If you’re an up-and-coming comedic actor, there are worse bigwigs to rub elbows with than Chuck Lorre. There’s plenty of clout to be found when appearing on his successful sitcoms like “Two and a Half Men” and “Mom,” and Allison Janney, Jon Cryer, and Jim Parsons have all earned Emmys for their work on Lorre’s shows. The paychecks don’t hurt either. The stars of Lorre’s shows are some of the highest-paid television actors ever. When “Two and a Half Men” was at the peak of its popularity, Charlie Sheen was raking in about $1.25 million per episode.
That’s small potatoes compared to the combined salaries of the cast of “The Big Bang Theory.” When the series began in 2007, leads Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, and Kaley Cuoco each made $60,000 per episode. By the beginning of Season 8, the trio was pulling in $1 million each – a number that stayed on the books for three seasons, until they agreed to take a $100,000 cut to bump Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch’s salaries.
On top of the eye-popping “Big Bang Theory” salaries, the cast tacked on additional earnings beginning in 2011, when the series went into syndication. Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco are earning even more from reruns since the three leads each own a 1% share of the show’s total earnings for Warner Bros. At an estimated $1 billion a year, that means the actors have an extra $10 million in their yearly income. Bazinga indeed.
The Big Bang Theory cast earns broadcast network bucks
Given their ongoing payday from “The Big Bang Theory,” Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, and Johnny Galecki could all embrace an early retirement if they wanted to. Since “The Big Bang Theory” ended in 2019, Galecki has kept a low profile. Parsons hasn’t strayed far from his roots, serving as the narrator and executive producer of “Young Sheldon.” Cuoco has stayed busy, starring in and executive producing “Harley Quinn,” “The Flight Attendant,” and “Based on a True Story.”
The cast’s hefty paychecks were in part due to their savvy contract negotiating, which endorsed an all-for-one mentality. Moreover, there was never a question that Cuoco would earn less than her male co-stars. “I remember with my team, and even [creator] Chuck [Lorre], there was no conversation that I wouldn’t have parity with those two guys,” Cuoco told The Hollywood Reporter in 2020. “I’m lucky that I had people to pave the way for me and that no one balked.”
Still, the cushy salaries — and cushier rerun residuals — are one of the privileges of starring on a broadcast network series. One of the motivating factors behind the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes was the paltry residual pay provided by streaming services. “I’m lucky because I was on ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ which was on a broadcast network for years,” said Kevin Sussman, who played Stuart on the show, in an interview with Deadline. “Since it moved to streaming [like Max and Amazon Prime], it’s night and day. I don’t see how it’s possible for an upcoming actor these days to actually be able to make a living.”
