Big Bang Theory stars top list of world's highest paid TV actors
Jim Parons, aka Sheldon Cooper, leads the way with a $29 million annual income, while his Big Bang co-stars follow with equally staggering salaries
Bazinga! Jim Parsons, aka The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper, has been named the highest-paid TV actor of 2015.
Forbes have released their annual list of the World’s Highest-Paid TV Actors - and the top spots are dominated by Big Bang Theory stars.
Parsons tops the list with an annual salary of $29 million, with Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter) taking second place $27 million and Simon Helberg (Howard Wolowitz) and Kunal Nayyar (Raj Koothrappali) coming in joint third with incomes of $20 million.
The jump up for Parsons - who ranked 9th among TV actors in 2014 - and the rest of the cast is reportedly the result of new contract negotiations which have rocketed the stars' salaries.
New deals over at Modern Family have also seen the show's stars make their way into Forbes' list. Ty Burrell ($11.5 million), Jesse Tyler Ferguson ($11 million), Eric Stonestreet ($10.5 million) and Ed O’Neill ($10.5 million) have all made the list for the first time in the show’s six season run.
Kevin Spacey, Ashton Kutcher, Simon Baker, Jon Cryer, Ray Romano and former Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey also secured spots on the list.
Forbes' list measures earnings between June 2014 and June 2015 before subtracting management fees and taxes using figures based on data from Nielsen as well as interviews with agents, managers, lawyers and syndication experts. Their list of 2015's highest-paid TV actresses will be published soon.
