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No Surprise Here! The Big Bang Theory Men Are TV's Highest-Paid Actors
Who else made the cut?
Forbes has released its list of highest-paid TV actors for 2015, and unsurprisingly, it's dominated by sitcom stars - namely, the guys of The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family.
Big Bang has nabbed four of the top six slots, with Jim Parsons leading the pack, earning $29 million. He, along with his co-star Johnny Galecki ($27 million), overtook last year's leader Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher lands in this year's four-way tie for third, with $20 million.
These findings are not necessarily surprising, since last year's ongoing contract negotiations held up production before Parsons, Galecki and Kaley Cuoco landed deals for $1 million per episode.
Jennifer Lawrence is the top-paid actress...but makes far less than her male counterpart
All four of Modern Family's leading men also make it into the Top 15 earners, while drama heavyweights Mark Harmon, Kevin Spacey and Patrick Dempsey also make the cut.
Check out the full list:
1. Jim Parsons: $29 million
2. Johnny Galecki: $27 million
3. Mark Harmon: $20 million
3. Simon Helberg: $20 million
3. Kunal Nayyar: $20 million
3. Ashton Kutcher: $20 million
7. Jon Cryer: $15 million
7. Ray Romano: $15 million
9. Patrick Dempsey: $12 million
9. Simon Baker: $12 million
11. Ty Burrell: $11.5 million
12. Jesse Tyler Ferguson: $11 million
13. Ed O'Neill: $10.5 million
13. Eric Stonestreet: $10.5 million
15. Kevin Spacey: $9.5 million
In case you're wondering where Jon Stewart and Empire's stand-out Terrence Howard are, Forbes points out that there are separate lists for comedians, and sometimes a jump in an actor's popularity doesn't translate to their earnings quite as quickly.
As with Forbes' movie-star list, the ranking for TV actors measures paydays before taking out taxes and management fees. The tally also includes endorsement deals and side-gigs, such as Parsons' recent stint on Broadway and Ty Burrell's advertising deal with Verizon.
Forbes has yet to publish its list of TV actresses.
VIDEO: Forbes reveals highest-paid actresses of 2015