You may think Simon Cowell is the richest TV star – but he’s not (Image: Getty)
Being a well-loved TV personality is hard work, as you have to be likeable, talented, and work seriously hard – and with that, often comes fame and .
If you were asked who the richest personality was, you’d likely hazard a guess at or Jamie Oliver thanks to the popularity they’ve been faced with over the years.
But it’s neither of these people. In fact, this person’s net worth of £3 billion is far more than Simon and Jamie’s combined.
Simon Cowell’s net worth is reportedly $600 million (£492m) thanks to his judging on Pop Idol, The X Factor UK, and Britain’s Got Talent, which is still extremely popular with those on social media.
He was originally a record producer, talent agent and consultant in the UK music industry, but Cowell came to public prominence in 2001 as a judge on Pop Idol, a talent television show that he and its creator Simon Fuller successfully pitched to ITV Controller of Entertainment – and the rest was history.
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Jamie Oliver is popular for completely different reasons, and he has an estimated net worth of £164 million.
He began his career working as a pastry chef, and then began working as sous-chef at the River Café, where his talent in front of the camera was discovered during the filming of a documentary on the restaurant.
He then bagged his first TV gig making the show ‘The Naked Chef,’ where he showed parents how to make healthy meals with basic ingredients. This was a success, and so in 2005, he initiated a campaign, originally called ‘Feed Me Better’ which aimed to help British schoolchildren eat healthy foods.
Unfortunately, one of his less popular moves was to target turkey twizzlers. He ended up getting them banned from school dinners thanks to their relatively low percentage of actual turkey meat in them, as well as high fat and sugar content – but kids weren’t happy about it.
But despite his illustrious career, he isn’t the world’s richest TV personality, because both he and Simon Cowell have been pipped to the post by the amazing Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah Winfrey transitioned her hit talk show, which ran for 25 years until 2011, into a media and business empire. According to Parade, Oprah earns a huge $9.99 (£8.19) every second.
Winfrey is a producer, actress, and television icon. She was the first Black American woman to own her own production company. She was nominated for an Academy Award in her first movie, The Color Purple.
Winfrey has also invested in Weight Watchers. She was the company’s spokesperson from 2015–2024, she reportedly took home a cumulative total of $221 million from the deal.
The weight loss company’s stock price skyrocketed after her investment, resulting in the advent of a new phrase, “Oprahfication,” by The Wall Street Journal — because everything Oprah is involved with seems to be a huge success.
What’s more, Winfrey is a powerhouse on social media. She has 41.1 million followers on X, 23 million fans and 183,000 subscribers on YouTube.