List of highest-paid American television stars

List of highest-paid American television stars

This is a list of people starring on American television that are the highest-paid, based on verified sources for each person.

TV and streaming salaries per episode

List of highest-paid American television stars

<table><thead><tr><th>Name</th><th>Program</th><th>Role</th><th>Salary</th><th>Inflation Adjusted</th><th>Year</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Jennifer Aniston</td><td>The Morning Show</td><td>Alex Levy</td><td>$2 million</td><td>$2,519,000</td><td>2019–</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Reese Witherspoon</td><td>Bradley Jackson</td></tr><tr><td>Charlie Sheen</td><td>Two and a Half Men</td><td>Charlie Harper</td><td>$1.8-2 million</td><td>$2,576,000</td><td>2010–11</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ray Romano</td><td>Everybody Loves Raymond</td><td>Raymond Barone</td><td>$1.825 million</td><td>$2,802,000</td><td>2003–05</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Kelsey Grammer</td><td>Frasier</td><td>Frasier Crane</td><td>$1.6 million</td><td>$2,727,000</td><td>2002–04</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Chris Pratt</td><td>The Terminal List</td><td>James Reece</td><td>$1.4 million</td><td>$1,742,000</td><td>2022–</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tim Allen</td><td>Home Improvement</td><td>Tim Taylor</td><td>$1.25 million</td><td>$2,416,000</td><td>1998–99</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jennifer Aniston</td><td>Friends</td><td>Rachel Green</td><td>$1.1 million</td><td>$2,008,000</td><td>2003 and 2004</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Courteney Cox</td><td>Monica Geller</td></tr><tr><td>Lisa Kudrow</td><td>Phoebe Buffay</td></tr><tr><td>Matt LeBlanc</td><td>Joey Tribbiani</td></tr><tr><td>David Schwimmer</td><td>Ross Geller</td></tr><tr><td>Matthew Perry</td><td>Chandler Bing</td></tr><tr><td>Jerry Seinfeld</td><td>Seinfeld</td><td>Jerry Seinfeld</td><td>$1 million</td><td>$1,975,000</td><td>1997–98</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Helen Hunt</td><td>Mad About You</td><td>Jamie Buchman</td><td>$1 million</td><td>$1,933,000</td><td>1998–99</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Paul Reiser</td><td>Paul Buchman</td></tr><tr><td>James Gandolfini</td><td>The Sopranos</td><td>Tony Soprano</td><td>$1 million</td><td>$1,553,000</td><td>2006–07</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jennifer Aniston</td><td>Friends</td><td>Rachel Green</td><td>$1 million</td><td>$1,705,000</td><td>2002</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Courteney Cox</td><td>Monica Geller</td></tr><tr><td>Lisa Kudrow</td><td>Phoebe Buffay</td></tr><tr><td>Matt LeBlanc</td><td>Joey Tribbiani</td></tr><tr><td>David Schwimmer</td><td>Ross Geller</td></tr><tr><td>Matthew Perry</td><td>Chandler Bing</td></tr><tr><td>Kaley Cuoco</td><td>The Big Bang Theory</td><td>Penny</td><td>$1 million</td><td>$1,342,000</td><td>2015–17</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Johnny Galecki</td><td>Leonard Hofstadter</td></tr><tr><td>Jim Parsons</td><td>Sheldon Cooper</td></tr><tr><td>Simon Helberg</td><td>Howard Wolowitz</td><td>2017</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Kunal Nayyar</td><td>Raj Koothrappali</td></tr><tr><td>Nicole Kidman</td><td>Big Little Lies</td><td>Celeste Wright</td><td>$1 million</td><td>$1,259,000</td><td>2019</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Reese Witherspoon</td><td>Madeline Martha Mackenzie</td></tr><tr><td>Jeff Bridges</td><td>The Old Man</td><td>Dan Chase</td><td>$1 million</td><td>$1,244,000</td><td>2021–24</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sarah Jessica Parker</td><td>And Just Like That</td><td>Carrie Bradshaw</td><td>$1 million</td><td>$1,188,000</td><td>2021–25</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Roseanne Barr</td><td>Roseanne</td><td>Roseanne Conner</td><td>$875,000</td><td>$1,796,000</td><td>1996-97</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>John Goodman</td><td>Roseanne/The Conners</td><td>Dan Conner</td><td>$860,000</td><td>$1,796,000</td><td>1996-97; 2019-25</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ashton Kutcher</td><td>Two and a Half Men</td><td>Walden Schmidt</td><td>$755,000</td><td>$1,013,000</td><td>2014</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Drew Carey</td><td>The Drew Carey Show</td><td>Drew Carey</td><td>$750,000</td><td>$1,278,000</td><td>2001–04</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>David Hyde Pierce</td><td>Frasier</td><td>Niles Crane</td><td>$750,000</td><td>$1,278,000</td><td>2004</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Lauren Graham</td><td>Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life</td><td>Lorelai Gilmore</td><td>$750,000</td><td>$1,006,000</td><td>2016</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Alexis Bledel</td><td>Rory Gilmore</td></tr><tr><td>Bryan Cranston</td><td>Your Honor</td><td>Michael Desiato</td><td>$750,000</td><td>$933,000</td><td>2019–2020</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hugh Laurie</td><td>House</td><td>Dr. Gregory House</td><td>$700,000</td><td>$982,000</td><td>2011–12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Andrew Lincoln</td><td>The Walking Dead</td><td>Rick Grimes</td><td>$650,000</td><td>$833,000</td><td>2017–18</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Kate Winslet</td><td>Mare of Easttown</td><td>Mare Sheehan</td><td>$650,000</td><td>$809,000</td><td>2019–2020</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jon Cryer</td><td>Two and a Half Men</td><td>Alan Harper</td><td>$620,000</td><td>$842,000</td><td>2013–15</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Julia Louis-Dreyfus</td><td>Seinfeld</td><td>Elaine Benes</td><td>$600,000</td><td>$1,185,000</td><td>1997–98</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jason Alexander</td><td>George Costanza</td></tr><tr><td>Michael Richards</td><td>Cosmo Kramer</td></tr><tr><td>Eric McCormack</td><td>Will & Grace</td><td>Will Truman</td><td>$600,000</td><td>$958,000</td><td>2005–06</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Debra Messing</td><td>Grace Adler</td></tr><tr><td>Megan Mullally</td><td>Karen Walker</td></tr><tr><td>Sean Hayes</td><td>Jack McFarland</td></tr><tr><td>Steve Martin</td><td>Only Murders in the Building</td><td>Charles-Haden Savage</td><td>$600,000</td><td>$746,000</td><td>2020–</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Martin Short</td><td>Oliver Putnam</td></tr><tr><td>Selena Gomez</td><td>Mabel Mora</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Gillian Anderson</td><td>The First Lady</td><td>Eleanor Roosevelt</td><td>$600,000</td><td>$746,000</td><td>2021–</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Viola Davis</td><td>Michelle Obama</td></tr><tr><td>Michelle Pfeiffer</td><td>Betty Ford</td></tr><tr><td>Pedro Pascal</td><td>The Last of Us</td><td>Joel Miller</td><td>$600,000</td><td>$746,000</td><td>2021–</td></tr><tr><td>Ellen Pompeo</td><td>Grey's Anatomy</td><td>Meredith Grey</td><td>$575,000</td><td>$724,000</td><td>2005–</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Alec Baldwin</td><td>Dr. Death</td><td>Robert Henderson</td><td>$575,000</td><td>$715,000</td><td>2020–2021</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Norman Reedus</td><td>The Walking Dead</td><td>Daryl Dixon</td><td>$550,000</td><td>$705,000</td><td>2017–18</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Julia Louis-Dreyfus</td><td>Veep</td><td>Selina Meyer</td><td>$500,000</td><td>$767,000</td><td>2019</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Julie Bowen</td><td>Modern Family</td><td>Claire Dunphy</td><td>$500,000</td><td>$630,000</td><td>2017-2020</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ty Burrell</td><td>Phil Dunphy</td></tr><tr><td>Jesse Tyler Ferguson</td><td>Mitchell Pritchett</td></tr><tr><td>Ed O'Neill</td><td>Jay Pritchett</td></tr><tr><td>Eric Stonestreet</td><td>Cameron Tucker</td></tr><tr><td>Sofía Vergara</td><td>Gloria Pritchett</td></tr><tr><td>James Gandolfini</td><td>The Sopranos</td><td>Tony Soprano</td><td>$400,000</td><td>$691,000</td><td>2003-2004</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sarah Jessica Parker</td><td>sex and the city</td><td>Carrie Bradshaw</td><td>$100,000-150,000</td><td>$209,000</td><td>2001</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Television hosts

Network primetime salaries per season

Name	Program	Role	Salary	Year	Ref.
Simon Cowell	The X Factor	Judge	$75 million	2012–13
Ariana Grande	The Voice	Coach	$25 million	2021
Katy Perry	American Idol	Judge	2017–18
Jennifer Lopez	Judge	$20 million	2011–12
Christina Aguilera	The Voice	Coach	2011–16
Mariah Carey	American Idol	Judge	$18 million	2012–13
Ryan Seacrest	American Idol	Host	$15 million	2013–16
Britney Spears	The X Factor	Judge	2012
Miley Cyrus	The Voice	Coach	$13 million	2016–17
Adam Levine	2016–18
Blake Shelton	2016–18
Kelly Clarkson	$12 million	2018
Shakira	2013
Gwen Stefani	2017
Nicki Minaj	American Idol	Judge	2012–13

Daytime annual salaries

Name	Program	Role	Salary	Year	Ref.
Ellen DeGeneres	The Ellen DeGeneres Show	Host	$50 million	2017
Judith Sheindlin	Judge Judy	Judge	$47 million	2013
Barbara Walters	The View	Host	$13 million	2007
Bob Barker	The Price Is Right	Game show host	$10 million	2001

News presenters

List of highest-paid American television stars

Name	Program	Role	Salary	Year	Ref.
Matt Lauer	Today	Anchor	$21 million
Meredith Vieira	Today	Anchor	$15 million
Katie Couric	CBS Evening News	News anchor	$15 million