America’s Got Talent 2023 returns with judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Sofía Vergara, but how do their net worths compare?
“Mr Nasty” Simon Cowell may be the head judge, but he’s counting on his more soft-hearted co-judges this year. Will the criticism be softened by the other stars to bring in the viewers for America’s Got Talent season 18?
The 2023 NBC series welcomes Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum back to the desk for the fourth consecutive season. We know that the America’s Got Talent judges are BFFs but who comes out on top when it boils down to the dollar bills? The countdown begins.
America’s Got Talent: Judges net worths ranked
Fourth place – Howie Mandel
Net worth: $60 million
Although Howie Mandel ranks fourth, he is by no means strapped for cash. The Canadian comedian TV producer has a net worth of $60 million.
Howie, 67, rose to fame as an actor in the 1980s medical series, St Elsewhere. His career behind the camera hit a breakthrough as the creator and executive producer of Bobby’s World, an Emmy-nominated children’s animated series to which he voiced the protagonist, Bobby Generic, and his father.
As for his reputation in the world of reality TV, Mandel is the go-to celeb for competition series and game shows. He has served as the presenter of Deal Or No Deal for 14 years, Netflix‘s Bull**** The Game, and is currently a judge of Canada’s Got Talent.
Third place – Heidi Klum
Net worth: $160 million
Judge Heidi Klum needs no introduction as one of the top supermodels of 1990s. The German-American model is known for her runway career alongside the likes of Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks, and Gisele Bundchen. Klum was the first German model to become a Victoria’s Secret Angel.
The top model kicked off her hosting career as the host and judge of Project Runway for 13 years until 2017. She is currently a judge on German’s Next Top Model.
Second place – Sofia Vergara
Net worth: $180 million
Sofia Vergara will never be mentioned without her fan-favorite portrayal of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on Modern Family. She portrayed the character for the show’s entire 11-year run, during which she was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards.
For the first three seasons, the Colombian actress was paid $30,000 per episode, a figure that rose to $500,000 in 2018.
First place – Simon Cowell
Net worth: $600 million
Simon Cowell has been an entertainment industry leader since the 1980s as a record executive and entrepreneur. The 63-year-old can be considered as the godfather of British competition series thanks to his music and talent series, Pop Idol, The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent.
From the early to mid 2000s, British weekend television was dominated by Cowell’s franchises. They have gone on to launch international spin-offs, including American Idol.
Cowell’s blunt insults have earned him a controversial repuation among fans, but there’s no doubting that he has an eye for talent. The music producer once had the likes of One Direction, Little Mix, and Fifth Harmony signed to his now-defunt record label, Syco Music.