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
[edit] Name | Program | Role | Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Year | Ref. |
Jennifer Aniston | The Morning Show | Alex Levy | $2 million | $2,383,000 | 2019– | [1][2] |
Reese Witherspoon | Bradley Jackson |
Charlie Sheen | Two and a Half Men | Charlie Harper | $1.8-2 million | $2,438,000 | 2010–11 | [3] |
Ray Romano | Everybody Loves Raymond | Raymond Barone | $1.725 million | $2,652,000 | 2003–05 | [4] |
Kelsey Grammer | Frasier | Frasier Crane | $1.6 million | $2,581,000 | 2002–04 | [5] |
Chris Pratt | The Terminal List | James Reece | $1.4 million | $1,648,000 | 2022– | [6] |
Tim Allen | Home Improvement | Tim Taylor | $1.25 million | $2,286,000 | 1998–99 | [3] |
Jerry Seinfeld | Seinfeld | Jerry Seinfeld | $1 million | $1,869,000 | 1997–98 | [7] |
Helen Hunt | Mad About You | Jamie Buchman | $1 million | $1,829,000 | 1998–99 | [8] |
Paul Reiser | Paul Buchman |
Jennifer Aniston | Friends | Rachel Green | $1 million | $1,613,000 | 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 | $1,469,000 | 2006–07 | [10] |
Kaley Cuoco | The Big Bang Theory | Penny | $1 million | $1,270,000 | 2015–17 | [11] |
Johnny Galecki | Leonard Hofstadter |
Jim Parsons | Sheldon Cooper |
Nicole Kidman | Big Little Lies | Celeste Wright | $1 million | $1,192,000 | 2019 | [12] |
Reese Witherspoon | Madeline Martha Mackenzie |
Jeff Bridges | The Old Man | Dan Chase | $1 million | $1,177,000 | 2021– | [6] |
Sarah Jessica Parker | And Just Like That | Carrie Bradshaw | $1 million | $1,124,000 | 2021- | [13] |
Simon Helberg | The Big Bang Theory | Howard Wolowitz | $900,000 | $1,092,000 | 2017-19 | [14] |
Kunal Nayyar | Raj Koothrapali |
Roseanne Barr | Roseanne | Roseanne Conner | $875,000 | $1,700,000 | 1996-97 | [15] |
John Goodman | Roseanne/The Conners | Dan Conner | $860,000 | $1,700,000 | 1996-97; 2019- | [16] |
Ashton Kutcher | Two and a Half Men | Walden Schmidt | $755,000 | $959,000 | 2014 | [3] |
Drew Carey | The Drew Carey Show | Drew Carey | $750,000 | $1,210,000 | 2001–04 | [3] |
David Hyde Pierce | Frasier | Niles Crane | $750,000 | $1,210,000 | 2004 | [17] |
Lauren Graham | Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | Lorelai Gilmore | $750,000 | $952,000 | 2016 | [18] |
Alexis Bledel | Rory Gilmore |
Bryan Cranston | Your Honor | Michael Desiato | $750,000 | $883,000 | 2019–2020 | [6] |
Hugh Laurie | House | Dr. Gregory House | $700,000 | $929,000 | 2011–12 | [19] |
Andrew Lincoln | The Walking Dead | Rick Grimes | $650,000 | $789,000 | 2017–18 | [20] |
Kate Winslet | Mare of Easttown | Mare Sheehan | $650,000 | $765,000 | 2019–2020 | [6] |
Jon Cryer | Two and a Half Men | Alan Harper | $620,000 | $797,000 | 2013–15 | [21] |
Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Seinfeld | Elaine Benes | $600,000 | $1,122,000 | 1997–98 | [3] |
Jason Alexander | George Costanza |
Michael Richards | Cosmo Kramer |
Eric McCormack | Will & Grace | Will Truman | $600,000 | $907,000 | 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 | $706,000 | 2020– | [6] |
Martin Short | Oliver Putnam |
Gillian Anderson | The First Lady | Eleanor Roosevelt | $600,000 | $706,000 | 2021– |
Viola Davis | Michelle Obama |
Michelle Pfeiffer | Betty Ford |
Pedro Pascal | The Last of Us | Joel Miller | $600,000 | $706,000 | 2021– |
Ellen Pompeo | Grey's Anatomy | Meredith Grey | $575,000 | $685,000 | 2005– | [23] |
Alec Baldwin | Dr. Death | Robert Henderson | $575,000 | $677,000 | 2020–2021 | [6] |
Norman Reedus | The Walking Dead | Daryl Dixon | $550,000 | $667,000 | 2017–18 | [20] |
Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Veep | Selina Meyer | $500,000 | $726,000 | 2019 | [24] |
Sofía Vergara | Modern Family | Gloria Pritchett | $500,000 | $596,000 | 2009–2020 | [25] |
Network primetime salaries per season
[edit] Daytime annual salaries
[edit] - ^ Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston Finally Give Us a Peek at The Morning Show. W. 25 March 2019.
- ^ Inside Apple's Long, Bumpy Road to Hollywood. ‘’The Hollywood Reporter’’. 16 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "The Highest Paid TV Actors Of All Time Per Per Episode - UPROXX". UPROXX. August 5, 2014.
- ^ "For $50 Mil, Producers Love Raymond". PEOPLE.com.
- ^ "Kelsey Grammer: NBC's $1.6 Million Man". PEOPLE.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Schneider, Michael; Otterson, Joe (August 18, 2021). "Streaming Boom Keeps TV Salaries at Heady Levels: Here's What Kate Winslet, Jason Sudeikis and More Are Earning". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ Fahey, Mark (May 31, 2015). "Seinfeld's per-line payday". CNBC.
- ^ Flint, Joe (April 10, 1998). "Helen Hunt and Paul Riser get a raise". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Carter, Bill (June 11, 2004). "The fame and fat paycheck from Friends--$1.25 million per episode last season". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ Mahan, Colin (July 5, 2006). "Sopranos actors end pay dispute". TV.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory Actors Set to Earn $1 Million an Episode".
- ^ Apple shelling out millions for TV talent reportedly helped Reese Witherspoon triple her salary on season 2 of HBO's 'Big Little Lies'. Business Insider. 17 January 2018.
- ^ You Truly Won't Believe How Much Money the Cast of 'And Just Like That...' Is Making. 29 June 2023.
- ^ "Why the 'Big Bang Theory' Stars Took Surprising Pay Cuts". The Hollywood Reporter. March 29, 2017.
- ^ "What is Roseanne Barr's Net Worth?". May 29, 2018.
- ^ "What is Roseanne Barr's Net Worth?". May 29, 2018.
- ^ Acuna, Kirsten (September 25, 2012). "The Highest-Paid Actors On TV This Fall". Business Insider. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
- ^ "Salaries of TV's Top Talent Revealed". October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (February 13, 2012). "The Real Story Behind House's Cancellation". TV Guide. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (November 17, 2016). "Robert De Niro's Making How Much?! TV Is Becoming an ATM for Top Talent". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ Balloni, Matthew (May 1, 2013). "'Two and a Half Men': Jon Cryer Gets a Raise, Ashton Kutcher Doesn't". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "Report: 'Will & Grace' to return in '06". Today.
- ^ "Ellen Pompeo Reveal's Why She Stayed on Grey's Anatomy".
- ^ You Know Julia Louis-Dreyfus Could Be a Billionaire in Her Lifetime? You Do Now. 23 July 2023.
- ^ "The Highest-Paid Actresses 2020: Small Screen Stars Like Sofia Vergara, Ellen Pompeo and Elisabeth Moss Shine". Forbes.
- ^ a b "Britney Spears signs onto 'X-Factor': Highest paid stars on TV". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ^ Burgos, Jenzia (September 20, 2021). "Ariana Grande Is the Highest-Paid Coach in 'Voice' History—Here's Her Salary & Net Worth". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (May 30, 2017). "Paying Katy Perry Top Dollar Doesn't Make Sense for 'American Idol'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ^ Elliott, Hannah (May 16, 2012). "The Real American Idol: How J.Lo Got Her Mojo Back". Forbes. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- ^ Aguilera sources:
- ^ a b Maloney, Devon (July 24, 2012). "Mariah Carey's $18 Million 'Idol' Deal: How Does it Measure Up to Stars' TV Paydays?". Spin. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ^ a b c Maglio, Tony; Waxman, Sharon (March 25, 2016). "'Voice' Judge Shakeup: Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys to Join, Pharrell Williams to Exit Next Season (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ^ Rushfield, Ricchard. "Idol Terror - Is Seacrest Out? An Ankler Special Report". The Ankler. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ^ Buchanan, Kyle (September 19, 2012). "How Much Will Shakira Make for The Voice?". Vulture. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ Gerencer, Tommy (November 28, 2016). "How Much Money Do The Voice Coaches Make?". MoneyNation. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ^ Soghomonian, Talia (June 1, 2013). "Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey quit 'American Idol'". NME. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ "TV Personalities". CBC News. July 25, 2007. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- ^ "TVs Highest Paid Star? Judge Judy (by a mile)". newser.com. August 22, 2013.
- ^ "Barbara Walters". Forbes.com. June 14, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
- ^ "Spotlights Monologues extended". Toronto Star. January 30, 2001. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012.
- ^ Starr, Michael (May 2, 2002). "Stays for Another 'Day'". Fox News. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
- ^ Durden, Douglas (September 14, 2006). "'Today' gives new host a very warm welcome". Richmond Times.[dead link]
- ^ "Vieira chosen as Couric's 'Today' successor". NBC. April 7, 2006. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
- ^ Carter, Bill (December 20, 2001). "Katie Couric Signs NBC Contract Said to Be Largest in TV News". The New York Times. Retrieved August 12, 2013.