Celebrity | American Idol Crazy Paula Paid Crazy Less American Idol pays Cowell $36 million a year By Sarah Quinn Posted Oct 14, 2008 11:23 AM CDT Copied "American Idol" judges, from left, Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson arrive at a promotional event for the show Aug. 26, 2008 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) Turns out Paula is paid pennies to pounds. Fellow American Idol judge Simon Cowell rakes in $36 million a year from the show—that's $22,000 per minute—while her take is in the $5 million to $8 million range, MSNBC reports. A former executive producer explains that Cowell "brings more to the table.” Ouch. “This could really put her in a bad way," says a source who works with Abdul. Read These Next RFK Jr. suggests antidepressants to blame after shooting. Isolated tribe members show up in an unexpected place. Those chips and cookies could wreak havoc on your fertility. A government watchdog is warning the FAA about meteorologists. Report an error