Here Comes the World’s Highest-Paid TV Host for 2018

Judge Judy Sheindlin rules with a $147 million salary.

Judge Judy
Judge Judy Sheindlin made some shrewd decisions in 2018. (Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

For the first time ever, Judge Judy Sheindlin was the highest-paid host on TV for 2018, pocketing $147 million in pretax income.

The judge’s salary was reported by Forbes as part of a rundown of the top five highest earners in TV hosting for the year from June 2017 to June 2018.

“Many people, as I did in the beginning, get stuck with a job they don’t really like,” Sheindlin said at Forbes Women’s Summit in 2017. “If you’re not doing something that you love to do, find something that you love to do, because it will make your whole life different.”

The judge who rules with a no-nonsense approach on TV seemed to stand her ground with her personal deal-making as well. Sheindlin reportedly sold the rights to the 5,200-episode library of her show, Judge Judy, to CBS for an estimated $100 million this year. Add that to her $47 million salary for the daytime program and you get not only the highest paid host on TV, but the 48th-richest self-made woman in America, according to Forbes, with a net worth of $400 million.

And it appears as if the huge payday is well-earned. After 23 seasons, Judge Judy consistently garners more than 10 million viewers every single day.

Following Sheindlin in second place is Ellen DeGeneres, who raked in $87.5 million over the last year, Dr. Phil McGraw with $77.5 million, Ryan Seacrest at $74 million and Steve Harvey with and even $44 million.

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