Not only did Walters make history by appearing as the first female news anchor on the national evening news, but she also collected quite a fortune over her impressive journalism career. Walters was there for some of the most important and largest interviews with world leaders, politicians, and celebrities over the years. Known for her “personality journalism” style as well as her ability to “be the first” on the scene, Walters has made a huge name for herself over the years. She made a huge fortune by hosting shows like “20/20”, “ABC News”, “Today”, and “The View”.
Though Walters was certainly a talented journalist and we in no way want to undermine her skills, her fortune is not entirely self-created. She was fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family. Her father worked as an entertainment director for Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. We all know Vegas is known as “Sin City” and sadly Walter’s father had trouble staying away from the casinos and lost his fortune. Luckily for Barbara, the apple did fall far from the tree and she made sure to be intelligent with her money, which is what led to the impressive net worth that she held until her last day.
Garth Brooks — $420 Million
Country legend Garth Brooks has an extremely impressive net worth. He brought in $70 million in the year 2015 alone — not bad for a year’s work. To this day, Garth Brooks continues to be one of the top-earning country music singers of all time. But although he certainly has enough money to retire, Brooks has a passion for music and is dedicated to his loyal fan base.
For three years from 2014 to 2017, Brooks set off on a worldwide comeback tour. He certainly doesn’t take much time off. When he returned back to the States, Brooks released a brand new single and announced that he would be going on yet another stadium tour. Be it passion or a love for the stage, Garth Brooks certainly is a huge success musically and financially.
Judge Judy — $440 Million
Despite her small stature, Judge Judy has a big personality. So big in fact, that she’s been able to make a multimillion-dollar career out of it. The only woman in a class of 126 students at the Washington College of Law, Judith Sheindlin went on to become a judge in Manhattan family courts. She eventually transitioned into courtroom television in 1996 and the rest is history. Since its initial launch, 'Judge Judy' has continued to be one of the highest-rated programs on television.
In fact, Sheindlin makes $47 million per year because of her incredibly popular courtroom program. It’s hard to imagine, but Sheindlin and her bailiff, who makes $1 million per year, film all 260 episodes of Judge Judy in a span of 50 days. Talk about a hard day’s work! It must be stressful to film those episodes all in one sitting, but having the rest of the year to relax would certainly make it all more than worth it. No judgment here!
Stephen Colbert — $110 Million
Another television host known for his newsroom satire, Colbert is a man of many accolades, so it’s no wonder his net worth is so impressive. Initially working as an actor cast in serious television shows such as "Law & Order", Colbert eventually found his niche in the comedy and talk show sector. He’s become so successful that he’s actually won nine Emmys, two Grammys, two Peabody’s, and of course has amassed a net worth of $110 million.
Colbert began his career as a member of an acting troupe. Believe it or not, he was cast as an understudy for Steve Carell. Though he wasn’t a failure as an actor, Colbert wasn’t gaining the success he hoped for and ended up working as a writer for popular shows such as "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show". It turned out Colbert was much more successful as a writer than as an actor and he was eventually asked to appear on "The Daily Show", which in turn launched "The Colbert Report". He currently hosts "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert".
David Letterman — $480 Million
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone that hasn’t heard of David Letterman. His name is up in the television host Hall of Fame with personalities like Johnny Carson and Jack Paar. Letterman has led an extremely impressive and long-lasting career, beginning in 1982 and continuing up until 2015. His two most famous shows, "Late Night with David Letterman" and "The Late Show", ran for 6,080 episodes. Letterman was even ranked as one of the 50 best television stars of all time by TV Guide.
In 2015, Letterman announced that he was retiring from television, much to the dismay of his fans. However, his massive net worth continues to expand as Letterman remains steadfast in his career. He now hosts "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" on Netflix and continues to make money through re-runs of "The Late Late Show" as well as "Everybody Loves Raymond", for which his production company is responsible.