Katie Lee Highest-Paid Chef in the World

By Carol Kearney
Washington
Last updated on May 11, 2025

Katie Lee led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid chefs” released on Saturday.

Hot news

Babies May 9, 2025
Katie Lee Pregnant?
Love May 11, 2025
Katie Lee: Secretly Married?
Rumor Central May 2025
Is Katie Lee secretly gay and hiding in the closet?

It's been a rough year for the chef, but at least she has her millions of dollars to ease the pain. 43-year-old Katie Lee has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid chefs for 2025 with an estimated $75 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 11/05/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Katie Lee tops annual list of highest-paid chefs

In 2022 it looked like the chef’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Saturday (May 10) that Lee is the highest-paid chef in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between April 2024 and April 2025, a nearly $40 million lead over her closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The American chef-television host-author has an estimated net worth of $215 million. She owes her fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Lee Burger” chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the “Huntington Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderlee - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Katie) and a fashion line called “Katie Lee Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Katie fans, who have been waiting for her triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.