World's highest-paid TV star does not act, yet makes $75 million a year, beat Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Chris Pratt

The highest-paid television personality in the world is someone who cannot sing, act, or dance, yet takes home 3-4 times as much money as top stars.

Updated on: Jan 23, 2025, 16:50:31 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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Imagine someone earning $75 million in year. That is more money than what Margot Robbie made in 2023 despite her blockbuster success with Barbie. That is also more money than what Charlie Sheen made during his peak fame. And yet, one person - who neither acts nor sings or dances - has made in one year. And that too from a TV show. This is the story of the unlikely executive who is the world's highest-paid TV star.

World's highest-paid TV star

Simon Cowell, music executive, TV producer, and reality show judge, has been the highest-paid star ever on television for over a decade. For the 2012-13 season of The X Factor, Cowell pocketed a neat $75 million, the highest any individual has taken for appearing on a single season of any TV show. New York Daily News reported that Cowell's earnings included his royalties as the creator and executive producer of the show, which is how he managed to charge more than six times what Britney Spears was getting as a fellow judge in the same season.

How Simon Cowell beat superstars

The same season that Cowell made $75 million for X Factor, fellow judge Britney Spears - a bigger star - earned $12 million as the judge. Cowell was able to earn so much more because of his dual role as the show's judge and creator. Over the years, several big musical stars have signed on as coaches and judges in reality shows but none have earned anywhere close to Cowell. Jennifer Lopez is the next best, earning $20 million for American Idol in 2011.

Among actors, Sarah Jessica Parker is the highest-paid. From 2001-04, the actor earned over $57 million each season for her starring role in Sex And The City. Charlie Sheen pocketed $40 million for Two And A Half Men in 2010-11. Due to the smaller lengths of seasons, none of the stars of any streaming shows are in contention. For instance, Chris Pratt made just over $11 million for his lead role in Amazon Prime Video's Terminal List in 2022, while Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon each made $20 million per season for Apple TV's The Morning Show.

Simon Cowell gained fame as the judge of American Idol in the early 2000s.

Simon Cowell's incredible wealth

A judge of immensely popular talent shows like Pop Idol and American Idol, Cowell's claim to fame is creating two talent show franchises - The X Factor and Got Talent. He is also the founder of the media company Syco. Routinely named among the 100 most influential people in the world, Cowell was also behind the launch of One Direction, one of the most successful boy bands of the 21st century. According to Yahoo!, his net worth is $600 million as of 2024, making him one of the richest TV and media personalities in the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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