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| Judge Judy |
The sharp-talking daytime judge takes the top spot thanks to her even sharper deal-making skills: Last year she sold the rights to her Judge Judy’s 5,200-episode library, as well as future episodes of the show, to CBS for an estimated $100 million. Between that paycheck and the $47 million she gets for hosting Judge Judy and producing Hot Bench, Sheindlin took in triple her typical annual paycheck. With that added to her bank account, she also became 48th-richest self-made woman in America, with a net worth of $400 million.
While nighttime cable news hosts like Tucker Carlson and Rachel Maddow may get more media attention, daytime broadcast series boast the eyeballs—and thus pay the big money.
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| Ryan Seacrest |
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| Steve Harvey |
Judge Judy consistently garners more than 10 million daily viewers in its 23rd season, while Dr. Phil, hosted by Phil McGraw, garners nearly 4 million viewers. To compare, Fox News’ Sean Hannity only averages 3.3 million, while MSNBC’s Maddow averages 2.9 million.
Because it takes so long to build such a loyal, large audience, it isn’t surprising that the list of Highest-Paid Talk Show Hosts does not vary much year-to-year. Still, new gigs can lead to a pretty big cash jump. Ryan Seacrest, who hosts Live with Kelly and Ryan, saw his earnings leap from $58 million to $74 million this year thanks to his eight-figure check for hosting the revived American Idol. DeGeneres’ income also climbed thanks to a $20 million check from Netflix for a single stand-up special.
The Top Five Highest-Paid Talk Hosts Are:
- Judy Sheindlin: $147,000,000
- Ellen DeGeneres: $87,500,000
- Dr. Phil McGraw: $77,500,000
- Ryan Seacrest: $74,000,000
- Steve Harvey: $44,000,000
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