Financial magazine Forbes has published a list of the highest-paid TV celebrities, with daytime talk show host Oprah Winfrey leading the way by earning an $US260 million ($295 million) between June 2006 and June 2007.
Second in the list was Jerry Seinfeld earning $US60 million.
Winfrey was joined at the top of the list by another US talk show host, David Letterman. He landed in spot number four by raking in $US40 million in the same period from his Late Night with David Letterman.
Simon Cowell, the arrogant and harshly critical judge on top-rated talent show American Idol, earned $US45 million to land at number three, and Donald Trump - whose boisterous exclamation "You're Fired" from reality show The Apprentice became part of the pop culture lexicon - was number five with $US32 million.
The list shows that in the media arena, it pays to own and produce either all or part of your shows.
That notion becomes abundantly clear in the number two slot, where Seinfeld sits with $US60 million earned mostly from reruns of his co-owned 1990's sitcom Seinfeld.
Despite the fact that primetime TV shows win awards and critical acclaim, Forbes senior editor Lea Goldman notes that daytime TV and news is where stars rake in the dough.
"Daytime personalities dominate our list of TV's top earners, with most competition among morning and afternoon talk show hosts."
Barbara Walters, another star who owns and co-produces her daytime show The View, landed at number 18 with $US12 million. © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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