This TBBT Star Became World's Highest-Paid Actor With $27M Salary
The huge popularity of the sitcom could not but affect the income of the actors.
16 years ago, the pilot episode of one of the most popular, hilarious and beloved sitcoms, The Big Bang Theory, premiered.
The scientists (and the adorable Penny) have gathered on the leather sofa countless times, ordering Chinese food and making the viewers laugh hysterically.
The characters of TBBT are far from ideal, and perhaps that is why fans loved them so much.
Sheldon was infuriatingly selfish, Leonard often acted stupidly, Howard could not be around women in the early seasons. And Raj could not be around women in the late seasons.
But the actors made the characters so voluminous, alive and multifaceted that it was impossible not to care about them.
The sitcom gained immense popularity, which could not but affect the salaries of the actors.
In 2018, it was the stars of The Big Bang Theory who topped the list of television's highest-paid actors, according to Forbes.
The hit parade was led by Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon Cooper. He earned a total of $27.5 million between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018.
This was the fourth year in a row that Parsons topped the prestigious list, slightly ahead of his co-stars.
This can be explained by the fact that he also served as an executive producer on TBBT spin-off Young Sheldon and received slightly more endorsement deals.
Second on the list was Johnny Galecki, known to the fans as Leonard Hofstadter. His earnings were a bit more modest – $25 million.
Third place was shared by Simon Helberg who played Howard Wolowitz and Kunal Nayyar who played Raj Koothrappali, who earned $23.5 million in one year.
The Big Bang Theory cast's dominance came when all five main stars agreed to take a slight pay cut to benefit Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik.
Last season, the five main actors were paid $900,000 per episode instead of $1 million, while Bialik and Rauch were paid $500,000 per episode.
The main advantage of the sitcom has always been its bright characters. Moreover, no one has left the cast of the show in 12 years.
The Big Bang Theory kept adding new characters, with many of the supporting ones becoming more important as the plot progressed, making the farewell to the show beloved by millions even more heartbreaking.
Source: Forbes