The Incredible Net Worths Of Your Favorite Talk Show Hosts
Incredibly, not only are many of the greatest talk show hosts in the US as popular as some of Hollywood's biggest movie stars, but many are also equally as rich. Whether they host entertainment, political, or other kinds of shows, the chances are that most people have at least seen a few minutes, and therefore know who they are. Take a look to see who some of the biggest talk show hosts are, their story, and exactly how much they're worth.
Jimmy Kimmel - $35 Million
Best known as a television host, Jimmy Kimmel is also an accomplished comedian, writer, actor, and producer. Early on in his career, Kimmel was known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money.
Today, he is the host and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC in 2003. Named by Time in 2018 as one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People," he has a net worth of $35 million.
Chelsea Handler - $40 Million
Chelsea Handler is a television host, comedian, actress, writer, producer, and actress. She hosted the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately on the E! network from 2007 until 2015. Handler then moved to Netflix where she released a documentary series titled Chelsea Does.
Between 2016 and 2017 she also hosted the talk show Chelsea on Netflix. In 2012, Time named her one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People." With all of her success, she boasts a net worth of $40 million.
Whoopi Goldberg - $45 Million
Caryn Elaine Johnson, professionally known as Whoopi Goldberg, is an actress, comedian, author, and television personality. One of the most recognizable faces on television, she has won countless accolades, including being one of sixteen celebrities to have won an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Academy Award, and Tony Award.
On top of all of her other success in show business, she has been co-hosting and moderating on The View since 2007, for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Award for. Currently, she has a net worth of $45 million.
Rachel Maddow - $20 Million
Rachel Maddow is an American television news program and a liberal political commentator. Growing up, she earned a bachelor's degree in public policy from Stanford University and a doctorate in political science from Oxford University.
She currently hosts The Rachel Maddow Show, which airs nightly on MSNBC and is the network's special event co-host alongside Brian Williams. She is the first openly lesbian to anchor a prime-time program in the US and is worth an impressive $20 million.
Stephen Colbert - $60 Million
Stephen Colbert gained recognition as a correspondent on Comedy Central's news-parody show The Daily Show, and in 2005, left to host The Colbert Report. Then, in 2015, he was hired to take over David Letterman's position on The Late Show on CBS.
In total, Colbert has won nine Primetime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Peabody Awards. His book, I Am America (And So Can You!) was also listed No.1 on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2007. Colbert is currently worth $60 million.
Ellen DeGeneres - $450 Million
Ellen DeGeneres began her extensive career as a stand-up comic in the 1980s, even making an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1986.
She has also worked on various feature films including Finding Nemo, The Love Letter, and TV shows such as the sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998 before hosting her syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show since 2003. Throughout her career, she has also hosted several award shows and won plenty of her own.
Trevor Noah - $60 Million
Born in Johannesburg, Trevor Noah began his career as a comedian and presenter in South Africa in 2002 and was in several television roles with the South African Broadcasting Corporation. He also had a successful stand-up comedy career, gaining him international fame.
In 2014, he became the Senior International Correspondent for The Daily Show, taking over as host the next year, where he is expected to remain until 2022. Earning several accolades throughout his career, he also has earned over $60 million.
Jon Stewart - $80 Million
Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, John Stewart got his start in television as host of Short Attention Span Theater for Comedy Central. His success led him to host The Jon Stewart Show, and then You Wrote it, You Watched It.
He became the host of The Daily Show in 1999, acting as a writer and co-executive producer as well. After joining the project, the show grew in popularity earning 22 Primetime Emmy Awards, 2 Grammy Awards, and several other nominations. He is also a successful author with an estimated net worth of $80 million.
James Corden - $12 Million
James Corden's career took off in 2007 when he co-starred on the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey for which he won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Comedy Performance. Serving as the host for numerous award shows, in 2011, he started his Carpool Karaoke sketch.
In 2015, Corden began hosting The Late Late Show with James Corden, a late-night talk show on CBS in the United States. For his numerous successes, he is worth more than $12 million.
Andy Cohen - $50 Million
Andrew Cohen is a radio and television talk show host as well as a producer and a writer. He is best known as the host and the executive producer of Bravo's late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, and has a pop-culture channel on Sirius XM Radio.
On top of producing several Emmy Award-winning shows and hosting some of his own, he was also Bravo's executive vice president of Development and Talent until 2013. All of this has garnered him more than $50 million.
Oprah Winfrey - $3.2 Billion
Considered to be the "Queen of All Media," Oprah Winfrey is a talk show host, actress, television producer, media executive, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was broadcast from Chicago, was the highest-rated program of its kind in history, and was in syndication for a whopping 25 years from 1986 to 2011.
She was the richest African American of the 20th century and was North America's first black billionaire, and has also been ranked the greatest black philanthropist in American history, putting her $3.2 billion to good use.
Jay Leno - $400 Million
Starting his career in stand-up comedy, Jay Leno had his big break hosting NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1992 to 2009. After leaving the program, he started his own primetime talk show titled The Jay Leno Show.
After the show was canceled in 2010, he returned to host The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, with his last episode airing on February 6, 2014. The same year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and has hosted Jay Leno's Garage. After an extensive career, he has earned an incredible $400 million.
Michael Strahan - $65 Million
Michael Strahan was a defensive end in the NFL who spent his 15-year professional football career with the New York Giants. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, and after his retirement became a media personality.
Strahan currently works as an analyst on Fox NFL Sunday and the co-host of ABC's Good Morning America and Strahan, Sara, and Keke. He also co-hosted the talk show Live! With Kelly and Michael with Kelly Ripa for which he won two Daytime Emmy Awards. The ex-football player is now worth $65 million.
Conan O'Brien - $85 Million
Conan O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, podcaster, and producer. He was the president of The Harvard Lampoon at Harvard University and worked in comedy for several years in Los Angeles before joining the writing staff of Saturday Night Live and a writer and producer for The Simpsons.
In 1993, he took over David Letterman's position as host of Late Night and is currently best known for hosting Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and Conan. Considered one of the longest-working late-night hosts of all time, O'Brien is worth an impressive $85 million.
Bill Maher - $100 Million
Bill Maher is a comedian, television host, and political commentator. Known for his political satire, he leaves few topics untouched and has been considered controversial by many.
Since 2003, he has been the host for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, and earlier, Politically Incorrect. Maher has also received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010 and won a Primetime Emmy for his work as executive producer for Vice documentary series.
Steve Harvey - $120 Million
Steve Harvey began his career in the media as a comedian, doing stand-up, hosting shows such as Showtime at the Apollo and The Steve Harvey Show on The WB. Throughout his career, he has been the host of Family Feud and Celebrity Family Feud since 2010, as well as Little Big Shots, Little Big Shots Forever Young, and Steve Harvey's Funderdome.
On top of being the host of the Miss Universe competition, he is also a six-time Daytime Emmy Award winner, two-time Marconi Award winner, and a 14-time NAACP Image Award winner. For all of this, he has an impressive wealth of $120 million.
Larry King - $150 Million
Born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger, Larry King is a renowned television and radio host. He began his career in Florida as a journalist and radio interviewer during the 1950s and 60s before becoming popular for hosting the all-night nationwide call-in program The Larry King Show on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
Then, from 1985 to 2010, he hosted the nightly Larry King Live on CNN. Currently, he hosts Larry King Now on Hulu, and on Thursdays Politicking with Larry King. He has been awarded numerous accolades for his work and has made a nice $150 million in the process.
Dr. Phil - $400 Million
Although he held a doctorate in clinical psychology, he ceased to renew his license in psychological therapy in 2006. Regardless, he has continued to host his world-famous television show Dr. Phil, although he rose in popularity with his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 1990s.
Winfrey then helped him launch his own show in 2002, which has been on the air since. From his show, appearances on other programs, and his other work, he has accumulated a fortune of $400 million.
Amy Robach - $50 Million
Amy Robach has been all over, starting her career with 20/20 before moving to ABCs Good Morning America. She's also worked on NBC News on the network's Saturday edition of Today.
With all of her experience, Robach has made quite a nice chunk of change. As of 2022, her net worth is a whopping $50 million. Most recently, Robach worked alongside T.J. Holmes on GMA3: What You Need To Know. They were taken off-air in December 2022 due to their workplace relationship -- they didn't want to garner unwanted attention.
Bill O'Reilly - $85 Million
Bill O'Reilly is an American journalist, author, and former television host. In the 1970s and '80s, he reported for local television stations before moving up to CBS and ABC News. In 1996, he was hired by Fox News Channel to host The O'Reilly Factor until 2017, which became the highest-rated cable news show for 16 years.
Furthermore, he has authored several books and hosted The Radio Factor, and the No Spin News podcast, which he established after being fired from Fox. Yet, he still managed to make more than $85 million.
Hoda Kotb - $30 Million
Today co-host Hoda Kotb has brightened mornings for viewers since 2018, earning an annual salary between $8 and $10 million. Before that, she appeared on NBC's Dateline. Kotb's successful career in television has amassed her a net worth of $30 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The vivacious talk show host is also the author of several books, including her autobiography Hoda: How I Survived War Zones which made the New York Times's Best Sellers list.
Howard Stern - $650 Million
Howard Stern is an American radio and television personality, as well as an accomplished author. Stern began his career in radio while attending Boston University, where he began working at a series of nearby radio stations. In 1985, he began a 20-year career at WXRK in New York City.
Stern would go on to win numerous industry awards, even becoming the first person to have a number one show in Los Angeles and New York City at the same time. On top of his radio career, Stern has also hosted and produced numerous late-night talk shows.
