List of highest-paid American television stars explained
This is a list of people starring on American television that are the highest-paid, based on verified sources for each person.
TV and streaming salaries per episode
Name | Program | Role | Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Year | |
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- style="text-align:center;" | Jennifer Aniston | The Morning Show | Alex Levy | $2 million | $ | 2019– | [1] [2] |
Reese Witherspoon | Bradley Jackson |
Charlie Sheen | Two and a Half Men | Charlie Harper | $1.8-2 million | $ | 2010–11 | [3] |
Ray Romano | Everybody Loves Raymond | Raymond Barone | $1.725 million | $ | 2003–05 | [4] |
Kelsey Grammer | Frasier | Frasier Crane | $1.6 million | $ | 2002–04 | [5] |
Chris Pratt | The Terminal List | James Reece | $1.4 million | $ | 2022– | [6] |
Tim Allen | Home Improvement | Tim Taylor | $1.25 million | $ | 1998–99 | |
Jerry Seinfeld | Seinfeld | Jerry Seinfeld | $1 million | $ | 1997–98 | [7] |
Helen Hunt | Mad About You | Jamie Buchman | $1 million | $ | 1998–99 | [8] |
Paul Reiser | Paul Buchman |
Jennifer Aniston | Friends | Rachel Green | $1 million | $ | 2002–04 | [9] |
Courteney Cox | Monica Geller |
Lisa Kudrow | Phoebe Buffay |
Matt LeBlanc | Joey Tribbiani |
David Schwimmer | Ross Geller |
Matthew Perry | Chandler Bing |
James Gandolfini | The Sopranos | Tony Soprano | $1 million | $ | 2006–07 | [10] |
Kaley Cuoco | The Big Bang Theory | Penny | $1 million | $ | 2015–17 | [11] |
Johnny Galecki | Leonard Hofstadter |
Jim Parsons | Sheldon Cooper |
Nicole Kidman | Big Little Lies | Celeste Wright | $1 million | $ | 2019 | [12] |
Reese Witherspoon | Madeline Martha Mackenzie |
Jeff Bridges | The Old Man | Dan Chase | $1 million | $ | 2021– | |
Sarah Jessica Parker | And Just Like That | Carrie Bradshaw | $1 million | $ | 2021- | [13] |
Simon Helberg | The Big Bang Theory | Howard Wolowitz | $900,000 | $ | 2017-19 | [14] |
Kunal Nayyar | Raj Koothrapali |
Roseanne Barr | Roseanne | Roseanne Conner | $875,000 | $ | 1996-97 | [15] |
John Goodman | Roseanne/The Conners | Dan Conner | $860,000 | $ | 1996-97; 2019- | [16] |
Ashton Kutcher | Two and a Half Men | Walden Schmidt | $755,000 | $ | 2014 | |
Drew Carey | The Drew Carey Show | Drew Carey | $750,000 | $ | 2001–04 | |
David Hyde Pierce | Frasier | Niles Crane | $750,000 | $ | 2004 | [17] |
Lauren Graham | | Lorelai Gilmore | $750,000 | $ | 2016 | [18] |
Alexis Bledel | Rory Gilmore |
Bryan Cranston | Your Honor | Michael Desiato | $750,000 | $ | 2019–2020 | |
Hugh Laurie | House | Dr. Gregory House | $700,000 | $ | 2011–12 | [19] |
Andrew Lincoln | The Walking Dead | Rick Grimes | $650,000 | $ | 2017–18 | [20] |
Kate Winslet | Mare of Easttown | Mare Sheehan | $650,000 | $ | 2019–2020 | |
Jon Cryer | Two and a Half Men | Alan Harper | $620,000 | $ | 2013–15 | [21] |
Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Seinfeld | Elaine Benes | $600,000 | $ | 1997–98 | |
Jason Alexander | George Costanza |
Michael Richards | Cosmo Kramer |
Eric McCormack | Will & Grace | Will Truman | $600,000 | $ | 2005–06 | [22] |
Debra Messing | Grace Adler |
Megan Mullally | Karen Walker |
Sean Hayes | Jack McFarland |
Steve Martin | Only Murders in the Building | Charles-Haden Savage | $600,000 | $ | 2020– | |
Martin Short | Oliver Putnam |
Gillian Anderson | The First Lady | Eleanor Roosevelt | $600,000 | $ | 2021– |
Viola Davis | Michelle Obama |
Michelle Pfeiffer | Betty Ford |
Pedro Pascal | The Last of Us | Joel Miller | $600,000 | $ | 2021– |
Ellen Pompeo | Grey's Anatomy | Meredith Grey | $575,000 | $ | 2005– | [23] |
Alec Baldwin | Dr. Death | Robert Henderson | $575,000 | $ | 2020–2021 | |
Norman Reedus | The Walking Dead | Daryl Dixon | $550,000 | $ | 2017–18 | |
Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Veep | Selina Meyer | $500,000 | $ | 2019 | [24] |
Sofía Vergara | Modern Family | Gloria Pritchett | $500,000 | $ | 2009–2020 | [25] | |
Television hosts
Network primetime salaries per season
Daytime annual salaries
News presenters
Notes and References
- https://www.wmagazine.com/story/reese-witherspoon-jennifer-aniston-the-morning-show-apple-tv Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston Finally Give Us a Peek at The Morning Show
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/apples-bumpy-tv-launch-inside-tech-giants-impending-arrival-hollywood-1247577 Inside Apple's Long, Bumpy Road to Hollywood
- Web site: The Highest Paid TV Actors Of All Time Per Per Episode - UPROXX. UPROXX. August 5, 2014.
- Web site: For $50 Mil, Producers Love Raymond. PEOPLE.com.
- Web site: Kelsey Grammer: NBC's $1.6 Million Man. PEOPLE.com.
- Web site: Streaming Boom Keeps TV Salaries at Heady Levels: Here's What Kate Winslet, Jason Sudeikis and More Are Earning . Schneider . Michael . Otterson . Joe . . . August 18, 2021 . August 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210818232156/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/tv-salaries-2021-kate-winslet-jason-sudeikis-succession-1235043291/ . August 18, 2021 . live .
- News: Fahey. Mark. Seinfeld's per-line payday. CNBC. May 31, 2015.
- News: Flint. Joe. Helen Hunt and Paul Riser get a raise. Entertainment Weekly. April 10, 1998. May 10, 2018.
- News: Carter. Bill. The fame and fat paycheck from Friends--$1.25 million per episode last season. The New York Times. June 11, 2004. August 30, 2018.
- News: Mahan. Colin. Sopranos actors end pay dispute. TV.com. July 5, 2006. May 10, 2018.
- Web site: Big Bang Theory Actors Set to Earn $1 Million an Episode.
- https://www.businessinsider.com/reese-witherspoons-salary-for-big-little-lies-season-2-tripled-thanks-to-apple-2018-1 Apple shelling out millions for TV talent reportedly helped Reese Witherspoon triple her salary on season 2 of HBO's 'Big Little Lies'
- https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a44376203/and-just-like-that-cast-net-worth-salaries/#:~:text=Sarah%20Jessica%20Parker,-Net%20Worth%3A%20%24200&text=She%20made%20~%2450%20million,6%20she%20made%20%24147%20million You Truly Won't Believe How Much Money the Cast of 'And Just Like That...' Is Making
- Web site: Why the 'Big Bang Theory' Stars Took Surprising Pay Cuts. The Hollywood Reporter. March 29, 2017.
- Web site: What is Roseanne Barr's Net Worth?. May 29, 2018.
- Web site: What is Roseanne Barr's Net Worth?. May 29, 2018.
- Web site: The Highest-Paid Actors On TV This Fall. Acuna. Kirsten. Business Insider. September 25, 2012. September 10, 2014.
- Web site: Salaries of TV's Top Talent Revealed. October 4, 2016. 27 October 2016.
- News: The Real Story Behind House's Cancellation. TV Guide. Schneider. Michael. February 13, 2012. October 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20150130063443/https://www.tvguide.com/news/house-cancellation-1043356/. January 30, 2015. live.
- Web site: Robert De Niro's Making How Much?! TV Is Becoming an ATM for Top Talent. Goldberg. Lesley. November 17, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. December 15, 2016.
- Web site: 'Two and a Half Men': Jon Cryer Gets a Raise, Ashton Kutcher Doesn't. Balloni. Matthew. Hollywood Reporter. May 1, 2013. January 11, 2017.
- Web site: Report: 'Will & Grace' to return in '06. Today.
- Web site: Ellen Pompeo Reveal's Why She Stayed on Grey's Anatomy.
- https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a44578780/julia-louis-dreyfus-net-worth/Did You Know Julia Louis-Dreyfus Could Be a Billionaire in Her Lifetime? You Do Now
- Web site: The Highest-Paid Actresses 2020: Small Screen Stars Like Sofia Vergara, Ellen Pompeo and Elisabeth Moss Shine. Forbes.
- Web site: Britney Spears signs onto 'X-Factor': Highest paid stars on TV. New York Daily News. July 4, 2017.
- Web site: Wallenstein. Andrew. Paying Katy Perry Top Dollar Doesn't Make Sense for 'American Idol'. Variety. Penske Media Corporation. July 4, 2017. May 30, 2017.
- Web site: Elliott. Hannah. The Real American Idol: How J.Lo Got Her Mojo Back. Forbes. July 24, 2017. May 16, 2012.
- Aguilera sources:
- Web site: Maloney. Devon. Mariah Carey's $18 Million 'Idol' Deal: How Does it Measure Up to Stars' TV Paydays?. Spin. July 4, 2017. July 24, 2012.
- Web site: Maglio. Tony. Waxman. Sharon. 'Voice' Judge Shakeup: Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys to Join, Pharrell Williams to Exit Next Season (Exclusive). TheWrap. July 4, 2017. March 25, 2016.
- Web site: Rushfield. Ricchard. Idol Terror - Is Seacrest Out? An Ankler Special Report. The Ankler. July 4, 2017.
- Web site: Buchanan. Kyle. How Much Will Shakira Make for The Voice?. Vulture. February 2, 2019. September 19, 2012.
- Web site: Gerencer. Tommy. How Much Money Do The Voice Coaches Make?. MoneyNation. July 4, 2017. November 28, 2016.
- Web site: Soghomonian. Talia. Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey quit 'American Idol'. NME. February 2, 2019. June 1, 2013.
- News: TV Personalities . CBC News . July 25, 2007 . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180908054254/https://paywizard.org/salary/vip-check/talk-show-host-salaries . September 8, 2018 . dead .
- News: TVs Highest Paid Star? Judge Judy (by a mile). newser.com. Aug 22, 2013.
- News: Barbara Walters. Forbes.com. May 8, 2008. June 14, 2007.
- News: Spotlights Monologues extended . https://web.archive.org/web/20121022103702/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/425624401.html?dids=425624401:425624401&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+30,+2001&author=&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Spotlights+Monologues+extended&pqatl=google . dead . October 22, 2012 . January 30, 2001 . Toronto Star.
- News: Stays for Another 'Day' . Fox News . Michael . Starr . May 2, 2002 . August 12, 2013.
- News: 'Today' gives new host a very warm welcome . Richmond Times . Douglas . Durden . September 14, 2006.
- News: Vieira chosen as Couric's 'Today' successor. April 7, 2006. September 10, 2014. NBC.
- News: Katie Couric Signs NBC Contract Said to Be Largest in TV News . The New York Times . Bill . Carter . December 20, 2001 . August 12, 2013.