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List of highest-paid American television stars

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This is a list of people starring on American television that are the highest-paid, based on verified sources for each person.

Television series edit

 
Jennifer Aniston
 
Reese Witherspoon

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 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]
Simon Helberg The Big Bang Theory Howard Wolowitz $900,000 $1,092,000 2017-19 [13]
Kunal Nayyar Raj Koothrapali
Roseanne Barr Roseanne Roseanne Conner $875,000 $1,700,000 1996-97 [14]
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 [15]
Lauren Graham Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Lorelai Gilmore $750,000 $952,000 2016 [16]
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 [17]
Andrew Lincoln The Walking Dead Rick Grimes $650,000 $789,000 2017–18 [18]
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 [19]
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Seinfeld Elaine Benes $600,000 $1,122,000 1997–98 [3]
Jason Alexander George Costanza
Michael Richards Cosmo Kramer
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– [20]
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 [18]
Sofía Vergara Modern Family Gloria Pritchett $500,000 $596,000 2009–2020 [21]


Television hosts edit

 
Simon Cowell
 
Ellen DeGeneres, host of the eponymous The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Network primetime salaries per season edit

Name Program Role Salary Year Ref.
Simon Cowell The X Factor Judge $75 million 2012–13 [22]
Ariana Grande The Voice Coach $25 million 2021 [23]
Katy Perry American Idol Judge $25 million 2022- [24]
Jennifer Lopez Judge $20 million 2011–12 [25]
Christina Aguilera The Voice Coach 2011–16 [26]
Mariah Carey American Idol Judge $18 million 2012–13 [27]
Ryan Seacrest American Idol Host $15 million 2013–16 [22]
Britney Spears The X Factor Judge 2012 [27]
Miley Cyrus The Voice Coach $13 million 2016–17 [28]
Adam Levine 2016–18 [28]
Blake Shelton 2016–18 [28]
Kelly Clarkson $12 million 2018 [29]
Shakira 2013 [30]
Gwen Stefani 2017 [31]
Nicki Minaj American Idol Judge 2012–13 [32]

Daytime annual salaries edit

Name Program Role Salary Year Ref.
Ellen DeGeneres The Ellen DeGeneres Show Host $50 million 2017 [33]
Judith Sheindlin Judge Judy Judge $47 million 2013 [34]
Barbara Walters The View Host $13 million 2007 [35]
Bob Barker The Price Is Right Game show host $10 million 2001 [36]

News presenters edit

Name Program Role Salary Year Ref.
Matt Lauer Today Anchor $21 million [37]
Meredith Vieira Today Anchor $15 million [38][39]
Katie Couric CBS Evening News News anchor $15 million [40]

References edit

  1. ^ Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston Finally Give Us a Peek at The Morning Show. W. 25 March 2019.
  2. ^ Inside Apple's Long, Bumpy Road to Hollywood. ‘’The Hollywood Reporter’’. 16 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e "The Highest Paid TV Actors Of All Time Per Per Episode - UPROXX". UPROXX. August 5, 2014.
  4. ^ "For $50 Mil, Producers Love Raymond". PEOPLE.com.
  5. ^ "Kelsey Grammer: NBC's $1.6 Million Man". PEOPLE.com.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Fahey, Mark (May 31, 2015). "Seinfeld's per-line payday". CNBC.
  8. ^ Flint, Joe (April 10, 1998). "Helen Hunt and Paul Riser get a raise". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Mahan, Colin (July 5, 2006). "Sopranos actors end pay dispute". TV.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  11. ^ "Big Bang Theory Actors Set to Earn $1 Million an Episode".
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "Why the 'Big Bang Theory' Stars Took Surprising Pay Cuts". The Hollywood Reporter. March 29, 2017.
  14. ^ "What is Roseanne Barr's Net Worth?". May 29, 2018.
  15. ^ Acuna, Kirsten (September 25, 2012). "The Highest-Paid Actors On TV This Fall". Business Insider. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  16. ^ "Salaries of TV's Top Talent Revealed". October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ "Ellen Pompeo Reveal's Why She Stayed on Grey's Anatomy".
  21. ^ "The Highest-Paid Actresses 2020: Small Screen Stars Like Sofia Vergara, Ellen Pompeo and Elisabeth Moss Shine". Forbes.
  22. ^ a b "Britney Spears signs onto 'X-Factor': Highest paid stars on TV". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Elliott, Hannah (May 16, 2012). "The Real American Idol: How J.Lo Got Her Mojo Back". Forbes. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  26. ^ Aguilera sources:
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Rushfield, Ricchard. "Idol Terror - Is Seacrest Out? An Ankler Special Report". The Ankler. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  30. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (September 19, 2012). "How Much Will Shakira Make for The Voice?". Vulture. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  31. ^ Gerencer, Tommy (November 28, 2016). "How Much Money Do The Voice Coaches Make?". MoneyNation. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  32. ^ Soghomonian, Talia (June 1, 2013). "Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey quit 'American Idol'". NME. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  33. ^ "TV Personalities". CBC News. July 25, 2007. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  34. ^ "TVs Highest Paid Star? Judge Judy (by a mile)". newser.com. August 22, 2013.
  35. ^ "Barbara Walters". Forbes.com. June 14, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  36. ^ "Spotlights Monologues extended". Toronto Star. January 30, 2001.
  37. ^ Starr, Michael (May 2, 2002). "Stays for Another 'Day'". Fox News. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  38. ^ Durden, Douglas (September 14, 2006). "'Today' gives new host a very warm welcome". Richmond Times.
  39. ^ "Vieira chosen as Couric's 'Today' successor". NBC. April 7, 2006. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  40. ^ 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.
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