Business / Billionaires

Best Paid Television Actress 2016: Sofia Vergara

Sofia Vergara takes the top spot of the annual Forbes list of highest paid television actresses.

Sep 15, 2016 | By Staff Writer

Sofia Vergara tops the best-paid actress list in 2016, again, but the real news is how much more she’s making, plus newcomer Priyanka Chopra debut here. The Colombian-born Vergara has been crowned the best paid television actress by Forbes with her earnings of $43 million, a 66% rise over last year’s figure. Her role in Modern Family accounts for only a portion of her income, with endorsement and licensing deals helping her rake in nearly twice what runner-up Kaley Cuoco of The Big Bang Theory, makes. Cuoco earns $24.5 million and is paid $1 million per episode, the highest paying gig in all TV.

With the help of her mainstay role in the hit comedy series along with various endorsement and licensing deals, Vergara has held the top spot for five years in a row. She is also the highest paid actor overall, regardless of gender. Coming in third, is Mindy Kaling of The Mindy Project who climbed five spots from 2015 with a total of $15 million. Tying for fourth place, is Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s Anatomy and Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order SVU, with a total of $14.5 million each.

A new entry to the list, is Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra who is taking Hollywood by storm. Her role as FBI agent in the crime series Quantico earned her the eighth spot with $11 million. All told, the best-paid actresses made $208.5 million between June 1, 2015 and June 1, 2016. Find out the Best Paid Television Actresses below, as listed by Forbes:

  • 1. Sofia Vergara ($43 million)
  • 2. Kaley Cucuo ($24.5 million)
  • 3. Mindy Kaling ($15 million)
  • 4. Ellen Pompeo ($14.5 million)
  • 4. Mariska Hargitay ($14.5 million)
  • 6. Kerry Washington ($13.5 million)
  • 7. Stana Katic ($12 million)
  • 8. Priyanka Chopra ($11 million)
  • 9. Julianna Margulies ($10.5 million)
  • 10. Julie Bowen ($10 million)

 
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