5 of the richest US TV show hosts ever – net worths, ranked: from Judge Judy and her faux courtroom rulings, to Dr Phil and his psychological help, to interviews from Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey
Kelly Clarkson, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Hudson and Jimmy Kimmel may be the reigning talk show bosses today, but when it comes to net worth, their powerful predecessors remain the undisputed kings and queens of TV.
From quirky entertainment to health and wellness, here’s a look at the five of the richest TV hosts ever, per Forbes and Celebrity Net Worth.
5. Judy Sheindlin, 81
Estimated net worth: US$440 million
You know her as Judge Judy, the feisty main character in the TV show of the same name. She ruled a mock courthouse in an arbitration-based reality show, where she presided over real-life disputes between family members, friends, colleagues and strangers. Her no-nonsense approach and legal and moral-issue themed reality show earned her US$47 million per year between 2012 and 2020.
Per Forbes, in 2018, she was the highest-paid TV host after selling the rights to the show’s library to CBS. She quit the show in 2020 after 25 years – but the popular judge returned to screens in a revamped version of her show called Judy Justice. The new courtroom drama is available on Amazon’s Freevee streaming service.
4. Jay Leno, 73
Estimated net worth: US$450 million
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Jay Leno Show, Jay Leno’s Garage and You Bet your Life have all cemented the TV personality as one of the most prolific TV hosts in US history. Although it was widely reported that he had recently signed a US$1 billion agreement to return to CBS with a late night talk show, the speculation was debunked this month, per Reuters.
Known for being TV’s “supervillain” for his acerbic comments on air, Leno’s extensive car collection is arguably just as famous as his TV career. He reportedly owns more than 180 automobiles and 160 motorcycles.
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3. Phil McGraw, 73
Estimated net worth: US$460 million
In the late 90s, McGraw’s help with everyday psychological issues became a regular feature on The Oprah Winfrey Show, leading to the launch of his own TV show Dr Phil in 2002. His show ran for 21 seasons, receiving 31 Daytime Emmy nominations over its run.
Last year, he announced the CBS TV show would be ending. He was still averaging 2 million show viewers per day when he made the announcement, per Variety. McGraw then confirmed that he was launching his own family-oriented cable network Merit Street Media, per New York Post.
2. Ellen DeGeneres, 66
Estimated net worth: US$500 million
In 2022, DeGeneres signed off a 19-year TV run with a star-studded guest list that included Billie Eilish, Pink and Jennifer Aniston. Per Boston Herald, when Winfrey left her eponymous afternoon daytime TV chat show slot on America’s Channel 5, it was DeGeneres who took over this throne. She previously helmed her own morning chat show on the same TV station. Per Washington Post, her show had garnered more than 64 Daytime Emmy awards and aired more than 3,000 episodes by the time it wrapped.
But her TV history is not without scandal. In a Buzzfeed exposé published in 2020, 36 anonymous former employees claimed “harassment, sexual misconduct and assault from top producers”, with DeGeneres allegedly cultivating a toxic workplace.
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1. Oprah Winfrey, 70
Estimated net worth: US$3.5 billion
She remains the undisputed queen of the talk show with her legendary The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired from 1986 to 2011 with an impressive 4,561 episodes, per Own podcasts. To date, the show remains the highest-rated daytime talk show in US history, averaging between 10 million to 20 million viewers a day when it aired.
But Winfrey didn’t just make bank from her show – she launched her cable channel Own in 2011, later selling her stake in exchange for shares in 2020. In February, she confirmed that she had resigned from the board of Weight Watchers, donating her shares, worth an estimated US$6.34 million, to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, per Reuters.
Winfrey, who has been open about taking weight-loss medication, said she did not want there to be a perceived conflict of interest, referring to those who tried to lose weight without medication.
She returns to screens every now and then to host Oprah Special shows, in which she covers a variety of topics and holds in-depth interviews.
