TBBT male leads take paycuts of 100,000 USD, to reduce wage gap with female co-stars

Mumbai:

‘The Big Bang Theory’ is inarguably amongst the most celebrated sitcoms across the world. The cult show is set to be renewed for a good two seasons more. However the most heartening story is one that’s a tad more monetary.

Reportedly, five of the seven lead stars have decided to take a pay cut, so the other two may earn more.

Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch who play the popular characters Amy and Bernadette, get paid only 20% of the paychecks that the other five take home.

Though the two joined the show in the third season, they’ve ever since become integral to the show.

Lead actors Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg, who get a very fat 1 million dollars per episode, have decided to take paycuts of nearly 100000 dollars for the coming two seasons.

"If Bialik and Rauch split the $500,000 from their co-stars, both would rise to nearly $450,000 an episode, or more than $21 million for the two-year, 48-episode deal. The question now is whether the two will hold firm for parity, or at least closer to parity, with the other stars. Negotiations on Bialik and Rauch’s deals are just beginning in earnest this week," Variety reported.

The previous contract renewal had given Simon and Kunal a major hike.