Celebrity | American Idol Crazy Paula Paid Crazy Less American Idol pays Cowell $36 million a year By Sarah Quinn Posted Oct 14, 2008 11:23 AM CDT Copied "American Idol" judges, from left, Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson arrive at a promotional event for the show Aug. 26, 2008 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) Turns out Paula is paid pennies to pounds. Fellow American Idol judge Simon Cowell rakes in $36 million a year from the show—that's $22,000 per minute—while her take is in the $5 million to $8 million range, MSNBC reports. A former executive producer explains that Cowell "brings more to the table.” Ouch. “This could really put her in a bad way," says a source who works with Abdul. Read These Next Why the Brightline of Florida is called the 'Death Train.' This is one very public, visible way to look for love. Next year's COLA increase is up slightly from 2025. Bannon sounds confident about Trump getting a 3rd term. Report an error