5 of the richest US TV show hosts ever – net worths, ranked: from Judge Judy and her faux courtroom rulings, to Dr Phil and his psychological help, to interviews from Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Jay Leno Show, Jay Leno’s Garage and You Bet your Life have all cemented the TV personality as one of the most prolific TV hosts in US history
- Oprah Winfrey is the queen of the talk show with The Oprah Winfrey Show from 1986 to 2011, which remains the highest-rated daytime talk show in US history, once averaging 10 million to 20 million viewers
Kelly Clarkson, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Hudson and Jimmy Kimmel may be the reigning talk show bosses today, but when it comes to net worth, their powerful predecessors remain the undisputed kings and queens of TV.
From quirky entertainment to health and wellness, here’s a look at the five of the richest TV hosts ever, per Forbes and Celebrity Net Worth.
5. Judy Sheindlin, 81
Estimated net worth: US$440 million
You know her as Judge Judy, the feisty main character in the TV show of the same name. She ruled a mock courthouse in an arbitration-based reality show, where she presided over real-life disputes between family members, friends, colleagues and strangers. Her no-nonsense approach and legal and moral-issue themed reality show earned her US$47 million per year between 2012 and 2020.
Per Forbes, in 2018, she was the highest-paid TV host after selling the rights to the show’s library to CBS. She quit the show in 2020 after 25 years – but the popular judge returned to screens in a revamped version of her show called Judy Justice. The new courtroom drama is available on Amazon’s Freevee streaming service.
4. Jay Leno, 73
Estimated net worth: US$450 million
