Over the course of its 12-season run on CBS, The Big Bang Theory grew to become perhaps one of the biggest sitcoms of all time. It was only in its second season that the series managed to break into the top 50 shows of the year in terms of rankings, coming in at 40th. These numbers improved steadily throughout its decade on air, almost always coming in second for all but one of its final six seasons. The exception here was the penultimate Season 11, when the show ranked first.
This consistent, upward trajectory was also reflected in changes in salary that most of the main cast members enjoyed. Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch saw their remuneration rise from $45,000 in their first episode, all the way to $425,000 for their final one. Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco all started in the mid-tens of thousands as well but were earning $1 million each by the series finale.
This was not the case, however, for Wil Wheaton, Kevin Sussman, and John Ross Bowie, who saw their salaries remain stagnant throughout the show.
Kevin Sussman's 'Big Bang' Salary Never Improved Past $50,000
Apart from the seven core characters on Big Bang, no other part was bigger on the show than that of Stuart Bloom, played impeccably by Kevin Sussman over the course of 85 episodes. In fact, from Season 6 onwards, the actor was promoted from being only a recurring cast member to a bona fide series regular.
In the story, Stuart is a comic book store owner and an artist who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. He finds his way into the inner circle of friends, partly through his platonic - but very close relationship - with Howard Wolowitz's (Helberg) mother.
Sussman's first-ever appearance on the show was in the 20th episode of Season 2, when 'the gang' visited his comic book store and he ended up asking Penny (Cuoco) out on a date. It was said that he made around $50,000 for this episode, and that this figure never really improved, despite the subsequent growth of his character on the show. Sussman is also well known for playing Walter in the first season of Ugly Betty. His current net worth is estimated to be around $3 million.
Wil Wheaton Was Paid $20,000 Per Episode on 'The Big Bang Theory'
Wil Wheaton did not have as many appearances, with only 17 Big Bang episodes to his name. He also did not play a fictional role, usually appearing as himself, thanks to his Star Trek roots - one of the main pop culture interest themes recurrent on the show; Wheaton famously played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation between 1987 and 1994.
The main difference between Wheaton the actor and the character on Big Bang is that the latter is not married, while he actually is in real life. "He is who I would be if I'd never met my wife," he told TV Insider in 2019.
Despite a bit-part role that was only limited to a cameo every now and then, the actor was involved in the CBS sitcom for a period of ten years. He first featured in the fifth episode of Season 3, and made his last appearance in The D&D Vortex, the 16th episode of the final, Season 12. According to Screen Rant, he was paid a comparatively meager $20,000 per episode.
John Ross Bowie Earned $50,000 For Each Of His 'Big Bang' Episodes
New York actor, writer, and comedian John Ross Bowie can count The Big Bang Theory as his most high-profile project to date. That is saying a lot, considering he is well established in the improv theatre circles and his writing work comprises gigs for Go Metric and the New York Press, as well as a published book by the title Heathers. His other notable screen roles include Retired at 35, Chasing Life, and the movies Pet and Jumanji: The Next Level.
Like Wheaton, Bowie made only a limited number of appearances on Big Bang, but these were spread out over the better part of the show - between 2009 and 2019. Season 2, Episode 12 marked his first-ever appearance as the character Barry Kripke, with his final one coming in The Change Constant, the penultimate episode of the series. In between, he featured in a total of 23 other episodes.
For each of these, he reportedly earned $50,000. The parallels between him and Sussman do not end there, as he is also estimated to be currently worth about $3 million. His most recent TV parts were recurring ones as well, in HBO Max's Generation and Feel Good on Netflix.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiinq6Zo3q0wdKspJqmXay2rXnWoZyarJ%2Bjequ7x6dkq6ejqHqju9ainGaamZx6o63NoGStoJWkv7p5y6iuZquRoa6zxYyipZynnZp8