Alexis Bledel wasn’t the only star of “Gilmore Girls.” While Bledel played the somewhat uptight Rory, Lauren Graham starred as the ultra-cool, coffee-obsessed Lorelai, Rory’s mom. For many viewers, it was exciting to see a single mother be so ambitious despite coming from a world of privilege. As the other main character of the series, Graham also made $750,000 per episode.
“Gilmore Girls” came to an end, but Graham wasn’t done with the small screen. After putting Lorelai behind her, Graham went on to star as Sarah Braverman on “Parenthood” for over 100 episodes. And we’re sure she made a decent amount on that show too.
Ryan Seacrest – $652,000
While many celebrities will pursue multiple options on the small screen, Ryan Seacrest is pretty comfortable being just a host. He’s incredibly good at his job, which has made him a hot commodity in the TV space. From 2013-2016, Seacrest made $15 million per season hosting "American Idol."
In the 2014 season, there were 23 episodes of the musical competition show. That means Seacrest made $652,000 per episode. Why would he want to be anything but a host if he can make money like that? For someone on this list who wasn't even an actor, Seacrest has brought home the bacon over the years!
Patrick Stewart – $750,000
Patrick Stewart first entered the collective consciousness when he starred as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." After that role, he branched out into many illustrious characters, including Professor X in "X-Men."
Now, Stewart is reprising his role as Picard in the new 2020 series "Star Trek: Picard." Since it’s nearly impossible to imagine any other actor playing this role, Stewart makes $750,000 per episode. It pays to make yourself indispensable! Stewart also excited Marvel fans around the world when he reprised the role of Professor X in the film "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
Jason Alexander – $600,000
Along with the rest of the "Seinfeld" cast, Jason Alexander made quite a bit of money while starring on the show. Alexander played George Constanza, the neurotic friend of Seinfeld. While Alexander hasn’t ever been able to replicate the fame he found on the show, the paycheck of $600,000 per episode he made while filming likely dulls some of the disappointment.
Alexander also hasn’t disappeared from the public eye. He continued to have a successful career after the series ended, though Constanza will always be his most memorable role. It's also believed that Alexander made a decent amount after starring in "Dunston Checks In." But that didn't do so well at the box office.
Michael Richards – $600,000
"Seinfeld" may have been named after Jerry Seinfeld, but Cosmo Kramer was one of the most beloved characters of the series. Known for his fuzzy hair, Kramer was Seinfeld’s neighbor through the many successful seasons of the show. Richards didn’t earn quite as much notoriety as Seinfeld himself or even Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but he did earn a large paycheck of $600,000 per episode.
After "Seinfeld" ended, Richards had his own show— "The Michael Richards Show." Unfortunately, the series was short-lived. Since then, Richards has pretty much kept himself out of the spotlight, after a pretty disastrous stand-up show a few years ago that we don't really want to get into right now.