Highest Paid TV Actors Of 2016

By Amy Lamare on September 30, 2016 in Articles › Entertainment

Let me put it to you this way, aspiring actors and actresses. If you are going to be on TV, you want to be on The Big Bang Theory or Modern Family. Four Big Bang actors and one actress made their respective highest-paid lists. Four Modern Family actors and two actresses made their respective highest-paid lists. If those gigs prove hard to crack into – go into comedy. Nine of the 15 actors on this list made the bulk of their salaries in sitcoms.

The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons tops the list again this year. His very lucrative contract earned him and his cast mates—who appear in the #2, #3, and #4 spots on this list (with Kaley Cuoco the #2 on the actresses list) – each more than $20 million.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

CBS was the most-watched network for 2015-2016, so it stands to reason that the top five spots on the highest-paid list are occupied by actors on CBS programs. Modern Family's men help put ABC in the running – there are six actors on the list from the alphabet network.

There's a big drop off in salary from #5 to #6, but no one on this list is hurting for rent money. The lowest-paid on this list, Grey's Anatomy's Justin Chambers, still brought home a cool $9.5 million for his first appearance on the highest paid list. Michael Weatherly and David Duchovny are also new to the list this year.

These are the 15 Highest Paid TV Actors:

#15) Justin Chambers

Salary: $9.5 million

Starring in: Grey's Anatomy

#14) (tie) David Duchovny

Salary: $10 million

Starring in: The X-Files

#14) (tie) Michael Weatherly

Salary: $10 million

Starring in: NCIS

#12) Kevin Spacey

Salary: $10.5 million