American Idol 2024 judges net worth: Who is the richest?

American Idol's 21 long seasons are credited to its super-talented contestants who come from all parts of the country, but the judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan also play a big role in increasing its appeal, alongside the star host Ryan Seacrest.

In its course of 22 seasons, the fans have seen several judges come and go, like Jennifer Lopez, Simon Cowell, Ellen De Generes, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Steven Tyler, Keith Urban, Randy Jackson, Harry Connick Jr., Kara DioGuardi, and Paula Abdul, who were paid according to their relevancy.

The judges this season aren't new to the show, with all three starting their American Idol journey in season 16. Their pays also differ according to their relevancy and appeal to audiences. Katy Perry currently makes the most among the three and also has the richest net worth.

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The judges of season 22 of American Idol 2024 and their net worths

1) Katy Perry ($400 million)

Katy got her estimated net worth after selling her catalog to Litmus Music for $225 million, a rights company backed by private equity company Carlyle Group. According to Billboard, she was also getting paid $168 million for her Las Vegas residency.

Dubbed 'Queen of Camp' by Vogue, Katy also widely influences the fashion scene with her over-the-top camp style. Her net worth is around $400 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.

The Harleys in Hawaii singer has been a judge since ABC renewed the FOX show in 2018. She made headlines when her salary for the show was reported to be $25 million per season, according to PageSix.

The source at the publication also added that the producer, Ben Sherwood,

"blew the budget on Katy without thinking how that would impact other areas of the show budget. He gambled on her because of her appeal to a younger audience and huge social-media following. But Katy is effectively taking money from the other judges, who then had to be paid way less."

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2) Lionel Richie ($200 million)

Lionel is considered among the legends of his time. He is in the league of the world's best-selling artists after successfully selling over 100 million records. The All Night Long singer has had many songs rank at number one on the Billboard charts, including the album Can't Slow Down, which also won him a Grammy. He has an estimated net worth of $200 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Lionel is also a recipient of the Academy Award as well as the Golden Globe Award, for the song Say You, Say Me, which won the Best Original Song.

On American Idol though, Richie was first offered $2.5 million per season as reported by PageSix, which he negotiated and got to $7 million per season.

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3) Luke Bryan ($160 million)

Luke's net worth of $160 million is also according to Celebrity Net Worth. The Country Girl singer often goes on tours, from which he earns $1 million per tour, according to Stylecaster. He has had 30 number-one hits from his first 10 albums and has a collection of hits under his belt that he likes to perform while on tours. He is also in the league of the best-selling artists with about 75 million records sold worldwide.

Like Lionel, Luke was also offered $2.5 million by the production at ABC, for serving as a judge per season. The country artist refused to settle for less after comparing his salary to Perry's, asked for more, and settled for $7 million per season, according to PageSix sources.

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Apart from these, American Idol's host, Ryan Seacrest makes $15 million per season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Seacrest is a coveted host with Grammy nominations for American Idol from 2004 to 2013 and an Emmy win for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution in 2010.

New episodes of American Idol season 22 drop every Sunday, on ABC, at 8 pm ET.