Newly-minted millionaire Ventriloquist Terry Fator is being sued by his former manager.

Terry Fator might be about to lose the nice guy image he cultivated on America’s Got Talent last year. He’s being sued by his ex-manager John Raymond, who alleges that Terry is trying to avoid paying him an (estimated) $20 million commission on his huge Las Vegas contract. Raymond had a 5 year deal with Terry that wasn’t set to expire until 2010, but he claims Terry found him “too nice” and fired him because he needed a manager who was “a bastard.” None of the allegations have been proven in court.

It’s not unusual for entertainers to fire the managers who helped them get started once they finally reach “the big time” for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the huge commissions their managers earn (it’s also not unusual for managers to sue once they’ve been kicked to the curb). Although though Terry has a $100 million contract to play Las Vegas, by the time income tax is deducted and the lawyers, agents and managers get paid (or not) he’s probably only keeping about 25 cents of every dollar he earns. It’s also worth noting that according to the lawsuit documents, Raymond was taking a 20% commission from Terry, which seems a little excessive (the industry norm is usually 10-15% and it’s actually illegal for an agent to charge more than that in some jurisdictions).

I guess if nothing else, you really know you’re a famous puppeteer when gossip sites like TMZ start giving you coverage.