Here’s How Much Jennifer Aniston and Other Actors Get Paid for Their Reruns
Television’s top stars have key roles on shows that succeed. mean huge paychecks But the payoff doesn’t end there. The residual royalties are the money that actors get when shows are syndicated, redistributed and purchased by streaming services.
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Do all actors get paid for reruns, or just a portion? Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists says that not all actors get paid for reruns. Principal performers may be able to receive long-term compensation that is greater than their original salary. Background actors will not be receiving any residual checks. Find out how much your favorite TV stars get paid for reruns and more.
‘Friends’ Royalties
Between 1994 and 2004, “Friends” aired for ten seasons. It featured stars such as Matthew Perry, Courteney Cooper, Courteney Kox, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow. Jennifer Aniston was one of the most successful actresses of all-time.
Cast members still reap the benefits of the show’s success. USA Today reported in 2015 how Warner Bros. made $1 billion from “Friends” each year. Each star receives 2% of that amount every year, or $20 million.
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‘Seinfeld’ Royalties
“Seinfeld,” a sitcom about nothing that was beloved by millions, ran nine seasons and ended in 1998. International Business Times reports that Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld take the largest share of royalties. The show’s co-creators are Larry David and Larry Seinfeld. Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards don’t own any shares in it.
New York Magazine reported that Seinfeld, David, and Seinfeld could each earn $400 million per syndication cycle.
Royalties of ‘Gilligan’s Island’
“Gilligan’s Island”, a sitcom that is well-known throughout history, lasted just three seasons. The original episode was shot in black and the second in white. Although you can still stream the marooned castaways as reruns on streaming, one of the stars claims no royalties.
Dawn Wells played Mary Ann in the famous movie. Forbes reported in 2016 that Dawn Wells believed that because she got residuals, it was an illusion that she must have been wealthy and had rolled in the dough. We didn’t get a dime.” She added, “Sherwood Schwartz (our producer) reportedly made $90 millions on the reruns alone.”
Thurston Howell III, a fictional character, didn’t get their fortunes either.
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Royalties
Ray Romano, one of the most successful Emmy Award recipients of all time, was ranked No. Forbes Celebrity 100 List 2013: 94 Forbes published Romano’s major-screen achievements, such as his role in “Ice Age,” but noted that Romano’s position on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2013 was largely due to his “substantial annual earnings from syndication” of the CBS sitcom.
Forbes was referring specifically to “Everybody Loves Raymond”, which ran for nine seasons and ended in 2005. It continues on TV Land in reruns. Forbes and Vanity Fair reported that Romano could earn as much as $18 million a season, primarily from show residuals.
‘I Love Lucy’ Royalties
Reruns of “I Love Lucy”, the pioneering sitcom, can still be seen online on CBS and the Hallmark Channel 60 years later. It continues to pay the salaries for TV executives.
In 2012, former CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves boasted to a gathering of bankers that “I Love Lucy” continued to pull in $20 million a year, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Lucille ball, the iconic star of “I Love Lucy”, died in 1989.
Royalties of ‘The Brady Bunch.
Many generations of children grew up watching “The Brady Bunch” and can still watch reruns on CBS Online, Hulu, and the Hallmark Channel. According to one cast member, the show was not rich but was among the most popular in history.
Eve Plumb played Jan Brady and told OK! OK!Magazine in 2011 stated that the “biggest misconception” is that everyone makes a lot of money from it. But that is not true. For many, many years, we have not received any compensation for reruns. We don’t make any money.
‘Frasier’ Royalties
The Chicago Tribune spoke with John Mahoney in 2004 about his salary and syndication royalties. He said that there was enough money in the bank to make sure he doesn’t have to work on anything else again.
“Frasier,” which was one the most expensive TV series to produce, is available on the CBS Online, Cozi TV and Hallmark Channel.
Mahoney died at age 77 in 2018.
‘Home Improvement’ Royalties
“Home Improvement” ran for eight years and ended in 1999. Richard Karn (one of the show’s stars) stated that every time the show is purchased around the world, he gets a small percentage. Although you don’t want it to be your only source of income, it is a nice type of annuity.
Royalties for ‘Two and Half Men’
Charlie Sheen was in a heated dispute with CBS in 2011 over his sexually explicit personal problems. This eventually led to him being fired by “Two and a Half Men.” It had been in syndication for three years and was the most-rated scripted comedy.
Fox News speculated then that Sheen would make $100 million more in royalties from the show. However, in 2016, the Associated Press reported Sheen’s sale of his profit participation rights for $27 Million.
“The Simpsons” Royalties
It was an obscure animated segment on “The Tracey Ullman Show” that aired before “The Simpsons” became a $13 Billion global brand. Ullman lost a 1992 suit in which she sought merchandising fee reimbursements. However, Ullman still makes a living.
Ullman revealed that she still receives residuals from the Simpsons nearly 30 years after creating their central characters. She laughed as she said, “Yes. I hear from them four time a year.” She replied that her cut wasn’t bad when she was asked about it.
The same can’t be said for rapper 50 Cent. TMZ reported in 2017 the actor and musician received $16.68 for a performance he did on “The Simpsons.”
The Royalties of ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’
He’s a famous pineapple fisherman, but he will be an iconic cartoon character on the land. Bikini Bottom’s fry chef has become one of the most famous cartoon characters ever, with over 700 license partners around the world and an estimated $8 billion in annual revenue for Nickelodeon Networks and MTV Networks.
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