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Nigel Lythgoe let the cat out of the bag recently when he disclosed how much American Idol judge, Simon Cowell, is paid. Apparently, he makes a whopping $36 million per year from the show (about $22,000 a minute!) while Paula Abdul is believed to be making just $5 to $8 million per season. That’s a HUGE difference! Wow!
Well, a “source” (take with a grain of salt here, people) claims Paula is upset by this revelation: “Paula knew that Simon was getting paid more, but she never imagined it was this much more. This could really put her in a bad way…. she has a lot of concerns with feeling appreciated.”
Honestly, I think Simon should be paid more but that is too large a discrepancy, in my opinion. However, he is the one person who, I feel, makes the show. Still, if Paula feels underpaid and possibly displaced by the hiring of a second female judge (Kara DioGuardi), this really could signal the end of this show as we know it. I immediately wondered what the scene would be like backstage. Can you imagine? One Abdul “friend” is reported as saying: “It’s ridiculously obvious that she’s getting pennies compared to Simon. If you thought she had reason to run late to the set now, imagine what the future may hold. I kind of feel for the assistants who are going to be made responsible for getting her on set on time. It’s always a challenge, but now? I don’t want to think about it.”
Yikes – sounds like good times ahead!
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