9. Stephen Colbert – $4 million
Making $4 million per season for The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert is also among the highest paid talk show hosts. As an improve player in college he went on to work for Second City early in his career simply because he needed the work. This got him attention that led to the creation of his own show in NYC. While the show was not a long running hit it was enough to get him more recognition as an entertainer. The Daily Show hired him in 1997 and he was given The Colbert Report in 2005, which is still airing on Comedy Central.
10. Dr. Oz – $4 million
Daytime talk show host Dr. Oz now makes $4 million per year on his show of the same name. Before he became a talk show host he worked as a heart surgeon and an author and he is still performing these jobs. Associated with every professional organization for heart doctors throughout the world, Dr. Oz is also a regular staff member at the world renowned New York Presbyterian Hospital and works at Columbia University as a surgical professor.
Each of these talk show hosts worked their way up the ranks to command the kind of money they do today. Talk shows are a big business for the networks and the best hosts get well compensated for it. It is likely these talk shows will become increasingly popular.
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