It pays to be funny… literally. Of the highest paid television stars of the year, 15 of them hail from the land of sitcoms and of those 15 actors and actresses, 10 of them are on just two sitcoms: The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family.
Modern Family's bombshell, Sofia Vergara, tops the list with a hefty $30 million earned between June 1. 2014 and June 1, 2015. Her castmates, Ed O'Neill, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Ty Burrell also made the list (although significantly further down in the ranks), thanks to the cast banding together in 2012 to lock in multi-year contracts that would have their per episode salaries grow with each season. Side projects and endorsement deals account for the big disparity between Vergara's salary and the Modern Family men.
The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons was narrowly edged out of the top spot by Vergara and is enjoying being so highly ranked for the first time due to a new contract, the big Broadway hit "Act of God," and last year's Emmy for Leading Actor in a comedy series. Don't cry for Parsons' castmates however, as they are all sitting firmly in the third, fourth, and fifth spots among TV's highest paid actors. The Big Bang Theory cast's contract calls for additional salary increases over the show's ninth and tenth seasons, so look for this merry band of misfits to make even more money on next year's list.
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This list measures earnings before subtracting management fees and taxes; figures are based on data from Nielsen as well as interviews with agents, managers, lawyers and syndication experts.
24. Kerry Washington
Earnings: $6 million
Starring in: Scandal
22. Zooey Deschanel (tie)
Earnings: $7 million
Starring in: The New Girl
22. Lena Dunham (tie)
Earnings: $7 million
Starring in: Girls
21. Julianna Margulies
Earnings: $8 million
Starring in: The Good Wife
20. Kevin Spacey
Earnings: $9.5 million
Starring in: House of Cards
18. Ellen Pompeo (tie)
Earnings: $10 million
Starring in: Grey's Anatomy
18. Melissa McCarthy (tie)
Earnings: $10 million
Starring on: Mike & Molly
16. Eric Stonestreet (tie)
Earnings: $10.5 million
Starring in: Modern Family
16. Ed O'Neill (tie)
Earnings: $10.5 million
Starring in: Modern Family
15. Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Earnings: $11 million
Starring in: Modern Family
14. Ty Burrell
Earnings: $11.5 million
Starring in: Modern Family
11. Mariska Hargitay (tie)
Earnings: $12 million
Starring in: Law & Order: SVU
11. The Kardashian Sisters (combined) (tie)
Earnings: $12 million
Starring in: Keeping Up With The Kardashians
11. Simon Baker (tie)
Earnings: $12 million
Starring in: The Mentalist
10. Patrick Dempsey (tie)
Earnings: $12 million
Starring in: Grey's Anatomy
9. Ray Romano (tie)
Earnings: $15 million
Starring in: Everybody Loves Raymond
9. Jon Cryer (tie)
Earnings: $15 million
Starring in: Two and a Half Men
5. Ashton Kutcher (tie)
Earnings: $20 million
Starring in: Two and a Half Men
5. Kunal Nayyar (tie)
Earnings: $20 million
Starring in: The Big Bang Theory
5. Simon Helberg (tie)
Earnings: $20 million
Starring in: The Big Bang Theory
5. Mark Harmon (tie)
Earnings: $20 million
Starring in: NCIS
4. Kaley Cuoco
Earnings: $25 million
Starring in: The Big Bang Theory
3. Johnny Galecki
Earnings: $27 million
Starring in: The Big Bang Theory
2. Jim Parsons
Earnings: $29 million
Starring in: The Big Bang Theory
1. Sofia Vergara
Earnings: $30 million
Starring in: Modern Family
