At one point, Julia Roberts was the highest-earning woman in show business. While she doesn’t work as often now, her notoriety alone demands a high salary. Recently, she departed from her normal career as a movie actress and starred in the Amazon thriller “Homecoming.”
The show was about a treatment center for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress and it earned Roberts $600,000 per episode. There is no denying though that Roberts has made an absolute killing over the years. With classic films such as “Pretty Woman,” “Erin Brockovich” and “Notting Hill” under her belt, it is clear that Roberts is doing just fine financially.
Simon Cowell – $940,000
Simon Cowell is known in the entertainment world as the incredibly harsh judge of your favorite singing competitions. As a well-respected member of the music industry, Cowell’s opinion is taken seriously, even when it seems overly critical. While Cowell starred on many shows, he made the most money while working on "The X Factor."
For his spot as a judge, he earned $75 million for the entire season. With 80 episodes, Cowell was making just under a million dollars simply to tell people how bad they were. And he's not afraid to splash that cash he's earned over the years either. Just check out all of his homes and cars to prove it.
Steve Carrell – $1 Million
Steve Carrell first became a household name when he starred in the hit sitcom "The Office." While his career started in comedy, he later left the series to pursue a career as a movie actor. Over the years, he has given a variety of stunning performances which prove that he’s as talented an actor in drama as he is in comedy.
Recently, Carrell returned to TV in the Netflix comedy "Space Force." The series paid him $1 million per episode to play a general starting a new branch of the U.S. military. However, Carrell isn't reaping the rewards from that show anymore as it was canceled after two seasons.
Reese Witherspoon – $2 Million
Jennifer Aniston wasn’t the only actress making the big bucks on "The Morning Show." Her costar Reese Witherspoon also earned $2 million per episode. Witherspoon’s salary on "The Morning Show" was a big increase from the HBO drama "Big Little Lies," where she earned $1 million per episode.
Although both Witherspoon and Aniston were nominated for Golden Globes for their work on the series, neither snagged the award. And beyond this, we know that Witherspoon has made a decent living from her time in movies such as "Legally Blonde" and "Wild." Heck, she even worked with Aniston on "Friends" as well.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – $600,000
Seinfeld was named after Jerry Seinfeld, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus is what made the show as successful as it was. Dreyfus played Elaine Benes, the female lead in the series. Like her other castmates, Dreyfus earned $600,000 per episode. After Seinfeld ended, Dreyfus’ acting chops kept her in the public eye.
She contributed heavily to Larry David’s show, and recently starred in the political comedy series "Veep." The show has already won numerous awards, yet another testament to Dreyfus’ incredible talent. So when you consider that Dreyfus has been a lead on not one, but two big shows, the paychecks have been coming quite consistently.