Jay Leno – Est. $450 million
Jay Leno is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and former late-night television host who has a net worth of $450 million. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC from 1992 to 2009. During his time hosting The Tonight Show, Jay earned $320 million in salary, before taxes. Jay famously still performs dozens of standup shows throughout the year and reportedly only ever lived off this money, while banking his NBC salary checks. Jay owns an extremely valuable car collection. The value of his 300+ vehicle stable is, at minimum, $100 million.
At the end of his reign as host of The Tonight Show, Jay was earning an annual salary of $15 million. His peak Tonight Show salary was $30 million per year. He actually agreed to a 50% pay cut after the 2011 season to help his staff get raises and keep their jobs. Jay earns around $10 million per year from a hectic stand-up touring schedule which includes more than 200 dates a year. Incredibly, throughout his career, Jay never touched his Tonight Show salary and instead lived off his stand-up income. Furthermore, Jay does not have an agent or a manager to help him negotiate deals.