Wednesday, May 11, 2011

American Idol Salaries Revealed

After The Voice debuted at number one on its premiere, many were left wondering if Idol was finally on its way out.

Well, judging by its $7.11 million/episode income, it looks like the show is here to stay.

Another potential obstacle that proved to be no big deal? Simon Cowell’s departure. The show has maintained 100% of its viewers since Cowell left. You know that has to sting, just a little.

So how much does each Idol icon make?

Ryan Seacrest’s salary as host has tripled since 2009. He’s gone from $5 million a year to $15 million per year for the next three years. He is officially the highest paid person on reality television.

Surprisingly, Jennifer Lopez only makes $12 million for her judging duties. Then again, that’s nothing to sneeze at, especially for her first season!

Somehow Steven Tyler has outranked J.Lo in salary, rumored to be raking in $18 million. Steven Tyler is cute and all, but who knew singing Janie’s Got a Gun made him that much of a commodity?

And Randy Jackson comes in last at a more modest $5 million. As the only original Idol judge left, I’d think he’d be worth more than that.

When the X-Factor debuts, I guess we’ll see if it takes away any Idol hype. But being the most profitable reality show with the highest paid star, it doesn’t look like American Idol is going anywhere anytime soon.

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