Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Cover Puff
Join the team
Advertise With The Skinny Puff
Win! Win! Win! with The Skinny

Simon Cowell "highest paid" man on US TV

Feature by Cover Media.
Published 11 November 2009

Simon Cowell is the highest-paid man on prime time US TV.

The British music mogul raked in $75 million between June 1 2008 and June 1 2009 according to Forbes. Simon's role as a judge in singing contest American Idol, as well as his career as a producer and music publisher earned him the staggering sum.

Businessman Donald Trump took the second spot, after banking around $50 million. A large portion of his money came from his successful reality show The Apprentice, which has attracted a host of sponsors including Loews Hotels and Chicken of the Sea.

Forbes.com reports: "Trump also lends his name to everything from alcohol to neck ties, and reaps millions from speeches worldwide and books."

Ryan Seacrest was next on the list, making an estimated $38 million. Ryan hosts American Idol, presents E! News and has his own radio show. He can also be found at most red-carpet Hollywood events, and at US network ABC's New Year's Eve special. He is a successful producer, working on shows including Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Denise Richards: It's
Complicated.

Two and a Half Men actor Charlie Sheen came in fourth, taking home $21 million. "Thanks to the show's performance in prime time and syndication, Sheen is believed to have earned more than $800,000 per episode once his back-end haul is factored in," the website reports.

Steve Carell, star of The Office, netted $20 million.

The figures are calculated before tax, management fees and other costs have been deducted from earnings.

Comments (0)

Add a comment »
  • There are no comments yet. Why not post one?
Leave a comment on this article