Television's Top Earners: Oprah, Sheen, Laurie
NEW YORK (CBS) Who are TV's top earners? One is a talk-show host, another is half of "Two and a Half Men" a third is a doctor with a serious attitude problem.
Oprah Winfrey, Charlie Sheen and Hugh Laurie take the lead spots among Hollywood's highest paid on television.
According to TVGuide.com, Winfrey comes in first place in the late night/talk show syndication category, earning $315 million per year for "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Judge Judy comes in second ($45 million), followed by David Letterman ($28 million), Jay Leno ($25 million), Conan O'Brien ($10 million) and Ellen DeGeneres ($8 million).
Charlie Sheen tops the comedy category, earning a reported $1.25 million for each episode of "Two and a Half Men." His co-star, Jon Cryer, comes in second with $550,000 per episode. Others top earners in the category include "Desperate Housewives" stars Terri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria Parker and Marcia Cross, who all make $400,000 per episode. That's also what Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner earn for voicing Homer and Marge on "The Simpsons."
Also raking in the money for laughs are Tina Fey ("30 Rock") and Jeremy Piven ("Entourage"), who each make $350,000 an episode.
When it comes to drama, Hugh Laurie reins supreme. The "House" star reportedly earns more than $400,000 per episode. Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay came in second, both earning $395,000 for each episode of "Law & Order: SVU."
Others in the category include David Carouso (CSI: Miami"), Marg Helgenberger ("CSI") and Mark Harmon ("NCIS"), who each earn $375,000 per episode.
Krya Sedgwick earns $350,000 for "The Closer," Patrick Dempsey gets $250,000 for "Grey's Anatony" and David Boreanaz receives $200,000 an episode for "Bones."
In contrast, Jon Hamm earns just $100,000 per episode for his role as Don Draper in the Emmy-winning "Mad Men."
In the reality TV world, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest is the top earner. According to the report, he takes home $15 million per year, while Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi takes home $30,000 per episode for "Jersey Shore."
And in news, Matt Lauer holds the top-earning title. He tops out at a reported $16+ million per year, while "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric comes in second with $15 million. Brian Williams and Diane Sawyer come in third and fourth, earning $12.5 and $12 million per year, respectively.
TVGuide.com has the full top-earners list.