In a shockingly honest new interview, national radio host Bobby Bones revealed his earnings as a celebrity mentor across four seasons of “American Idol.”
On a new episode of Jason Tartrick’s “Trading Secrets” podcast released on September 15, 2025, Bones revealed that while he started out making $2,500 per episode during season 16 of “American Idol,” he ultimately made more than a million dollars appearing on the show.
Bobby Bones Went From Making $2,500 Per Episode to $1.2 Million on ‘American Idol’
Before Jelly Roll became the first-ever artist-in-residence on “American Idol” in 2025, Bones provided ongoing guidance to contestants for four seasons, starting in 2018, and even filled in hosting for Ryan Seacrest on one episode.
The host of iHeartRadio’s “The Bobby Bones Show” — which now draws over 10 million listeners, according to Us Weekly — gave Tartrick refreshingly honest details about his income over the years, including on shows like “American Idol” and season 27 of “Dancing With The Stars,” which he won with pro Sharna Burgess.
Bones told Tartrick that during his first season on “American Idol” as a mentor, he was paid $2,500 per episode, but he earned $50,000 for the finale. When producers asked him back for season 17, Bones said he told them they’d have to increase his pay — which they did, significantly.
“I finished that season and they’re like, ‘Hey, we want to bring you back,'” Bones told Tartrick. “I said, ‘I can’t do it at the same rate.’ They said, ‘We will give you $300,000 for the season.’ They ended up paying $1.2 million for the season. It was a massive raise. I was able to prove, through my action, my value.”
Maddie Poppe Called Bobby Bones Her Favorite Mentor
Bones was valued by many of the contestants he worked with on “American Idol,” including season 16 winner Maddie Poppe, who wrote a touching tribute to him on Instagram in 2018.
“Bobby Bones was without a doubt my favorite mentor on #americanidol,” she wrote at the time. “He’s one person who has definitely believed in me since the first day he met me. When we first met during top 24 I didn’t have much confidence, and he could tell. I couldn’t even make proper eye contact while talking to him.”
“But somehow he still saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself,” she continued. “After meeting for the first time, he pulled me aside and said “you’re my favorite” and I was just like wait what..I mean seriously just that one comment made me believe that I might just be good enough. So yeah, I definitely credit Bobby Bones as a big part of the reason I won this show. Thanks for giving me confidence & always being so relatable and down to earth @mrbobbybones. Hope to hang with you again soon.”
In early 2022, Bones announced that he would no longer be working on “American Idol” because of a new contract he’d signed with another network, per People.
