Simon Cowell has the highest reported American Idol judge salary in the available ranking: up to $36 million per season. Katy Perry follows at a reported $25 million per season, with Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez next. These are media estimates, not verified contract disclosures, and the figures come from different eras and reporting sources.
Highest-paid American Idol judges, ranked
The ranking below uses each judge’s largest reported per-season figure associated with their tenure. The figures are not directly comparable contract terms: the sources do not establish a common accounting method or say consistently whether bonuses, production work, or other compensation are included.
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| Rank | Judge | Largest reported figure | Tenure or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simon Cowell | Up to $36 million per season | Reported in a 2024 MEAWW roundup, which attributes the estimate to earlier reporting; not an official contract figure. Source |
| 2 | Katy Perry | $25 million per season | Reported for her ABC-era tenure. Time described it as her “reported $25 million salary” in 2018; the MEAWW roundup also repeats the estimate. Time; MEAWW |
| 3 | Mariah Carey | $18 million | Reported for season 12 in the 2024 MEAWW roundup; not a verified disclosure. Source |
| 4 | Jennifer Lopez | $17.5 million per season | Reported for her 2013 return. The roundup also recounts different reported amounts for her earlier seasons. Source |
| 5 | Nicki Minaj | $12 million | Reported for season 12 by the 2024 MEAWW roundup. Source |
| 6 | Steven Tyler | $10 million per season | Reported figure in the MEAWW roundup; the source does not provide a comparable contract disclosure. Source |
| 7 | Keith Urban | $8 million in one account; other reports as low as $3.5 million | The roundup notes conflicting reports, so neither figure should be treated as definitive. Source |
| 8 | Ellen DeGeneres | $5 million to $7 million | Reported range for season 9 in the MEAWW roundup. Source |
| 9 | Randy Jackson | $5 million to $6.5 million per season | Reported range in the MEAWW roundup. Source |
| 10 | Harry Connick Jr. | $3.5 million per season | Reported figure in the MEAWW roundup. Source |
| 11 | Luke Bryan | $12 million per season | Reported by the MEAWW roundup. Its total-earnings arithmetic is inconsistent with its stated season count, so no cumulative total is included. Source |
How much do American Idol judges make?
There is no single established salary for an American Idol judge. The reported figures vary by judge, season, and era, and the available sources do not disclose contracts or apply a consistent method for comparing compensation. They should be read as entertainment-media estimates, not confirmed pay.
For the best-supported named comparison in this ranking, Time independently described Perry’s $25 million figure as reported in 2018. The other listed amounts are drawn from the 2024 MEAWW roundup, which attributes figures to earlier reporting. No authoritative public salary table or official judge salary figures were identified in the sources cited here.
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Why the ranking is not a like-for-like pay comparison
- Different seasons and eras: The amounts span the show’s Fox run and its later ABC era, rather than one shared season or pay period.
- Uneven evidence: Perry’s estimate has a separate historical reference in Time; most other figures in the table rely on the MEAWW roundup’s reporting of prior estimates.
- Unclear contract scope: The cited sources do not consistently establish whether a reported figure includes bonuses, production duties, or other compensation.
- Conflicting reports: Keith Urban’s reported amounts differ, while some other judges have ranges rather than a single figure.
- No inflation adjustment: The sources do not provide a consistent inflation-adjusted comparison, so the ranking reflects reported nominal amounts rather than equivalent purchasing power.
How the judging panel changed
American Idol began on Fox in 2002 with Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell among its original judges. After the show resumed on ABC in 2018, its season 16 panel included Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. ABC announced on August 1, 2024, that Carrie Underwood would join Bryan and Richie for the 2025 season; the announcement said Bryan and Richie would return for their eighth consecutive season. It did not disclose their salaries or Underwood’s. ABC announcement
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