NEWSTyra Banks is America's Next Top Mogul
Oct. 15 2009, Published 10:10 a.m. ET
Smiling with her eyes has made Tyra Banks the richest female on prime time television with an estimated $30 million income from America's Next Top Model, her daytime talk show, frequent cameos (most recently on Gossip Girl), and production credits on shows like ABC's True Beauty and the CW's since-cancelled Stylista.
Tyra, 35, beat out Katherine Heigl, Eva Longoria Parker, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tina Fey to win the top slot.
Trailing behind the supermodel-turned-personality on Forbes.com's list of Prime-Time's 10 Top-Earning Women, is Grey's Anatomy star, Katherine, 30, who banked $18 million over the course of the year through her TV work, film career and endorsements.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's Marg Helgenberger comes in at No. 3 earning $9.5 million, less than a third of Tyra's pay check.
In fourth place, Eva makes $9 million from her Desperate Housewives $225,000 fee per episode, and her endorsement deal with L'Oreal Paris.
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Despite a difficult year struggling with a collapsed lung and a protracted pay dispute, Mariska Hargitay collected $8.5 million from her role on Law & Order: SVU.
Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ellen Pompeo tie at No. 10 with a $6 million salary from The Ghost Whisperer and Grey's Anatomy respectively.
Here's the Forbes list in full:
1. Tyra Banks - $30 million
2. Katherine Heigl - $18 million
3. Marg Helgenberger - $9.5 million
4. Eva Longoria Parker - $9 million
5. Mariska Hargitay - $8.5 million
6. Julia Louis-Dreyfus - $8 million (tie)
6. Maura Tierney - $8 million (tie)
8. Tina Fey - $7 million
9. Marcia Cross - $6.2 million
10. Jennifer Love Hewitt - $6 million (tie)
10. Ellen Pompeo - $6 million (tie)
