Simon Cowell Is Prime Time's Top-Earning Man
Simon Cowell
The snarkiest man on television is also the highest-earning.
American Idol judge Simon Cowell is television's best-paid man in prime time, earning an estimated $75 million from June 2008 to June 2009, according to Forbes.
Simon Cowell to bring X Factor to the U.S.?
Cowell, 50, not only padded his bank account with his Idol salary, but from his other reality shows, including America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent, as well as from his career as a music producer.
Second on the list is real estate mogul-turned-Apprentice host Donald Trump, who took in $50 million for his diversified entertainment résumé.
Trump, Omarosa reunite for dating series
At No. 3 is another Idol star, Ryan Seacrest, 34, who earned about $38 million for the year. Seacrest, considered the hardest-working man in Hollywood, hosts E! News and a top-40 radio show daily and produces television shows, including Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Denise Richards: It's Complicated.
Rounding out the top five are Charlie Sheen, who earned nearly $21 million for Two and a Half Men and Steve Carell, who took in an estimated $20 million for The Office and recent film roles.
