Follow Big Bucks to Small Screen

The 20 biggest personalities on TV have salaries to match
By Sophie Goldstein,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 1, 2007 4:50 PM CDT
Follow Big Bucks to Small Screen
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey arrives to the opening night of her new Broadway play "The Color Purple" in this Dec. 1, 2005, file photo in New York. It pays to be on television. Oprah Winfrey, who else?, leads TV Guide's list of the richest stars of the small screen, earning an estimated income of $260...   (Associated Press)

On the boob tube, prime-time stars aren't the ones who are really cashing in. Think daytime talk-show titans, a syndicated sitcom legend, and a reality humiliation expert. Forbes lists the top 20 earners:

  1. Oprah Winfrey, $260 million
  2. Jerry Seinfeld, $60 million
  3. Simon Cowell, $45 million

  1. David Letterman, $40 million
  2. Donald Trump, $32 million
  3. Jay Leno, $32 million
  4. Dr. Phil McGraw, $30 million
  5. "Judge" Judy Sheindlin, $30 million
  6. George Lopez, $26 million
  7. Kiefer Sutherland, $22 million
For an accounting of the top 20, follow the link below. (More Oprah Winfrey stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X