American Idol: How Much Money Mariah Carey Made On The Show

Due to the star power Mariah Carey once brought as a judge on American Idol, the show naturally had to offer her an impressive paycheck. Mariah only appeared on one season of the show and didn’t enjoy herself, as she and fellow judge Nicki Minaj didn’t get along. They shared the judging table with Keith Urban and Randy Jackson. Before her 2013 stint on American Idol season 12, Mariah was in the award-winning film Precious and performed for President Barack Obama. Given her fame, American Idol had to fork over some serious cash for her appearance.

Mariah has had several ups and downs in her career. Living in the public eye is never easy, with everyone seeing your every high and low and judging every little thing you do. Mariah went through a public divorce from comedian Nick Cannon and has opened up about her bipolar disorder. Her incredible vocal talent often takes a backseat to news about her personal life. Despite this, she has managed to have a wildly successful career.

For her single season acting as a judge on American Idol, Mariah was reportedly paid $18 million (via StyleCaster). That means she was getting paid around three times that of long-time judge Randy Jackson, who left after that season. It was also significantly higher than what Nicki Minaj was getting paid, which was around $12 million. The large difference in paycheck might have led to some of the bad blood between Mariah and Nicki during that season.

Simon Cowell remains the highest-ever paid American Idol judge, earning somewhere in the neighborhood of $35 million per season. He was friends with show creator and producer Simon Fuller and helped him pitch the show. Despite his bad reputation, Simon was a popular part of the American Idol franchise. The highest-paid woman on the show is Katy Perry, who is said to be making $25 million per season. Mariah ranks as the third highest-paid judge in all of the show’s 19 seasons, narrowly beating out Jennifer Lopez, who was reportedly able to negotiate her salary up to $17.5 million when she returned to the show after Mariah’s season.

Mariah Carey may not have enjoyed her time working as a judge on American Idol, but she certainly was generously compensated. Since appearing on the show, she has had two children, which she co-parents with her ex-husband, Nick Cannon, and she has released a memoir about her 30 years in the public eye called The Meaning of Mariah Carey. Whatever she pursues next, she’ll no doubt be able to negotiate it to be financially rewarding.

Source: StyleCaster

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