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Follow Big Bucks to Small Screen

The 20 biggest personalities on TV have salaries to match

By Sophie Goldstein,  Newser User

Posted Oct 1, 2007 4:50 PM CDT
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(Newser) – On the boob tube, prime-time stars aren't the ones who are really cashing in. Think daytime talk-show titans, a syndicated sitcom legend, and a reality humiliation expert. Forbes lists the top 20 earners:

  1. Oprah Winfrey, $260 million
  2. Jerry Seinfeld, $60 million
  3. Simon Cowell, $45 million

  1. David Letterman, $40 million
  2. Donald Trump, $32 million
  3. Jay Leno, $32 million
  4. Dr. Phil McGraw, $30 million
  5. "Judge" Judy Sheindlin, $30 million
  6. George Lopez, $26 million
  7. Kiefer Sutherland, $22 million
For an accounting of the top 20, follow the link below.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey arrives to the opening night of her new Broadway play The Color Purple in this Dec. 1, 2005, file photo in New York. It pays to be on television. Oprah Winfrey, who else?, leads TV Guide's list of the richest stars of the small screen,...
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey arrives to the opening night of her new Broadway play "The Color Purple" in this Dec. 1, 2005, file photo in New York. It pays to be on television. Oprah Winfrey, who else?,...   (Associated Press)
Oprah Winfrey addresses reporters as part of the Television Critics Association Press Tour in this Jan. 23, 2005, file photo in Los Angeles. Winfrey, 53, now leads Forbes.com's list of the 20 richest celebs on television. (AP Photo/Ric Francis, file)
Oprah Winfrey addresses reporters as part of the Television Critics Association Press Tour in this Jan. 23, 2005, file photo in Los Angeles. Winfrey, 53, now leads Forbes.com's list of the 20 richest...   (Associated Press)
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld laughs during a stop to promote his upcoming film, Bee Movie, in Toronto on Wednesday Sept. 26, 2007. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Frank Gunn)
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld laughs during a stop to promote his upcoming film, "Bee Movie," in Toronto on Wednesday Sept. 26, 2007. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Frank Gunn)   (Associated Press)
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entertainment • Simon Cowell • Jerry Seinfeld • list • Oprah Winfrey • celebrity • Jay Leno • George Lopez • Judge Judy • Keifer Sutherland • Dr Phil

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