'Big Bang Theory' Stars Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch Score Big Raises
The whole "Big Bang Theory" gang has officially agreed to two more season of the show -- with huge paychecks.
Of the CBS series' lead actors, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch were the final two stars whose deals needed to be finalized after the show was renewed through Season 12 in March. Their contracts come weeks after their cast mates signed on the dotted line because the two were fighting for higher pay. Now, their efforts are paying off.
Bialik and Rauch were reportedly pulling in around $175,000 to $200,000 an episode prior to their new deals, but Deadlines sources indicate that they'll earn somewhere between $425,000 and $500,000 per episode in the coming seasons. As big of a jump as that is, though, it doesn't take an astrophysicist like Raj to calculate that they will still be making substantially less than their co-stars Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar. The other five will each command nearly $1 million per episode with their new contracts.
To be fair, both Bialik and Rauch joined the show later than the others, coming on as guest stars in Season 3. However, they earned series regular status in Season 4 and have become key members of the brilliant and nerdy group. (Bialik, for example, has received multiple Emmy nods for her work as Amy, plus won a Critic's Choice Television Award.) Fortunately, the actress' co-stars recognized their contribution and were nice enough to pitch in money toward their raises.
Now that the deals have been made, we can look forward to "The Big Bang Theory" Season 11.
[via: Deadline]