America's Most Loved TV Personalities

Nick Cannon is a versatile entertainer, hosting shows like “America’s Got Talent” and “Wild ‘N Out” as well as “The Masked Singer,” a celebrity singing competition that has ranked as the most popular show on broadcast television two years in a row.

Cannon is also an experienced actor, with notable roles in movies like “Drumline” and “Bobby,” as well as numerous TV appearances.

Comedian Chelsea Handler has been a television mainstay for well over a decade. She hosted “The Chelsea Handler Show” in 2006, but it was canceled after one season. Handler would go on to host a similar show, called “Chelsea Lately,” which became a success — running from 2007 to 2014 and racking up over 1,100 episodes.

Handler has been a frequent guest and guest host on talk shows, and put out several stand-up comedy specials.

German supermodel Heidi Klum has become one of America’s favorite TV personalities largely thanks to her time on “Project Runway,” the fashion design competition show that has been on the air since 2004, and is still going strong. However, Klum and her co-host Tim Gunn left the show recently to star in another fashion competition series on Amazon Prime called “Making the Cut.”

Klum has been nominated for more than 20 Emmy awards for “Project Runway,” both for Outstanding Reality Competition Program and outstanding host. Her lone Emmy win came in 2013 for best host.

Derek Hough, the brother of actor and singer Julianne Hough, is a professional ballroom dancer and choreographer. He rose to fame as a choreographer in the dance competition series “Dancing with the Stars,” winning the show six times with his celebrity partners — more than anyone else.

Hough has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy eight times for outstanding choreography, winning twice in 2013 and 2015. Between 2017 and 2020, Hough was part of another dance competition series — “World of Dance” — but this time as a judge.

Rick Harrison is the co-owner and co-founder of World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. He is best known for being a cast member of the History Channel’s reality show “Pawn Stars.” In the show, he is called “the spotter” because he is an expert at spotting fake or stolen items.

Harrison is among the most famous brokers in the pawn industry, but he has been involved in other businesses, including real estate. Since March 2019, Harrison’s Wikipedia page has been viewed an average of 2,153 times every day.

Kelly Ripa is an actor, talk show host, and a TV producer known for co-hosting the morning talk show “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” She has been part of the show since 2001, co-hosting with Regis Philbin until 2011. Ripa has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy 25 times for either outstanding entertainment talk show or host, winning six times — most recently in 2019.

Ripa has starred in dozens of TV series and movies as herself, though she has had small acting parts in a few movies and TV shows, including “Marvin’s Room” and “All My Children.”

Drew Scott is known for co-hosting, along with his twin brother Jonathan, the reality TV series “Property Brothers” between 2011 and 2018. He has been the executive producer of several home improvement-focused reality TV series since then.

Scott is a Canadian real estate agent by profession, and his brother is a licensed contractor. Together, they are among the most famous names in the entertainment real estate instrusty. They have been featured on numerous TV programs, including the “Today” and “Good Morning America” shows.

Adam Carolla is a comedian, host, actor, and writer, perhaps best known for “The Man Show,” the comedic talk and sketch show he co-hosted with Jimmy Kimmel.

Carolla has turned toward conservative audiences in recent years, appearing on programs with right-wing figures like Candace Owens, Mike Huckabee, Sebastian Gorka, Ben Shapiro, and more, as well as starring in a documentary called “No Safe Spaces.”

Seth Meyers served as head writer at “Saturday Night Live” for a decade before getting his own show “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” which follows “The Tonight Show.” Meyers has hosted a number of other events, including the “ESPY Awards,” the “White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner,” the Emmys, and the Golden Globes.

Meyers has been nominated for more than two dozen Emmys for his work on SNL as well as variety specials like the Golden Globes awards ceremonies he hosted, the sketch show “Documentary Now!” he helped produce and write, his late night program, and his 2019 stand-up comedy special “Lobby Baby.”

Born in Scotland and raised in Canada, Colin Mochrie brought his comedic stylings to America to become one of the country’s favorite TV personalities. Mochrie is a master improviser, best known for his work on the show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” which initially ran from 1998 to 2007, and was then revived in 2013.

Aside from “Whose Line,” Mochrie has starred in about 100 movies, tv shows, and shorts throughout his decades-long career.

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is currently the host of the Food Network cooking reality show “Beat Bobby Flay.” In the show, two contestants cook and the winner faces Flay with his or her own signature dish. Other hit shows Flay was involved in include “Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction” and “Sandwich King.” Flay has written over a dozen cookbooks, mostly focusing on grilling and American cuisine.

Flay has been nominated eight times for a Daytime Emmy Award in the outstanding culinary host category for various shows, including “Boy Meets Grill with Bobby Flay” and “Brunch @ Bobby’s.” He has won as a host three times — in 2005, 2014, and 2015.

Judy Sheindlin is better known as “Judge Judy,” which is also the title of her show. The long-running courtroom program has ranked as the most popular daytime show in 2020 and made Sheindlin the highest paid person on television. Sheindlin has an estimated net worth of over $400 million, earning a reported $47 million a year for her show.

Sheindlin said in early 2020 that she would only do one more season of “Judge Judy,” but that she was working on another show called “Judy Justice,” though it is unclear exactly when fans can expect that program to debut.

Ryan Seacrest has appeared as himself in TV, movies, and other projects over 200 times. Seacrest first burst onto the scene by hosting the popular singing contest “American Idol.” Since, he has hosted dozens of awards shows, talk shows like “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” and even took over hosting duties on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” the annual program celebrating a new year. He has also produced dozens of other TV shows, often starring the Kardashian/Jenner family.

Jay Leno is one of six TV personalities who have held the prestigious job of host of “The Tonight Show.” Leno hosted the show — which features a monologue, sketches, celebrity interviews, and music — from 1992 to 2014.

Thanks to his over 20 years in the high-profile job of “The Tonight Show” host, Leno is one of the most well known TV stars in America. According to a YouGov survey, he is one of just six TV personalities that at least 95% of people have heard of. A major car enthusiast, Leno hosted “Jay Leno’s Garage,” a program where he profiles cars and motorcycles.

American comedian and actor Kathy Griffin has starred in many TV comedy specials and had several supporting roles in films and TV series. Her reality TV show “My Life on the D-List” has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy six times, winning twice. Griffin has also released several comedy albums, for which she was nominated for a Grammy six times. Her only win was in 2014 for the album “Calm Down Gurrl.”

In 2017, Griffin was fired from several jobs, including hosting New Year’s Eve on CNN with Anderson Cooper, after an image appeared of her holding a mask that looked like the severed head of then-President Donald Trump. The ordeal and her comeback were chronicled in the 2019 documentary “Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story.”

Jeff Probst is best known as the host of one of TV’s most groundbreaking and most popular shows, “Survivor.” Probst has hosted the American version of the competition program since it first debuted in 2000. The show pits castaways against each other in mental and physical contests as they compete for the title of sole survivor and a million dollar prize. The show’s 41st season is set to debut in 2021. Probst has won five Emmy Awards for “Survivor” — one for outstanding nonfiction program and four for best host of a reality or reality competition program.

Phil McGraw is best known to the public as Dr. Phil, the host of the TV show of the same name. The reality TV talk show in which McGraw helps guests confront their problems has been on air since 2002.

McGraw has appeared as himself in several comedies, including “Scary Movie 4” and “Madea Goes to Jail.” McGraw, who has 21 Daytime Emmy Awards nominations and two wins, got a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard on Feb. 6, 2020.

Rob Dyrdek is a former professional skateboarder turned reality TV star. He is best known for his roles in the reality TV series “Rob & Big” about his time living in Hollywood and “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory” about a group of people thinking of new things to do every week, like stunts, pranks, and business ideas.

Dyrdek has not only been nominated for a Teen Choice Award in the TV Personality and male variety star categories a total of five times, but also has set 16 Guinness World Records in skateboarding.

Rachel Maddow is known as a TV news program host and a liberal political commentator. In March 2018, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” which has been on air since 2008, was America’s highest-rated cable news show, with a daily average of just over 3 million viewers that month. Maddow has been featured in many TV series and movies, including “The Ides of March,” as herself.

In 2021, Maddow won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for “Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth.”

Howie Mandel started out as a stand-up comedian. He rose to fame playing a doctor in the five-time Golden Globe nominated medical drama “St. Elsewhere” from 1982 to 1988. More recently he has been a household name for hosting the NBC’s TV show “Deal or No Deal” between 2005-2009 and then its revival 2018-2019 and being one of the judges on “America’s Got Talent.”

Mandel is only the third game show host — after Monty Hall and Alex Trebek — with his own star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, which he received in 2009. He was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2008.

Trevor Noah is a South African comedian and a TV host best known for his work on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” He has been the host since Jon Stewart’s departure in 2014. Since then, Noah has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy nine times, winning in 2017. Noah has won several other prestigious awards, including a Grammy, which he won in 2020 for best comedy album. He hosted the Grammy awards show in 2021.

Noah has several small roles in popular comedies, including “Coming 2 America” and the superhero smash hit “Black Panther.”

Craig Ferguson is one of the most popular Scottish comedians. He was the host of “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” a satire of the late night talk show concept, between 2005 and 2015. On the show, he made headlines in 2007 when he refused to make fun of Britney Spears after her mental breakdown.

Since leaving the show, Ferguson has continued working in TV, most recently in “The Hustler,” a trivia show. He has also released several stand-up comedy specials in recent years.

Pat Sajak has been hosting the popular game show “Wheel of Fortune” for nearly 40 years. His longevity and affability have made him one of the most popular TV personalities in American history.

Both Sajak and Vanna White have worked on “Wheel of Fortune” since it first premiered in 1983, and the show is still going strong all these years later.

Penn Jillette is an American magician as well as writer and producer best known for his work as half of the performance duo Penn & Teller. Together, they have hosted several specials and shows, including “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” in which magicians tried to show the duo magic tricks that they have no idea how they would replicate. Nominated for 10 Primetime Emmy awards, Jillette started making a name for himself in the 1980s along with his performing partner, Teller. In 2016, Jillete made the news for losing over 100 pounds by eating only potatoes.

Jillette has starred as himself in several hit productions, including the TV show “Billions,” but he has also had several supporting roles in shows like “Modern Family” and “Scorpion.”

Chef and host Guy Fieri has been a television mainstay since 2006, when he won “The Next Food Network Star” competition show. He has certainly lived up to the “star” label, hosting several shows on the network.

His shows include the popular “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” in which Fieri showcases specialties from local restaurants across America. Fieri also hosts cooking challenge shows “Guy’s Grocery Games” and its 2020 spinoff “Tournament of Champions.”

Tyra Banks is a former fashion model and a TV personality best known for hosting the modeling competition show “America’s Next Top Model” from 2003 until 2018 (with a break in 2016) and for being the face of several companies, including CoverGirl. Banks also hosted her own Daytime Emmy-winning talk show, “The Tyra Banks Show,” between 2005 and 2010.

Most recently, Banks has been an executive producer and host of “Dancing with the Stars.” Though she faced criticism over her hosting skills after replacing the much loved Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, Banks will be returning for the 2021 season.

Cesar Millan is a Mexican-American renowned dog behavior and training expert. He is best known for his role in the National Geographic Channel’s “Dog Whisperer” reality TV show, in which he worked to rehabilitate dogs. The show, which ran from 2004 until 2016, was nominated for three Primetime Emmys.

Millan has written several books about dogs, the first three of which became New York Times best sellers.

Former opera singer Mike Rowe is best known to the public for his work on Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” show, which first aired from 2005-2012, and is coming back with a new season in 2021. In the show, Rowe travels around the country performing dirty and dangerous jobs. Rowe won the Critics Choice Award for best reality show host in 2011.

Two other popular shows that Rowe produced and hosted are “Returning the Favor,” in which Rowe visits people who are helping their communities and in turn does something nice for them, and “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,” in which Rowe visits people with unique jobs or hobbies.

Kris Jenner is an American entertainer and businesswoman best known for being the head of the Kardashian-Jenner clan. She rose to fame on the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” reality TV show, which aired between 2006 and 2021. Jenner is often referred to as “momager” in the media due to the ways she manages her children’s career and schedules.

Jenner hosted a pop culture daytime talk show for six weeks in 2013 called “Kris.”

Jimmy Kimmel has been in the TV industry as a host, comedian, writer, or producer for more than two decades. He is best known for hosting the Primetime Emmy-nominated “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” talk show since 2003.

Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards twice — in 2017 (the year with the envelope mixup when the wrong movie was announced best picture) and in 2018. In 2013, Kimmel was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bill Maher is an American comedian, TV host, and political commentator. He is best known for hosting HBO’s political talk show “Real Time with Bill Maher” since 2003. Before that, Maher was the producer and host of the comedy talk show “Politically Incorrect.” Maher has dozens of Primetime Emmy nominations. He only won in 2014 in the Outstanding Informational Series or Special category for the documentary “Vice.”

Maher started out as a stand-up comedian and still goes on tours around the U.S. and Canada.

Paris Hilton, the great-granddaughter of the founder of the Hilton Hotels, Conrad Hilton, has been in public life for at least two decades. From a singer, reality TV star, and actor to a DJ and a businesswoman, Hilton is one of the most recognizable names and faces in the U.S.

In 2020, Hilton released a documentary about her life on YouTube as a way to redefine her brand. Hilton talks about playing a character most of her public life and about the abuse she says she suffered as a teenager at a boarding school in Utah.

Simon Cowell is a British TV personality best known to American audiences as one of the three judges on “American Idol” on the show’s first nine seasons. Since then, he has been a judge in several other reality TV competitions, including “The X Factor” and “America’s Got Talent.” In all shows where he has been a judge, Cowell has been known for his scathing comments during audition rounds.

Between his various gigs as a judge or show producer, Cowell has been nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy award. In 2019, he scored his only Grammy nomination so far, when Leona Lewis’s hit “Bleeding in Love,” which he helped produce, was nominated for Record of the Year.

Drew Carey is an American comedian and game show host. He started out as a stand-up comic and later became an actor and a producer. He is one of the few comedians to have had two hit shows on air simultaneously: the long-running comedy “The Drew Carey Show,” which ran from 1995 to 2004, and the sketch comedy show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” which ran between 1998 and 2007.

Carey won numerous awards, including three People’ Choice Awards for favorite male television performer in 1996, 2000, and 2001. He has been the host of the game show “The Price is Right” since 2007.

Though he first made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian and a TV star and host, much of Joe Rogan’s popularity stems from his podcast. His show, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” ranked as the most listened to podcast of 2020.

Rogan’s breakout role came when he starred in the sitcom “News Radio” from 1995 to 1999. He also hosted the show “Fear Factor,” in which contestants must face frightening situations to win cash prizes.

Kourtney Kardashian is best known as the eldest Kardashian sister. She rose to fame in 2007, when she and her family began starring in the reality TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” The show’s success led to the creation of spin-offs, including “Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami” and “Kourtney and Kim Take New York.”

Kardashian and her family have been nominated for five Teen Choice Awards in the TV personality and female reality star categories, winning four consecutive years between 2010 and 2013.

David Letterman is one of the best known talk show hosts in the history of TV. Before his iconic and long-running show “Late Show with David Letterman,” which aired between 1993 and 2015,” Letterman hosted “Late Night with David Letterman” between 1982 and 1993. What brought the comedian to prominence is his self-mockery style and cynical sense of humor.

Letterman has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy award around 50 times, winning five. In 2010, Forbes also ranked Letterman No. 24 on its list of most powerful personalities in entertainment. Most recently, Letterman had a talk show on Netflix called “My Next Guess Needs No Introduction,” which lasted three seasons.

James Corden is a British actor, comedian, and TV host. In the U.S., he is best known for hosting the “Late Late Show with James Corden,” which has been on air since 2015. Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” episodes have also been very popular.

Though best known for being a talk show host, Corden is an established actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2021 for his supporting role in “The Prom.” He won 10 Emmys as well as one Tony Award for best leading actor in the play “One Man, Two Guvnors.”

Conan O’Brien is an American TV host and comedian, best known for hosting late-night talk shows. For years he hosted “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” before getting — and quickly losing — the hosting job at “The Tonight Show.” He has hosted “Conan” on the cable channel TBS since 2010. Before moving to the late night talk show format, O’Brien was a writer for the hit comedy sketch show “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons.”

Known for his quirky, comedic stunts, O’Brien has a 28 Primetime Emmy nomination, winning four, including for outstanding writing in a variety program and outstanding creative achievement in interactive media within an unscripted program. In 2011, he won a People’s Choice Award for favorite talk show host.

American comedian and actor Jimmy Fallon rose to fame on “Saturday Night Live” in the late 1990s. He has been hosting “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” since 2014. Fallon starred in several feature films, including “Taxi” with Queen Latifah and “Fever Pitch” with Drew Barrymore, but with mixed success.

Known for his comedic impersonations, Fallon has won four Primetime Emmys, two of which were for his work on SNL. In 2013, he won a Grammy for best comedy album for “Blow Your Pants Off.”

Khloé Kardashian is the younger sister of Kourtney and Kim Kardashian, who all gained fame on the reality TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” She also starred in a few spin-offs, including “Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian.” Kardashian has won three People’s Choice Awards for favorite reality star in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

World famous drag queen RuPaul has become one of America’s 10 favorite TV personalities through hosting “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the competition program in which drag queens compete to be America’s next drag superstar. RuPaul’s humorous and fun loving, yet earnest hosting style has helped make the show popular and long running — the 14th season is airing in 2021.

RuPaul has won eight Emmys — five for outstanding host of a reality program, and three for overall outstanding reality or competition program. RuPaul has also produced a number of international spinoffs in countries like the U.K., Australia, and Thailand.

American comedian and author of self-help books Steve Harvey is best known for hosting game shows “Family Feud” since 2010 and its spinoff “Celebrity Family Feud” since 2015. Before that, he rose to fame starring in “The Steve Harvey Show” between 1996 and 2002 about a former funk star-turned high school music teacher. His uplifting talk show “Steve Harvey” ran from 2012 until 2017, when a new show, “Steve,” was launched.

Harvey, who started out as a stand-up comedian, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

Jon Stewart is a comedian, writer, and director who is best known for hosting the award-winning satiric TV news program “The Daily Show” between 1999 and 2015. Stewart, who has won 22 Primetime Emmys, has appeared in several comic films, including “Half Baked” (1998) and “Big Daddy” (1999) with Adam Sandler.

Aside from comedy, Stewart is also known for his political commentary and fighting for 9/11 first responders, even appearing in 2019 at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on reauthorizing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, criticizing congress representatives for the sparse turnout.

Stephen Colbert has been a comedic mainstay on television for decades. He was the longest tenured correspondent on “The Daily Show,” working on the show from 1997 to 2005, when he got his own show on Comedy Central, “The Colbert Report.”

In “The Colbert Report,” he played an exaggerated version of a right-wing pundit to great effect, as the show racked up seven Emmy wins, including several for outstanding variety series. In 2014, Colbert left the show to become the host of “The Late Show” on CBS, where he has been since.

Though John Oliver does not have the name recognition or social media fan bases of many of the other TV personalities around him on this list, he is one of the most awarded TV personalities of all time.

A stand-up comedian from England, Oliver gained prominence as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” as well as through acting roles in TV shows like “Community.” He then began starring in his own politically-focused comedy show on HBO in 2014 called “Last Week Tonight.” The show is known for its deeply detailed examinations of complicated and difficult topics. Between writing and producing those two shows, Oliver has won 13 Emmy Awards.

Kylie Jenner was born into a show business family, first starting to appear in reality programs like “Keeping up with the Kardashians” with her family when she was just 10. Jenner has appeared in a number of other Kardashian reality show spin-offs, including “I Am Cait,” “Khloé & Lamar,” and her own spinoff, “Life of Kylie.”

Before becoming a TV icon, Gordon Ramsay first made a name for himself as a chef, becoming the first Scottish chef to receive a three star review from the Michelin Guide, the highest honor in the food world. In 1999, he was the subject of a docuseries called “Ramsay’s Boiling Point,” which followed the chef as he tried to open a restaurant.

Ramsay’s intensity helped make him a star, and he has gone on to host a number of food shows, both in the U.S. and the U.K., including “Kitchen Nightmares,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Masterchef,” and many more.

Kim Kardashian’s television career has largely revolved around “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” the reality program following the exploits of herself and her family. The show has spawned a number of spin-off programs, which also featured the family. Along with her show, Kardashian’s business dealings and personal relationships have all been consistent tabloid fodder, keeping her in the public eye for well over a decade.

Kardashian’s fame and that of her family has drawn criticisms aimed at celebrity culture, social media influencers, and body image issues. With 97% name recognition among YouGov poll respondents, Kardashian is tied for the most well-known American TV star. The Kardashian family has leveraged their fame into fabulous wealth — Kim Kardashian is reportedly worth $1 billion.

After decades on air, Oprah Winfrey still ranks as America’s most loved TV personality. Born into poverty in Mississippi, Winfrey rose through the ranks as a TV broadcaster on local stations. Even though she faced harassment and setbacks, she persevered and eventually landed her own morning talk program “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The program ran from 1986 to 2011, and her empathetic interviewing style helped make her a household name and a superstar.

No TV personality has greater name recognition than Oprah, and she parlayed her status into a multi-billion dollar media empire, including her own TV channel, OWN. Winfrey is worth an estimated $2.6 billion, according to Forbes. She is still making TV headlines, most recently with her highly awaited interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry after they distanced themselves from the British royal family.