The TV show Friends has been a worldwide phenomenon since its first episode in 1994. The show starts with the lives of six friends residing in New York City as they sail through their professional and personal lives. Over the years, the cast of Friends has become a dignitary and has obtained a huge fan count. Let us know ‘How much did the Cast of Friends get paid per episode?’.
The show’s popularity has only grown since its end in 2004, with reruns airing continuously and the introduction of streaming platforms. The cast members have also gone on to have successful careers post-Friends, with many of them becoming Hollywood A-listers.
How much did the Cast of Friends get paid per episode?
During its peak popularity, the main cast of the hit sitcom Friends was paid a staggering $1 million per episode. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer negotiated their salaries as a team, ensuring that they were all paid equally. This amount of money set a record for television actors at the time and made them some of the highest-paid actors on television.
The cast maintained this salary for the show’s final two seasons, where each episode had a runtime of approximately 22 minutes, making their per-minute earnings well over $45,000. Despite the astronomical salary, the show continued to be a massive success and remains a beloved classic to this day.
Individual Earnings Of Cast Of Friends Per Episode
- Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston became one of the highest-paid television actresses in history thanks to her iconic role as Rachel Green on the hit sitcom Friends. During the show’s initial run, Aniston and her co-stars were paid $22,500 per episode in the first season, which rose to a peak of $1 million per episode in the show’s final season.
In total, Aniston earned an estimated $10 million per season for her work on Friends, making her one of the wealthiest actresses in Hollywood.
- Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox was one of the highest-paid actresses of all time during her stint on the hit TV show Friends. Throughout the show’s ten-year run, Cox earned a whopping $1 million per episode, making her one of the highest-earning actresses on TV.
Along with her co-stars, Cox became a household name and her role as Monica Geller remains one of her defining performances. By the final season, each of the six main cast members was earning a remarkable $1 million per episode.
- Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay on the hit television show Friends, earned a significant amount of money per episode. During the final two seasons of the show, Kudrow, along with her fellow co-stars, were earning $1 million per episode.
However, during the show’s first season, Kudrow and her co-stars made significantly less at approximately $22,500 per episode.
- Matt LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey Tribbiani on the popular television show Friends, earned a significant amount of money per episode. During the show’s final season, LeBlanc was reportedly earning $1 million per episode, making him one of the highest-paid actors on television at the time.
By the show’s third season, each of the six main cast members was earning $75,000 per episode.
- Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the hit TV show Friends, reportedly earned $1 million per episode during the final season of the show. Perry’s total salary for his time on Friends is estimated to be around $90 million, making him one of the highest-paid TV actors of all time.
- David Schwimmer
David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller on the hit television show Friends, earned a significant amount of money for each episode he appeared in. During the later seasons of the show, Schwimmer reportedly earned $1 million per episode, which is more than most people earn in a year.
However, in the earlier seasons, his salary was significantly lower, starting at around $22,500 per episode and increasing as the show became more popular.
Cast Of Friends Earnings In ‘Friends Reunion’
- The much-anticipated ‘Friends Reunion’ has generated a lot of interest, particularly regarding the earning potential of the six lead cast members. It has been reported that each of them earned a hefty sum for participating in the reunion special.
- The exact figures have not been formally disclosed, but rumors suggest that the cast received a fee in the range of $2.5 million to $3 million each for their appearance.
- The earning potential of the Friends cast is notable given that the original series was shot over 25 years ago. However, the show remains immensely popular globally, and its cultural essence is undebatable.
Conclusion
The cast of Friends was deservedly compensated for their astounding execution of the show. Their earnings per episode increased as the show became more popular and successful, and their talent and chemistry as a cast made them fan favorites for years to come.
The legacy of Friends will continue to be celebrated, and the cast’s earnings serve as a testament to the show’s immense popularity and influence.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How did the cast of Friends negotiate their salaries for each episode?
Answer– The cast of Friends was able to negotiate their salaries for each episode by working together as a collective. They used their combined power to leverage higher salary increases for each of the six stars.
In the first season, the cast members each earned $22,500 per episode. By the final season, each member was earning a whopping $1 million per episode.
