It probably won't surprise anyone to learn that Oprah is television's highest-paid star. But would you have thought Zach Braff would crack the top tier?

This week's issue of TV Guide revealed the highest-paid stars on TV. Nobody even came close to Oprah, who rakes in a whopping $260 million a year from her own show as well as appearances on "Rachael Ray," "Dr. Phil" and other programs. That towering sum makes Simon Cowell's $45 million look paltry — and Judge Judy must feel downright poor with just $30 million a year.

TV Guide says Braff will bring in $6.3 million this year for 18 episodes of "Scrubs" — which, by my math, means he makes $350,000 per episode. That's not the highest among primetime stars, but it's up there. Who makes the most? William Petersen, aka Grissom on "CSI," who commands $500,000 a week. The full list is in this week's TV Guide, but to see a handful of the salaries for network and cable stars, read more

Network Prime Time (per episode)
William Petersen ("CSI"): $500,000
Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men"): $350,000
Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: SVU"): $350,000
Chris Meloni ("Law & Order: SVU"): $350,000
Hugh Laurie ("House"): $300,000
Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("New Adventures of Old Christine"): $225,000
Ellen Pompeo ("Grey’s Anatomy"): $200,000
Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewives"): $200,000
Jeff Foxworthy ("Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader"): $150,000
T.R. Knight ("Grey’s Anatomy"): $125,000
Chandra Wilson ("Grey’s Anatomy"): $125,000
Sally Field ("Brothers & Sisters"): $100,000

Cable (per episode)
Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer"): $250,000
Julian McMahon ("Nip/Tuck"): $125,000
Dylan Walsh ("Nip/Tuck"): $125,000
Joely Richardson ("Nip/Tuck"): $90,000
James Roday ("Psych"): $60,000

Source

Love This Email Print Facebook Stumble It!