Just how much money does hosting over 6000 episodes of late-night television earn someone?
And who was impossibly wealthy before they even took a TV gig? The answers might surprise you.
Seth Meyers set his heart on becoming a comedian during his time at Northwestern University. He
was a member of the school's improv and sketch comedy group, Mee-Ow. He joined the "Saturday
Night Live" ranks in 2001 and would become a prominent cast member over the next 13 seasons.
In 2014, just weeks after his final "SNL" episode, Meyers took over from Jimmy Fallon as the host of
"Late Night" and secured himself a seven-figure salary in the process. He reportedly receives
$5 million a year for hosting the show, which accounts for much of his $26 million net worth.
Meyers is also generous with his money. According to a story shared by the Instagram celebrity
gossip page Deux Moi, Meyers paid his "Late Night" staff out of his own pocket during the coronavirus
lockdown in 2020. He's releasing a children's book in 2022, adding another stream of income.
John Oliver cut his teeth on the U.K. standup circuit before crossing the
Atlantic to join Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" as its Senior British Correspondent.
"But one man had a dream! A financially catastrophic dream."
He won three Emmys for his work on the show and would go on to win a bunch more as the host of
HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," which he's fronted since 2014. Oliver's
exploits in the States have made him a rich man, to the tune of an estimated $30 million,
according to Celebrity Net Worth. Also reporting HBO pays the Brit a cool $8 million a year.
Oliver has always been highly critical of tax breaks for the rich. So he was likely left a
little red-faced when “The Observer” claimed he'd, quote, "used a tax loophole" typically deployed by
the rich to reduce the property tax bill. His claims were contrary to the evidence,
and it wasn't a good look for Oliver, who routinely calls out rich elites.
Andy Cohen was a high-flying TV executive before the public got to know him as the
host of Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live." After impressing as a 21-year-old intern,
the broadcast journalism graduate began a stint at CBS that lasted a decade.
He produced shows including "48 Hours" and "CBS This Morning" in that time, and would
continue producing after landing a lucrative executive vice president position at Bravo. Exec
VPs at TV networks earn between $750,000 to $1.5 million a year, according to a “Vulture” report.
After successfully hosting a reunion episode of "Real Housewives of Orange County,” Cohen got
his own show. Before long, he released a memoir — for which he secured a seven figure advance,
according to “The Hollywood Reporter” — and launched a SiriusXM show. He’s also written two
books that became “New York Times” best-sellers and were adapted into an animated series in 2020.
Cohen brings in around $10 million a year and has an
overall net worth of $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Jimmy Kimmel owes his late night career to Comedy Central's "Win Ben Stein's Money."
The game show's producer recommended him to an ABC exec during a game of golf,
Kimmel told “Variety”. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" debuted in 2003 and is still going,
making it the longest-running late night show currently airing.
Kimmel has made a mint in that time: the Brooklyn native has an estimated net worth of $50 million.
According to “Forbes,” Kimmel's annual salary for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had reached $12 million by
2016, placing him among the richest TV hosts. Kimmel also hosts the new celebrity version of
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" on ABC, and he's involved with the equity fund TitleCard Capital.
It launched with a $9 million investment in a luxury mattress firm in 2015. Founder Tyler Tysdal
brought Kimmel on board after meeting him through a mutual friend. Tysdal told “Business Insider,”
"He has great ideas, and he's super engaged."
Jimmy Fallon told “USA Today” that his path to
fame and fortune began when he entered a local impression contest. He said,
"I won a lot of money — I want to say, like,
$500. So for two minutes of work — and I had been working since I was 13 — that was so much money."
Fallon would later learn that $500 payouts were only the beginning.
However, things got better when he landed what he called his "dream job" on "Saturday Night Live."
“No sir! No sir! No sir!”
Fallon had seven seasons on "SNL," and would have been banking at least $15,000 per episode
by the end of his run. He was asked if he would be interested in doing a talk show upon leaving,
and when the opportunity arose a few years later, he took it. When “USA Today” asked
if he had advice for those looking to follow in his footsteps, he said,
"Don't do it for money [...] And then, the secret is, you may end up making money."
He reportedly earned $5 million a year as host of "The Late Show," and his salary is said to have
jumped to $12 million when he later took over for Jay Leno at the helm of "The Tonight Show." More
recent reports suggest he makes $16 million a year at NBC, which renewed "The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon" for another five years in 2021. All in all, Fallon is worth about $60 million.
After his comedy show "One Man, Two Guvnors" did well on Broadway, James Corden secured a
role in the 2014 film "Into the Woods." Though he looked ready to launch a Hollywood career,
he received an offer he couldn't refuse: late night. "The Late Late Show With James
Corden" began airing in 2015, and the host has reportedly doubled his fortune in the years since.
Corden relocated to America from the UK when CBS offered him $5.5 million a year to host
"The Late Late Show," per “The Sun”. He rented during his first few years in L.A., but took the
plunge in 2017 when he paid almost $10 million for a mansion in Brentwood, home to the likes
of LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He's now earning around $9 million annually, and he's
bolstered his fortune with his involvement in the successful production company, Fulwell 73.
Corden is a partner in the company,
which has assets worth over $190 million. An insider told “The Sun,”
"James has invested wisely in Fulwell [...] It is in a very healthy financial state."
His personal share in the company is reportedly worth around $38 million.
Overall, Corden's net worth is $70 million, and that's subject to change. Apparently, he's
"homesick," and CBS will have to double Corden's salary to keep him happy, says “The Mirror”.
After replacing David Letterman on "The Late Show" in 2015, Stephen Colbert reached the top
of the late night ratings table, making himself a ton of money in the process. According to “Time,”
however, Colbert took a pay cut when he accepted $4.6 million per year for his initial "Late Show"
contract. That’s down from the reported $6 million he made on Comedy Central's hit political satire,
"The Colbert Report." Thankfully for Colbert, that downgrade wouldn't last
long. His renewed contract with CBS to keep him at the helm of "The Late Show" through
2023 came with a reported pay bump to $15 million a year, per Celebrity Net Worth.
Colbert reportedly has an impressive $75 million net worth, which he's apparently attained by being
savvy with his money. Rather than shell out for fancy New York digs, Colbert continues to live
in Montclair, New Jersey, where he and his wife bought a house for $515,000 back in 2000. They
sold for almost double that amount in 2008, but have remained in the area, per “Heavy”.
NorthJersey.com also reports that the Colberts are also huge community boosters.
They are known as the "guardian angels" of the local film festival
thanks to their routine ability to raise hundreds of thousands for the event.
South African comic and late night host Trevor Noah knew from a young
age that his future was in comedy. He told “HBR,”
"I always felt an innate joy making people laugh [...] And then somebody
paid me to do it as a profession. But I loved it before I earned any money,
so I think it was always going to be my natural course."
It's never been about the cash for him, but he's made a lot of it over the years:
according to Celebrity Net Worth, Noah is worth $100 million. He gets paid $16 million
a year to host Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," though he was actually already very
wealthy when he took over that role from Jon Stewart. Noah told “The Hollywood Reporter,”
"People don't understand that I came to America from a country where I was
really successful [...] And I'm proud of South Africa because that's where I made my fortune.
I had my homes and my cars and my nice things, and my country gave that to me."
Noah was the fourth highest-earning comedian in the world in 2019 with a huge haul of $28 million,
per “Forbes”. That same year, his profile — and no doubt his bank account — got another
big boost. It was announced that his 2016 book, "Born a Crime: Stories from a South
African Childhood," was to be adapted into a film starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o.
Conan O'Brien was virtually unknown when NBC greenlit "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"
in 1993. But by the time O'Brien's incredible late night run ended in 2021, he'd become one
of the richest late night TV hosts in history, with an estimated net worth of $150 million.
Unfortunately, dollars and disgrace combined when O'Brien's takeover of "The Tonight Show"
from then-host Jay Leno was cut startlingly short. In a widely-rebuked move, NBC brought Leno back
and bid O'Brien abruptly goodbye. However, according to “The New York Times,”
they did well by almost doubling his original contact, sending him off with $32.5 million.
His longtime staff were also paid a severance of around $12 million.
In the process of taking over "The Tonight Show," O'Brien uprooted from New York and moved to Los
Angeles. Thankfully, O'Brien and much of his LA-transplanted staff landed on their feet
with TBS' "Conan," which paid $12 million a year according to Celebrity Net Worth,
and aired from 2010 until 2021.
"YES!"
David Letterman fronted over 6,000 episodes of late night television during a remarkable
33-year run. "Late Night with David Letterman" premiered in 1982 and aired until 1993,
when the host switched to CBS. The network gave Letterman his desired 11:30 p.m. timeslot
and doubled his salary, paying him $14 million a year plus incentives.
Letterman has an estimated net worth of $400 million, a number that has been bolstered
in recent years by a lucrative Netflix deal. “Variety” sources say the streaming giant coughs
up $2 million per episode for "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman".
He wasn't in the late night game for as long as David Letterman,
but, with an eye-watering net worth of $450 million, Jay Leno edges him out at the top.
He became the wealthiest late night host, not because he commanded superior salaries,
but because he's always been a hard worker and a good saver. Leno told CNBC in 2017,
"When I got 'The Tonight Show,' I always made sure I did 150 [stand-up] gigs a year so I
never had to touch the principal [...] I've never touched a dime of my 'Tonight Show' money. Ever."
Leno became the host of "The Tonight Show" in 1992. By 2012,
he was earning $30 million annually, but he agreed to take a 50% pay cut that year.
According to “The Hollywood Reporter,” NBC wanted to reduce the show's $100 million budget,
and Leno didn't want to lose any key members of staff. He later told CNBC,
"We managed to keep all our people and just spread the money around a bit."
Leno's "Tonight Show" contract expired in 2014, but he carried on working for NBC
as the host of "Jay Leno's Garage." He has a massive private car collection that's worth as
much as $100 million. Leno's latest paycheck is Fox's revival of the classic game show
"You Bet Your Life," which debuted in 2021.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more NickiSwift videos about your favorite shows and hosts are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.