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Daytime talk shows are in abundance and a must-watch for some as part of their morning or daytime routines. Hosts discuss current events, interview celebrities, and do lots of fun stuff with guests. Those who have become popular in the daytime talk show world, including both on television and in radio, have amassed a healthy income thanks of it. But who earns the most?
Now with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, who is worth an estimated $3.2 billion, out of the running, who are the richest daytime talk show hosts of 2019? (Most figures are from WealthyGorilla.com).
Whoopi Goldberg - $45 million
Serving as moderator and co-host on daytime talk show The View since 2007, Goldberg has amassed much of her fortune from her extensive acting work through the ‘90s and early ‘00s. Some of her most notable roles include in The Color Purple, Ghost (for which she won an Academy Award), Sister Act, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
She has also worked on Broadway, voiced documentaries, and, in the early ‘00s, had her own syndicated morning radio talk show. In addition to her roles on television, she also co-founded her own medical cannabis products company, aimed at helping women who suffer from painful menstrual cramps.
Wendy Williams - $60 million
With a loyal group of fans of her nationally syndicated talk show The Wendy Williams Show, which has been on the air since 2008, Williams previously worked as a radio DJ and host.
In addition to hosting her daytime talk show, broadcast four times a week live in front of a studio audience, she has also authored seven books, including a New York Times best-selling autobiography, and has various product lines in fashion, jewelry, and wigs.
Rachael Ray - $80 million
This celebrity chef has been hosting her own popular daytime talk and lifestyle show Rachael Ray Show since 2006 but has been involved in a number of other shows, including three cooking shows on Food Network and celebrity and kids cook-off shows.
She also launched her own magazine and has written several cookbooks based on her popular 30-minute meals concept. Her wallet is further padded through endorsement deals, and she has launched her own product lines before, ranging from bedsheets to furniture and pet food.
Kelly Ripa - $120 million
As co-host of Live! with Kelly and Ryan, Ripa has been with the show in its previous iterations as well since 2001. But she also acts, having appeared in daytime soap operas and, most notably in the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith in the early ‘00s.
Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos, also an actor, own their own production company called Milojo. She has also earned money through working as a spokesperson for various brands.
Steve Harvey - $120 million
One of the hardest working men in Hollywood, Harvey often has several projects on the go. In addition to hosting The Steve Harvey Morning Show, a radio program, he also hosts the game shows Family Feud and Celebrity Family Feud, the Miss Universe pageant since 2015, and Fox’s New Year’s Eve special.
He also previously had his own daytime television talk show, Steve Harvey, which aired from 2012-2016, and Steve, which aired from 2017-2019. He is also an accomplished author and comedian and launched his own dating site called Delightful.
Sean Hannity - $220 million
Hannity’s show is a conservative political talk radio show called The Sean Hannity Show, which is broadcast live daily every weekday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Hannity, who is a conservative political commentator, also hosts Hannity, a cable news show on Fox News. Given his access to President Donald Trump, he was named by Forbes in 2018 as one of the most-watched hosts in cable news and most-listened-to hosts in talk radio. He has also written three books and owns several properties.
Sharon Osbourne - $220 million
This English firecracker has been serving as a co-host on daytime talk show The Talk since its inception in 2010. But she earned plenty of coin prior to that, including from her reality TV series The Osbournes following the life of her and her husband Ozzy Osbourne (of Black Sabbath fame), then as a member of the judging panel on reality competition series The X Factor in the U.K. and America’s Got Talent in the U.S.
Often credited with helping revive her husband’s musical career through the creation of the Ozzfest tour, she has also managed other bands through her own management firm, Sharon Osbourne Management. She has also written several autobiographies.
Ryan Seacrest - $380 million
Often jokingly called the man who never sleeps, Seacrest holds down several jobs, including serving as co-host of daytime talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan since 2017. He also has his own morning radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest, and is, of course, the host of long-running reality competition series American Idol.
Additionally, he has served as co-host and executive producer of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve since 2006 and is an accomplished television producer through his company Ryan Seacrest Productions, which is responsible for massive hits like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and its spin-offs, and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Phew!
Dr. Phil McGraw- $400 million
Appearing daily on the small screen with his popular talk show Dr. Phil, which has been on the air since 2002, McGraw provides advice to troubled guests on his show, as well as interviews people, families, celebrities, and others, and follows stories from the news. He has also published books and runs his own production company, Pesteski Productions, which handles the Dr. Phil show.
He has launched a number of short-lived spin-off series and handles the extension series to Dr. Phil called The Doctors.
Ellen DeGeneres - $450 million
Arguably the Queen of daytime television, DeGeneres has been hosting her wildly successful, Emmy-winning talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show since 2003. She got her start as a stand-up comedian, then starred in her own sitcom Ellen from 1994-1998.
Along with hosting several awards ceremonies, including the Academy Awards, and game shows, including her own show Ellen’s Game of Games, she is an author and owns her own production company, A Very Good Production. DeGeneres earns money through her own lifestyle brand as well, ED Ellen DeGeneres, which includes clothing, accessories, home, baby, and pet products.