Something they don't teach you at the career center in college is that sitcom television is the way to go if you're looking for that big paycheck. The Big Bang Theory has taken over television since it premiered in 2007. Not only is it "TV's most-watched comedy," according to CBS commercials, but it's also in syndication and has a guaranteed run until Season 10 (2017). With the crazy amount of success, you might wonder how much money The Big Bang Theory cast is earning. Believe me when I say you're going to have a major career-crisis when you hear these numbers.
It's no secret that Hollywood has some money, but The Big Bang Theory cast is earning the big bucks. The bucks that made Friends stars top TV earners. I'd argue that it's fair to say they've earned it. The Big Bang Theory has been hauling home trophies at major award shows for years. It has been nominated for Golden Globes, Emmys, People's Choice (and won the latter two). Individual actor, Jim Parsons, has won a Golden Globe and multiple Emmys for his role as Sheldon Cooper. So with all of this recognition, the high salaries of the actors seems to make sense — I guess — in a world where seven figure salaries (per episode) are the norm.
Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, And Johnny Galecki
Hold on to your Green Lantern shirts. Cuoco, Parsons, and Galecki are the top earners of the show. In 2014, Deadline reported that the trio renegotiated their salaries to (drumroll, please) $1,000,000 per episode. That salary will run from Season 8 (current season) through Season 10, accumulating $1,000,000 for 72 episodes over the three seasons. These three are some of the top earning television stars on TV today.
Simon Helberg And Kunal Nayyar
Also earning a pretty penny on the show, Raj and Howard. The two stars also renegotiated (in the eleventh hour of starting Season 8 production, might I add) in 2014. While their salaries aren't specifically known, Deadline reports that the two were able to swing around 75 percent of the salary Cuoco, Parsons, and Galecki earn (so around $750,000 per episode). Their contracts also run through Season 10.
Mayim Bialik And Melissa Rauch
Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch — Amy and Bernadette — round out the Big Bang Theory "squad." The two actors are on a different contract schedule, so they renewed and renegotiated their contracts back in 2013. It was reported by Deadline that the women would be earning around $60,000 per episode at the beginning of their contracts (late 2013), but their salaries would grow to $100,000 per episode by the end of their contracts. It's definitely not a seven figure salary, but then again, it's not chump change.
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