She's been on the air since 1996, but Judge Judy is still the highest-paid TV personality, raking in $45 million for her syndicated afternoon court show, according to the annual "Who Earns What" survey by
TV Guide.

If you're being technical,
Simon Cowell of Fox's "X Factor" earns more (an astounding $90 million according to Forbes) but a lot of that comes from his behind-the-scenes work.
Matt Lauer of the "Today" show makes $21.5 million a year, but it pays even more to be funny. David Letterman makes $28 million, and Jay Leno makes $25 million.
Reality TV is also lucrative, especially the singing shows.
Mariah Carey will make $17 million to be the next "American Idol" judge (Ryan Seacrest makes $15 million just for hosting the show), according to TV Guide; Howard Stern makes $15 million for judging NBC's "America's Got Talent"; and
Britney Spears is making $10 million to judge "The X Factor."
But it's crazy to think that 69-year-old Judge Judy makes more than Mariah Carey and Britney Spears combined. Do you watch her show? And are you surprised by the news?
Whoever I was told was the highest paid probably would have surprised me. I think she is pretty cool, though.
judge judy is awesom though, i love watching the show