10 Richest Game Show Hosts Of All Time | TheRichest
Though hosts don't have to test their skills on game shows like the contestants do, they still have quite a job to do, if you think about it! A successful game show host can't just facilitate and monotonously move the game along -- they have to be constantly charming and funny, usually on the spot.
With a dash of wit and charisma, game show hosts can rack up quite the paycheck! Not mention, with game shows being universally loved for decades, the hosts of them can become household names that go on to have long careers. Here's a list of the ten richest game show hosts of all time.
10 Alex Trebek - $50 million
A Canada native, Alex Trebek was in broadcast news before game shows. Once he hosted a high school quiz show entitled Reach for the Top in the 1960s, Alex knew he found his true calling. He went on to host game shows like Strategy, High Rollers, The Wizard of Odds, Double Dare, The $128,000 Question, Battlestars, and Pitfall before finally finding his home at the host of Jeopardy! in the 1980s. While he's contracted to continue to host until 2022, he shocked the nation by revealing his failing health this year. Alex is fighting his cancer diagnosis bravely and is a certified cultural icon.
9 Bob Barker - $70 million
While Bob Barker's primary focus as a young man was fighting in World War II as a member of the United States Navy, there were tons of clues that hosting was in his future. In college, he worked in the radio business before finally receiving his own radio show in the 1950s called The Bob Barker Show. His first foray into television was hosting the game show Truth or Consequences, and he then went on to host game shows like End of the Rainbow, The Family Game, Simon Says, That's My Line, and The Price is Right. The latter ended up being the longest-running game show in American history, and Bob hosted it for 37 years before retiring.
8 Jeff Foxworthy - $100 million
To be fair, Jeff Foxworthy is primarily a comedian and actor before he is a game show host. Still, he's also found some steady work as a host! He started doing stand-up and went on to make six comedy albums, and they did so well that he was able to nab his own sitcom, The Jeff Foxworthy Show.
In 2007, he began his game show career as the host of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? After hitting his stride on that show, he opted to host another game show entitled The American Bible Challenge as well as the show The American Baking Competition. His latest position is as a judge for the comedy competition Bring the Funny.
7 Steve Harvey - $140 million
Though Family Feud has been a successful game show since the 1970s, the show took a bit of a dip in ratings in recent years -- that is, until Steve Harvey took over as host in 2010. With a dash of the former stand-up comedian's humor added to the show, ratings began to skyrocket. Steve has also seen success in sitcoms, starring in The Steve Harvey Show from 1996 to 2002, as well as multiple talk shows. Still, many regard Steve as synonymous with Family Feud at this point! He also hosts Celebrity Family Feud, where famous people can compete to donate money to charity.
6 Regis Philbin - $150 million
As someone who set the Guinness World Record for most time spent in front of a television camera, Regis Philbin has way more credentials than just hosting game shows! He started his TV career as a mere page for The Tonight Show in the 1950s before becoming the announcer for the show and eventually earning his own talk show, The Regis Philbin Show. He then became the "sidekick" on The Joey Bishop Show, which is when his career really took off. He began hosting Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee (later renamed to Regis and Kelly) in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Regis finally broke out into game shows by hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
5 Drew Carey - $165 million
Drew Carey may have worn multiple hats throughout his career, but right now he's a full-time game show host. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Drew became a stand-up comedian. He did so well that he was given his own sitcom, The Drew Carrey Show.
He then went on to host the "game show" Whose Line is It Anyway?, an improv comedy show where "the points don't matter." After Bob Barker left The Price is Right, however, Drew was given the opportunity to host a real game show. He began hosting the legendary show in 2007 and continues to host it to this day.
4 Don Francisco - $200 million
Don Francisco technically first made his mark in Chile, but is also well-known in the United States as he stars on American-Spanish TV networks like Univision and Telemundo. Don originated the variety show Sábado Gigante, which broke records as the longest-running television variety series in the entire world. The show lasted for 53 years before finally ending in 2015. Aside from Sábado Gigante, Don hosted the Spanish-language versions of game shows like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Deal or No Deal, and The £100K Drop (known as Atrapa los Millones in Chile.)
3 Dick Clark - $200 million
When you think of hosting, you think of Dick Clark. Dick made a career in radio before hosting the variety television show American Bandstand for decades. American Bandstand introduced the nation to some of the biggest names in music for the first time, such as Ike and Tina Turner, The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, and numerous more. He also hosted the game show Pyramid simultaneously and won awards for both hosting gigs. Many families would join him every New Year's Eve to watch Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve before he passed away in 2012.
2 Ryan Seacrest - $350 million
Ryan Seacrest notably took over hosting duties for Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve after Dick's passing, but that barely scratches the surface of Ryan's career. Though it could be argued that the singing competition American Idol doesn't quite qualify as a game show, the rapport Ryan developed with the contestants as the host of the show surely puts him in the same ranks as the other names on this list. Though Ryan technically hosted the game show The Million Second Quiz for a short amount of time, it's American Idol -- along with co-hosting the talk show Live With Kelly and Ryan -- that undoubtedly amassed him his fortune.
1 Merv Griffin - $1 billion
Seeing as Merv Griffin created and hosted multiple game shows, it's no wonder his net worth tops this list. Merv first entered the entertainment industry as a singer, but quickly found that he had a knack for hosting game shows after hosting the show Play Your Hunch from 1958 to 1962. He also hosted game shows like Keep Talking and Word for Word. In addition, he thrived in the industry off-camera, creating legendary game shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! When Merv passed away in 2007, networks aired marathons of those shows in his honor.
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