“Forbes” put out its annual list of ‘The World’s Highest-Paid TV Hosts’, and Dr. Phil is #1 with an estimated $79 million haul over the past 12 months. If that sounds ridiculous to you . . . well, it is. Here’s the Top 10:
1. Dr. Phil McGraw, $79 million
2. Ellen DeGeneres, $77 million
3. Ryan Seacrest, $58 million
4. Judge Judy Sheindlin, $47 million
5. Simon Cowell, $43.5 million
6. Steve Harvey, $42.5 million
7. Bill O’Reilly, $37 million
8. Sean Hannity, $36 million
9. Michael Strahan, $21.5 million
10. Heidi Klum, $21 million
Dr. Phil and Ellen are so high because they’ve been around long enough to negotiate a slice of their shows’ profits. They both also produce a few other shows, and have some endorsements, along with other business ventures.
Dr. Phil’s show is now in its 16th season, while Ellen’s is in its 15th.
Of course, Seacrest is high on the list because he’s working like 15 jobs . . . including radio host, TV host, reality show producer, menswear designer, and tequila spokesman.
And his total doesn’t even include the $12 million he’s getting from “American Idol”. That will count towards his number next year.
And O’ Reilly is about $20 million higher this year than he was last year, even though he isn’t on TV anymore.
That’s because his total includes the $25 million in severance he got from Fox News, after he was pushed out during a sexual harassment scandal. But he’s still keeping busy by hosting a podcast and producing his own digital series.
The hosts that just missed the cut include: Matt Lauer, Kelly Ripa, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Megyn Kelly, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon. All of them earned at least $15 million.
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