JOHNNY CARSON | $300 MILLION (NOTE: DECEASED)
Johnny Carson is an American talk show host, writer, and comedian, who became widely known for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson from 1962 to 1992. During his time with the show, Carson helped launched numerous other hosts, including David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jay Leno, who replaced him when he retired.
Carson was born John William Carson in Corning, Iowa, on October 23, 1924. Like several Tonight show hosts, Carson also started on the radio and later became a TV host and replaced Jack Paar when he retired. From Tonight, it changed to how it was known today. In the 1970s, Johnny was the highest-paid personality on TV, earning around $4 million a year. Later, when the show was at its peak, he pocketed $25 million annually, equivalent to $40 million today. His credit report must have been the cleanest. In 2020, his reported net worth was $300 million.