All 4 late night host salaries, ranked from lowest to highest

Talk shows are not the lucrative industry they once were. They have definitely ceded ground to social media and podcasts, as evidenced by the fact that talk show hosts are incorporating these mediums into their format. It's a transitional period in many ways.

That being said, the big four of late night: Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, are still making quite a bit of money for their troubles. Ratings and salaries do not necessarily go hand in hand, so we thought it'd be interesting to see who makes the most in terms of per episode work. The answer surprised us, and it might just surprise you too.

Let's start from the bottom, which is a relative term given the staggering salaries we're dealing with here, and work our way up.

Seth Meyers ($5 Million)

Seth Meyers has the lowest salary of the big four. The comedian is known for having the least attention-grabbing show, Late Night, despite placing pretty high on our list in terms of comedic talent.

According to Yahoo Finance, Meyers has an annual late night salary of $5 million. Meyers got his start as a writer on Saturday Night Live, and deserves kudos for paying his writing staff out of pocket when the WGA strikes took hold in 2023 (credit where credit is due, Fallon did the same).

Stephen Colbert ($15 Million)

Stephen Colbert's original Late Show salary was in the same ballpark as Meyers'. He was initially paid $5 million, but the success of his tenure, which was largely driven by his aggressive coverage of the presidential race, boosted ratings and subsequently gave him bargaining power.

Colbert's Late Show salary is now an estimated $15 million, according to Hello! Magazine. That is a sizable boost, and one that the comedian has earned through his continued success. He recently extended his CBS contract through 2026.

Jimmy Kimmel ($15 Million)

Jimmy Kimmel has been hosting his late night show much longer than his peers. He's been sitting behind the desk at Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003. Unsurprisingly, he's managed to negotiate an impressive salary in that time.

Kimmel matches Stephen Colbert in terms of annual salary. Distractify confirms that he takes home $15 million for his nightly antics, despite taking the summer off and ceding the desk to a number of guest hosts. Good work if you can get it.

1. Jimmy Fallon ($16 Million)

Jimmy Fallon placed dead last when we did our ranking of the best late night hosts, and yet here he is, topping the list in the payment department. The Tonight Show is the most hallowed institution in late night history, and Fallon's salary reflects this, as he gets paid $16 million per year.

Broken down, this means Fallon makes an eye-watering $82,901.55 per episode. The Tonight Show recently reached 2,000 episodes under the comedian, which means he has been paid $165 million since he started in 2014. Just, wow. No wonder he extended his contract through 2028.