Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and Seth Meyers have rallied around Stephen Colbert ahead of the latter’s final “Late Show” episode.
The five men reunited on May 11 for an episode of their limited-run “Strike Force Five” podcast — which they launched in August 2023 during the Writers Guild Strike — in honor of Colbert’s last few episodes.
After 33 years on the air, it was announced that the “Late Show” would be cancelled — ending Colbert’s almost 11-year run.
He took over the popular late-night program in September 2015 after David Letterman’s retirement, with its last episode airing on May 21.
Despite the men hosting their respective talk shows for at least a decade, they have all received very different salaries.
We’re breaking down their net worths, revealing the richest host.
Jon Stewart
Despite not being included on the podcast, Jon Stewart is the richest late-night host with a whopping reported net worth of $120 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
The outlet also reported that he makes a staggering $25 million a year for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” which he currently hosts once a week.
In November 2025, CBS and Comedy Central owner, Paramount, confirmed they were extending Stewart’s contract through December 2026 — months after CBS announced the cancellation of “Late Night with Stephen Colbert.”
Stewart started as a stand-up comedian but branched into television as host of “Short Attention Span Theater” for Comedy Central in the early ’90s.
He went on to host “The Jon Stewart Show” on MTV from 1993 to 1995 until it was moved to syndication.
Stewart became the host of “The Daily Show” in 1999, which helped the show gain popularity and critical acclaim. During his tenure, the show earned numerous Emmy Awards.
After hosting the show for 16 years, he left in August 2015. However, he returned in February 2024 to host Monday nights and serve as an executive producer.
John Oliver
John Oliver is the second richest with a reported net worth of $80 million.
Per Celebrity Net Worth, he earns $30 million as the host of “Last Week Tonight.”
The British comedian kicked off his career by doing stand-up in the UK, getting his big break in 2006 as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” with Stewart.
He held the correspondent position until 2013 — during which he won three Primetime Emmy Awards and became its guest host for eight weeks.
He began hosting “Last Week Tonight” in 2014 and has since won 20 Emmy Awards for the HBO show.
The show’s influence over US culture, legislation and policymaking has been dubbed the “John Oliver effect.”
In October 2025, he exclusively revealed to Page Six whether he was worried about his job after Colbert’s show was cancelled.
“I mean, the beauty of, you know, living with an axe over your head is… every day is a gift,” he told us. “I am acting like everything is fine, and I will act that way right up until the point that it isn’t.”
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert comes in third with a net worth of $75 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
The outlet also said that his salary for “The Late Show” is $15 million.
After earning $6 million a year during his early days on “The Late Show,” Colbert landed a massive raise in October 2019.
His contract extension with CBS guaranteed his spot on the network through 2023 and bumped his annual salary to $15 million, according to Forbes.
Just like Oliver, Colbert gained recognition as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” from June 1997 to September 2005.
He left “The Daily Show” to host “The Colbert Report,” a parody of personality-driven political opinion shows at the time, in which he portrayed a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.
After he performed as the featured entertainer at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in 2006 — in character — his series became one of Comedy Central’s highest-rated series.
After the show ended in December 2014, he was hired in 2015 to succeed Letterman, who was retiring as host of “The Late Show” on CBS.
On July 17, 2025, Colbert shockingly announced the long-running series’ cancellation after 33 years, telling viewers he was told the previous evening.
CBS cancelled the series as a “purely financial decision,” the network later claimed to Variety.
Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon has a net worth of $70 million and earns $16 million annually for “The Tonight Show,” according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The actor rose to fame when he joined “Saturday Night Live” as a cast member in 1998.
After leaving the sketch comedy series in May 2004, he starred in several movies, including “Taxi” and “Fever Pitch.”
He started hosting “The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” in 2009, and in 2014, he succeeded Jay Leno as the sixth permanent host of “The Tonight Show” on NBC.
Fallon has also released two comedy albums and seven books, mainly for children.
His accolades include four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.
Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel has a reported net worth of $50 million with an annual salary believed to be $16 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
He landed his first major role as the co-host of the Comedy Central show “Win Ben Stein’s Money” in 1997.
He debuted his talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in January 2003, giving him the longest tenure of any current late-night television host in the US.
In September 2025, his show was pulled off the air following the comedian’s comments on Charlie Kirk’s death.
Despite the show being suspended “indefinitely,” it returned just a week later, and ABC offered him a one-year contract extension for “Live!” in December.
His previous multiyear contract was set to expire in May 2026.
Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers earns the lowest salary among the major network hosts, with a yearly income of $5 million from “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and a reported net worth of $25 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
The comedian first shot to fame during his 13-year run on “Saturday Night Live” — from 2001 to 2014 — where he served as head writer.
He also became a household name on the comedy series, anchoring the Weekend Update segment.
Following his departure from “SNL” in December 2014, he took over as host of NBC’s “Late Night” after Fallon left to host “The Tonight Show.”
Meyers has racked up numerous Emmy nods for his writing across both “SNL” and “Late Night,” and won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special in 2025.
Aside from his hosting duties on NBC, Meyers contributes to several podcasts, such as, “The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast” and “Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers.”
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