What do you think of when you consider the most financially lucrative jobs for entertainers out there? If you said, “female TV star,” then you’d be correct, but you’re not as correct if you would have said boxer or musician, as there are only two TV actresses that made Forbes’ list of The World’s Highest-Paid Celebrities. And if you have a good idea of what two of the most popular sitcoms in the U.S. are, then you’ve probably already figured out their names. It’s Modern Family star Sofia Vergara and The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, both of whom earned $28.5 million in the past year.
Surprise, surprise: news that Vergara tops the list of highest-paid TV actresses is actually no different from last year, when she also held that title. The only difference is the amount of money she made last time was significantly higher, as she earned $37 million in 2014. Perhaps some of her product endorsing contracts ran out. Either way, $28.5 million is hardly something to sneeze at; it’s something to ogle and be jealous of.
Cuoco-Sweeting was also on the list in 2014, but at #3 with earnings of $11 million. Quite a leap she made in the past year, mostly due to contract boosts for Season 8 that gave each of the main cast members $1 million per episode. (Total Friends money right there.) As you can imagine, Cuoco-Sweeting’s Big Bang castmates, as well as Vergara’s Modern Family co-stars, were all over the list of The World’s Highest-Paid TV Actors, which was released a few weeks ago.
Last year, the second spot on the female list was Law & Order: SVU’s Mariska Hargitay, one of the most beloved female TV stars, who brought in $13 million. You can find out where she ended up this year on the rest of the list seen below, as compiled by Forbes.
15. Zooey Deschanel - $5 million14. Robin Wright - $5.5 million13. Pauley Perrette - $6 million 11-Tie. Emily Deschanel - $6.5 million11-Tie. Tina Fey - $6.5 million9-Tie. Patricia Heaton - $7 million9-Tie. Kerry Washington - $7 million8. Mindy Kaling - $9 million6-Tie. Amy Poehler - $10.5 million6-Tie. Juliana Margulies - $10.5 million5. Mariska Hargitay - $11 million4. Ellen Pompeo - $11.53. Julie Bowen - $12 million1-Tie. Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting - $28.5 million1-Tie. Sofia Vergara - $28.5 million
If you’re looking to watch the two highest-paid TV actresses out there, you won’t have to wait too much longer for new episodes. Modern Family starts up Season 7 on Wednesday, September 23. The Big Bang Theory, meanwhile, will kick off Season 9 on Monday, September 21, before moving to Thursdays on November 5, following the end of NFL Football on CBS.
