Tucker Carlson – Income $6 million per year
Tucker Carlson started his career as a print journalist. Then, in the ’90s, he was welcomed by The Weekly Standard as a writer where several networks took notice of his talent. After an excellent performance at CNN, MSNBC came next, and now he has his own night time show called Tucker.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
He’s got an annual salary of $6 million, which places him among the top earners in the industry. He’s also got a net worth of $20 million, which means his insurance policy is probably all sorted. We don’t think he’s going into retirement anytime soon, so we look forward to seeing more of him on TV.
Mike Rowe – Income $10 million per year
Mike Rowe is the voice behind some of Discovery Channel’s most successful series, like Deadliest Catch, Dirty Jobs, and Somebody’s Gotta Do It. So, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that he’s got an earning of $5 to $10 million a year! He even has a new show now called Six Degree with Mike Rowe.
Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Reports say his fortune is around $30 million. He was born in Maryland in 1962 and didn’t start being in the TV industry until the 2000s. Did you also know he used to be an opera singer? Rowe is now 58 and lives in San Francisco.
Juan Williams, The O’Reilly Factor – Income $500,000
Juan Williams was in a crisis when he got fired from the radio station that turned him into a premiere journalist. Thankfully, he’d already proven his worth as a columnist thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post. Given his political ideals, he was welcomed by Fox with open arms and a big salary.
Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Said salary is $500,000 to be exact, and it only seems to be going higher for this White House correspondent. He can definitely credit his success to his additional venturesomeness of TV documentaries and best-selling books like Eyes On The Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years’.
Savannah Guthrie – Income $7 million per year
There’s no denying that Savannah Guthrie is an interesting character all around. From her personal life to career life, she’s a powerhouse. She studied journalism and then later on law, which helped her rise from NBC’s White House correspondent to their chief legal analyst.
Zach Pagano/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
This quick-witted first-place law student has tackled a lot of America’s high profile legal proceedings as a presidential debate moderator. This is why she’s got $7 million in earnings every year. She’s not yet done, though, so all we’ve gotta do is wait for what she has to do next.
Oprah Winfrey – Income $37 million per year
This iconic queen needs no introductions. She’s won everyone’s hearts thanks to her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show. She’s done interviews with some of the most famous personalities that still get tons of views to this day!
Getty Images for Global Citizen
A lot of her success is thanks to hosting the famous show, which rewards her with an earning of $37 million per year! What a fortune, right? Aside from hosting, she is also an actress and a producer. She recently made waves due to her interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a couple of months ago.
Dr. Phil – Income $79 million per year
Thanks to his show Dr. Phil, he was awarded fame and respect and is now a household name across America. Over the years, he’s even become a pop culture icon. In fact, most of his annual earnings come from his mega-popular talk show.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
It’s safe to say we finally know why Forbes included him in the list of highest-paid anchors. Furthermore, a small portion of his fortune comes from other shows of his like Daily Mail TV and The Bull.
Gordon Ramsay – Income $60 million per year
Even though some of his fans will refuse to admit that Gordon Ramsay is a polite person, we cannot deny the fact that he is at the top of the list. Thanks to his famous cooking show like Kitchen Nightmares and Hotel Hell, not only is he a top-earning chef, he’s also a TV star.
Jason Leveris/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Therefore, his annual earnings and massive net worth shouldn’t come as a surprise to us. He’s got a fortune of about $220 million and an annual income of roughly $60 million, which means he can afford almost every luxury in the world.
Steve Harvey – Income $40 million per year
You probably know Steve Harvey for that famous Miss Universe disaster, or you may know him as the host of The Steve Harvey Show. He’s got a net worth of $160 million and an annual earning of $40 million per year. No wonder he’s got such an infectious smile!
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Some of the industry’s best people come from very humble beginnings. For Harvey, it wasn’t always an easy life. For a couple of years, he spent it without a place to call home. To get by, he had to do odd jobs and perform in hotels. Of course, he never stopped trying, and now he’s one of the highest-paid comedians in the business.
Judge Mathis – Income $5 million per year
It’s rare to see a real-life judge try out show business and actually have a successful career. Yet, Judge Mathis defied the odds, having previously worked as a judge in the Supreme Court of the 36th district in Michigan. Currently, he is now a judge in his own reality show Judge Mathis.
Santiago Felipe/Getty Images
For 5 days a week, we see the retired judge on screen. His show has managed to gain a massive following which allowed him an annual salary of $5 million. Aside from his show, he also gets some of his fortunes from his speech gigs and books he’s written. It seems like he’s got his retirement plan figured out already!
Ryan Seacrest – Income $71.5 million per year
Ryan Seacrest is considered one of the richest TV personalities and his $410 net worth proves just that. He is the host of American Idol, the reality singing competition show. He’s also the host of his own morning radio program On Air with Ryan Seacrest.
Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images
His fortune comes from different sources. He owns a production company and a men’s clothing and skincare line. He is also the executive producer of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. It seems like his dream of being a presenter has finally come true.
Judge Judy – Income $47 million per year
Making it to the Guinness World Book is not something one should downplay. Judy Sheindlin currently holds the records for being the TV judge with the longest career as host of her own show Judge Judy. The famous courtroom is responsible for the huge paychecks she receives, and in 2018, she was named the highest-paid TV host.
David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
She’s a self-made female investor with an annual income of $47 million thanks to her legal series. Additionally, she also produces a non-conventional court show called Hot Bench. To add to her wealth, she also sold her rights to the show’s library for a whopping $100 million. Her bank account must be overjoyed.
Lara Spencer – Income $3 million per year
Lara Spencer is famous for being the co-host of Good Morning America on ABC News, which makes her a household name. Although she announced in 2018 that she would focus more on production roles, she does still appear in the show, and she’s got an annual salary of $3 million.
Image Group LA/ABC via Getty Images
Thanks to her natural talent and undeniable charm, she’s risen to the top and has interviewed several big names in Hollywood like Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, and Angelina Jolie. With an annual salary like that, it’s no wonder she can afford a lavish lifestyle.
Andy Cohen – Income $2 million per year
Andy Cohen has an inspiring success story. Having dreamed of being a journalist, he went from using his hairbrush as a make-believe microphone to working for one of the biggest TV networks in the US. After finishing his formal education, he interned at CBS and stayed there for ten years, where he went on to become a producer for The Early Show and the CBS This Morning show.
Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/Getty Images
Currently, Cohen’s most valuable contribution to the company probably has to be the fact that he’s played a massive role in the total rebranding of the network. He’s rumoured to take home a yearly paycheck of $2 million. What a dream come true, right?
Chelsea Handler – Income $10 million per year
Chelsea Handler is a renowned comedian who’s more known for her earthy comedy style. She gained recognition from hosting The Chelsea Handler Show on E! At one point, she was also part of the ‘Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People,’ which is why we’re not surprised to learn that she has an annual salary of $10 million.
Kavin Mazur/2020 MTV Movie & TV Awards/Getty Images
Handler doesn’t just do comedy, though. Her documentary series Chelsea Does gained critical acclaim and her six books even got on the New York Best Seller list. She’s estimated to have a net worth of $40 million, so we’re sure she can definitely afford her comfortable life in Bel-Air.
Ginger Zee – Income $500,000 per year
Ginger Zee has a degree in meteorology, so it’s no wonder she always seems so comfortable when talking about the weather. She’s ABC’s chief meteorologist and has indeed risen to the top to achieve milestones she was always destined to have.
Jeff Neira/ABC via Getty Images
It does seem like all the hard work she does has paid off. She has a yearly earning of about half a million. However, it’s rumoured that the amount could actually be much higher than that. Seeing her involvement in popular reality shows, it turns out her talents involves so much more!
Chris Matthews – Income $5 million per year
For more than two decades, Chris Matthews is famous for being a hard-hitting reporter. His show Hardball was loved by many for quite some time, so it does make complete sense that he has an annual salary of $5 million.
Omar Rawlings/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Although he’s retired from the show, that definitely won’t stop the money from coming into his bank account, though! He is still in demand, after all. Therefore, it’s safe to say he’s got his retirement plan all taken care of.
Chris Wallace – Income $7 million per year
It seems like the love for journalism and TV runs strong in the Wallace family. Chris Wallace followed in his dad’s footsteps. Well, it seems like he made the right choice because he’s got an annual salary of $7 million!
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
It does make sense why he earns such a massive amount—he’s got an amazing track record as a broadcaster! It wouldn’t even be a surprise if he started earning much more in the future. It’s safe to say he’s got his next few years all financially set.
Scott Pelley – Income $7 million per year
Scott Pelley’s noteworthy career in journalism has gone from covering local news segments to being one of the most respectable journalists to grace both the CBS channel’s national and international stages.
Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
He’s been in the industry for more than three decades, so he truly deserves the annual salary he’s raking in. It’s safe to assume that this isn’t even the end and his net worth and annual salary will still increase in the coming years.
Anderson Cooper – Income $12 million per year
Picture this: you were born into a wealthy family, had an artist and a writer for parents, have a degree in journalism, and yet, when you apply for a job, you get rejected. This is what Anderson Cooper experienced and what also pushed him to study Vietnamese. Little did he know, this language would help launch his career as a reporter.
Eric McCandless via Getty Images
His career as a reporter for Vietnamese life and culture helped him get into CNN. He’s an avid politics fan, and his face has graced US screens nightly. With the viewership worldwide, we’re not surprised to learn he’s got $12 million in yearly earnings.
Pat Sajak – Income $15 million per year
It’s hard to imagine Wheel Of Fortune being conducted by someone other than Pat Sajak. After all, he’s done more than 7,000 episodes of what seems to be one of the longest-running game shows on this planet!
Christopher Willard via Getty Images
Many years down the line, producers of the show made it hard for him to retire by offering him a salary of $15 million! It’s been well over three decades of him doing the show, but it seems like he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.
Shepard Smith – Income $10 million per year
We’re not surprised to learn about Shepard Smith’s net worth of $25 million. After all, he’s considered one of the best anchors on Fox News and one of the highest-paid, too. He receives an annual salary of $10 million, which places him among the top wealthy newscasters we have today.
Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
We don’t doubt his years of experience in broadcast journalism. He’s currently the host of The News with Shepard Smith. Looking at his portfolio, we’re sure he’s going to make waves in the many years to come.
Don Lemon – Income About $10 million per year
If there’s a TV persona that isn’t afraid of talking about some of the most controversial topics, it’s none other than journalist Don Lemon. He tells it like it is and is not afraid of airing these views out to the public.
Getty Images for CNN
This brave approach is probably the reason why he has an estimated annual salary of $10 million. Not only is he brave, but he’s also got a great work ethic. With that in mind, he’s sure to have a pay raise and much growth in the future.
Ali Velshi – Income $5 million per year
Ali Velshi is a respected Canadian anchor and TV persona. He’s famous for being NBC News’ senior business and economics respondent. He’s also hosted a couple of famous shows on CNN like Your Money and World Business Today.
Richie Downs/MSNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
He’s currently in his fifties, but it seems retirement is currently out of the question. Well, if your bank account was receiving that much money yearly, who’d want to retire? Plus, he loves what he’s doing. His years and years of hard work has definitely awarded him a yearly income of $5 million.
Stephen Colbert – Income $15 million per year
There’s not a lot of reporters who can manage the thin line between hard-hitting journalism and humour, but Stephen Colbert surely can. This is probably why he’s got he’s receiving yearly paychecks worth $15 million.
John Lamparski/Getty Images
Colbert is estimated to have a net worth of $75 million. He’s done work on The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. We still see him in action on his show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. His contract is rumoured to last until 2023, so that means we’ll definitely be seeing a lot of him in the coming years.
Michael Strahan – Income $17 million per year
It’s amazing to see former New York Giants pro player Michael Strahan retire from the NFL to become a media mogul. He began his media career as a football analyst in the Sunday NFL Rundown on Fox. However, the paychecks didn’t stop there. He also co-hosted Good Morning America!
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
People adore his charisma and choice of words so much that he was awarded two Daytime Emmys alongside Kelly Ripa. Given his impressive portfolio, it’s no wonder his yearly income is worth $17 million, right?
Kelly Ripa – Income $22 million per year
Kelly Ripa is most recognized for her role as Hayley Vaughan on the hit tv show All My Children. She first began her career in the ’90s, and after almost 12 years on the show, she became Kathie Lee Gifford’s replacement on the famous show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee.
Noam Galai/Getty Images
She’s now been on the show for more than 20 years and happily heads over to the bank with her annual income of $22 million. Over the years, she’s worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Regis Philbin and Ryan Seacrest.
