While some celebrities start out earning a low wage on sitcoms even on the biggest networks, one actor soon started raking in the cash thanks to one super-popular show.
Four years in a row, Jim Parsons was the highest-earning on television, reports Forbes. He played everyone's favorite nerd on 'The Big Bang Theory,' and the role
It might not be the exact amount he made from 'The Big Bang Theory', but Jim made $26.5 million for the 2018 tax year, according to Forbes.
In fact, part of that cash came from Parsons' executive producer role on 'Young Sheldon,' plus additional endorsement deals and other money-makers. That additional income propelled Jim past his costar Johnny Galecki, who came in at number two on Forbes' list for 2018.
The thing is, Jim has earned the cash and the title;
Plus, the cast earns around seven figures per year from the "back-end," Forbes maintains.
Basically, the cast gets their pay (which was around $900,000 per episode due to negotiations for higher salaries for Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch), plus some royalties from reruns of the show and other income that results from it.
Thanks to all that cash flow, Jim's worth over a hundred million dollars, and he spends it well, too. But the television superstar remains surprisingly humble at the same time.
As Digital Spy explained, Jim says he was thankful that he was mature enough to deal with the resulting fame when the show first aired. The actor was 33 at the time, and in a podcast interview, he admitted that had he been younger, he probably would have veered onto a dangerous path.
As it was, Jim noted, the show, and his acting trajectory as a whole, was a "real blessing." Being a bit older and experienced, Jim knew what not to say when it came to celebrity "cancel culture."
Like Digital Spy highlighted, Parsons did worry about how his lifestyle would play into both perception of his character on screen and his abilities as an actor.
But despite being happily married to his husband, Jim successfully pulled off a hetero relationship on screen, not to mention a totally believable Sheldon Cooper in every other way. Though fans did wonder whether smooching Mayim Bialik made him uncomfortable.
In fact, it was his show-stopping performance that really earned the show attention. Not that the other actors on 'Big Bang' weren't talented, but Sheldon was and remains a fan favorite. Hence the spinoff, which features Jim Parsons as the narrator — and continues helping him make that highest-paid TV celeb ranking.
