Reality competition shows are a great way to make a ton of money if you happen to be
a celebrity who's willing to serve as a judge.
But it's still a little surprising how much some celeb judges are raking in and how little
others make in comparison.
Longtime reality show mainstay Simon Cowell told The Guardian in 2011,
"When someone asks, 'Does success make you into a monster?'
I always say, 'No, it enables you to be a monster.'"
That kind of response shouldn't surprise anyone who watched this entertainment industry player
during his time as a judge on American Idol from 2002 to 2010.
His willingness to give aspiring musicians honest critiques without sparing their feelings
earned him a notorious reputation.
It also helped him earn $33 million per season at his peak, although he was also reportedly
due to earn $45 million while negotiating in 2009.
"No, I couldn't hear anymore.
Honestly, Steven, without being rude, we've heard enough."
Thanks to Cowell's thorough business savvy, he's extended his earning power through his
label, Syco, which brings in money via the artists signed from American Idol.
Meanwhile, his production company, Syco TV, is behind similar competition shows like The
X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, and America's Got Talent.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cowell's various endeavors earned him $45 million between
June 2017 and June 2018, and another $41 million between June 2018 and June 2019.
Overall, his estimated net worth stands at $600 million.
It certainly appears that being snarky has paid off handsomely for this particularly
infamous reality TV judge.
While being mean brought in the green for Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson was able to keep
his opinions relatively chill and still end up with a cool fortune.
"It's okay, it's okay.
I thought it was really bad, too."
With an overall net worth of $50 million, Jackson reportedly took home $10 million for
just one season of American Idol.
As a respected musician and producer who knows what it takes to make it in the business,
he ended up as the show's longest-serving judge, from when it premiered in 2002, until
2014.
When asked by Entertainment Weekly in 2016 for his thoughts regarding the various judges
that have served on the show over the years, he admitted,
"I'm of course biased, but I think me, Paula, and Simon [were] still the best ever, best
ever of any judges ever on any kind of show like this.
'Cause we discovered some great talent that has gone on to do some great things."
One of those great talents was the first winner of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, who herself
went on to her own lucrative work as a reality TV judge.
After a successful career as a chart-topping pop singer, Paula Abdul joined Simon Cowell
and Randy Jackson as American Idol's original set of industry experts.
However, it turns out that she was paid just a fraction of what her fellow judges were
making.
According to Money Magazine, the "Straight Up" singer was only being paid $1 million
to $3.5 million per season during her run from 2002 to 2009.
After establishing herself as a mainstay on Idol, Abdul decided that she deserved a salary
boost and reportedly asked them for $5 million, but when she didn't get it, she quit.
However, according to The New York Times, she was offered $5 million, but she felt that
it wasn't enough considering that the show's host Ryan Seacrest was given $10 million a
year, plus another $15 million over three years for additional rights.
While Abdul's American Idol days may have fizzled out, her time as a reality TV judge
wasn't over.
She moved on to a role with The X Factor, and according to reports, she made $2.5 million
for the first season while once again working alongside Simon Cowell.
Pop star Katy Perry has millions of fans and has earned her fair share of industry accolades.
She was also deemed the highest-paid female artist in 2018, but not because she released
any new music.
That was the year she joined ABC's revival of American Idol and began earning a $25 million
paycheck.
ABC CEO Ben Sherwood reportedly considered her to be worth every penny, as he believed
in her ability to draw in younger viewers.
It was widely reported that Perry only agreed to join the show for no less than $25 million
annually.
ABC agreed, even if it meant that other people on the show got a cut in pay.
Those other people apparently included Perry's fellow Idol judges Lionel Richie and Luke
Bryan, as well as the show's host, Ryan Seacrest.
Although when Seacrest threatened to say no to the reduced amount, he was able to maintain
the $15 million salary he had during the show's previous version.
Perry is overall worth an estimated $330 million.
Music industry veteran Lionel Richie doesn't make nearly as much for his work on American
Idol as Katy Perry does, although the $15 million paycheck he reportedly earns each
season is still pretty good.
And since he's estimated to be worth $200 million overall, he's probably fine with the
modest fortune that Idol is adding.
After serving as a judge for two seasons on the Idol revival, he talked to reporters about
what it would take for him to return for another season.
As he put it,
"What would it take?
The same thing we did this year.
We got the three greatest personalities ever on this show.
When I started with this group I was a bit worried.
I kept telling America to pray for me, but now that I know everybody and their characters,
I would not do another show without them!"
Apparently his wishes came true, as he's been confirmed for Season 18.
Sticking with a gig can certainly pay off, and Howie Mandel can confirm that.
He reportedly makes $70,000 per episode of America's Got Talent, which he joined in 2010.
Overall, he's worth an estimated $40 million.
He spoke with the Today show about how the competition show is still delivering surprises.
"And just when you think you've seen everything, you realize you ain't seen nothing yet."
In a 2015 interview with Canadiens Magazine, Mandel opened up in depth about the differences
between America's Got Talent and his previous gig hosting the game show Deal or No Deal.
He noted,
"To see a real human...saying 'no deal' to $200,000 when they had told me just before
that they had no health insurance, they've never owned a home, they have three children,
and they don't have a car, it was really hard for me not to say to them: 'Are you an idiot?
Take the money and get out of here so you can change your life.'
I feel privileged for AGT because this whole judging thing doesn't really feel like a job...I
try to be positive as much as I can, that's the hardest part."
When Howard Stern joined the judges' table on America's Got Talent in 2012, he was mostly
known as a shock jock radio host.
But his time on reality TV earned him a new reputation as a likeable, and even encouraging,
judge.
That reborn image not only had fans seeing Stern in a new light, it also had him reportedly
earning $15 million per year, from 2012 to 2015.
However, that salary was just a drop in the bucket of the self-proclaimed King of All
Media's overall annual salary, which is estimated to be around $90 million.
That adds to his overall fortune, which is estimated to be around $650 million.
As a Money profile noted, decades ago Stern once said that he couldn't wait to make enough
money to quit the business, but now he's showing no signs that he's ready to retire.
During Adam Levine's time on The Voice from 2011 to 2019, his salary kept going up and
up.
According to reports, his first season earned him $6 million, which went up to $10 million
by 2015.
He reached $12 million in 2016, and since 2017, it's been $13 million per season.
The big-budget boosts to Levine's paychecks have also obviously increased his overall
wealth, which has now reached an estimated $120 million.
"It is a family, too, the show.
It feels like such a tight-knit thing at this point.
I don't even know how I would do without it almost.
It's bizarre."
In May of 2019, the musician wrote a lengthy Instagram post about his decision to leave
The Voice, noting,
"About 8 years ago, Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit
in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage...We had no
idea what we were doing or where it was going.
After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned.
I said to myself 'there's some magic here.
Something is definitely happening.'
It went on to be a life-shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever."
Blake Shelton may have been a judge and coach on The Voice since the first season of the
show back in 2011, but he still only makes $4 million per season.
Thankfully, the TV personality-slash-country singer is doing fine with an estimated net
worth of $60 million, and plenty of number one singles to his name.
"I do not want Blake Shelton to say one word.
He's already got this one right now."
"I wanted to see you guys fight."
"I will when it's time."
Shelton opened up in 2011 to Parade Magazine about his work on The Voice, revealing,
"Ironically, being a coach on The Voice and spending time with [the contestants], I learned
a lot about myself.
It reminded me how lucky I am that this happened for me, and it kind of lit the spark inside
me again for my love of music.
I probably learned way more from them than they ever learned from me."
It's probably fair to say that Christina Aguilera has more star power than her fellow judges
on The Voice.
So it's unsurprising that she commands a higher salary, reportedly $15 million per year for
her work.
She started on the show back in 2011 and hung around until 2016, although her team only
came out on top once, so you can decide for yourself if her appearance was worth the investment.
These days, Aguilera isn't motivated by winning or even money, as she explained to Haute Living
in 2014, saying,
"Being a working mother is not easy, but I think it helps you choose what's important
in your life.
If I think about starting a new project, whether it be music, a movie or a fragrance, I always
stop and think: Is this something I feel really passionate about?
That way, if I'm not at home at least it's for something I really love, and my son can
look up to that."
Talk about a full-circle career path!
Back in 2002, Kelly Clarkson was a struggling performer who was trying to impress the judges
on her way to becoming the first winner of American Idol.
Now, she's a judge herself, earning $560,000 per episode of The Voice, or around $14 million
per season.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, her time on the competition show and her music career
have contributed to her earning around $100 million over the course of her entire career.
Before her career-launching Idol audition, Clarkson had basically nothing to her name.
She worked a variety of jobs, including cocktail waitressing at a comedy club and putting in
time at fast food joints.
But she continued to always work hard and made it through that struggle to get to a
very fortunate and independent position today.
"Coming to this show is like what you wish radio sounded like."
"Kelly, you need a TV show."
"No, it'd get old.
Trust me."
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