3. Jennifer Lopez – $17 million salary
Jennifer Lopez has had an extremely long-lasting and successful career in both music and acting, and also joined the American Idol judging panel in 2011, along with Aerosmith Steven Tyler.
Lopez was replaced for season 12, but returned for season 13 along with Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr, and the panel remained for seasons 14 and 15. Season 15 was Idol’s ‘Farewell Season’, and Lopez’s performance made a major impression in the press and on viewers, cementing her reputation as one of the best judges American Idol has ever had.
