Simon Cowell could earn over $100 million dollars if he stayed as an American Idol judge next year! Simon made $36 million last season and he’s being offered 3 to 4 times as much for the next season. You do the math.. that means he can make up to $144 million. While this seems like a ridiculously large amount of money to be paid for criticizing people, it’s afterall Simon Cowell!

More pictures of Simon after the song…

Simon sits with Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DiGiarmo, but why does he get all the money and they don’t? The rough personality that draws people to watch him. From the Seattlepi:

Simon Cowell could command a salary of $108 million to $144 million if he continues with American Idol beyond the coming season, according to a British newspaper.

Cowell, who serves as the most polarizing — and thus the most entertaining — judge on the Fox hit has been offered “three to four times” his current annual appearance fee of $36 million.

That’s an insane amount of money for doing something you like…or appear to not like, depending on how you view Simon. Do you watch American Idol for Simon or for the singing?  Is Simon Cowell worth  over a hundred million dollars?