Which TV stars are most overpaid?
Adam Rose / Warner Bros
Ashton Kutcher on "Two and a Half Men." According to a study by The Los Angeles Times, Kutcher makes only $1.16 per viewer, while Chelsea Handler makes $16.70 per viewer.
By Cody Delistraty
Chelsea Handler is the most overpaid celebrity on TV and Ashton Kutcher should be asking for a hefty raise, according to a semi-scientific study conducted by The Los Angeles Times.
The Times study divided the salaries of TV personalities by the average number of viewers their show attracts, ranking them according to how much money they make per viewer. Handler, who makes $12 million, attracts only 718,000 viewers on average, which works out to the comedienne earning an astonishing $16.70 for each viewer the most of any TV personality.
While the study fails to account for the fact that some performers tape 200 or more episodes per year (Jon Stewarts Daily Show, for example) or the importance of attracting a young demographic (well give you that, Chelsea) or the fact that all salaries are unofficial and based on agency sources and reported figures as the Times concedes, the study nonetheless provides an interesting look into the rather incomprehensible, illogical world of TV.
According to the findings, it seems that Handler, David Letterman and Anderson Cooper are maximizing personal gain, rounding out the top three in most money per viewer; however, Jersey Shores Snooki, Modern Familys Ty Burrell and Two and a Half Mens ! Kutcher are giving their networks a real bang for their buck with some of the lowest per viewer earnings. Then again, its hard to think Burrell and Snookis million-dollar annual salaries are reason to groan. And while Kutcher pulls in only $1.16 per viewer, with a $17 million salary he ends up making about $1 millionfor each of histwenty-two minute episodes. All of a sudden, the floppy-haired star doesnt seem so underpaid.
It really does seem impossible to gauge how much a star deserves though. Judge Judys Judith Sheindlinmakes the most of any TV personality: $45 million annually.How's that work, you might ask? The supreme ease and profit in syndicating Judge Judy is probably the best answer.But other questions abound.
Why should Stephen Colbert earn only one-third of Jon Stewarts salary for making essentially the same show? And how did Keith Olbermann make whatthe Times estimates to be$56 per viewer when helming Countdown on Al Gores Current TV?
Perhapspaychecks hingeless on economic sense and more on an entertainers it factor and potential drawing power. The Times notes that intense competition makes network executives do increasingly desperate things.
After all, Olbermann's short-lived gigpulled Current TV into the spotlight, Letterman has helped make CBS the most-watched network thanks in part to his shows late-night domination, and Stewart pulls in youngsters and provides a widely watched platform for movie stars and authors alike to discuss their projects and crack a few jokes.
While we can roll our collective eyes at Chelsea Handlers $16.70 per viewer salary for Chelsea Lately, perhaps someone over at E! knows exactly why she deserves so much. It just goes to further prove how complex the TV industry is. Either that, or Handler has one hell of an ! agent.
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