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 SCOTUS sounds skeptical about law banning gay conversion therapy. You might want to take mass transit instead of driving in this city. 'Bizarre' move leaves CIA's No. 2 with a lot of power. Lawyer: Footage disputes official account of Border Patrol shooting. Report an error