Kaley Cuoco earned over $163 million for 'The Big Bang Theory' alone here's how she makes her money
Jason Guerrasio
- Cuoco and her "The Big Bang Theory" costars earned a base pay of $1 million per episode by the end of the show's run.
- The star made around $2 million to be the face of brands like Priceline.
For the first three seasons of "The Big Bang Theory" from 2007 to 2009, Cuoco and her castmates collectively earned $60,000 per episode.
Cuoco and castmates Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki didn't start off making huge money on the show.
In fact, the trio took in $60,000 per episode for the first three seasons, according to Deadline. Across 63 episodes, Cuoco earned $3,780,000.
But something must have been working because things changed once season four rolled around.
In 2010, Cuoco and the cast earned $200,000 an episode for the show's fourth season.
Thanks to popularity building for the series, Cuoco, Parsons, and Galecki renegotiated their contracts before season four to $200,000 per episode, according to Deadline.
Since they filmed 24 episodes, they each earned $4.8 million for the season. But it would only get better.
From 2011 to 2013, Cuoco and her castmates brought in $21.6 million each.
By 2011 when it was time for the cast to renegotiate again, the show was becoming a major hit for CBS. The network showed its appreciation.
They made $250,000 per episode in season five, $300,000 in season six, and $350,000 in season seven, according to Deadline, totaling $21.6 million each for the three seasons.
But that's not all: they also negotiated a backend deal that added hundreds of thousands more to their base pay, Deadline reported.
From 2014 to 2016, Cuoco and the cast made $1 million per episode. With over 72 episodes, plus backend deals, they brought in $90 million each.
Cuoco and the cast got to the rarefied air of "Friends"-level pay scale when they successfully negotiated a cool $1 million per episode before the start of the eighth season. This deal ran through the 10th season of the show.
In 2015 alone, Cuoco took in $28.5 million, according to Forbes.
In total, there were 72 episodes in those three seasons. Along with backend deals, Cuoco walked away with a huge $90 million total over the length of that contract.
In 2017 and 2018, Cuoco took a pay cut to help castmates earn more. But she still brought in over $43 million over that time.
In the final two seasons of the show, Cuoco and other castmates agreed to a pay cut and took in $900,000 per episode so costars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch could get pay increases, according to Variety.
Cuoco still brought in over $43.2 million over those seasons.
In 2017, Cuoco earned $26 million.
Thanks to her "Big Bang Theory" contract and endorsement deals, the star earned $26 million, according to Forbes.
In 2018, she brought in $24.5 million
Once again highlighted in Forbes.
In total, Cuoco earned over $160 million during the lifespan of "The Big Bang Theory."
That's right. If you do the math, the star earned approximately $163,380,000 starring on the show.
And it's highly likely she's still seeing money from the show, as it's syndicated to date across the globe.
Cuoco has had endorsement deals with Priceline, Marshalls, and Toyota.
There are several brands Cuoco is the face of, most notably Priceline. She's also done ads for Marshalls, Toyota and Smirnoff.
She earned $2 million doing ads for Priceline and Toyota in 2013. You have to bet she's earned a lot more since.
It's safe to say she's not earning "Big Bang Theory" dollars on "The Flight Attendant."
The hit HBO Max series that she stars in and executive produces has brought her high acclaim, as she was nominated for an Emmy in the first season.
But it's pretty likely she's not making the millions she took in on "The Big Bang Theory."
The actress has been mum about what she's earning, only saying that this new show is "different and new" compared to the one that made her a household name.
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