Here is the latest list of the world's top 20 TV Show Host celebrities [Updated February 7, 2023].
Television host and producer who was named the most influential woman in the world by TIME magazine and hosted The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated syndicated program on air, from 1986 to 2011.
"This is a slave contract. Slaves work for a fixed dollar. They're willing to bank on a national show. This contract is for 4 years, totaling $1 million dollars, an effort to make you a highly paid slave."
Jacobs explained how Siskel and Ebert owned a piece of their show's syndication, and how Bill Cosby owned a piece of his show's syndication as well.
Comedian who starred on the sitcom Ellen in the '90s then went on to host the popular talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She has had roles in such films as Mr. Wrong, EDtv, and The Love Letter, and she voices the character Dory in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory.
Salary Highlights: DeGeneres earns a salary of between $75 million and $90 million every year. For example, between June 2018 and June 2019, Ellen earned $80 million from her various endeavors.
Salary Highlights: At the end of his reign as host of The Tonight Show, Jay was earning an annual salary of $15 million. His peak Tonight Show salary was $30 million per year. He actually agreed to a 50% pay cut after the 2011 season to help his staff get raises and keep their jobs. Jay earns around $10 million per year from a hectic stand-up touring schedule which includes more than 200 dates a year. Incredibly, throughout his career, Jay never touched his Tonight Show salary and instead lived off his stand-up income. Furthermore, Jay does not have an agent or a manager to help him negotiate deals.
Total career earnings: $320 million
Salary Highlights: In July 2009, Seacrest inked a deal for $45 million to continue to host American Idol, making him the highest-paid reality television host at that time. In April 2012, he signed a two-year, $30 million deal to stay on as host of American Idol. In May 2014, it was reported that Seacrest had signed a one-year deal with the option of another year.
For the ABC reboot of American Idol, his initial multi-year deal was reported to be worth over $10 million.
Between June 2017 and June 2018, Ryan Seacrest earned $74 million. Between June 2018 and June 2019, he earned $72 million. In the same period between 2019 and 2020, Ryan earned $60 million.
Also known as the Elvis of hosting, he was an Emmy-winning face of NBC's Tonight show from 1961 to 1992.
Salary and Philanthropy: In the mid-1970s, Carson was the highest-paid television personality in show business, earning approximately $4 million per year. At the peak of his show in 1991, he earned $25 million per year in salary, which is equal to roughly $40 million in today's dollars.
Throughout his life, Johnny privately donated millions of dollars to a wide variety of charities. Upon his death Johnny left the bulk of his fortune to the John W. Carson Foundation. Prior to his death, Johnny had been giving the Johnny Carson Foundation annual gifts of $1 – $2 million. Upon his death, the foundation was told that it was the beneficiary of a trust from Johnny's estate.
The value of the trust remained a secret for five years until his lawyers were required to disclose the assets in an IRS tax return. On August 30, 2010, The Johnny Carson Foundation discovered that the value of their trust fund was worth $156 million. That had been under the impression that the value was a tenth of that amount. Within a few years, the foundation's asset value had grown to over $200 million.
Johnny's will also left $4 million to the Los Angeles Children's Hospital.
Conservative talk show host who spoke open criticism of President Barack Obama. He also produced Arguing with Idiots and appeared in The Overton Window.
TV news correspondent who was married to actor and two-time California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. She also wrote several best-selling books, including And One More Thing Before You Go and What's Wrong With Timmy?
Cultural icon who hosted the talk show Live! with Regis and Kelly alongside Kelly Ripa and the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? He was also the host on the first season of America's Got Talent.
Regis Philbin's former TV sidekick who starred in Hope & Faith and later teamed up with Michael Strahan.
One of the UK's highest paid television presenter's best known for his self-titled radio show The Chris Evans Breakfast Show. Chris Evans was formerly known as the presenter of Channel 4's Big Breakfast and BBC's Greater London Radio.
Salary History: For much of the mid-t0-late 1990s, Katie Couric's salary was $7 million, which is the same as around $11 million per year today. In December 2001, just two months after the 9/11 attacks which proved to be a keystone moment for the Today Show, Katie signed what was then the largest largest financial deal in television news history, a 4.5-year $60 million contract that came with an average annual salary of $13 million. That's the same as around $19 million today after adjusting for inflation.
In April 2006 Katie announced that she was moving from NBC to CBS. Her new CBS deal paid an average annual salary of $15 million per year.
In 2011, Couric signed a $40 million contract with ABC News.
In 2013 Katie was personally recruited by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer to become Yahoo's Global Anchor. Katie's Yahoo contract initially paid $6 million per year and was raised to $10 million in 2015. She exited the Yahoo deal in August 2017 after a four-year run.
