How Much Howard Stern Made on America’s Got Talent — and Why He Walked Away

Howard Stern cashed huge checks on America’s Got Talent, then walked away anyway. If that sounds wild, the numbers — and his reasons — actually make sense once you line them up. Let’s break down the TV money, why he bailed, the monster SiriusXM deals, and where a chunk of that fortune now lives (spoiler: some very pricey real estate).

The AGT payday, straight up

Stern joined AGT in season 7 (2012) and stayed through season 10 (2015). His reported take: around $20 million per season. When TMZ pressed him on whether he made $20 million his first year, he went full Stern with the reply:

'Do I work for that little? Yes, to the bank.'

Translation: yes, the checks were very real.

So why leave that kind of money?

He told his SiriusXM listeners he planned to jump from AGT to another TV gig at one point, but didn’t give details. On Jimmy Kimmel Live he joked that he 'hated every minute' of doing the show and complained the cameras were basically pointed up his nostrils — not exactly the vibe of a guy who loves network TV lighting and angles.

The bigger factor was time. He said he was reevaluating his career, overloaded between AGT and the radio show, and told NBC he thought that AGT run would be his last. In the end, he refocused on The Howard Stern Show at SiriusXM. Given what Sirius pays him compared to AGT, that choice wasn’t just creative — it was financial common sense.

The SiriusXM machine (and why it dwarfs TV money)

Before Stern landed at Sirius, the satellite service had roughly 600,000 subscribers and was bleeding $226 million a year on $13 million in revenue. After Stern arrived, the combined SiriusXM grew to about 35 million paying subscribers and now generates roughly $1.8 billion in profit on $7.2 billion in revenue. He also gets what he always wanted: uncensored broadcasting without the FCC hanging over every sentence. Analysts have estimated that 10% to 15% of subscribers signed up specifically for him. That is a staggering audience magnet for any platform.

Deal history: the short version (because the paperwork is a maze)

Pre-satellite, Stern was already huge — pulling in around $30 million a year at Viacom on terrestrial radio.

Then came the Sirius era: in 2004, he signed a five-year, $500 million deal (about $100 million per year). Roughly $80 million of that was cash, $20 million stock. That $100 million figure wasn’t just his personal paycheck; it also covered production and staff, with estimates putting his personal take around $50 million annually.

In 2010, he re-upped for another five-year pact reportedly worth $500 million. In 2015, he signed a new long-term deal described as 12 years, reportedly paying about $80 million per year (again covering his salary, staff, and production costs).

Here’s where it gets messy: in 2020, Stern confirmed yet another extension — five years for a reported $600 million (about $120 million a year, inclusive of production). That sounds like it overlaps with the 2015 long-term arrangement, which is why you sometimes see conflicting timelines. The practical takeaway: he has consistently renegotiated very large, multi-year deals since 2004, with the current reported five-year extension running through the end of 2025.

By the time this latest stretch wraps, Stern will have personally earned over $1 billion in salary at SiriusXM (not counting production costs), plus 'many hundreds of millions' pre-tax from his terrestrial radio days before 2005.

What’s next with SiriusXM?

As of now, SiriusXM hasn’t announced a new contract beyond the current five-year deal, which is set to expire at the end of 2025. Negotiations are ongoing. Expect headlines when that gets sorted.

Net worth in 2025

Per Celebrity Net Worth, Stern sits at roughly $650 million, with an annual salary pegged around $90 million. A big slice of that is tied up in real estate that has appreciated into 'are you kidding me?' territory.

Where the money lives: the properties

• Millennium Tower apartment, Manhattan (54th floor): Bought in 1998 for $4.9 million; about 4,000 sq. ft. on the Upper West Side.
• Adjoining Millennium Tower unit (54th floor): Also in 1998 for $5.75 million; 1,011 sq. ft., purchased to expand his space.
• Two more Millennium Tower apartments (53rd floor): In 2008 for $15.1 million; 2,546 sq. ft. combined, directly below his 54th-floor unit.
• Southampton estate (New York): In 2005 for $20 million; he bought an empty lot and built a massive custom mansion.
• Palm Beach mansion (Florida): In 2013 for $52 million; about 3.25 oceanfront acres, roughly 40,000 sq. ft. total across multiple structures (main house about 19,000 sq. ft.), landscaped grounds, ocean barrier wall, and a pool.
• Palm Beach comp next door: In 2023, Keurig founder Bob Stiller sold a neighboring property for $170 million. That place is roughly half the size of Stern’s, which has people estimating Stern’s could fetch something in the $300 million range.

The bottom line

Stern was making around $20 million a year judging AGT and still bailed, which tells you everything about how valuable his radio empire is. The SiriusXM deals are larger, cleaner, and more his speed creatively. Considering the subscriber impact and the sheer size of those contracts, the move off AGT was less a gamble and more a victory lap.