J-Lo bagged an impressive $6 million. These days, she’s worth $311 million. She split with Anthony in 2011 after seven years as a married couple.

Publication: OK! Magazine,  October 2005
Sold: 1 million copies*
Cost: $3 million*

When the star of Fox’s That 70’s Show Ashton Kutcher married Hollywood A-lister Demi Moore in 2005, fans were a little surprised. After all, Demi was 43 and Ashton was 27, so there was quite a gap there.

Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher Wedding OK! Magazine, October 2005 / ©ebay.com

There was enough interest in their nuptials to warrant OK! Magazine paying them a cool $3 million to get the world’s first inside scoop on the ceremony and their life together. While the magazine sold somewhere in the region of 1 million copies, it wasn’t exactly the flyer they hoped it would be. 

Publication: Esquire, 1968
Sold: 1.8 million copies*
Cost: Undisclosed

There are few sporting legends quite as well-known as Cassius Clay himself, Mohammed Ali. Ali appeared on the cover of Esquire in 1968 in a truly iconic pose. Wearing his boxing gear he was dressed to look like St. Sebastian, with arrows sticking out of his chest. 

Mohammed Ali Esquire, 1968 @DiscountMags.com / Pinterest.com

While the image was offensive to many, it was a stroke of creative genius that saw 1.8 million copies sell like hotcakes. It’s not known how much Ali was paid, if at all, to be on the magazine, but the feature certainly helped Ali become a household name. He even advertised brands like Yum’s Pizza Hut.

Publication: Playboy, December 1953
Sold: 70,000 copies*
Cost: $25,000* 

Marilyn Monroe was already a famous starlet by the time Hugh Hefner decided to put her on the very first issue of Playboy back in 1953. Things worked a little differently back then. As Marilyn had done modeling work before becoming famous, Hugh contacted the owner of those photographs and paid $25,000 for them – without Marilyn’s consent. 

Marilyn Monroe Playboy, December 1953 @ELLE Magazine (US) / Pinterest.com

Marilyn, who never received a dime for appearing in the now infamous magazine, helped the debut issue sell over 70,000 copies. Without her input and the photos Hefner purchased, the publication could’ve easily been a disaster.

Publication: British Vogue, September 2019
Sold: 200,000 copies*
Cost: $0*

When Meghan Markle guest-edited British Vogue in September 2019 she was already an official member of the British Royal Family. The female-centric edition of the magazine saw the former star of Comcast’s USA Network show Suits take the wheel. 

Meghan Markle British Vogue, September 2019 @Promipool.com / Pinterest.com

Although she didn’t appear on the cover herself, Markle’s involvement saw the magazine become the fastest-selling edition of the entire decade. All of the 200,000 copies printed sold out within 10 days, with many copies being sold online for as much as $40 a pop. 

Publication: People, November 2005
Sold: 800,000 copies*
Cost: $500,000*

By the time 2005 rolled around, Britney Spears had gone from pop starlet to married mother of one. After marrying backup dancer Kevin Federline in 2004, the pop star seemed to have settled down. People secured the deal to baby photos of Sean Preston for $500,000. 

Britney Spears People, November 2005 / ©ebay.com

Around 800,000 copies of the issue sold, with fans keen to get a closer glimpse at the tot. Little did they know that Britney would fly off the deep end and suffer a very public meltdown just two years later after her split from K-Fed.

Publication: OK! Magazine, September 2009
Sold: 700,000 copies*
Cost: $300,000*

Before Kim was making headlines by marrying Kanye, Khloe was settling down with basketball star Lamar Odom. The couple’s turbulent relationship was well-documented on Comcast’s E! show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, but it looked like they were both blissfully happy at first. 

Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom’s Wedding OK! Magazine, September 2009 @Khloe K Wedding / Pinterest.com

Khloe and Lamar sold the photos of the nuptials to OK! Magazine for $300,000. The cover shot featured the youngest Kardashian sister wearing a Vera Wang dress as Kim and Khloe sat alongside her, with Lamar peeking in behind them, with the tagline “My dream wedding.”

Publication: People, June 9, 2014
Sold: 1.5 million copies*
Cost: $1.5 million*

When Kim Kardashian got hitched to rapper Kanye West in 2014, we had already been witness to several Kardashian weddings thanks to their Comcast E! reality show. However, we hadn’t ever seen one of the sisters marry someone as famous as West. 

Kim Kardashian & Kayne West’s Wedding People, June 9, 2014 @Famous people / Pinterest.com

Ever the savvy businesswoman, Kim sold the exclusive deal to People for $1.5 million. Fans got to see Kim’s dress in detail as well as Kanye’s sharp suit. Over 1.5 million copies of the June 2014 magazine were sold, giving the circulation a nice boost that it wouldn’t have had otherwise.