Big Bang Theory Stars Take Big Pay Cut So Mayim Bialik And Melissa Rauch Can Get Raises

Multiple sources have reported that in order to finalize a two-season renewal for the series, the five original members of the show’s cast – Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg – took a not-insignificant cut in pay in order to secure funding for  Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch (who joined the show’s cast in its third season) to get raises. Exact details on the cast’s contracts aren’t a matter of record, but the core five reportedly get about a million bucks an episode now. As part of the renewal negotiations, they each agreed to a pay cut of $100,000 each. Doing a little simple arithmetic, that comes to a $500,000 surplus, which when divided between Bialik and Rauch comes to a raise of $250,000 each, which would in turn bring their per-episode salary to about $450,000 – it’s not quite equal pay, but it’s a start! The renewal negotiations will bring the hugely successful Big Bang Theory its 11th and 12th seasons, and a continuation of a massively lucrative cash cow for Warner Bros. and CBS. In negotiating their contracts together, the cast is echoing that of its sitcom smash predecessor Friends, the cast which famously demanded equal (and eventually, equally huge) salaries during most of the show’s run.