Kylie Jenner Is Officially The World's Youngest Billionaire

Kylie Jenner - Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Bring out the champagne bottles and turn up the music! At least, that's what Kylie Jenner is expected to do. Because it's finally official: she is the world's youngest billionaire. While the means through which Jenner became a billionaire were contested online by no shortage of naysayers voicing their objections loud and clear, the record still stands for the celebrity. She's a billionaire now, folks.

The financial update came courtesy of NBC News. While it's no secret that Kylie Jenner is one of the richest people on the planet, she was itching ever closer to the billion dollar mark towards the end of last year. It wasn't simply a matter of if, but when. When, exactly, this young superstar would find herself in the company of billionaires. Turns out, that time finally came to be this week, thanks to this newest update provided by Forbes' annual yearly ranking of the world's richest people.

It should be noted that any contention that comes from Kylie Jenner's billionaire status has nothing to do with whether or not she's a billionaire. Because, frankly, you'd be hard-pressed to ignore statics and a large sum of money. But there were certainly a large number of people who took umbrage at Jenner's claims that she is a "self-made" millionaire-turned-billionaire.

People were quick to note that Kylie Jenner comes from a life of wealth and privilege, particularly living under the roof of celebrities while she was growing up. If she didn't have any money handed down to her, she certainly had more opportunities than your average person through the fame and notoriety of her well-known family-- particularly with the uprise of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the ensuing media enterprise. It was certainly not a rags-to-riches upbringing for Kylie Jenner, and it never has been, one can safely say.

When it comes to this astounding accomplishment, which finds the 21-year-old with more money than most people will ever see in their lifetime, the publication credited the startling success of Kylie Cosmetics for this latest achievement. The company was founded in 2015, and it has provided no shortage of success for the TV personality. The company alone profited $360 million in 2018 alone. It's estimated to be worth $900 million, with Kylie Jenner getting more than the lion's share of profits. More specifically, the young Jenner has 100 percent stake in the cosmetics company.

Shortly before this news came to pass, Kylie Jenner responded to the claims that she wasn't, in fact, a "self-made" woman when she doubled down on the notion, believing the title wasn't made in error. She tried defending the statement by saying:

My parents told me I needed to make my own money, it's time to learn how to save and spend your own money, stuff like that. What I'm trying to say is I did have a platform, but none of my money is inherited.

While the topic remains a sore subject for some people, Kylie Jenner is almost certainly happy with this latest accomplishment. While there are many things in her life that are not going great at this time, this newest achievement is certainly nothing short of incredible. She is now the youngest billionaire in history, according to these reports. The world is her oyster. We just happen to be living in it too.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.