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	Ref.
Sarah Jessica Parker	Sex and the City	Carrie Bradshaw	$3.2 million	$5,162,000	2001–2004	[1]
Jennifer Aniston	The Morning Show	Alex Levy	$2 million	$2,383,000	2019–	[2][3]
Reese Witherspoon		Bradley Jackson
Charlie Sheen	Two and a Half Men	Charlie Harper	$1.8-2 million	$2,438,000	2010–11	[4]
Ray Romano	Everybody Loves Raymond	Raymond Barone	$1.725 million	$2,652,000	2003–05	[5]
Kelsey Grammer	Frasier	Frasier Crane	$1.6 million	$2,581,000	2002–04	[6]
Chris Pratt	The Terminal List	James Reece	$1.4 million	$1,648,000	2022–	[7]
Tim Allen	Home Improvement	Tim Taylor	$1.25 million	$2,286,000	1998–99	[4]
Jerry Seinfeld	Seinfeld	Jerry Seinfeld	$1 million	$1,869,000	1997–98	[8]
Helen Hunt	Mad About You	Jamie Buchman	$1 million	$1,829,000	1998–99	[9]
Paul Reiser		Paul Buchman
Jennifer Aniston	Friends	Rachel Green	$1 million	$1,613,000	2002–04	[10]
Courteney Cox		Monica Geller
Lisa Kudrow		Phoebe Buffay
Matt LeBlanc		Joey Tribbiani
David Schwimmer		Ross Geller
Matthew Perry		Chandler Bing
James Gandolfini	The Sopranos	Tony Soprano	$1 million	$1,469,000	2006–07	[11]
Kaley Cuoco	The Big Bang Theory	Penny	$1 million	$1,270,000	2015–17	[12]
Johnny Galecki		Leonard Hofstadter
Jim Parsons		Sheldon Cooper
Nicole Kidman	Big Little Lies	Celeste Wright	$1 million	$1,192,000	2019	[13]
Reese Witherspoon		Madeline Martha Mackenzie
Jeff Bridges	The Old Man	Dan Chase	$1 million	$1,177,000	2021–	[7]
Sarah Jessica Parker	And Just Like That	Carrie Bradshaw	$1 million	$1,124,000	2021–	[1]
Simon Helberg	The Big Bang Theory	Howard Wolowitz	$900,000	$1,092,000	2017-19	[14]
Kunal Nayyar		Raj Koothrapali
Roseanne Barr	Roseanne	Roseanne Conner	$875,000	$1,700,000	1996-97	[15]
John Goodman	Roseanne/The Conners	Dan Conner	$860,000	$1,700,000	1996-97; 2019-	[16]
Ashton Kutcher	Two and a Half Men	Walden Schmidt	$755,000	$959,000	2014	[4]
Drew Carey	The Drew Carey Show	Drew Carey	$750,000	$1,210,000	2001–04	[4]
David Hyde Pierce	Frasier	Niles Crane	$750,000	$1,210,000	2004	[17]
Lauren Graham	Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life	Lorelai Gilmore	$750,000	$952,000	2016	[18]
Alexis Bledel		Rory Gilmore
Bryan Cranston	Your Honor	Michael Desiato	$750,000	$883,000	2019–2020	[7]
Hugh Laurie	House	Dr. Gregory House	$700,000	$929,000	2011–12	[19]
Andrew Lincoln	The Walking Dead	Rick Grimes	$650,000	$789,000	2017–18	[20]
Kate Winslet	Mare of Easttown	Mare Sheehan	$650,000	$765,000	2019–2020	[7]
Jon Cryer	Two and a Half Men	Alan Harper	$620,000	$797,000	2013–15	[21]
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	Seinfeld	Elaine Benes	$600,000	$1,122,000	1997–98	[4]
Jason Alexander		George Costanza
Michael Richards		Cosmo Kramer
Eric McCormack	Will & Grace	Will Truman	$600,000	$907,000	2005–06	[22]
Debra Messing		Grace Adler
Megan Mullally		Karen Walker
Sean Hayes		Jack McFarland
Steve Martin	Only Murders in the Building	Charles-Haden Savage	$600,000	$706,000	2020–	[7]
Martin Short		Oliver Putnam
Gillian Anderson	The First Lady	Eleanor Roosevelt	$600,000	$706,000	2021–
Viola Davis		Michelle Obama
Michelle Pfeiffer		Betty Ford
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–	[23]
Alec Baldwin	Dr. Death	Robert Henderson	$575,000	$677,000	2020–2021	[7]
Norman Reedus	The Walking Dead	Daryl Dixon	$550,000	$667,000	2017–18	[20]
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	Veep	Selina Meyer	$500,000	$726,000	2019	[24]
Sofía Vergara	Modern Family	Gloria Pritchett	$500,000	$596,000	2009–2020	[25]

Television hosts

Simon Cowell

Ellen DeGeneres, host of the eponymous The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Network primetime salaries per season

Name	Program	Role	Salary	Year	Ref.
Simon Cowell	The X Factor	Judge	$75 million	2012–13	[26]
Ariana Grande	The Voice	Coach	$25 million	2021	[27]
Katy Perry	American Idol	Judge		2017–18	[28]
Jennifer Lopez		Judge	$20 million	2011–12	[29]
Christina Aguilera	The Voice	Coach		2011–16	[30]
Mariah Carey	American Idol	Judge	$18 million	2012–13	[31]
Ryan Seacrest	American Idol	Host	$15 million	2013–16	[26]
Britney Spears	The X Factor	Judge		2012	[31]
Miley Cyrus	The Voice	Coach	$13 million	2016–17	[32]
Adam Levine				2016–18	[32]
Blake Shelton				2016–18	[32]
Kelly Clarkson			$12 million	2018	[33]
Shakira				2013	[34]
Gwen Stefani				2017	[35]
Nicki Minaj	American Idol	Judge		2012–13	[36]

Daytime annual salaries

Name	Program	Role	Salary	Year	Ref.
Ellen DeGeneres	The Ellen DeGeneres Show	Host	$50 million	2017	[37]
Judith Sheindlin	Judge Judy	Judge	$47 million	2013	[38]
Barbara Walters	The View	Host	$13 million	2007	[39]
Bob Barker	The Price Is Right	Game show host	$10 million	2001	[40]

News presenters

Name	Program	Role	Salary	Year	Ref.
Matt Lauer	Today	Anchor	$21 million		[41]
Meredith Vieira	Today	Anchor	$15 million		[42][43]
Katie Couric	CBS Evening News	News anchor	$15 million		[44]

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