Ryan Seacrest Now Earns $55 Million Paycheck
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Ryan Seacrest is rolling in the dough.
The 36-year-old American Idol host's salary tripled in 2009 -- skyrocketing from $5 million a year to $15 million -- when he signed a three-year deal with FOX and CKX, and now the Hollywood Reporter estimates he earns $55 million a year.
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How'd Seacrest score such an enormous paycheck?
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In addition to his $45 million American Idol compensation, he hosts his own KIIS-FM radio show and produces the Kardashian reality shows for E! and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution for ABC.
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Seacrest doesn't come cheap, but FOX can certainly afford him. Though operating costs for American Idol rose 17% in the last year, Forbes estimates the program earns $7.11 million every half-hour for News Corp.
