TV Odds: Vergara’s Reign as Highest-Paid Actress
Sofia Vergara of Modern Family fame was the highest-paid television actress for the sixth consecutive year. The Colombian pulled in $41.5 million last year (measured between June 2016 – June 2017), according to Forbes magazine. The eye-watering sum places her well ahead of the competition, with Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) coming in a distant second after raking in $26 million.
Cuoco is paid $1 million per episode of The Big Bang Theory, which is more than double what Vergara makes with Modern Family. But Vergara’s TV paycheck only makes up a small portion of her earnings, with licensing and endorsement deals bringing in the bulk of her cash. Lucrative deals with brands like Head & Shoulders, Pepsi, and CoverGirl have been key to her financial success.
The full list looks very similar to last year’s rankings, where Vergara comfortably took the top spot with Cuoco in second. With the continued success of Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory, it doesn’t look like the top-two in the financial hierarchy is going to change imminently.
We should see change lower on the list, though. Mindy Kaling, the star, creator, and producer of The Mindy Project, came in third once again this year. Her show is currently in its last season, so unless Kaling hops directly onto another profitable project, we may not see her on the next list.
Unsurprisingly, actresses from the biggest American television shows feature prominently on the list. There’s Ellen Pompeo from Grey’s Anatomy, Kerry Washington from Scandal, Mariska Hargitay from Law & Order, and Robin Wright from House of Cards. The only actress that isn’t based in the US is Priyanka Chopra, one of Bollywood’s biggest stars.
As far as next year goes, it’s hard to see how Vergara doesn’t claim a seventh straight year on top of the Forbes Highest-Paid Television Actress list. Her ever-growing list of endorsements and licensing deals ranges from perfumes to furniture to coffee machines. But let’s set the odds nonetheless.
You can’t bet on these props (yet) at your sportsbook of choice. These are purely for entertainment purposes.
Odds to be the highest-paid TV actress in 2018
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family): 3/7
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory): 17/3
Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy): 30/1
Priyanka Chopra (Bollywood): 50/1
Kerry Washington (Scandal): 55/1
Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project): 60/1
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit): 75/1
Julie Bowen (Modern Family): 80/1
Robin Wright (House of Cards): 100/1
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep): 100/1
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
