# 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

| Name | Program | Role | Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Year |
| Sarah Jessica Parker | Sex and the City | Carrie Bradshaw | $3.2 million | $5,162,000 | 2001–2004 |
| Jennifer Aniston | The Morning Show | Alex Levy | $2 million | $2,383,000 | 2019– |
| Reese Witherspoon | The Morning Show | Bradley Jackson | $2 million | $2,383,000 | 2019– |
| Charlie Sheen | Two and a Half Men | Charlie Harper | $1.8-2 million | $2,438,000 | 2010–11 |
| Ray Romano | Everybody Loves Raymond | Raymond Barone | $1.725 million | $2,652,000 | 2003–05 |
| Kelsey Grammer | Frasier | Frasier Crane | $1.6 million | $2,581,000 | 2002–04 |
| Chris Pratt | The Terminal List | James Reece | $1.4 million | $1,648,000 | 2022– |
| Tim Allen | Home Improvement | Tim Taylor | $1.25 million | $2,286,000 | 1998–99 |
| Jerry Seinfeld | Seinfeld | Jerry Seinfeld | $1 million | $1,869,000 | 1997–98 |
| Helen Hunt | Mad About You | Jamie Buchman | $1 million | $1,829,000 | 1998–99 |
| Paul Reiser | Mad About You | Paul Buchman | $1 million | $1,829,000 | 1998–99 |
| Jennifer Aniston | Friends | Rachel Green | $1 million | $1,613,000 | 2002–04 |
| Courteney Cox | Friends | Monica Geller | $1 million | $1,613,000 | 2002–04 |
| Lisa Kudrow | Friends | Phoebe Buffay | $1 million | $1,613,000 | 2002–04 |
| Matt LeBlanc | Friends | Joey Tribbiani | $1 million | $1,613,000 | 2002–04 |
| David Schwimmer | Friends | Ross Geller | $1 million | $1,613,000 | 2002–04 |
| Matthew Perry | Friends | Chandler Bing | $1 million | $1,613,000 | 2002–04 |
| James Gandolfini | The Sopranos | Tony Soprano | $1 million | $1,469,000 | 2006–07 |
| Kaley Cuoco | The Big Bang Theory | Penny | $1 million | $1,270,000 | 2015–17 |
| Johnny Galecki | The Big Bang Theory | Leonard Hofstadter | $1 million | $1,270,000 | 2015–17 |
| Jim Parsons | The Big Bang Theory | Sheldon Cooper | $1 million | $1,270,000 | 2015–17 |
| Nicole Kidman | Big Little Lies | Celeste Wright | $1 million | $1,192,000 | 2019 |
| Reese Witherspoon | Big Little Lies | Madeline Martha Mackenzie | $1 million | $1,192,000 | 2019 |
| Jeff Bridges | The Old Man | Dan Chase | $1 million | $1,177,000 | 2021– |
| Sarah Jessica Parker | And Just Like That | Carrie Bradshaw | $1 million | $1,124,000 | 2021– |
| Simon Helberg | The Big Bang Theory | Howard Wolowitz | $900,000 | $1,092,000 | 2017-19 |
| Kunal Nayyar | The Big Bang Theory | Raj Koothrapali | $900,000 | $1,092,000 | 2017-19 |
| Roseanne Barr | Roseanne | Roseanne Conner | $875,000 | $1,700,000 | 1996-97 |
| John Goodman | Roseanne/The Conners | Dan Conner | $860,000 | $1,700,000 | 1996-97; 2019- |
| Ashton Kutcher | Two and a Half Men | Walden Schmidt | $755,000 | $959,000 | 2014 |
| Drew Carey | The Drew Carey Show | Drew Carey | $750,000 | $1,210,000 | 2001–04 |
| David Hyde Pierce | Frasier | Niles Crane | $750,000 | $1,210,000 | 2004 |
| Lauren Graham | Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | Lorelai Gilmore | $750,000 | $952,000 | 2016 |
| Alexis Bledel | Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | Rory Gilmore | $750,000 | $952,000 | 2016 |
| Bryan Cranston | Your Honor | Michael Desiato | $750,000 | $883,000 | 2019–2020 |
| Hugh Laurie | House | Dr. Gregory House | $700,000 | $929,000 | 2011–12 |
| Andrew Lincoln | The Walking Dead | Rick Grimes | $650,000 | $789,000 | 2017–18 |
| Kate Winslet | Mare of Easttown | Mare Sheehan | $650,000 | $765,000 | 2019–2020 |
| Jon Cryer | Two and a Half Men | Alan Harper | $620,000 | $797,000 | 2013–15 |
| Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Seinfeld | Elaine Benes | $600,000 | $1,122,000 | 1997–98 |
| Jason Alexander | Seinfeld | George Costanza | $600,000 | $1,122,000 | 1997–98 |
| Michael Richards | Seinfeld | Cosmo Kramer | $600,000 | $1,122,000 | 1997–98 |
| Eric McCormack | Will & Grace | Will Truman | $600,000 | $907,000 | 2005–06 |
| Debra Messing | Will & Grace | Grace Adler | $600,000 | $907,000 | 2005–06 |
| Megan Mullally | Will & Grace | Karen Walker | $600,000 | $907,000 | 2005–06 |
| Sean Hayes | Will & Grace | Jack McFarland | $600,000 | $907,000 | 2005–06 |
| Steve Martin | Only Murders in the Building | Charles-Haden Savage | $600,000 | $706,000 | 2020– |
| Martin Short | Only Murders in the Building | Oliver Putnam | $600,000 | $706,000 | 2020– |
| Gillian Anderson | The First Lady | Eleanor Roosevelt | $600,000 | $706,000 | 2021– |
| Viola Davis | The First Lady | Michelle Obama | $600,000 | $706,000 | 2021– |
| Michelle Pfeiffer | The First Lady | Betty Ford | $600,000 | $706,000 | 2021– |
| Pedro Pascal | The Last of Us | Joel Miller | $600,000 | $706,000 | 2021– |
| Ellen Pompeo | Grey's Anatomy | Meredith Grey | $575,000 | $685,000 | 2005– |
| Alec Baldwin | Dr. Death | Robert Henderson | $575,000 | $677,000 | 2020–2021 |
| Norman Reedus | The Walking Dead | Daryl Dixon | $550,000 | $667,000 | 2017–18 |
| Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Veep | Selina Meyer | $500,000 | $726,000 | 2019 |
| Sofía Vergara | Modern Family | Gloria Pritchett | $500,000 | $596,000 | 2009–2020 |

## Television hosts
### Network primetime salaries per season

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

### Daytime annual salaries

| Name | Program | Role | Salary | Year |
| 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

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