In 2019, The Big Bang Theory ended after 12 seasons. Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon Cooper, had decided to quit after having a "suspicion in my heart" during a "very intense summer" between seasons 11 and 12.
"I had a contract with Intel and so I'd scheduled that. I was exhausted," he told David Tennant Does a Podcast With. On top of his grueling work schedule, the actor's dog with husband Todd Spiewak was also in poor health.
The rest of the cast, however, felt "blindsided" by his exit. Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter) thought things could have been handled differently back then.
"I was shocked. We were just blindsided that day," he said. "And not necessarily shocked by Jim's decision, but that he hadn't had that conversation with his castmates first to prepare us."
He added, "We're a family; have a conversation." True enough, the cast is such a close unit that when some of them were paid 80% less, others took pay cuts to give them the salary they deserved.
Here's how much everyone made and continues to make off the show.
How Much Was The Big Bang Theory Cast Paid During The Show?
The five lead stars were making $1 million per episode by the show's final season. Parsons, Galecki, and Kaley Cuoco each started with a $60,000 salary. But in 2017, Parsons was declared one of the highest-paid TV actors after making $27.5 million from the show. Galecki placed second to him on the list with his $26.5 million.
Simon Helberg (Howard Holowitz) and Kunal Nayyar (Raj Koothrappali) were also making $26 million and $25 million, respectively, by that year. The following year, Cuoco was TV's second top-paid lead actor, making $24.5 million from her role as Penny. In 2020, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she had to fight for equal pay. "It was such a different time 13 years ago," she recalled.
"I remember with my team, and even [creator] Chuck [Lorre], there was no conversation that I wouldn't have parity with those two guys," she continued. "I'm lucky that I had people to pave the way for me and that no one balked." Speaking to Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast, Cuoco said that she celebrated such wins with Galecki whom she secretly dated.
"Johnny and I were very close and we were partners in this whole thing so we got to share the celebrations together," she said. "We were like 'Can you believe we did that?' We did that together. After the first negotiations [for their $1 million [paycheck], we had a lot of the same team so we would get together and have these big meetings."
Why Mayim Bialik Called The Big Bang Theory Cast, 'Overpaid'
Melissa Rauch (Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz) and Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah Fowler) only had a small boost in their salary by the time the main stars were making $1 million each for every episode. Earning only $200,000 each, Rauch and Bialik eventually got to receive $425,000 each after their co-stars took $100,000 pay cut each for every episode.
In 2016, Bialik notably said that they were all "overpaid" after reports of Cuoco making $1 million per episode. At that time, she told the New York Daily News: "I don't make as much money as people think I do. I don't think about the money a lot. I am an employed actor and we are all overpaid. I am grateful to be employed. But I still need to think about what is next and I think about it a lot."
A source then told Radar Online that the Flight Attendant star was upset about the Jeopardy! host's comments. "Kaley is furious at Mayim for trash-talking her earnings," claimed the insider. "She thinks it's just a case of sour grapes and jealousy." But later on, Bialik told Wired that she "would say we're friends" as she even went to Cuoco's wedding and "celebrated things with her."
Who Are the Big Bang Theory Stars That Still Make Money Off The Show?
Not all the main cast members of TBBT make money off the show to this day. Only Parsons, Galecki, and Cuoco each own a percentage of the sitcom's total earnings for Warner Bros. Although it doesn't sound like a lot, it's actually an annual $10 million payout from the series' estimated $1 billion yearly earnings.
That definitely plays a huge role in their massive net worths: Parsons, $160 million; Galecki, $100 million; and Cuoco, $110 million. Their other co-stars have significantly lower net worths. Bialik is reportedly worth $25 million; Rauch, $20 million; Helberg, $50 million; and Nayyar, $45 million.
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