It’s been four years since The Big Bang Theory aired its finale “The Stockholm Syndrome,” in which Sheldon and Amy receive their Nobel Prizes for accomplishments in Physics, Leonard and Penny announce their pregnancy, and Raj sits next to a sleeping Sarah Michelle Gellar on the flight to Sweden, but no one believes him. It was an emotional climax for a series that boasts a whopping 279 episodes across 12 seasons. It originally aired way back in September of 2007, running for 12 years in total.
When The Big Bang Theory first arrived on CBS, the starting salaries for the cast looked a lot different compared to their income now. Jim Parsons, for example, was making just $60,000 per episode during the first season, the same with Kaley Cuoco. Both actors eventually went on to make $1 million per episode in later seasons as the show gained traction and boosted its viewership ratings. In 2017, Parsons was named Forbes’ top-paid TV actor, closely followed by Galecki, who had earned $26 million by then.
In the beginning, Simon Helberg (Howard) and Kunal Nayyar (Raj) reportedly made just $45,000 each. Those salaries increased to $26 million and $27 million, respectively, in 2017. As for Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) and Mayim Bialik (Amy) — who started out as supporting characters and were eventually promoted to main roles — were making $200,000 per episode by the end of the last season.
Let’s explore the cast’s net worth for a moment, which will give us a good indication of how much money they accumulated whilst working on The Big Bang Theory.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, our own Sheldon Cooper — who went on to provide the voiceover for his spin-off series Young Sheldon starring Iain Armitage — has a current net worth of approximately $160 million at the age of 50. Kaley Cuoco — who went on to provide the voice of Harley Quinn in the DC adult animated series of the same name — currently stands at $110 million at the age of 37. Johnny Galecki is worth $100 million at 48, Kunal Nayyar is worth $45 million at 42, Simon Helberg is worth $55 million at 42, Mayim Bialik is worth $25 million at 47, and Melissa Rauch is worth $20 million at 42.
Even though the show ended in 2019, The Big Bang Theory still makes $1 billion per year as per 69 News. With the show still being streamed globally, Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Kaley Cuoco (Penny), and Johnny Galecki (Leonard) now earn $1 million each year.
