“Paula knew that Simon was getting paid more, but she never imagined it was this much more,” says a source who works with Abdul. “This could really put her in a bad way.”
“She has a lot of concerns with feeling appreciated," says the source. "First, they bring in another judge (Kara DioGuardi) and now it’s ridiculously obvious that she’s getting pennies compared to Simon. If you thought she had reason to run late to the set now, imagine what the future may hold. I kind of feel for the assistants who are going to be made responsible for getting her on set on time. It’s always a challenge, but now? I don’t want to think about it.”
As for why there’s such a salary discrepancy, Lythgoe told an Australian newspaper it’s because “it is believed (Cowell) brings more to the table.”
