Nigel Lythgoe: Simon Cowell earns $22,000 per minute on American Idol

Simon Cowell's salary dwarfs Paula Abdul's (MSNBC)

"American Idol" former executive producer Nigel Lythgoe recently revealed that Simon Cowell is earning $36 million a year from the show.

It’s not news that Cowell makes some serious coin — he’s been ranked in Forbes — but the approximately $22,000 per minute (according to Lythgoe’s calculations) that Cowell earns has fellow "Idol" judge Paula Abdul especially angry. Rumors put Abdul's salary at closer to $5 to $8 million per season.

“Paula knew that Simon was getting paid more, but she never imagined it was this much more,” says a source who works with Abdul. “This could really put her in a bad way.”

Let the fireworks begin!