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?
I don't get to watch her show as much as I used to but I still watch sometimes because she makes me laugh..
Look at all the other BS Salaries are getting these days.
I just seen an NBA team signed a player for four years for 35 million and he only played
14 games last year.So Surprised I should not be.
A lot of times, I wonder if people can't stand her because THEY lost a case in her courtroom and she made them look absolutely stupid as they were trying to get one over on her.