The Richest Late Night Host Might Surprise You

He wasn't in the late night game for as long as David Letterman, but, with an eye-watering net worth of $450 million, Jay Leno edges him out at the top. He became the wealthiest late night host not because he commanded superior salaries, but because he's always been a hard worker and a good saver.

He wasn't in the late night game for as long as David Letterman, but, with an eye-watering net worth of $450 million, Jay Leno edges him out at the top. He became the wealthiest late night host not because he commanded superior salaries, but because he's always been a hard worker and a good saver. "When I got 'The Tonight Show,' I always made sure I did 150 [stand-up] gigs a year so I never had to touch the principal," Leno told CNBC in 2017. "I've never touched a dime of my 'Tonight Show' money. Ever."

Leno became the host of "The Tonight Show" in 1992. By 2012, he was earning $30 million annually, but he agreed to take a 50% pay cut that year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC wanted to reduce the show's $100 million budget, and Leno didn't want to lose any key members of staff. "We managed to keep all our people and just spread the money around a bit," he later told CNBC.

Leno's "Tonight Show" contract expired in 2014, but he carried on working for NBC as the host of "Jay Leno's Garage." He has a massive private car collection (it totaled at 181 in April 2021, per HotCars) that's worth as much as $100 million when you include his motorcycles (all 161 of them). Leno's latest paycheck is Fox's revival of the classic game show "You Bet Your Life," which debuted in 2021.

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