IT’S Simon Cowell’s world and we just live in it.
But the real surprise on Forbes magazine’s list of the richest men in prime-time television is who’s ranked No. 2 — “Apprentice” host Donald Trump.
The master builder is raking in $50 million-a-year from TV, according to the magazine.
How could that be?
Easy. Trump owns “Apprentice” — he’s the only one on the list who owns his show — with reality producer Mark Burnett.
That means he and Burnett split the millions the show makes each season on product placement ads.
And the show is also an international hit with local versions in England, Italy, France and South America.
Cowell, the “American Idol” mastermind, is earning $75 million from “Idol,” the most-watched (and most profitable) show on TV.
It’s so profitable that it made “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest, the youngest member at 35, the No. 3 millionaire on the list. Besides his hosting duties on “Idol,” Seacrest has lucrative deals with ClearChannel Radio and Comcast and co-hosts ABC’s New Year’s Eve show.
The highest-ranked actor on the list comes as no surprise. “Two and a Half Men” star Charlie Sheen made about $21 million last year. Just after Sheen comes Steve Carell from “The Office.”
For clues about the bottom half of the list, you just have to look at the ratings. “Deal or No Deal” host Howie Mandel is No. 6, with $15 million. “24” star Kiefer Sutherland comes in at No. 7 with $13 million.
The other name you might not expect to see on a list of this sort is Jeff Foxworthy, who comes in at No. 8. The host of “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” has income from successful books and comedy albums. Foxworthy has sold 15 million comedy albums in his time, more than Steve Martin and Richard Pryor combined.