Top 20 highest paid TV hosts and their net worth in 2022
Live television shows are undoubtedly some of the most popular programs in the modern-day entertainment industry. These shows span a wide range of topics, some of the most popular ones being comedy, political commentary, sports, and lifestyle. The success of such shows is largely determined by the person at the helm, the TV show host. As with other sectors of the TV industry, some hosts rake in quite a fortune. Who are the highest paid TV hosts, and how much do they earn?
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Typically, a talk show host carries their audience through a series of discussions and sets the theme and tone of the conversation. This makes the host an essential part of the entire talk show. So, who is the highest paid TV personality today?
The highest paid TV hosts in 2021
Who is the highest paid talk show host in 2021, and how much do they earn? Here is a look at the 20 highest paid television show hosts, their annual salaries, and current net worth.
20. Craig Ferguson
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- Age: 59 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: May 17 1962
- Net worth: $30 million
- Annual salary: $8.5 million
Craig Ferguson is an American writer, director, producer, comedian, and actor. He was born in Scotland before relocating to the United States. Ferguson is best known for his role as the former host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, a famous Emmy Award-nominated talk show that aired on CBS for 11 seasons.
Craig received an annual salary of $8.5 million while working at the CBS show.
19. James Corden
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- Age: 43 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: August 22 1978
- Net worth: $70 million
- Annual salary: $9 million
James Kimberley Corden is a British TV personality, writer, actor, and comedian renowned for his self-deprecating humour and general likeability. After gaining recognition, success, and a massive fanbase in the United Kingdom, Corden landed a role as the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden.
The show is currently in its seventh season. Corden reportedly earns about $9 million per year from the show.
18. Chelsea Handler
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- Age: 46 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: February 25, 1975
- Net worth: $35 million
- Annual salary: $10 million
Chelsea is an American author, actress, comedian, and talk show host best known for her hosting role in Chelsea Lately. Besides TV hosting, Chelsea has also appeared on various Netflix television shows. In 2012, she was named as one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine.
The television host reportedly earns $10 million per year as salary for her role on Chelsea Lately.
17. Wendy Williams
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- Age: 57 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: July 18, 1964
- Net worth: $40 million
- Annual salary: $10 million
Wendy was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She is a media personality, television host, and businesswoman best known for hosting the syndicated TV talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, since 2008.
Before joining television, Wendy was a popular radio DJ in New York. Her current salary is estimated to be $10 million annually.
16. Conan O’Brien
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- Age: 58 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: April 18, 1963
- Net worth: $150 million
- Annual salary: $12 million
Conan Christopher O’Brien is a comedian and late-night talk show host. He is best known for his roles on The Tonight Show (2010-current) and Late Night with Conan O’Brien (1993–2009). He currently hosts the show Conan on TBS, where he reportedly earns $12 million annually in salaries.
15. Anderson Cooper
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- Age: 54 years
- Birthday: June 3, 1967
- Net worth: $50 million
- Annual salary: $12 million
Anderson Cooper is an American author, journalist and television show host best known for hosting CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°. Cooper reportedly earns an annual salary of $12 million on the show. The TV host was born into a prominent New York family. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, was the heiress of a wealthy man, while his father, Wyatt Emory, was a prominent writer.
Cooper’s television career began when he landed a role as a fact-checker for Channel One News, a program that used to be broadcast in numerous American high and middle schools.
14. Jimmy Kimmel
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- Age: 54 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: November 13, 1967
- Net worth: $50 million
- Annual salary: $15 million
Jimmy Kimmel is famous for his hugely popular late-night comedy talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has hosted the show since 2003, making it one of the longest-running late-night comedy talk shows hosted by a single person.
Before Jimmy Kimmel Live, the media personality used to co-host The Man Show and Win Ben Stein’s Money show. Besides hosting television talk shows, Kimmel is also a comedian and producer.
13. Jay Leno
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- Age: 71
- Birthday: April 28, 1950
- Net worth: $450 Million
- Annual salary: $15 Million
James Douglas Muir Leno, popularly known as Jay Leno, was born in New Rochelle, New York. He is a writer, comedian, and television show host best known for hosting The Tonight Show on two separate stints (1992-2009 and 2010-2014).
After starting out as a standup comedian, Leno landed his first television talk show hosting job in 1992. To date, Leno still performs standup comedy, albeit occasionally. Besides his lengthy television career, some of Leno’s fans know him for his valuable car collection that spans more than 300 vehicles.
12. Stephen Colbert
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- Age: 57 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: May 13, 1964
- Net worth: $75 million
- Annual salary: $15 million
Stephen was born in Charleston, South Carolina and was the youngest of 11 children. He is an American author, writer, comedian, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the Comedy Central Show between 2005 and 2014 and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to date.
His current annual salary at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is reportedly about $15 million.
11. Jon Stewart
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- Age: 59 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: November 28, 1962
- Net worth: $120 million
- Annual salary: $25 million
Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz is an American director, writer, comedian, and television host renowned for his role as host on The Daily Show from 1999 to 2015. Before he departed from the show, he used to earn an annual salary of $25 million.
10. Bill O’Reilly
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- Age: 72 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: September 10, 1949
- Net worth: $85 million
- Annual salary: $25 million
Bill’s full name is William James O’Reilly. He was born in New York, USA, and is a radio personality, political commentator, and television host. He is best known for his stint at the FNC television show The O’Reilly Factor.
Before then, he used to co-anchor a syndicated news program known as The Inside Edition.
9. Tyra Banks
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- Age: 49 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: December 4, 1973
- Net worth: $90 million
- Annual salary: N/A
Most people probably know Tyra for her hosting role on the reality television series America’s Next Top Model. Born Tyra Lynne Banks in Inglewood, California, the television host has also appeared as the face of CoverGirl and Victoria’s Secret.
From 2005 to 2010, banks hosted The Tyra Banks Show. Her current net worth is about $90 million, making her one of the 20 richest TV show hosts today.
8. Steve Harve
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- Age: 64 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: January 17, 1957
- Net worth: $200 million
- Annual salary: $45 million
Steve Harvey is an American businessman, comedian, and award-winning television show host. He is best known for hosting The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Celebrity Family Feud, and Family Feud. Harvey was born in Welch, West Virginia.
Besides his hugely popular television shows, Harvey is also renowned by his fans for his well-thought pieces of advice, especially about romantic relationships.
7. Sean Hannity
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- Age: 60 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: December 30, 1961
- Net worth: $250 million
- Annual salary: $45 million
Sean Hannity is an American author, conservative political commentator, and television host. He is best known for hosting the Fox News Channel show Hannity and the radio show The Sean Hannity Show. Sean used to co-host the Hannity & Colmes show from 1996 to 2009.
The TV host reportedly earns a whopping $45 million yearly salary.
6. Judy Sheindlin
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- Age: 79 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: October 21, 1942
- Net worth: $440 million
- Annual salary: $47 million
Most of her fans know her as ‘Judge Judy.’ Sheindlin was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is renowned as the American jurist and court judge on the show Judge Judy that has been airing since 1996. Judy has been nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award 14 times.
The renowned television host reportedly makes $47 million per year from the show. Her current net worth is estimated to be about $440 million.
5. David Letterman
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- Age: 74 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: April 12, 1947
- Net worth: $400 Million
- Annual salary: $50 Million
Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and is renowned for hosting The Late Show with David Letterman. Besides television show hosting, David is also an accomplished comedian and producer. In past years, the TV host was said to earn about $50 million per year in syndication and license fees.
4. Ryan Seacrest
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- Age: 47 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: December 24, 1974
- Net worth: $450 million
- Annual salary: $75 million
Ryan John Seacrest is an American producer, radio show host, and TV host who rose to fame when he hosted American Idol. Some of the other notable shows he has hosted include American Top 40 and On Air with Ryan Seacrest.
Besides hosting, Ryan is also an executive producer on the show Keeping up with the Kardashians and its various spinoffs. His current salary is reported to be $75 million.
3. Ellen DeGeneres
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- Age: 64 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: January 26, 1958
- Net worth: $500 million
- Annual salary: $75 million
Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana. She is a television show host and comedian, best known for her observational humour and role on the massively popular program, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
She is also widely associated with the sitcom Ellen that aired from 1994 to 1998. Ellen is said to earn an annual salary of $75 million at her current show.
2. Phil McGraw
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- Age: 71 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: September 1, 1950
- Net worth: $460 million
- Annual salary: $80 million
Phillip Calvin McGraw was born in Vinita, Oklahoma. He is a television show host, author, and psychologist who rose to fame following his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show as well as the hugely popular daytime talk show, Dr Phil.
Phil is said to earn about $80 million per year from his television hosting job.
1. Oprah Winfrey
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- Age: 67 years (as of 2021)
- Birthday: January 29, 1954
- Net worth: $2.6 billion
- Annual salary: $300 million
Who is the highest paid talk show host? Apart from being the richest talk show host on this list, Oprah Winfrey also happens to be the highest paid TV personality in 2021. The former news anchor launched her own cable channel known as OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), in which she now owns a 25.5% stake.
According to Forbes, Winfrey’s net worth is about $2.6 billion. In 2015, she purchased a 10% stake in Weight Watchers, a company dealing in personalized weight loss programs. She has since reduced her stake to 7%. She is said to earn about $300 million per year.
Daytime and late-night television talk shows have become increasingly popular. This is underlined by the colossal figures that the highest paid TV hosts earn each year. With everything from politics, sports, health and wellness, the talk show industry keeps growing.
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Jackline Wangare (Lifestyle writer) Jackline Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng, where she has worked since mid-2021. She tackles diverse topics, including finance, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. Previously, she worked at The Campanile by Kenyatta University. She has more than five years in writing. Jackline graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (2019) and a Diploma in Marketing (2015) from Kenyatta University. In 2023, Jackline finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques and Google News Initiative course in 2024. Email: simwajackie2022@gmail.com.
