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How much is Hollywood shelling out for its top TV talent?
2016-10-04
In this age of wall-to-wall TV programming, stars have become essential in bringing sizable audiences to shows.
Variety talked to actors, executives, agents, managers, attorneys, and others who are in the know about how much TV stars are making these days and found that the gap between the salaries of main stars and supporting ones has become larger.
Star salaries can range from $1 million an episode for the main players of CBS's "Big Bang Theory" to as small as $20,000 per episode for the actors who play the Lyon kids on Fox's "Empire."
Here's a look at the biggest salaries across comedy, drama, and reality/news/talk series*:
*Salaries are per episode, unless otherwise indicated. Some salaries may include producing fees and profit participation.
$350,000 — Nicole Kidman, "Big Little Lies" (HBO)
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$350,000 — Reese Witherspoon, "Big Little Lies" (HBO)
Jethro Nededog is the former entertainment editor at INSIDER. Before that, he was the senior entertainment reporter for sister site, Business Insider. He has also served as the TV Editor for TheWrap and Celebuzz, as well as reported on television for The Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times.He is a former member of the Television Critics Association (TCA), currently a member of the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (GALECA), and served for several years as a judge for the Critics Award at the New York Television Festival.He has a BA in journalism from New York University, and an MA in fiction and screenwriting from the University of Southern California.
