In the overall scope of reality television, few shows have ever come as close to being as popular as American Idol. The show has certainly had its ups and downs over the years, but there is no denying that at its peak, American Idol was dominating the small screen. Shows like The Bachelor, Jersey Shore, and 90 Day Fiancé have all been huge, but the singing element of American Idol kept people coming back for more.
In recent years, there has been a major change in terms of the judges appearing on the show, and the powers that be at the network have done an exceptional job in finding successful musicians who are in touch with a diverse crowd.
Let’s take a look at the current American Idol judges and see who is making the most money!
Katy Perry Is Making $25 Million Per Season
Katy Perry has been a massive pop star for longer than some even realize, and at this point, there aren’t too many female performers who can come close to matching what she has done on the Billboard charts. Because of this, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to learn that Katy Perry is the top dog here.
According to CheatSheet, Katy Perry is pulling down $25 million per season of American Idol, which is an incredibly high salary. Now, one thing people will be interested in learning about is how this salary compares to some of the highest-paid people over at The Voice. It should be noted that someone like Blake Shelton can command $13 million per season, but The Voice does multiple seasons per year as opposed to the single season that American Idol will do.
Nevertheless, making $25 million per season for being a judge on a television show is just unreal. There is a whole lot of work that goes into doing what Katy Perry does, and the reason why she can command so much money is because of the star power that she maintains in the music business. Getting the star on board for the show’s revival was a stroke of genius by the network, and Perry has been instrumental in the show catching on with a new era of viewers.
$25 million is a huge salary to pay just one judge, and while the other two come nowhere close to matching this, they are still being compensated pretty well.
Luke Bryan Makes $12 Million
Country music star Luke Bryan has been in the fold since the show made its return, and he is able to bring something unique to the table that wasn’t there before. Much like Blake Shelton over at The Voice, Luke Bryan offers a unique country perspective that certainly helps when sifting through new talent.
According to Taste of Country, Luke Bryan is currently pulling down $12 million per season of American Idol. This is half of what Katy Perry is making, but to be fair, she is a much bigger mainstream star than Luke Bryan is. Despite there being a considerable gap in pay, it is clear that Luke has been enjoying his time on the show as a judge.
Now that the show is coming back in 2021, people will be excited to see Bryan and Perry back on screen together. With a pop and a country perspective, they have done a good job at finding young talent.
Of course, there is still another piece of the judging puzzle that needs to be addressed, which is the soulful and classic perspective of Lionel Richie. He has been a fantastic fit on the show, and his salary is nothing to scoff at.
Lionel Richie Makes $10 Million
According to Taste of Country, the legend is pulling down roughly $10 million per season. Lionel was a huge success with The Commodores and eventually as a solo act. While he may not be dominating the charts like he once was, he still brings something unique to the table here.
Clearly, American Idol took a page from the successful playbook utilized by The Voice, because we now have a fresh perspective from successful musical acts as opposed to people who predominately worked behind the scenes and only one former star. This has been a huge reason why people have come to love the show once again.
As the show moves on to another season in 2021, it will be interesting to see what they do for auditions. Maybe they will be strictly digital, which would be great news for the team. Getting to stay local and not go from one city to the next could be refreshing.
Katy Perry’s $25 million is a remarkable amount, but the other two judges are still doing quite well.