Simon Cowell, Howard Stern top Forbes list of Highest-Paid TV Personalities
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In the TV landscape, the rich get richer, especially if they're involved in a reality series.
Simon Cowell, creator of The X Factor and America's Got Talent, is #1 on the Forbes list of Highest-Paid TV Personalities. Joining him at the top of the list is AGT judge Howard Stern.
The shock jock and the caustic British judge top the list with $95 million each. For Cowell, his earnings are a byproduct of the success of the Got Talent franchise (the biggest-selling television franchise in the world), and The X Factor, which is now in 41 countries. In addition, Cowell is the mogul behind hit British boy band One Direction, making him a very wealthy man, even if his profile has cooled off a bit in the States. Meanwhile, Stern's fortune comes from a combination of his work on America's Got Talent, and his lucrative SiriusXM satellite radio show.
At $90 million, conservative commentator Glenn Beck comes in at #3, while Oprah Winfrey is #4 with $77 million. Winfrey's income, which has been cut in half since the end of her talk show in 2012, is largely thanks to earnings from Harpo-produced TV spin-offs (Dr. Phil, Rachel Ray, The Dr. Oz Show) and high-profile sit-down interviews on her network, OWN, with stars such as Lance Armstrong and Rihanna.
Speaking of Oprah, Dr. Phil McGraw rounds out the top 5 with an income of $72 million, a number that's largely owed to the 6% increase in ratings for his daytime talk show, which remains one of TV's highest-rated daytime series.
Check out the full of the list below via Forbes:
Simon Cowell ($95 million)Howard Stern ($95 million)
Glenn Beck ($90 million)
Oprah Winfrey ($77 million)
Dr. Phil McGraw ($72 million)
Rush Limbaugh ($66 million)
Donald Trump ($63 million)
Ryan Seacrest ($61 million)
Ellen DeGeneres ($56 million)
Judy Sheindlin ($47 million)
For full details on each entrant, including a photo gallery of the top 10, head on over to Forbes.