The richest game show hosts, ranked by net worth

According to CelebrityNetWorth, Merv Griffin, creator of “Wheel of Fortune,” personally offered the hosting gig on the show to Pat Sajak. NBC balked at the decision, leading Griffin to shut down the show until Sajak was hired. Given Sajak’s long career on the show since, Merv made the right call.

Though he’s now happily retired (and continuing his famed work as an animal activist), Bob Barker hosted “The Price Is Right” for a whopping 35 years before handing over the reins to Drew Carey.

At the time of his passing in 2020, Alex Trebek had a fortune of $75 million, but his financial success pales in comparison to the utter devotion he earned from friends, peers in entertainment, and pretty much anyone else as host of “Jeopardy!”

Regis Philbin was a successful actor, singer, and author too, but he was best known for his monumental role as the host of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and “Live! with Regis and Kelly.” All told, he earned about $150 million before his death in 2020.

Though he only took over “The Price Is Right” in 2007, Drew Carey has nearly doubled Bob Barker’s fortune. According to CelebrityNetWorth, he earns a salary of 12.5 million, and he had plenty of cash from other gigs like his own show, “The Drew Carey Show.”

Dick Clark might be best known for his New Year’s Eve hosting gig, but he also earned three Emmys for best game show host when he was host of “The $10,000 Pyramid.” He also took over for Ed McMahon as host for “Missing Links.”

Steve Harvey has lived an interesting life, working odd jobs and even experiencing homelessness at one point, but he has since earned an incredible $200 million, mostly from his prestigious hosting role on “Family Feud."

When it ended in 2015, Univision's “Sábado Gigante” was the longest-running variety show in TV history (it even had the official Guinness World Record), running for a whopping 53 years. It also made its host, Don Francisco, crazy rich.

Ryan Seacrest made his name as one of the faces of “American Idol,” and he has since taken on high-profile roles like “Live with Kelly and Ryan” and “Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.” Along with some producing work, he’s earned almost $500 million.

As this list proves, you can make a lot of money hosting game shows, but you can make even more by creating them. At the time of his passing in 2007, Merv Griffin had earned $1 billion, partly from hosting his namesake talk show, but also as the creator of shows like “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” His early work did include actual hosting duties as well on shows like “Play Your Hunch.”