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‘Big Bang Theory’ cast take pay cuts to give co-stars a raise
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Big Bang Theory casts in the press room at the 2010 People's Choice Awards in Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 6, 2010. (Shutterstock.com/carrie-nelson)
T
he cast of The Big Bang Theory is doing something right to fix Hollywood’s wage gap. The five original members asked to cut their pay so that two of their female castmates would get raises.
Comedians Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, and Simon Helberg all agreed to have $100,000 cut from their salaries. This move will increase the salaries of co-stars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch from $200,000 per episode to $450,000 for the upcoming 11th and 12th seasons.
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This comes after the original five penned a $1 million per episode contract for the show’s possible last two seasons. They are also currently TV’s highest-paid comedy actors.
Mayim and Melissa joined the show in Season 3, and since then, earned less than their co-stars. Although it’s said that the pay gap among TV stars is smaller, the difference in the Big Bang Theory cast’s salary is certainly big.
Once the deal’s officially settled, Mayim and Melissa will earn around $21 million within their two year, 48-episode contract. There’s also a possibility that their pay per episode will be bumped up more if the two will seek for parity with their co-stars.
This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
