Many avid television viewers feel like they know almost everything about their favorite stars: their sense of humor, their love lives – and even their favorite clothing brands.
But there’s one thing our celebrities often keep to themselves: how much they earn.
But today, a Daily Mail investigation may shed some light on the matter. Because we’ve learned the salaries of some of TV’s biggest names, and the numbers will likely shock not only their fans, but perhaps their co-stars as well, who earn significantly less.
Take Wayne Rooney for example. His role as Match of the Day pundit has transformed him from experienced footballer and failed manager to one of the small screen’s most compelling sports commentators.
And it is certainly lucrative. We can reveal that Rooney rakes in a hefty £8,000 for every episode of Match of the Day he appears in.
Although the show’s running time may vary depending on the competitions, based on a standard 75-minute highlights episode, that salary roughly equates to just over £107 for every minute he spends broadcasting in the show’s Salford studio.
Although Rooney’s Beeb salary is not as generous as his busy days as a striker at Manchester United, where he earned more than £200,000 a week, it has left some colleagues stunned.
Wayne Rooney earns a hefty £8,000 for every episode of Match of the Day he appears in
Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates make up the trio of Match of the Day’s main presenters. Logan and Chapman earn about a third of what Wayne Rooney earns from one show
The former England captain, 40, made the move from management to punditry last year when he signed a lucrative deal with the BBC, a welcome financial boost for the father-of-four, who left third-tier team Plymouth Argyle by mutual consent on New Year’s Eve in 2024.
He appeared regularly during the BBC’s coverage of the World Cup this summer, entertaining viewers with his dry humour.
My insider said: ‘Wayne has made a lot of money, it’s actually quite eye-watering, but people want to hear what he has to say about football. Everyone loves Wayne, but once this gets out, there may be people who feel like it’s very difficult.
‘When it comes to football, the BBC believes viewers want to hear its expertise. Some people think he gets paid way too much, but the public loves him.”
One of those feeling like it’s tough is Rooney’s co-host, Gabby Logan – who anchors MOTD.
She gets paid £3,000 for each show, which equates to £40 per minute when the microphones are live.
The mother-of-two was given the prized position by Corporation bosses to form their three-strong presenting team, which also includes Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman, after Gary Lineker left the show following a torrid impartiality row.
Chapman, known to fans as ‘Chappers’, 52, is paid the same as Logan.
In his most recent episode of Match of the Day last Saturday night, he earned £37 per minute for their coverage of the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Premier League – a third of Rooney’s rate.
“You have to wonder if they absolutely want to know what Wayne earns,” says my television insider. ‘But actually they should also realize that he has a specialty and is therefore running all the way to the bank.’
Another big BBC earner is nepo baby Roman Kemp, 33, who earns a tidy fee for presenting long-running favorite The One Show – which regularly attracts an audience of around 3 million viewers.
Another big BBC earner is nepo baby Roman Kemp (pictured with co-presenter Alex Jones), who earns £2,000 every time he presents The One Show, which regularly attracts an audience of around 3 million viewers.
This Morning’s stand-in presenter Craig Doyle is paid £3,000 every time he fronts the show
The presenter and DJ, son of actor Martin Kemp, 64, has negotiated an appearance fee of £2,000 for each episode he anchors on the green sofa. For a 30-minute program, this means his rate per minute is €66.
He joined the show in 2022 with a host of other famous faces, including popular presenter Alex Jones, following the departure of former Blue Peter star Matt Baker.
The show has been branded “crazy” by some license fee payers for its eclectic segments. But, perhaps unsurprisingly given his reward, Kemp has gone on the defensive.
He said in 2023: “Then Alex and I [present the show] it feels like anything can happen. Things get a bit wild with the guests and it turns into a bloodbath. He quickly added: ‘Checked massacre’.
“Roman sometimes hosts three shows a week, so that could be up to £24,000 a month,” says a source familiar with The One Show. ‘It’s actually a pretty good salary for him, I’m sure he’ll be happy with it. But it will be interesting to know what the license fee payers think about that.”
The BBC is not the only one spending a lot of money on its talent. The Daily Mail has discovered that Craig Doyle, the stand-in presenter of ITV This Morning, receives £3,000 every time he presents.
For each of the 150 minutes the film airs, the Irish heartthrob earns £20, making him a much cheaper rental than others.
He first joined the show in 2021, when it was still thought to be in its heyday, under the direction of Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
After impressing bosses and becoming ‘eye candy’ with viewers, producer Martin Frizell made him a regular presenter.
He quickly became a safe pair of hands in the wake of the scandal that engulfed the show and threatened its future when Schofield admitted to having an “ill-advised but not illegal” affair with a much younger colleague.
Craig’s television career began in the mid-1990s when he started doing children’s programs for the channel, presenting Disney Club.
The father-of-four, who lives with his wife Doon in County Wicklow in Ireland, made a name for himself in the early 1990s when he started presenting major sporting events for BBC Sport.
“Craig loves doing This Morning,” says my source. ‘ITV knows the women love him so he’s worth every penny of his £3,000 paycheque.’
Meanwhile, Doyle’s co-star Rylan Clark is said to receive £5,000 per show – £33 per minute he is on air.
Doyle’s co-star Rylan Clark would receive £5,000 per show – £33 per minute he is on air
Elsewhere in the ITV studios, leading Loose Women hosts are paid around £1,000
Clark, 37, who got his ‘big break’ on The
His work at the time on other shows such as Big Brother saw him take on more responsibility, later becoming an assistant presenter and once hosting on Schofield, filling in for Mrs Willoughby at the last minute when she was feeling unwell.
A source said: ‘He is so in demand and he knows the viewers love him.’
Elsewhere at the ITV studios, leading hosts of Loose Women are paid around £1,000 for each of their contributions to the 60-minute episodes.
That includes Kaye Adams, Coleen Nolan, Jane Moore, Janet Street-Porter and former stars Denise Welch and Sherrie Hewson.
It works out to just over £16 for every minute they sit on their stool, although the presenter – usually experienced presenters Christine Lampard or Ruth Langsford – is paid more. Just like Stacey Solomon, whose popularity meant she got a higher salary.
‘It seems like a lot, but is it?’ my source asks. ‘The problem is there are four of them and that includes ITV, who have had to make huge cuts to their programmes.
‘The fact that some earn more than others creates a sometimes unpleasant atmosphere behind the scenes, because it is a real case of survival of the fittest.’
Each of the twenty or so panelists on the current rotating roster of Loose Women have recently experienced a notable drop in their income, following ITV’s decision to cut the program to just 30 of its 52 weeks in the year.
They also lost their live audience – and were forced to share the same set as This Morning, leaving the crew with just a three-minute ad break between shows to reset the sets.
In total, more than 200 daytime employees at ITV lost their jobs as a result of the cuts, and those who remained were moved from the headquarters at Television Center to Covent Garden in central London.
What would she make the turbo salaries of their better-known colleagues?
