13 Richest Late Night Talk Show Hosts, Ranked by Net Worth

For over 22 years Jay Leno was a staple on NBC, with "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" running 1992-2009 and "The Jay Leno Show" on air 2009-2014, making him one of the longest-running hosts in history. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame upon his retirement in 2014.

Before his career on TV, Leno was a well established stand-up comedian, and it has been said that over the years he has barely spent any of his income from TV (except maybe on his massive car collection) and lives mainly off of his comedy earnings.

After becoming a permanent guest host for Johnny Carson, he eventually took over when Carson retired.

David Letterman was the host of his own talk shows for a total of 33 years. After stints as a guest host for Johnny Carson, he and Jay Leno became rivals (one of the "late night wars" that roiled TV) for the role of successor to Carson, whose own "Tonight Show" was — and still is — the industry standard.

Leno eventually won the gig, but Letterman landed on his feet. His tenure began in 1982 with "Late Night with David Letterman" and ended in 2015 with the "Late Show with David Letterman."

He hosted over 6,000 episodes throughout his career, making him the longest-serving television host in history. His one-on-one interviews, as well as his various off-kilter segments, are still classics.

Conan O’Brien is a long-time talk show host who has been at the helm of a number of shows throughout his career, but is best known for his role as the host of "Conan," which was on the air for 11 years.

O’Brien has a very particular hosting style which includes a high degree of spontaneity, and his style of humor has been described as awkward and self-deprecating.

As the host of HBO's Real Time, Bill Maher has accumulated a tidy fortune over his long career in show business. He got his start as a comedian and actor, before making his name with "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher," a Comedy Central show.

Maher took his act to HBO, where's been ever since.

We’ve come to one of the most popular and beloved figures on this list, Jon Stewart. From 1999 until 2015, Stewart was the much-loved host of "The Daily Show," a satirical news program that appeared on Comedy Central, providing comic relief for the often heavy current events.

In 2015, after 16 years as the host, Stewart retired and relinquished the role of host to Trevor Noah, who appears elsewhere on this list. Stewart won 22 Emmy awards throughout his career, which is the most ever for a male individual.

Trevor Noah is a South African comedian and actor who became the new host of "The Daily Show" in late September of 2015, later stepping down in 2022.

Noah was already a wealthy star from his comedy career in South Africa before taking over for Jon Stewart in 2015 — and a contract extension saw a big bump in his salary, from $8 million to $16 million.

John Oliver got his big break in American television as a correspondent, writer and guest host on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," before moving to HBO with his very own show, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."

Rather than a nightly late show format, Oliver's show airs on Sunday nights, recapping the news from the previous week and focusing on in-depth, satirical takes on various topics.

Stephen Colbert has been a staple on prime time TV for a long time now, making him one of the most well-liked and respected people in the business. He is likely best known for his nearly 10-year run hosting "The Colbert Report," which was a "Daily Show" spin-off that parodied modern news reporting.

In early September 2015, he took over as the host of "The Late Show," succeeding the wildly popular David Letterman. Colbert successfully navigated the transition from a satirical character to a more mainstream late night personality, with celebrity guests and opening monologues.

After a few years of stand-up and improv gigs, Jimmy Fallon got his big break as a regular cast member of "Saturday Night Live" at the age of 23.

He used his success on "SNL" to develop a career in film, appearing in movies such as "Almost Famous" and "Fever Pitch," and then further built upon his stellar reputation by taking on a hosting job in late night television.

In 2009 he began his run five-year run as the host of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," and then in 2014 he took the reins of "The Tonight Show," making him the sixth host in the show’s history.

Before his career as a big time talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel worked in radio for a number of years and starred in Comedy Central shows such as "Win Ben Stein’s Money" and "The Man Show." Then, in 2003, Kimmel left "The Man Show" permanently to host his own all-new talk show called "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

The show has been going strong ever since, with a widely devoted fan base who regularly tune in. As a result of this show, he has become a massive celebrity, earning him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

You'll notice that Jimmy Kimmel and Andy Cohen (next on the list) tie in net worth. We placed Kimmel ahead because his reported salary is slightly higher than Cohen's.

Andy Cohen is the current host of "Watch What Happens Live," which airs on Bravo and is available the next day on the Peacock app. Like many talk shows, it features lively celebrity interviews with a focus on pop culture.

Andy Cohen is more than on-screen talent; he's had a long career as a behind-the-scenes player as executive producer on various shows, from the "Real Housewives" franchise to "Queer Eye." All of this has added to his overall net worth.

Seth Meyers has been a staple on TV for years. Prior to his venture into late night talk shows, Meyers was likely best known as a head writer and occasional performer on the hit show "Saturday Night Live."

In 2013, after being on the show for over a decade, it was revealed that Seth Myers would take over for Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night." And on February 24th, 2014, he assumed his role as the host of "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and officially joined the ranks of talk show hosts.

Craig Ferguson is a Scottish-born comedian, actor and longtime talk show host. Ferguson first found success in the United States on "The Drew Carey Show" and was able to transition that success into becoming the new "Late Late Show" host in early 2005.

He was the host of the show for nine years, until 2014, when he then went on to host the syndicated "Celebrity Name Game" in September of 2014. In addition to this, he is a jack of all trades in the industry as he has been a director, writer, producer and voice actor.