How Kylie Jenner Fooled Forbes Into Calling Her a Billionaire — and Turned the Lie Into Millions

In 2019, Forbes magazine made headlines around the world when it crowned Kylie Jenner the youngest self-made billionaire ever. The title catapulted her into a new level of fame and influence — but as it turns out, the story wasn’t quite what it seemed.

Behind the glossy headlines and billionaire buzz, there was a carefully orchestrated PR play. Kylie Jenner and her team reportedly presented inflated financial documents and exaggerated sales figures from her beauty empire, Kylie Cosmetics, to make the company appear far more profitable than it truly was. Forbes would later retract the title, claiming that Jenner had “lied about company figures” and “forged tax returns.”

But here’s where it gets interesting — what could have been a career-ending scandal only made Kylie richer and more famous.

When the truth came out, the public couldn’t stop talking about it. The controversy dominated social media and news outlets, making Kylie Jenner’s name more relevant than ever. The attention only fueled sales for her brand, and soon after, she secured a massive deal selling 51% of Kylie Cosmetics to Coty Inc. for $600 million — turning the “billionaire lie” into a very real fortune.

While Forbes may have taken back the title, the move proved that Kylie Jenner understood something far deeper than cosmetics — the power of perception. In an era where image often equals income, Jenner turned a PR illusion into tangible wealth.

Today, Kylie remains one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the beauty industry, even if her billionaire status was once exaggerated. She might not have fooled everyone forever, but she played the game so well that in the end, she still won — turning a lie into millions and rewriting the rules of celebrity capitalism.