Highest paid TV hosts of 2018: Judge Judy, Ellen DeGeneres

Judy Sheindlin earned $147 million last year.CBS

• Forbes released its 2018 list of the world’s highest-paid TV hosts on Monday, and Judy Sheindlin, a.k.a. Judge Judy, topped the list with $147 million.
• That’s nearly $60 million more than the second highest-paid host, Ellen DeGeneres.
• The list also includes Ryan Seacrest, Dr. Phil, and Steve Harvey.

For the first time, Judy Sheindlin (a.k.a. Judge Judy) is the world’s highest-paid TV show host of the year — and it’s not even close.

According to Forbes, Sheindlin made $147 million between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018, before taxes. That’s nearly $60 million more than the second highest-paid host, Ellen DeGeneres. Sheindlin sold the rights to her “Judge Judy,” which consists of over 5,000 episodes, to CBS last year for $100 million, according to Forbes.

All of the personalities on Forbes’ top five are daytime hosts. Nightly hosts like Fox News’ Sean Hannity bring in 3 million viewers, but “Judge Judy” averages 10 million a day, even in its 23rd season, according to Forbes. 

Ryan Seacrest also made the list after being accused of sexual misconduct last November by his former stylist (he denied the allegations, and an E! News investigation concluded earlier this year that there was “insufficient evidence” to support the claims).

Forbes said Seacrest’s earnings jumped from $58 million to $74 million because of his gig hosting the “American Idol” reboot. He also co-hosts “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”

Below are the five highest-paid TV hosts of 2018, according to Forbes: