The Big Bang Theory is one of the most successful sitcoms all over the world. The characters of the show became household names because of their immense popularity. The show was a mix of comedy, science, love, and nerdy culture making it well-loved. The Big Bang Theory had a run of 12 successful seasons spanning from 2007 to 2019. The show made its place in the hearts of the audience and helped the cast of the show earn big paychecks, making some of them the highest-paid actors in the television industry.
Among them, Jim Parsons is the highest-paid actor in The Big Bang Theory. Let’s look at the list of salaries of the main characters.
Jim Parsons
Jim Parsons, who played the role of Sheldon Cooper, a genius theoretical physicist at Caltech with social awkwardness, is the highest-paid actor in The Big Bang Theory. He is one of the main protagonists of the show and his character is one of the most loved characters on TV. Sheldon’s character has a unique personality making him different from other characters. His comic timing and chemistry with his co-stars were loved by the audience.
His salary on The Big Bang Theory increased at a high rate over the years. He started from a salary of $60,000 per episode and by the end of the show, his salary skyrocketed to $1 million per episode making it $24 million for 24 episodes per season. Overall, Jim Parsons made $177.7 million from the show. In the last two seasons, he along with his co-stars took a $100,000 pay cut to help Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch increase their income.
In 2018, Forbes magazine named Parsons “The Highest Paid TV Actor” as his earnings were $27.5 million in a year.
Johnny Galecki
Johnny Galecki played the role of Leonard Hofstadter, an experimental physicist who is roommates with Sheldon Cooper and is also his best friend. He is one of the main characters of the show along with Sheldon. His love interest was Penny and they eventually got married in the show. His salary on the show was equal to Jim Parsons when they started; he took $60,000 per episode and in the later seasons, his pay increased to $1 million per episode. In the last season, he agreed to take less pay so his other co-stars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch could get paid more. In 2018, Forbes magazine estimated Galecki to be the second highest-paid TV actor as his earnings were $25 million.
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco played the role of Penny, a charming aspiring actress who lived across the hall. She eventually became part of the friends group and also married Leonard. Kaley Cuoco's pay was also the same as her co-stars when she started, with $60,000 per episode. Later in season 5, her pay increased to $250,000 and around season 8, her pay was $1 million per episode. Just like her other co-stars, she also agreed to take less pay in the last seasons for the same reason. Kaley has received her share of royalties and residuals like her other co-stars, she also got 1% of the show’s backend equity.
Simon Helberg
Simon Helberg played the role of Howard Wolowitz, one of the main male characters out of four friends. Simon’s character Howard is an aerospace engineer. He is different from his friends as he is not a physicist. Sheldon always looked down on him, which resulted in funny banter between them. Howard was a wannabe flirt with poor communication skills. He got married to Bernadette in the show.
Simon Helberg's pay was $45,000 initially and in later seasons, he was taking the same amount as Jim, Johnny, and Kaley with $1 million per episode. Just like his co-stars Simon also agreed to take less pay in the last two seasons. In 2018, Forbes listed Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar as the third highest-paid TV actors in the world.
Kunal Nayyar
Kunal Nayyar who played the role of Raj Koothrappali, is one of the main male characters out of the four friends. He is Howard’s best friend and quite the opposite of him. Raj was an astrophysicist in the show and extremely quiet around girls, initially he didn't even talk to Penny directly. Kunal Nayyar's pay was the same as Simon's, he was also getting $45,000 which later increased to $1 million per episode. In the last two seasons, he also took less pay, like the other actors.
In 2018, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg were listed by Forbes as the third highest-paid TV actors in the world.
Melissa Rauch
Melissa Rauch played the role of Bernadette Rostenkowski, a microbiologist who is ambitious, competitive, and intelligent. She married Howard in the show and eventually became an integral part of the cast. She was an important part of the group and her character added humor to the show. Even though she joined the show late, her role was a key addition.
Her pay was reportedly $45,000 per episode at the start and she eventually made $500,000 per episode by the end of the show. In the last two seasons, she earned $24 million from 48 episodes alone. Her character had a lasting impact on the audience.
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Bialik played the role of Amy Farrah Fowler, a neurobiologist who is sweet, quirky, and intelligent. She was Sheldon’s love interest and they got married in the 11th season. She became an important part of the show from the moment of her introduction. Even though she was introduced late in the show, her role was a key addition.
At first, her pay was less than her other cast members and reportedly she was getting around $45,000 per episode. After some negotiations and support from her co-actors, her pay was increased to $500,000 per episode by the end of the show.
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FAQs about The Big Bang Theory
A. Jim Parsons was the highest paid actor on The Big Bang Theory.
A. The role of Sheldon Cooper was played by Jim Parsons.
A. Penny ended up with Leonard Hofstadter.
