Jon Stewart is the highest-paid host on television, making between $25 million and $30 million for the Comedy Central staple The Daily Show , a new report found.
Stewart’s astronomical salary put him far ahead of his competition, the annual salary report from TV Guide noted. The next highest-paid host, David Letterman, earned $20 million a year.
Stewart’s salary had nearly doubled in the last two years, when TV Guide reported that he made $16 million .
The survey found that the average pay for a television late night host is around $10 million. Rounding out the list of television hosts is John Oliver, who filled in for Stewart.
Here is the full list, via TV Guide :
1. Jon Stewart $25-$30 million 2. David Letterman $20 million 3. Conan O’Brien $12 million 4. Jimmy Fallon $11 million 6. Chelsea Handler $10 million 6. Jimmy Kimmel $10 million 7. John Oliver $2 million
Jon Stewart is now reaching beyond his late-night work. He recently directed the political drama Rosewater , the true story of Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari (Gael Garcia Bernal), who covered the 2009 Iranian elections for Newsweek. After an appearance on The Daily Show, Bahari was detained by the Iranian government for 100 days before finally being released.
The movie is already earning praise ahead of its November premiere. Variety’s Scott Foundas said Stewart’s dramatic venture stands out.
“The punishing ordeal of Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari — imprisoned for 118 days on charges of espionage — is brought to the screen with impressive tact and intelligence by writer-director Jon Stewart in Rosewater, an alternately somber and darkly funny drama that may occupy the same geographic terrain as Argo (to which it will inevitably be compared), but in most other respects could hardly be more different.”
Many believe that in addition to the $25 million to $30 million he made on The Daily Show , Jon Stewart could also be taking home some award hardware for his directorial debut.
