American Idol has been able to not only groom new talent. It also has staffed great talent. After 15 seasons, the Fox series ends its run tonight at 8 pm EST. The show has had 11 judges, including Nicki Minaj, Ellen Degeneres, and of course, Simon Cowell. Seasoned performers used the series as a platform to show off their musical ears and build their celebrity—as well as add to their bank accounts.
To be sure, most of these judges were well off before joining the show, but American Idol certainly helped add to their net worths (just as it boosted contestants’ wealth). Here are the five wealthiest judges, along with Ryan Seacrest, the host, who is just as loaded as the rest of them.
All numbers are pulled from Celebrity Net Worth, which aggregates all publicly available information including salaries, real estate holdings, divorces, record sales, royalties and endorsements. Taxes, manager’s fees, agents’ fees, and lifestyle and then subtracted.
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