‘Big Bang Theory’ stars were ‘outraged’ over request to take pay cut for new co-stars, Chuck Lorre claims
Chuck Lorre says in his memoir that the main stars of “The Big Bang Theory” were outraged when asked to accept a pay cut to help fund raises for newer cast members Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch. The account describes a dispute over how the ensemble’s success and pay should be shared.
Lorre recalls executives asking the original cast to give up 10 per cent of their salaries, while they were earning $1 million per episode plus profit points. He says the request was refused, and the executives left the meeting; the article also recounts other behind-the-scenes stories from Lorre’s memoir, including Charlie Sheen’s final days on “Two and a Half Men”.
- Lorre says the cast rejected a proposed pay cut.
- Bialik and Rauch were due pay rises.
- The original stars earned $1 million per episode plus profit points.
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The Big Bang Theory is a US sitcom about a group of scientists and their friends. It became a major hit, and its original cast included Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco.
Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch joined later, playing Amy and Bernadette. As the series grew in popularity, their roles became more prominent, raising questions about how pay should be shared among the cast.
Chuck Lorre co-created the show and was involved in its production. The reported disagreement reflects a wider challenge for successful ensemble shows: balancing established stars’ contracts with pay for cast members who joined later.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The original stars could reasonably argue that their salaries reflected years of work, the show’s success and agreements they had already negotiated; asking them to surrender part of that pay set a new expectation about sharing earnings. They might also see compensation as a matter for each performer and the producers to negotiate, rather than a responsibility to fund colleagues’ raises themselves.
The case against
Bialik and Rauch could reasonably argue that their growing contributions to a successful ensemble warranted pay that better reflected their value. Since the original stars were receiving substantial salaries and profit participation, a modest shared reduction could be seen as a fair way to recognise newer cast members and sustain a more equitable ensemble.