Simon Cowell, Howard Stern Top Highest-Paid TV Personalities LIST; Which Other Celebs Made Top 10?
Two opinionated TV judges topped the list of highest-paid TV personalities, released by Forbes on Thursday.
Simon Cowell, who judged American Idol for nine years before his current X Factor gig made $95 million over the past year (June 2012 - June 2013). The judge is also the creator and one of the executive producers for The X Factor.
Howard Stern, who joined America's Got Talent as a judge in 2012, also made $95 million over the past year. The self-proclaimed "shock jock" made most of his money from his Sirius XM radio show but gets a reported $15 million salary for America's Got Talent.
Former Fox News anchor Glenn Beck came in at No. 3 on the list with $90 million. The conservative personality founded his own network, TheBlaze, in late 2011. Beck has his own one-hour show on the network in addition to a three- radio show.
Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey slotted the No. 4 position on the list, making $77 million over the past year. After the end of her talk show in 2011, her income has dropped by more than half, but she continues to get revenue from her spinoff shows, like Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray and The Dr. Oz Show. She also founded the OWN network in 2011.
Rounding out the top five is one of the television personalities who benefited from Winfrey's success: Dr. Phil McGraw. The psychologist made $72 million over the past year off the success of his show, Dr. Phil, which has been on the air since Sept. 2002.
Other TV personalities to make up the top 10 were conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh ($66 million), The Apprentice boss Donald Trump ($63 million), American Idol host Ryan Seacrest ($61 million), talk show host Ellen DeGeneres ($56 million) and celebrity judge Judy Sheridan ($47 million).
Top 10 Highest-Paid TV Personalities:
1. Simon Cowell ($95 million)
(tie) Howard Stern ($95 million)
3. Glenn Beck ($90 million)
4. Oprah Winfrey ($77 million)
5. Dr. Phil McGraw ($72 million)
6. Rush Limbaugh ($66 million)
7. Donald Trump ($63 million)
8. Ryan Seacrest ($61 million)
9. Ellen DeGeneres ($56 million)
10. Judy Sheridan ($47 million)
