HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'The Masked Singer' judges rake in millions — but one star earns far less than the rest

Beyond the masked singers, the judges themselves are no less iconic, bringing their own star power to the stage.

'The Masked Singer' has become the latest reality TV show sensation and has caught viewers' eyes as everyone seems to be loving the new gimmick. Watching live singing reality TV shows has become quite boring. While 'American Idol' was the one that started it all, since then various shows like 'The Voice' have emerged and tried to reign dominance over the current reality TV atmosphere. That said, while all of these shows involve singing, they also have the collective element of singing. 'The Masked Singer' switches things up a bit by removing this element.

The show brings on celebrities disguised with masks, and instead of the panel of judges 'judging' the contestants, they have to work together to figure out who the celebrity is behind the voice. This makes for quite an entertaining show, as the audience can work with the judges to figure out the identity of the contestants. The show has had a variety of contestants, from the legendary 99-year-old Dick Van Dyke to the panelist Rita Ora's judge, Taika Waititi himself.

'The Masked Singer' has been going strong with its 13th season with returning judges Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora. All of these judges have been part of the show since the very first season premiered all the way back in 2019, with Rita Ora becoming a part of the panel in season 11. Beyond the masked singers, the judges themselves are no less iconic, bringing their own star power to the stage, but how much do these iconic stars really make to be a part of the panel?

Ken Jeong, a famous actor and comedian who has been a part of cultural media milestones like 'The Hangover' and 'Community,' is certainly an integral part of the show. Cosmopolitan reports that he earns between $1.25 million and $2.5 million per season. All the other judges earn somewhere around that figure, if not less, as reported by Stylecaster. Rita Ora, the famous British singer and songwriter, earns $1 million per season, while Robin Thicke earns a figure similar to Ken Jeong, ranging between $1.25 million and $2.5 million per season.

Finally, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg also earns a similar figure, ranging between $1.25 million and $2.5 million. That said, Nicole Scherzinger, who was previously replaced by Rita Ora in season 11, seems to earn a similar figure to the other judges as well, which is $1.25 million to $2.5 million. This is quite strange, as this would mean Rita Ora is the lowest-paying judge despite having the highest net worth when compared to all the other judges. However, it is important to remember that all these numbers are speculative and based on calculations of each judge's net worth.