Melissa Rauch’s role as Bernadette contributed largely to her net worth after she earned millions in paycheck in The Big Bang Theory final seasons.
Melissa Rauch made her debut on The Big Bang Theory in its third season as Bernadette Rostenkowski. Rauch initially appeared in a recurring role before the audience’s appeal for her character forced the creators to make her a series regular. With her terrifyingly sweet performance and unique voice, which is very different from her original voice, it was no wonder that she quickly became a fan favorite.
Rauch played the love interest and later wife of Howard Wolowitz. She began the series as Penny’s co-worker at the Cheese Cake Factory and later went on to become a high-earning microbiologist. After she wrapped up the CBS sitcom, she went on to lead the cast of Night Court.
Melissa Rauch’s Net Worth: How Much Did She Earn From The Big Bang Theory?
Melissa Rauch had humble beginnings, starting her comedy career on VH1’s Best Week Ever in 2004. Her first film role came in 2006’s Delirious. She appeared in a guest role on The Office and in a recurring role during the third season of True Blood. She landed her most popular role in The Big Bang Theory in 2009.
She became famous for her unique voice in the series, which obviously opened numerous voice-acting opportunities for her. She lent her voice to projects like Ice Age: Collision Course, Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite!, Sofia the First, and Robot Chicken. She played Harley Quinn in Batman and Harley Quinn before her TBBT co-star Kaley Cuoco voiced the character in the 2019 eponymous animated series.
Melissa Rauch’s net worth is estimated to be $20 million. A major part of this money comes from her appearances in The Big Bang Theory and Night Court. Rauch started her TBBT appearance at a mere $45,000 per episode paycheck. It was then upped to $175,000 before it was fixed at $200,000 from Season 8 onwards.
It was a shame that Rauch was paid such a low per-episode salary alongside Mayim Bialik when their co-stars were earning $1 million in these seasons. According to Variety, there were negotiations after Season 10, where Warner Bros. Television and CBS tried to work out a deal with the actors. At the end of the negotiations, the rest of the five stars decided to take a pay cut of $100k each to contribute towards Rauch and Bialik’s salaries.
For Seasons 11 & 12, Rauch was paid half a million per episode. The last two seasons consisted of 24 episodes each, meaning that Rauch should have made a total of $24 million in the last two seasons alone. According to Parade, Bialik and Rauch’s contracts for the final two seasons also included a separate development deal with Warner Bros. Television. This deal could’ve landed Rauch in the lead role in Night Court.
How Much Did Melissa Rauch Make From Her Lead Role In Night Court?
In Night Court, Melissa Rauch took on the role of Judge Abby Stone, the daughter of the late Harry Stone, a character from the original series that ran from 1984 to 1992. The series received positive reviews, with special praise for Rauch’s performance. The series premiered on NBC in January 2023 and has since completed two seasons. The third season premiered on November 19, 2024.
In addition to acting in the series, Rauch served as an executive producer on the series. Her husband Winston Rauch also serves as another executive producer. Rauch and her husband are co-producing the series in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television.
While her exact salary in the series is not known publicly, it is safe to assume that she is the highest-paid actor in the series. This is not considering what she makes from her producer credit.
Night Court is not as popular as TBBT which probably means that Rauch is not getting paid half a million like her earlier popular show. A good guess of her salary would be between $150,000 to $300,000 per episode. She would’ve made anywhere between $4.5 million to $9 million so far from the series, not including her salary for the third season.
Melissa Rauch’s Net Worth Compared To Other TBBT Stars
Melissa Rauch has the lowest net worth among the main cast. Mayim Bialik is richer than Rauch in terms of net worth. However, it is closer to Rauch’s numbers than any other star on the show. Bialik also benefitted from her co-stars’ pay cut, resulting in a pay increase from $175,000 to $500,000 per episode from her first appearance to her final season appearance. Bialik has an estimated fortune of $25 million (via Yahoo! Finance).
Both Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar were unhappy that Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, and Johnny Galecki were paid a million for their later seasons. Helberg and Nayyar were being paid $600,000 during this time. There was some BTS discussions and the studio finally came to an agreement to pay them each a million like their co-stars. Helberg boasts a net worth of $55 million, while Nayyar’s estimated net worth is $45 million.
Johnny Galecki’s net worth is far more than both Helberg and Nayyar’s but slightly less than Cuoco’s. He started the series on a $60,000 per episode, which then saw hikes like $250,000 (Seasons 2-4) and $350,000 (Seasons 5-7).
He earned a million per episode from Season 8 onwards until he took a pay cut in the final seasons and was paid $900,000 per episode. His salary from the sitcom and its annual backend benefits contributed to his current net worth of $100 million.
Cuoco and Parsons also negotiated a similar salary structure to Galecki for the final five seasons. With her continued success in Hollywood, Cuoco was able to amass a net worth of $110 million. Jim Parsons’ net worth towers above his TBBT co-stars at $160 million, thanks partly to his producer role in Young Sheldon.
Melissa Rauch has no other major current or upcoming gig except her role in Night Court. The Big Bang Theory is available for streaming on Max, while Night Court is available for streaming on Peacock.
